What is Infertility?

What is infertility?

Infertility means not being able to get pregnant after one year of trying. Or, six months, if a woman is 35 or
older. Women who can get pregnant but are unable to stay pregnant may also be infertile.

Pregnancy is the result of a process that has many steps. To get pregnant:

* A woman's body must release an egg from one of her ovaries (ovulation).
* The egg must go through a fallopian tube toward the uterus (womb).
* A man's sperm must join with (fertilize) the egg along the way.
* The fertilized egg must attach to the inside of the uterus (implantation).

Infertility can happen if there are problems with any of these steps.

To read more about DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF INFERTILITY please follow this link:
Different Aspects of Infertility

Fertility Techniques - Overcoming Infertility

Birth defects tied to fertility techniques'

Infants conceived with techniques commonly used in fertility clinics are two to four times more likely to have certain birth defects than are infants conceived naturally, a new study has found.

 The findings applied to single births only, not to twins or other multiples. The defects included heart problems, cleft lip, cleft palate and abnormalities in the esophagus or rectum. But those conditions are rare to begin with, generally occurring no more than once in 700 births, so the overall risk was still low, even after the fertility treatments. Cleft lip, for instance, typically occurs in 1 in 950 births in the United States, and the study found that the risk about doubled, to approximately 1 in 425, among infants conceived with the fertility treatments.
The procedures that increased the risk were so-called assisted reproductive techniques, like in vitro fertilization, which require doctors and technicians to work with eggs and sperm outside the body. The study did not include women who only took fertility drugs and did not have procedures performed. "I think it is important for couples to consider the fact that there may be a risk for birth defects," said Jennita Reefhuis, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the first author of the study. But Reefhuis (pronounced REEF-house) also said that although her study linked fertility procedures to birth defects, it did not prove the connection or explain it. If the connection is real, it is not known whether the procedures increase the risk for birth defects, or whether infertility itself raises the risk.
Fertility doctors, she said, "may not believe my findings." James Grifo, director of the fertility clinic at New York University Medical Center, said, "The good news is that the risk is low." Grifo said more research was needed to test the findings, because the study included only 281 women who had fertility procedures. He said that if the association with birth defects was real, the underlying cause was more likely related to the patients' infertility than to the treatments. Twins and other multiple births have a higher risk of birth defects than single births and whether infertility treatment adds to that risk is unknown.
Alan Fleischman, vice-president and medical director of the March of Dimes, said: "I think it's an important study. It's confirmatory of the direction we have been concerned about, an increase in some structural birth defects in babies born with assisted reproductive techniques compared to those born without such. And yet the numbers are still small, the risks are low."
Women considering fertility treatment should be informed that there might be a risk of birth defects, Fleischman said, but they need not be "overly concerned". NYT NEWS SERVICE

INFORMED CHOICE: Women considering fertility treatment should be informed that there might be a risk of birth defects, experts said

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To read more about DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF INFERTILITY please follow this link:
Overcoming Infertility
 

 

Menstruation Cycle - Birth Pills

Today's birth control pills include hundreds of options to prevent pregnancy and/or address reproductive health issues such as cramps, acne and cysts.

By MARY SHEDDEN


Long gone are the days when the term "the pill" applied to one medication with just one function: birth control.

Today's birth control pills include hundreds of options to prevent pregnancy and/or address reproductive health issues such as cramps, acne and cysts. Though there are many alternative forms of contraception these days — from patches to implants and vaginal rings — an estimated 11.6 million women ages 15 to 44 use the pill, making it by far the leading method in the United States. When used properly, they can be more than 90 percent effective in preventing pregnancy.

And yet, since the first birth control pills appeared in 1960, potential health problems have been an ongoing source of concern, primarily because of a link to blood clots and an increased risk of cervical, liver and breast cancers.

More recently, however, numerous scientific studies have linked the medication to reduced risks for ovarian and endometrial cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Tampa gynecologist Jill Hechtman says that although all the research and controversy may be puzzling, women should remember that every kind of birth control pill has its benefits, risks and side effects. "Every single one has its own positives and negatives," she says.

Adding to the confusion are some high-profile lawsuits and Food and Drug Administration penalties against the makers of Yaz, the nation's most popular oral contraceptive. In 2008, Yaz was preferred by 18 percent of the women taking oral contraceptives, according to IMS Health's annual review of pharmaceutical sales.

Earlier this year, the FDA ordered Bayer Healthcare to correct its ads promoting Yaz's power to quell acne and cramps — and apologetic TV commercials now on the air reflect just that. Several class action suits targeted Yaz for containing hormones that boost potassium levels, which can be dangerous for women with kidney, liver, or adrenal disease.

Hechtman says while Yaz isn't for everyone, it can be a reasonable option for some women, including those at risk of polycystic ovarian syndrome, a disorder characterized by infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, excessive hair growth, acne and obesity, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Hechtman, who does not receive financial support from any drug maker, says a woman and her health care provider should weigh the scientific facts alongside the woman's medical history and lifestyle needs. For example, several oral contraceptives minimize or eliminate menstrual cycles altogether, something Hechtman says is healthy when done appropriately.

"All birth control can be effective unless you don't use it properly," she says.

Women who want birth control to help treat conditions such as cramping or heart disease, as well as those who smoke, first need to consider the risks of any form of birth control. They'll find that most of the birth control pills on the market today contain a combination of estrogen (hormones naturally produced by the ovaries) and progestin (which mimics the reproductive hormone progesterone).

Pills containing higher levels of estrogen have been cited in some studies for possibly increasing health risks. "That's what we think increases the risk of blood clots and heart attacks," Hechtman says. Low-estrogen combination pills are popular, but they've been found to increase the risk of breakthrough bleeding.

That doesn't mean progestin-only or "mini" pills are the solution. Hechtman says these pills have to be taken at the same time every day, and they, too, tend to increase the chance of spotting between periods.

Finally, Hechtman warns, what works for a friend may not be the best option. She says some women try several different oral contraceptives before finding one that meets their needs with minimal side effects.

"The most important thing you can do is talk to your doctors about what you are looking for."

WHICH PILL IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Today, hundreds of different kinds of birth control pills exist, many of which treat health conditions unrelated to birth control. There are several key types of pills on the market including:

Traditional pill: Taken every day, it releases estrogen and progestin for 21 days, and a placebo is used the other seven days when the period happens. Comes in both monophasic – where the same amount of hormones are released in each dose – and triphasic – where hormone dosage changes each week.

Extended cycle, three month: A low-estrogen dose is taken every day for three months, with a seven-day placebo regimen that allows for menstrual bleeding.

Extended cycle, one year: A low-dose pill designed to be taken for a full year, with no hormonal breaks. Menstrual bleeding is suppressed altogether.

Mini-pill: The progestin-only pill is taken at the same time every day and in a cycle similar to traditional birth control pills. Periods do take place.

Sources: Mayo Clinic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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To read more about DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF INFERTILITY please follow this link:
Overcoming Infertility
 

Overcoming Infertility

Discover the principles to becoming pregnant naturally from women who succeeded despite long years of trying even after failing many medical tests and procedures regarding their inability to conceive.

You see now, how old knowledge and old experiences are good but when you get new knowledge and new experiences and combine it with your old ones –you definitely will get a new result.

Dr. Irina

"You Can Overcome Infertility"

Which will tell you about all the infertility treatments used by modern doctors. You will learn in which situation what treatment is more appropriate for you, why the treatments fail sometimes and what kind alternatives exist, plus learn how to increase your chances using these methods.

Here is one of my recent letters...

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Hi Dr Irina

I just could not wait to tell you this, at last it looks like we have succeeded with conception. I have been trying to have a baby for nearly 10 years. I failed 6 IVF's and I think it's all because of my PCOS .

The last IVF treatment was really different from the many treatments I had before. My pregnancy is 29 weeks now and I feel kicking and moving inside my belly all the time. I had an ultrasound test done yesterday and doctor said it is a girl and everything is going well.

I really love when my girl moves inside me - it means she is all right and healthy.
I talk to her and sing songs as you told me to do for better brain development of the baby.

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To read more about DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF INFERTILITY please follow this link:
Overcoming Infertility
 

 

Getting Pregnant After Miscarriage

Dr. Irina

I have been keeping personal records regarding different aspects on infertility problems women were having and how many couples where I practiced became pregnant after using natural methods. My notes go back 9 years and I have discovered many things along the way: I would now like to share them with you.

But first I want to tell you the good news that many women who are considered to be infertile are not infertile at all. Most of them have a specific reason why they couldn’t become pregnant. In many cases these reasons can be overcome and a healthy pregnancy achieved naturally

To read more about DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF INFERTILITY please follow this link:
Different Aspects of Infertility