Top Health Tips on Getting Pregnant with IVF

Your ovulation cycle is largely ignored until you decide to have a baby. Suddenly, the ovulation cycle becomes more than just a countdown to your next period. When you're trying to get pregnant, you need to identify when you're ovulating to calculate the time available to you to conceive a child. Ovulation occurs mid-cycle, every month for most women. It is usually accompanied by a number of symptoms. Some of these are:

Ovulation pain

Some women may experience abdominal pain when they ovulate. This can range from a mild sensation to constant pain. The latter is not normal and may be caused by ovarian cysts or scarring by previous surgery.

Higher Basal body temperature

Basal body temperature is the lowest temperature recorded in the body when it is at rest. At the time of ovulation, this temperature normally increases as a result of the release of progesterone. To use this method to determine ovulation, you will need a basal thermometer. Take your temperature every morning as soon as you wake up and record it in a chart to spot temperature changes. Basal body temperature can also be used to determine if recent intercourse has resulted in a pregnancy or not. If the basal temperature remains elevated for 18 days after intercourse, it is safe to say that you are pregnant.

Cervical mucus

The mucus released by the vagina changes according to the stage of the ovulation cycle. This is caused by the fluctuations of hormone levels. At the time of ovulation, cervical mucus is clear, slippery and highly elastic. This can be compared to a raw egg white in colour and consistency. After ovulation, this mucus will turn stickier and denser.

Cervical position

Your cervix itself will shift at the time of ovulation. Some women can easily feel this change while it may take a little time for others to identify it. The cervix is usually positioned low and feels hard and closed. However, just before ovulation, it will usually open up and soften a little as well as pull back. Cervical position also needs to be regularly charted to determine when the position changes.

Spotting

Spotting mid-cycle is not always a sign of an early period. It may also signal ovulation. This is usually a result of the sudden drop in estrogen that precedes ovulation. Since the progesterone levels are not high at this time, the lining of the uterus may leak a little blood.

Other signs of ovulation include:

* Breast tenderness
* Heightened sense of smell, taste etc
* Increased libido
* Increased energy levels and
* Water retention

I am sure that all the men might have come across this term known as 'Dry Orgasm'. This is a highly contradictory and is a major reason for worry in men of the varied age. For starters, it is good to know what the meaning of a dry orgasm is. As the name suggests, dry orgasm means men masturbating as always, but without an ejaculation, meaning there is no semen ejaculation while masturbation. The dry orgasm could be common in boys below the age of puberty since their bodies have not started producing semen as of yet and hence, their dry spell most certainly disappears with age. But it sure is a thing to worry if you are not in your adolescence years and going through the midlife crisis! Meaning, it is not normal for a man in his middle ages or above to be masturbating without an ejaculation. It is possible that this is more of a temporary sort of an issue in such men, but otherwise, it could be a signal that there is something serious going on in your body!

One of the reasons which have been identified by the researchers is that in the case of Middle Ages men, the situation is called as retro-gradation of ejaculation. This means that when you are stimulating your penis the semen which has been prepared for an ejaculation somehow gets directed in the wrong direction and hence it does not ejaculate from the tip of the penis. In such men, they might have made the common observation of cloudy urination which is basically due to the fact that misdirected semen goes to the bladder and is mixed with the urine, hence, making it cloudy. Even though this could be easily treated and could also be an underlying reason for stress, it surely is not good for your sex life since the impact made by the ejaculation of sperm within the vagina goes missing and therefore, the climax is not as good as expected.

A dry orgasm is also a common phenomenon caused in men who are hyper-sexually active and hence, as a result of the body answers back with a dry orgasm. The logic behind this is simple, in a man who is sexually active, that is, for an average young man the ideal number of ejaculations in a day is about 5-6. Therefore, if one has done it more than 5-6 times, it is most likely to get difficult for the body to keep up with the speed of ejaculation and production of semen. In such cases, men should rather give it a rest and let the process be as natural as it is.

Last but not the least; older men with dry orgasm are more prone to the risk of developing prostate cancer. In men who have aged above, 55 should make sure they consult a specialist as soon as possible.
But this is not the end of the discussion, especially if you are trying to conceive then it is best if you take up our Ayurvedic treatment. For one, it is perfectly safe and gives no side effects, whatsoever! And second, our ayurvedic medication has had 100%success rates into removing dry orgasm from a man's life. If you want to know more about our product, click on the link!

There are a number of ways in modern day medical science for helping couples conceive, in case they are not able to do so in a natural way. Apart from IUI, IVF and other forms of artificial insemination, one such way is ovulation induction. In this procedure, the ovaries are stimulated to release an egg which can maximize the chances of natural conception, or even through IUI. This is an effective process that works well, provided there are no other infections and diseases at play. It basically works by stoking the relevant hormones with the help of tablets and injections.

Let us find out more about the process.

Varied Tests: Before embarking on the process, the doctor will conduct a number of tests to ensure that you are capable of conceiving by natural means or even with artificial insemination. These tests help in making sure that there are no other ailments in the picture, which may hamper the process of ovulation induction or affect the ovaries in general.

Ovulation Cycle: Thereafter, the doctor will take blood samples in order to study the exact ovulation cycle that the body follows. These blood samples will be studied to measure the level of hormones at different stages so as to find out the most opportune time when the situation may be congenial for the ovulation induction to begin. A transvaginal ultrasound will also be carried out so that the doctor may study the development of follicles within the ovaries. These follicles usually line the ovaries. This ultrasound will also study the thickness and appearance of the womb s lining.

The Ovulation Induction Cycle: The ovulation induction cycle will begin with tests that will happen starting from day one to day four. Once the tests have ascertained that the body is ready to go through the process with maximum chances of conception, the process will begin on fourth day. On this day, the patient will be given medication like Clomiphene Citrate. This medicine is also usually given to patients who are undergoing IUI or artificial insemination as it is said to increase the likelihood of conception. The Follicle Stimulating Hormone injection will also be given to the patient on the same day.

After the Medication: Once the medication and injections have been administered, the patient will have to go through a test to study the hormone levels in the body. This usually takes place around day 10 or 11. Thereafter, two weeks later, the patient will go through an ultrasound to find out if the ovulation is about to begin.

Time: While this is an effective method, one must remember that the ovulation results may take time for women who do not have normal menstrual cycles.

Hello, this is Rahul Manchanda. I am a part of Manchanda's endoscopic centre. And I am a gynaecology endoscopic surgeon. We do Minimal Invasive Surgery for women's diseases. This includes surgery for Infertility, for which I want to talk about today.

Infertility despite our country has large population has rampant here. Many couples want babies of course and are unable to have them. So infertility is a science in medicines that deal with this problem. And as an infertility specialist, we would like to help those people who are troubled with this. Endoscopic surgery is a large part of this.

You must have heard In Vitro Fertilization, ICSI i.e, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection methods to those who do not have babies and can not conceive. But you don't really need an IVF unless it is indicated and that needs to be diagnosed by the Endoscopic surgeon. You have procedures like looking into the uterus to see whether there is a problem and those problems can be corrected. And many people don't need IVF, once this works up and go through the endoscopic surgery. Tubes that are blocked can be open up with the very simple procedures in which you don't need to stay in a Hospital for very long and you do not have many cuts on the body, the cost is less, the trauma to the body is much less, you can go back to the work faster and of course you avoid the Infertility procedures. So, yes we do this surgery.

We are based at New Friends Colony and also Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute Hospital. Facebook page is also available where you can put your queries on that. Also, you can contact me through Lybrate.

Not only this, we do other types of surgeries also which we will talk to you about. But in case of Infertility, these surgeries are used. So if you have a problem, let us diagnose it, let us help to treat you and put a smile on your face.

Thank you. Regards.

Usually, when it comes to doing anything or trying something new, we say age doesn t matter at all. But that is not the case with pregnancy. Pregnancy should be planned at earlier ages to keep your baby as well as the conceiving mother healthily. Although it has been observed that those women who conceive their babies at the age of 35 (or maybe even more than that), experience no difficulties but one should take precautionary steps before planning a baby so that no difficulties arise.

Increase in age can lead to an increase in the potential risks when it comes to pregnancy. Along with age, the quantity of the egg cells produced in the female body decreases along with the reduced quality of eggs. Also, the fertility of the sperm in males gets declined with age which makes the pregnancy at the later ages more difficult.

There can also be certain risks associated with 35+ pregnancies such as genetic disorders like Down syndrome occurrences increases with the increase in maternal age. Recombination irregularities also take place because due to increase in age the regulation of recombination process becomes inefficient that may lead to many chromosomal aberration or abnormalities such as a change in the number of sex chromosomes and increased chances of rearrangements of chromosomes.

Pregnancy in thirty-five plus years can increase the chance of miscarriage. One of the possible reasons could be the decline in fertility of the egg. The researchers have found that the risk of getting gestational diabetes, or the breeching position of the child. There could be an emergency delivery of the baby or postmortem hemorrhage can also occur. The baby born could have reduced birth weight or high birth weight, both can be dangerous for the health of the baby.

There are some of the prenatal tests which can be done in case of mothers who conceive at 35+ age. These tests can assist the gynaecologists to determine whether there are any complications during the pregnancy or not. Hence, gynaecologists always recommend the expecting ladies to maintain a properly balanced diet, take vitamins such as folic acid supplements, exercise on a regular basis, and refrain from taking drugs and regularly ask your doctors for prescribed medicines.

The women who are planning the pregnancy at such ages should go for regular prenatal checkups and further counselling. Also, one should take proper prenatal care for keeping your baby healthy and avoiding complications.

Egg Freezing, which is also known as mature oocyte cryopreservation, refers to the method through which reproductive potential is restored among women. Eggs get harvested from the ovaries, frozen and in an unfertilized manner and are stored for purpose of using them later on. The egg freezing procedure is recommended for those women, who would like to delay conceiving baby due to various kinds of reasons.

Before the freezing of eggs, it is important to first retrieve the eggs. Let us look at how the eggs are retrieved, followed by the procedure of egg freezing through two different ways.

Retrieval of Egg

Egg Retrieval takes place just like it is done in case of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Women would need to be put under medication for hormones or through injections, which shall lead to the stimulation of ovaries, leading to more eggs getting matured. After this women would receive the necessary medication to stimulate ovulation and then the extraction of eggs takes place through the use of a needle. Specialists perform this whole procedure by putting women under the effect of anaesthesia and are also guided by ultrasounds. Once the extraction is completed, the freezing takes place.

There are two different techniques involved in the egg freezing process. They include:

Slow Egg Freezing Method

A substance called cryoprotectant is used in order to protect the biological tissues from getting damaged out of freezing. This slow freezing method of getting eggs frozen relies on low initial concentrations of cryoprotectant. The cryoprotectant in low concentration is introduced when the egg is at a relatively warm temperature and still continues to experience the usual functions of a living cell. Then the cryoprotectant would spread all throughout thus fill the egg, hence replacing most of the water inside the egg. The egg is then inserted into a small container made of plastic and ultimately get placed inside a cooling chamber. The lowering of temperature, to around -6 degree centigrade, takes place through injecting very tiny amounts of liquid nitrogen into the cooling chamber. The cooling process is controlled by a computer.

The main purpose of these techniques is to avoid ice crystals from getting formed in the egg. During the spreading of the cryoprotectant, if the ice crystals are still present, they can cause damage to the egg and hence the egg may not survive the process of thawing. Then the temperature is lowered further to around -32 degree centigrade. By this time, the egg s metabolic rate becomes slow. The container where the egg was placed, is then dipped inside the liquid nitrogen, forming a solid.

Rapid Egg Freezing Method or Vitrification

At the time of rapid freezing method, there is high concentration of initial cryoprotectant whereas the cell remains at room temperature. The egg is unable to stay for long in this temperature and thus gets poured immediately onto the liquid nitrogen. Cryoprotectant spreads at a rapid rate so as to avoid ice-crystal from getting damaged. Vitrification is a very new method for freeing eggs. Recent research has shown that vitrification of eggs largely improves the possibility for survival after thawing and the rates of pregnancy.

Conceiving a baby is one of the most joyous experiences for a couple and it can be a healthy one as well if the couple is aware of pre- and post-conception care. While it is true that these days couples are more aware of family planning and pregnancy than they were in the earlier days, it still makes sense to make pre- and post-conception care a part of life when going for a baby.

It is important because:

It helps one get pregnant faster Many times, couples looking to get pregnant think that getting off the pill is sufficient to get pregnant but this is not true. Getting off the pill is just the first step towards conceiving and it has to be supplemented with other steps such as keeping a tab on the ovulation cycle, having intercourse at the most favorable time and with the right technique, eating a nutritious diet, saying no to unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking and much more. It is only when a couple follows these other steps that the woman can get pregnant and this is why it is important to be aware of these pre-conception care steps as they ensure quicker pregnancy.
It ensures healthy pregnancy The nine months of pregnancy are a delicate time for the mother-to-be and she needs to take care of her health to make sure that her baby is also fine. She needs to eat healthily and abstain from harmful lifestyle activities, before as well as after conceiving. Pre-conception care makes sure that the fetus is healthy right from the beginning. The practice of healthy habits and lifestyle prior to and after conception makes the uterus fit to carry the fetus. It ensures that the mother-to-be is also in the right state of mind and body to sail through the pregnancy.
It minimizes the chance of miscarriage and post-delivery complications Miscarriage is something that creates fear in the minds of women and if they have had a history of abortion then they are even more concerned. However, if they know the necessary things about pre - and post-conception care and follow it, they can minimize the chances of miscarriage and also deliver the baby safely. Also, proper care makes sure there are no birth defects in the child and the mother and the baby are healthy after the delivery.
Basic few blood tests need to be done prior to planning pregnancy so that if any variation found, it can be corrected. Also, those women who are already on certain pills, need to reassure that medications that they are taking are safe.

Pre-conception care is vital not just for women but also for men. The latter also need to follow a healthy lifestyle in order to make conception a reality. Healthy lifestyle results in increased sperm count and healthier sperm, which when fertilizes with the eggs, results in a healthy embryo. As for post-conception care, it rests with the woman but being the father-to-be, the man also needs to be educated and mentally prepared for the pregnancy.

He needs to give emotional support to the mother of his child and look after her during the nine months. So, pre- and post-conception care is for the man as well as the woman and therefore, both should learn and get themselves educated about the same.

Marriage is believed to be a license for sex, there is always a partner available anytime, anywhere. Right? Maybe, in the initial stages, before the realities of marriage set in (that too provided you have the privacy and the household chores in order). With kids entering the scene, this scene changes completely. For both men and women, life changes drastically, and sex soon becomes a thing of the past.
While the woman undergoes a lot of physical changes and the new one becomes the centre of all her attention, the male is confused somewhere between frustration and loss of attention.
Suddenly, everything revolves around the new one, and somewhere, the physical intimacy between the couples is completely lost. Most couples resign to it as a way of life, a part of parenthood. Some get frustrated and may even look for sex outside marriage. Come to think of it, what created the child is taken away completely by the child.
However, the scene need not be as bad too. There are always ways and workarounds and taking out a couple of hours for the couple should not be a problem, if planned nicely.
Lost privacy: With the kid on the scene, the couple often loses privacy (of the house sometimes, of their bedroom for sure). This is also one of the main reasons for the loss of sex. Maybe, after a year (or earlier depending on a case-to-case basis), try to have a separate bedroom for the child. This not only gives you privacy but also can lead to a romantic night. So, growing a baby does not have to take you away from your partner!!
Planned dates: Ensure the kid (or kids) is taken care of. Get your close family or friends to babysit them and get yourself out of the environment physically. Being at home will make you constantly want to supervise if things are going well. Trust your babysitters, and they will be fine. Do this at least once a month (or more frequently if possible) to keep the romance alive.
Plan your day: With a newborn baby around (or for that matter, with a child around, whatever the age), there is never an end to the to-do list. Getting to bed very late completely drained does not allow for any physical intimacy between you and the partner. Once in a while, wind up a little early, leave some things for the next day and take some time out with the partner. Even some heartfelt talk would leave you feeling close and be a great way to end the day. Sex, for sure, demands some physical energy and reserve it!!

Pregnancy is a welcome change in a woman's life. She is full of hope and happiness while awaiting the birth of her bundle of joy. However, it is almost inevitable to bring up the topic of conception and leave out a host of bodily alterations or disadvantages it entails. You might eagerly wait for months in a row to conceive and once you do the signs of health issues show. Most noticeable of all other problems are the ones affecting your skin. Skin problems can be immensely predominant and widespread in a pregnant mother; so much so that her psychological disposition might vary considerably.

Commonly observed symptoms of the skin that may affect you during pregnancy:
1. Your eyes may look puffy and withdrawn: While the news of a baby lighting up your life in a few months' time makes you very happy, it also subjects your body to exhaustion. It is natural for expecting mothers to feel tired and wasted. Acute iron deficiency and poor blood circulation could result in fatigue that further surfaces as dark circles and puffy bags under your eyes.

2. Your face could develop acne suddenly: Acne is caused mainly because of excess sebum secretions from the oil glands present in your body. Excess oil tends to choke the open pores of your skin preventing it from breathing. Increased levels of progesterone are maintained by the human body for a strong uterine lining that is again required for the healthy development of a child; progesterone kicks off oil secretions.

3. Spider like marks could spot your skin: Hormonal imbalances, sudden increase in weight, and heightened pressure in the veins may cause the blood vessels in your face to redden and grow big; the veins then look like the web of a spider. This condition is often referred to as Spider Angiomas.

4. Big dark patches can also be seen: During pregnancy, your body has an excess of both oestrogen and progesterone. These hormones incite the impact of melanocytes, thus resulting in big dark patches on your skin. The condition is more prevalently known as Melasma.

Suffering from the problem of infertility can be a heartbreaking as well as a very frustrating process but still with different kinds of IVF treatments available today, a lot of women can realize their dreams of having their own family. In Vitro Fertilization is a laboratory procedure where the sperm and egg are fertilized outside the body. It has been more than 35 years since the first baby was born through this process of IVF and now it has become the go-to method for treatment regarding reproduction, which assists in the birth of over 5 million babies. With the availability of different kinds of IVF treatments currently, to navigate one s way through the in vitro fertilization process can seem to be quite confusing as well as intimidating.

Now, we take a look at the difference between the types of IVF treatments and see if they are right for a woman.

Different Types of IVF - Since the time IVF came into being, more than three decades ago, it has become the leading form of assisted reproduction, having an estimated amount of 70000 babies per year getting conceived through this procedure. The procedure of IVF involves a really complex series of procedures where an egg gets removed from the ovaries of a woman and fertilized with sperm in a laboratory. The fertilized egg, which is called an embryo then, gets returned to the womb of the woman for its growth and development.

Natural Cycle IVF: Natural Cycle IVF bears similarity with the standard IVF treatment but this takes place without having to use medication for stimulating the ovary leading to the preparation of multiple eggs. Natural IVF basically monitors the ovulation cycle of a patient with the intention to retrieve only one egg. This is unlike conventional IVF, which requires retrieval of multiple eggs. Women who opt for Natural IVF due to the process being more economical compared to the traditional treatment. Natural Cycle IVF requires less time as compared to the traditional one and is thought to be a safer as well as stress-free treatment option by certain experts.
Mini IVF: Minimal Stimulation IVF or Mini IVF is a kind of IVF, which is supposed to be somewhere between Natural IVF and Traditional IVF. The Mini IVF treatment is different from the Traditional IVF, with regard to how it gets administered through medicines. In case of Mini IVF treatment, less amount of medication gets administered by the specialists, so that there can only be production of two to three eggs at a time, in comparison to 10 or more in case of conventional IVF.
At the time of treatment, the retrieval of eggs and fertilization take place just like they are done in any other IVF process. The only difference lies in the stimulation part, which is lot less in this case compared to regular In Vitro Fertilization. Despite Mini IVF being suggested as a gentler approach to IVF, some researchers feel that less number of eggs might reduce the possibility of getting success.

Despite the positives, certain fertility experts send out a warning due to the significantly low chance of pregnancy with this process. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!