Tobacco - a threat in reproduction

By Dr. Shobha Gupta  

Tobacco use has been considered controversial for long although scientific evidence regarding its health hazards.  

At present, nearly 0.9 million tobacco-related deaths occur in India annually as compared to 5.5 million worldwide which is expected to increase to about 10 million during 2020s. The report also revealed that 8 to 10 lakh persons die of tobacco related diseases every year and this reflects a higher mortality than the combined deaths resulting from other major diseases, such as tuberculosis, HIV AIDS and malaria. 

Many of us are aware about the diseases that caused by consumption of tobacco which is mainly cancer of oral cavity, larynx, oesophagus, urinary bladder, kidney, stomach, pancreas, cervix. But several research studies have also identified smoking or consuming tobacco in any form adds multiple risk factors of infertility especially in men; risk of osteoporosis, bone fractures and early age wrinkles also. 

Tobacco usage in any form like cigarette smoking, hookah, consuming bidi etc can harm you in many ways. Let’s have a look how: 

Unable to reproduce if you are a tobacco lover: 

The Statesman

Male fertility which means that you are unable to make your wife pregnant is affected by a variety of lifestyle habits that include tobacco use. A large population of Indian men is addicted to tobacco chewing. Tobacco chewing is strongly associated with a decrease in sperm quality and to a lesser extent with oligoasthenozoospermia or azoospermia. 

The relationship between tobacco use and male fertility has always been controversial but yes indeed; tobacco use is a potential detrimental factor for decrease in sperm count in men. Smoking can decrease sperm count in men, making the

Boost up your fertility at 40+ with these tips

By Dr Shobha Gupta 

According the reports by National Statistics Bureau , people have been increasingly delaying childbearing until later life, resulting in rising the number of infertility cases. The main reason of delaying chlid bearing would be the increasing importance of a career and the rising costs of child rearing.

It is a proven fact that as the body ages, getting pregnant can be more challenging as compare to people in their teens and twenties. Many women considering pregnancy in their 40s will then look to IVF treatment as their last resort. In my opinion before jumping to IVF treatment; there are lifestyle choices that every woman needs to consider to improve her fertility and likelihood of having a healthy baby. 

1. Get sexually active 

Have sex at least every other day during your fertile window. Understanding your own menstrual cycle (which you can do here) is probably one of the most important things you can do, studies show you're most likely to get pregnant if you have sex within a day or so of ovulation. Ovulation usually happens about 14 days after the first day of your last period. 

2. Eat good 

Include nuts, vegetables and pulses in your diet for healthy fibre and limit sugar content. Being overweight can seriously affect your chances of conceiving so, maintaining a healthy weight, and and cutting out the processed foods should assist both your chances of conceiving and the potential health of the foetus. 

3. Give yourself a pre natal vitamin boost 

Vitamin D and Folic acid are both recommended by the NHS to encourage the healthy development of the foetus and in particular its neural pathways. 

4. Be aware of changes in your body 

If you notice symptoms like sudden weight gain or

Your questions about IVF are not that much tricky than you think: All about IVF

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

There are N number of questions comes to our mind whenever we go for treatments like IVF, Surrogacy, ICSI etc. or even when you are unable to conceive then there are various question arises. Here are few of them with their answers: 

Q.1 What is the success rate for IVF? 

Ans. Success rate vary from centre to centre from where the patient is taking the treatment and is more individualized depends on cause of infertility. But here at Mother’s Lap IVF Centre we have delivered 60%- 70% success rate which is still sustained and maintained. 

Q.2 What should one expect from the IVF treatment? 

Ans.  IVF is the combination of female’s egg and a male’s sperm and implanting the resulting embryos in woman’s uterus. IVF is more costly and persistent than other treatments but can be successful if other options fail. Try to relax and be positive throughout the process. 

Q.3 What's the time taken to conceive and approximate cost? 

Ans.  10 to 15 days for injection and after 2 or 3 days we do embryo transfer and then pregnancy test. So it takes roughly around 4 to 6 weeks. Cost for IVF is around 1.2 Lakhs to 1.7 Lakhs; but again it depends on centre to centre. 

Q.4 What are the Precautions for late pregnancies? 

Ans.  If a lady is pregnant in the late ages then she needs extra care as it is always risky to conceive after certain age. 

She should be registered for close monitoring with a

Direct causes of Female infertility

By Dr. Shobha Gupta

In my previous blog, I have listed indirect causes of female infertility such as stress, over working, age factor, smoking etc. Now let’s talk about direct causes of women reproductive dysfunction that resulted in infertility.

1. PCOS/PCOD:

Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome and Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease are the disease both associated with ovaries; ovaries are the very important part of women’s reproductive body. PCOS is an endocrine system disorder in which woman’s levels of sex hormones estrogen and progesterone gets out of balance. This leads to growth of ovarian cysts. PCOD is a condition developed by the hormonal imbalance, which lead to collection of mature eggs in the ovary, as they cannot be discharged. These also become cysts and some of the cysts lead to more cysts and this cycle goes on. One of the causes would be insulin diet; hormonal disturbances or stress that leads to PCOD.

2. Blockage in fallopian tube:

Fallopian tubes are needed for transmitting of eggs and sperms. The tube is usually wherein woman’s egg and man’s sperm meet up to get fertilization. When there is a blockage of the tube in one area or perhaps each side, natural pregnancy is not possible. This blockage might be because of sexually transmitted infections (STI) for example PID i.e pelvic inflammatory disease. Therefore all the vital fertility checks are carried out by the infertility specialists in Patna to find out the real reason of fallopian tube blockage before starting any infertility treatment.

3. Vaginal issues:

Sometimes, woman’s vagina might be too narrow to allow access to the man’s penis or perhaps panic could hold her in the course of sexual