How to deal with hormonal changes

By Dr. Shobha Gupta  

You just cannot avoid hormonal changes. From puberty through to pregnancy and even post-menopause, hormonal imbalances can affect all areas of your life including your ability to feel comfortable during intimacy with your partner. 

Today, in this blog I will talk about few tips on how to handle these hormonal changes: 

1. Ensure that you take a balanced diet 

Take balancing healthy fats. Start eating avocado, coconut and olive oil, as well as switch to omega-3s in oily fish, walnuts and chia seeds. Cutting back on sugar and refined carbohydrates can be really beneficial for hormonal symptoms like fatigue and hot flushes,. 

2. Track changes in your sexual desire 

The reproductive hormones including estrogen and progesterone can affect sexual desire in phases. You may find your desire tends to increase in the days leading up to ovulation (when oestrogen is highest) and decrease shortly after ovulation is over. As women age, levels of oestrogen and testosterone start to fall, and changes to sexual desire are common. 

3. Vaginal cleanliness 

Peri menopause is the precursor to menopause and can start as early as the mid-thirties. You will still have regular periods, but ovulate less effectively,

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

Indirect causes of female infertility

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

Women being infertile are still a taboo but at the same time our technology is so advanced that it doesn’t let it untreated for a long time. There are several issues which are accountable for female infertility. Today, I will list out some of the indirect causes of female infertility. 

1. Obesity: Obesity is a chronic medical condition characterized by too much body fat Being overweight affects everything.  Yet another growing problem in today’s time among the population is infertility caused due to Obesity. I see at least 30 to 35 patients in a day coming to me for infertility out of which 10% are obese.  

2. Smoking: Cigarette smoking is harmful to the ovaries, and the degree of damage is dependent upon the amount and length of the time a woman smokes or is exposed to a smoked environment. Female smokers also have decreased rates of fertility and decreased fallopian tube function.  

3. Overworking: Getting in to the office early, staying till late. Always working on the computer. Working too much regularly can have negative effects on your physical as well as mental health as all these factors bring ever increasing stress. Stress in your life can lead to unhealthy body conditions like upset stomach, elevated blood pressures, poor sleep patterns, slowing of metabolism etc. which can actually throw your life out of gear and these

5 things to know about IVF Treatment

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

IVF or in vitreo fertilization is a method to treat infertility worldwide. As we all know all that infertility is a common modern day problem which means when you are unable to conceive naturally despite of one year of trying. As you age your fertility levels will decline and then you opt for IVF treatment to conceive So, it is very important to know things about IVF treatment before jumping into it: 

1. When women's and men’s fertility really starts to fall

First and foremost you should know about the time or age when a woman's fertility starts to drop dramatically. It starts declining from the age of 30 onwards. Diminishing egg numbers along with diminishing egg quality is also one issue. A simple blood test, known as AMH, will tell a woman if she has a normal number of eggs for her age but tells us little about the quality of the eggs remaining. On the other hand, men's fertility can also reduce with age. While women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, men are continually producing new sperm. However, as men age, the quality of the genes in their sperm deteriorates from 40 onwards. 

2. Success rate of IVF treatment 

There are ‘N’ numbers of fertility clinics and infertility specialists in the world and many have achieved the highest success rates in IVF in the world. However, an individual couple's chance of success depends on a number of factors such as the cause of infertility, age and lifestyle. As a general guide, there is a 50 percent chance of conception per IVF treatment if aged under 30. This goes down to a 20 percent chance for your first IVF treatment over the age of 40. 

3. Cost of IVF treatment

Infertility is increasing at a fast paced and IVF is becoming a common option for all. So, as a result IVF has become more affordable in India than in other

Above 40 and still fertile, what’s the secret?

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

Age is always one such issue which tops the list if you want to become pregnant because you can’t do anything about age. Though the cosmetic procedures are very much in and may holds your age over your face but there’s no medicine, no cure for old age and the disabilities that come with it. The only thing you can do is plan your future well and make the best of today. The ideal age for pregnancy is the mid-to-late 20s. If you want to wait, then you can push that limit up to 35 only and not beyond. After 35, the chances of a successful pregnancy start declining. 

IVF or In vitreo fertilization treatment, for so long considered the only hope for women who are unable to fall pregnant on their own but I believe that IVF isn't the only answer for women wanting to get pregnant. 

There are other options too that needs to be considered and that many could find their fertility better boosted through acupuncture, making simple lifestyle changes and, actually, just having more sex. I've known many patients who wanted to go for IVF treatment and aren't regularly having sex. Often people are looking for every possible option not but sex. Physical intimacy between couples is of utmost importance. In today’s busy world couples have created a