Travelling during IVF Treatment

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

Many questions keep pondering us during IVF treatment. One of them would be should I travel when

my IVF treatment is going on…? Many couples ask me, if they can take vacations and travel before, after, or during treatment. Actually, IVF medications and procedures can interfere dramatically with your day-to-day life. In all honesty, the bottom line is better safe than sorry. 

It would be quite difficult for one to travel during the medication phase of the IVF process. Regardless of your medication schedule, which is likely to be sturdy, you will be seeing your doctor on a regular basis for monitoring appointments that include blood work and ultrasounds. It is likely that you won’t be able to get away during this phase of your treatment. Keep in mind, you also don’t know how your body is going to react to the medications, you might want to be near your doctor just in case you have some bad side effects or concerns. 

The next part of the IVF process includes two procedures; egg retrieval and embryo transfer. You won’t be able to find here to travel at all. Some IVF patients do travel from their home quite some distance to seek treatment in a larger town or city. This type of traveling is okay, as you will need to travel back and forth between your home and treatments. Some doctors do recommend a hotel stay for a night or two immediately following each procedure. 

So you are thinking to yourself, after all that I have gone through I need a little time to get away. Dependent on your doctor, you typically will

Most common causes of female infertility

A woman’s fertility is influenced by her age: female fertility peaks in the early to mid 20’s and declines slowly until the age of 35, However, there are a number of younger women who, despite their perceived fertility, have difficulty in conceiving.
It is generally advised that women under the age of 35 age wait for one year before investigating why they are failing to conceive.

There are two types of infertility:

Primary infertility: where someone who has never conceived a child in the past has difficulty conceiving.

Secondary infertility: where a person has had one or more pregnancies in the past, but is having difficulty conceiving again. It is estimated that 1/3 of the causes of infertility are associated with male factors such as poor sperm quality, 1/3 attributed to female factors. Three of the most common conditions that contribute to early female infertility are pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Mid-thirties and Infertility: Age does matters

These days more couples are delaying starting family into early mid-thirties’. The golden age for women

to conceive in their third decade of life that is their twenties. As more women are delaying getting pregnant, it is even more important that they try and maintain healthy life style to maintain optimum fertility.

Age and Fertility

Women’s age plays an important role in their fertility, women are born with around 4-5 million eggs which remain in a quiet stage until they reach teenage years. From teenage onwards, there is a slow and steady loss of the follicles and only 400,000 – 500,000 follicles remain. The process of the drop in quality and quantity of eggs gathers pace around the mid-thirties’. It gains even more pace in late thirties and later as women enter into their 40’s. The chances of getting pregnant for women in their 40’s can be as low as 5% when compared to

Infertile: doesn’t mean you’ll never get pregnant

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

Infertility is clinically defined as not able to get pregnant after one year of having regular sexual intercourse without the usage of birth control measures. On the other hand men are considered as infertile when they’ve been trying to make their wives conceive for one year with no success. So, basically there are plenty of people out there in the world struggling with this label of being infertile. 

Infertile doesn't mean that you're out of options. Today, we are living in the field of technology and there is a solution to most world problems. Today, IVF which is known as In vitreo fertilization is the hope to help women who are childless. 

There are a few factors that can contribute to female infertility like advanced maternal age, defined as having a pregnancy at the age of 35 or over, as you get older, your fertility gradually declines, which is why women who fall into this group may take longer to get pregnant and other conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, having damaged or blocked fallopian tubes that can’t be treated with surgery, and premature ovarian failure (a loss of normal ovarian function before age 40) may also make it harder to get pregnant without reproductive assistance;

Why Breastfeeding is necessary?

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

Breastfeeding is a wonderful experience to a woman. Although it’s a natural process, breastfeeding is a learned skill, which requires practice and patience. First of all make sure you should increase your water intake. This is extremely important when you are breastfeeding your newly born. If you stay hydrated more milk will be produced and it will help you feel energetic the whole day too. Keep your meals simple yet nutritious. Always keep fresh fruits and vegetables at home so that when you feel hungry you do not grab any snack or cookies or high and empty calorie food items. 

Let’s discuss the benefits of breastfeeding:

Your breast milk is the best possible food for your baby and will give her the best start in life. It provides the required nutrition as well as immunity for your baby. Here are few benefits of breastfeeding for you and your baby: 

• It gives right nutrients and right balance: Breast milk has the right proportions of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and other nutrients your baby needs to grow and develop. 
• It is easy to digest:  Unlike proteins found in regular cow’s milk, the proteins in breast milk are naturally gentle and easy to digest. 
• It builds tolerance:  it helps protect your baby against early food allergies, protein intolerance and sensitivity. 
• It offers protection: it provides natural protective antibodies and other immune-related benefits; protects babies from infections and illnesses that include

Hepatitis contributes to male infertility

By Dr. Shobha Gupta 

World Hepatitis Day falls on 28 July 2017 and the theme given by World Health Organization for 2017 is “Eliminate Hepatitis” 

Hepatitis as we all know is the inflammation of the liver and prove to be deadly in the long run if ignored. According to the World Health Organization, there are 400 million people worldwide who are living with Hepatitis B or C. Globally, every year 1.4 million people die from viral hepatitis. There are five viruses that can cause hepatitis - A, B, C, D and E. Out of these, hepatitis A, B & C cause over 90% of the diagnosed cases of the disease. While viral hepatitis can be acute or chronic, hepatitis A and E do not cause chronic illness. Hepatitis B and C are the most common disease viruses and can cause chronic illness.  According to WHO Viral hepatitis affects 400 million people globally and, given the size of the epidemic, anyone and everyone can be at risk. 

Let’s look at the risk factors hepatitis has brought: 

You are at the risk of infertility if you are found with Hepatitis Virus. The hepatitis virus negatively impacts spermatogenesis in males thereby significantly lowering sperm count, its motility, viability and morphology. We can say that Hepatitis contributes to male infertility

Still not Pregnant? Then you should consider these facts

By Dr Shobha Gupta 

You are planning to conceive for long and not getting results. This problem is very common now. I see at least 40 to 50 patients in a day coming to me for their infertility issues. This is because conception is process that calls for more trials before you finally succeed. You should know that there are some medical facts which keep coming on your way of getting pregnant. 

According to ICMR Bulletin it is estimated that globally around 60 to 80 million couples suffer from infertility annually, of which probably between 15 to 20 million are in India alone. 

When everything else fails and you think that the in vitro fertilization or IVF may be the only option for you to opt, but before considering anything know some facts that can hinder your chances of conception: 

1. Abnormal Periods: 

Abnormal or irregular periods is one sign that can point towards a woman’s infertility. A menstrual cycle that is too long (35 days or more) or too short (21 days or less) could indicate problems with ovulation. 

What you can do: Sometimes a healthy diet, exercise and medication can regularise your periods and help you conceive. But first do consult a good doctor who can also prescribes few medicines and tells you the way to modify your lifestyle. 

2. You age and decline in the number of healthy eggs has a direct relationship: 

You are born with a fixed number of eggs. But the number gets declines as you age and so does the health of those eggs. According to The American Society of Reproductive Medicine, even a healthy and fertile 30-year-old woman’s chances of getting pregnant reduces by 20% with each passing month.  

What you can do: Optimize the health of your eggs. To do so help yourself stay healthy, maintain a good optimal weight and give up your vices. Quit smoking and limit your alcohol intake while planning for a baby. Get in touch with a good fertility centre if you need help, and try to complete your family before 35 years of age without delaying the process to avoid future complications. In case you want to delay pregnancy and want to keep your eggs in good health till conception, you should probably try freezing your eggs for future use. 

3. Your partner might have a problem/ Male infertility: 

Remember your partner’s health plays a significant role in conception after yours. Male infertility is responsible for up to one-third of infertility cases. If your partner is overweight, an alcoholic or a smoker, it could be affecting your chances of getting pregnant. An infection or inflammation of the prostate glands might also stand to be a probable cause if you are not getting pregnant. 

What you can do: Talk to your partner and be open about it but

Fertility and Age – a direct link

By Dr. Shobha Gupta

There is no denying that the delay in pregnancy has become a trend especially in urban states. Women delays pregnancy to pursue careers, doing business etc. And, it is unlikely that this trend of delaying parenthood is not going to change anytime soon. But what can you do to assess your fertility health, what really are your chances of having a baby in your late 30s and is there anything you can do to preserve your fertility?

The key to fertility is a woman’s ovarian reserve i.e. the availability of healthy eggs. A decline in ovarian reserve means that not only do the ovaries have fewer eggs to offer, but the eggs they do have are of poorer quality. The challenge for many women choosing to have their first child mid-30s or later is that as part of the body’s natural aging process, a woman’s eggs age too. This can lead to infertility and/or miscarriage.

Achieving a natural pregnancy after 40 years of age is a challenge for many women, but getting pregnant is only half the journey. Miscarriage rates over 40 are 50% and rise quickly with each advancing year.

Hormone testing to assess egg quality and number:

Three simple blood tests can check hormone levels and reveal more information about egg quality and number. These tests may also help diagnose infertility in a younger woman, who ordinarily would not be experiencing diminished ovarian reserve or poor quality, but may be living with an undiagnosed condition:

1. Basic FSH Test: FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) is the main hormone involved in producing mature eggs in the ovaries. If this test reveals excessive