Search Results for: blog understanding the language of infertility

STDs and Infertility

If you’ve been trying to conceive and haven’t been successful, consider being tested for sexually transmitted diseases. STDs can affect your ability to get pregnant. According to the Centers for Disease Control, chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most preventable causes of infertility. So, how common are STDs and should you really worry that you could have one? Well, the first answer is very common. CDC statistics are pretty scary for these two STDs. There are about 2.8 million new cases of chlamydia every year in the United States. In addition, there are 718,000 new cases of gonorrhea. Keep in mind … Continue reading →

Initial Infertility Testing

If you have been trying to conceive for one year without success, it may be time to call a doctor. If you are over the age of 35, you should be evaluated after six months without natural conception. Your initial evaluation can be done by an infertility specialist. The initial evaluation is often done by the OB/GYN. A minor problem can be treated by your regular doctor. In many cases, after these initial results come back you may be referred to a reproductive endocrinologist. A thorough initial evaluation will save you time and money at the fertility clinic. Most of … Continue reading →

Infertility Testing: Day 3 FSH Testing

Ovulation and the quality of the eggs is a critical component of successfully achieving pregnancy. The Day 3 FSH testing is done to help ascertain the quality of the eggs and the ovulatory cycle. This test measures the level of Follicle Stimulating Hormone present on day three of the menstrual cycle. This hormone is vital for stimulating the follicles in the ovaries to produce an egg each month. It is used in most injectable fertility drugs to help induce the development of several follicles to produce more eggs. This test is often done in conjunction with IVF procedures and the … Continue reading →

Infertility Testing: Hystersalpinogram

Beginning with this blog, I will be doing a series about common infertility testing. When you first visit a reproductive endocrinologist, you will hear about a myriad of testing procedures. This can be confusing and cause anxiety. I know it did for me. I’ll start this series by talking about a test called the hystersalpinogram. I had this test done twice, once fairly early in my six years of infertility and the second time just prior to undergoing IUI to conceive our first baby. The hystersalpinogram is a very long name for a fairly simple test. The test is basically … Continue reading →

Understanding the Language of Infertility

When you begin down the road of infertility treatments, you may feel like you have to learn a new language. When I first sought treatment to conceive my oldest child, I felt that way. The doctors and nurses are using medical terminology that is unfamiliar, which just adds to the stress. Here are some common words and phrases you will encounter in your journey to parenthood. Anovulatory the lack of ovulation. Artificial Insemination>/b> an infertility procedure during which the doctor inserts a catheter to deposit sperm directly into the woman’s uterus. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) this refers to the more … Continue reading →

Do You Need To Gain Weight To Conceive?

Posted on by

It’s rumored that Amy Winehouse is attempting to gain weight so she can conceive. In case you don’t know who this celebrity is, she is a British singer who is probably more famous for her drunken outbursts and drug habits than she is for her massive bee-hive and former hit song ironically titled “Rehab.” She is incredibly thin, and if this rumor is true, I think a few pounds would probably help quite a bit. There is a difference between being very thin and underweight. It all has to do with your percentage of body fat. Body fat is essential … Continue reading →

Stay Away from BPA

Posted on by

We already know that BPA is dangerous. It has been linked to fertility problems, cancer, and sexual dysfunction in men, among other defects. There has been a big push to remove BPA from the plastics that we come in contact with every day. If you walk through the baby aisle, you’ll notice that most of the bottles are in packaging boldly marked, “BPA Free.” Many people have switched to using aluminum water bottles as a precaution as well. We know BPA is dangerous, and we have taken steps to protect ourselves and our families, but now we know more about … Continue reading →

Labor Day

I’ve observed that often every group of people imagines themselves to work harder than any other group. It might be husbands and wives, the so-called “mommy wars” between stay-at-home moms and working moms, kids who are jealous that their parents don’t have to study any more and parents who forget just how hard it is to be a kid sometimes. Sometimes it’s mothers who’ve adopted their children and mothers who’ve been pregnant and given birth to their children. I hear parents who’ve adopted their children bemoaning the paperwork, the many questions that sometimes feel intrusive, the lack of control, and … Continue reading →

Hypothyroidism

What is your thyroid, anyway? The thyroid is a pretty important gland — it influences metabolism. That means your thyroid is in charge of calorie burning, your heartbeat, and even your breath. Hypothyroidism — when your thyroid is underactive — is the most common thyroid disorder. Millions of people may have undiagnosed thyroid disease, according to experts at the New York Thyroid Center at Columbia University. If your thyroid is underactive, your body produces more thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in an attempt to make your thyroid work properly. A blood test can measure the levels of TSH in your body … Continue reading →

Hashimoto’s Disease

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease when I was ten years old. My mother’s first indication there might be an imbalance came when she noticed I was starting to put on a little weight. (Her actual words were, “Your arm is getting squishy.”) Because she herself has a thyroid condition, and thyroid conditions are hereditary, she took me in to get me diagnosed right away. A blood test later, it was confirmed that my thyroid levels were indeed low. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is the disease which most commonly causes hypothyroidism (low functioning thyroid.) It goes by many names: Hashimoto’s Disease, autoimmune … Continue reading →