Circle + Bloom is running a promotion for the month of March that gets you 20% off of your order and we are delighted to be able to offer this to the PregnancyIVF community.

To take advantage of this discount, head over to Circle + Bloom and start shopping now! [...]]]>

Circle + Bloom is running a promotion for the month of March that gets you 20% off of your order and we are delighted to be able to offer this to the PregnancyIVF community.

To take advantage of this discount, head over to Circle + Bloom and start shopping now! At checkout, be sure to enter code: Fertilitypod20 so it’s applied to your order.

Visit Circle + Bloom Now!

I am just finishing my first pack of birth control pills in order to regulate my cycle for our upcoming FET in March. About 10 days about I had a “sono-mock” done by one of our fertility doctors. This procedure involves a mock transfer as well as filling [...]]]> Okay! Round 2 – Here We Go!

I am just finishing my first pack of birth control pills in order to regulate my cycle for our upcoming FET in March. About 10 days about I had a “sono-mock” done by one of our fertility doctors. This procedure involves a mock transfer as well as filling the uterine cavity with fluid and viewing it with ultrasound to make sure that everything looks good. Both procedures went smoothly and things are moving right along. After I finish this pack of pills, I will continue into a second pack and then begin Estrace in order to help build my uttering lining. The past two days were a little rough, I experienced a migraine each day, from which I believe is from the pills that I am on. The first migraine wasn’t too bad, but yesterday’s was an entirely different story-that one was a whopper! (So far so good day-keep your fingers crossed!)

I also began acupuncture again from the same gal who treated me before. At this point, I am just going once a week and then once we are about a month out from the transfer I will begin going twice a week. It gets tricky trying to work out all of these appointments with a one-year old around. I enjoy relaxing once I am there.

This is getting very exciting, but along with the excitement does come nerves and a bit of anxiety. We will be doing a single embryo transfer because that is all we have left-and we are sure hoping it brings a beautiful little addition to our family in late November.

Kate was our first successful FET after many failed IUI’s and a failed fresh IVF cycle. Our hopes were definitely down after the failed tries but we got [...]]]>

Kate 1 Year Old

Well, our little girl, Kate, just turned 1 this past week. This year has definitely flown by but with many memories that we will hold tight forever.

Kate was our first successful FET after many failed IUI’s and a failed fresh IVF cycle. Our hopes were definitely down after the failed tries but we got through the tough times and now we have just put the first year of Kate’s life on the books with many more wonderful years ahead of us! What a wonderful year it has been….the best year of Wendi and my life. There have been ups and downs and challenges and tough days but this little girl puts a huge smile on our faces each and every day. We love her with all we have…and couldn’t imagine life without her!

We have a lot of things going on right now as well. We have 1 frozen embryo left that we will be using in an FET after the first of the year. If he or she is as feisty as Kate, we’ll likely be blessed again! That is our hope as we journey back into the life of fertility treatments and the stress it brings!

We will also be launching a new web venture, FertilityPod, which is a social network and expert community aimed to help those struggling with infertility to offer support and hope. It’s something we can use ourselves as we battle infertility and we hope others join us to help get through this stressful and tough part of trying to start a family. Look for the launch shortly after the new year! You can also follow us on Twitter @FertilityPod.

Other than that, we just want to enjoy each and every day with Kate. She is our miracle. We are blessed and we want to soak in each and every moment with her.

Wishing everyone else out there who is struggling to start a family the best of luck. Especially to all of the females who sacrifice so much going through fertility treatments. We know first hand that it’s a very tough thing to go through but there is hope and support. We’re always here as well to chat with anyone who just needs some support or someone to talk to about their own fertility journey.

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) includes IVF but there are also some other methods used that are customized to the specific diagnosis of the patient or couple. Most ART procedures typically deal with the use of fertility medications. Success rates for ART procedures are at an average of 30%.

In vitro [...]]]>

Methods of Assisted Reproduction

What is Assisted Reproductive Technology?

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) includes IVF but there are also some other methods used that are customized to the specific diagnosis of the patient or couple. Most ART procedures typically deal with the use of fertility medications. Success rates for ART procedures are at an average of 30%.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is when fertilization takes place outside of the body. In vitro fertilization, also known as IVF, yields the highest success rates of all forms of assisted reproduction. Male factor infertility (sperm quality and quantity) or female issues may require some couples to pursue IVF. With IVF, a woman is given various fertility medications in order for her to produce a large number of eggs. When the eggs reach maturity, they are retrieved from the woman during a procedure called egg retrieval. At this time, the husband or partner will typically give a semen sample. The eggs and the sperm are put in a dish for fertilization. After fertilization occurs, anywhere from 3 to 5 days, the best embryos are placed back into the woman’s uterus, this is called and embryo transfer.

If there are severe male factor issues, it may be recommended that the couple pursue IVF with ICSI.

• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) – In ICSI, a single sperm is injected into a mature egg. Then the embryo is transferred to the uterus.
• Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) – GIFT involves putting the eggs and sperm into the woman’s fallopian tube so that fertilization occurs within the body. (This procedure is not common.)
• Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) – ZIFT begins similar to IVF as the embryos will be created the same way and fertilized outside of the body. In the ZIFT procedure the embryo is placed back into the women’s fallopian tube rather than the uterus.

Donors: For various reasons, couples may need to use a donor when seeking assisted reproduction. Eggs, sperm and embryos are all available for reproductive purposes. For women who are older or unable to produce eggs, she may seek the use of a donor egg. If the couple also faces issues that are both male and female factor, they may decide to use donor embryos. Donor sperm is commonly used for male factor issues.

Gestational Carrier (Surrogacy): If a woman doesn’t have a uterus or has been medically advised against carrying a pregnancy, she may decide to use a gestational carrier. This means that she will undergo treatment similar to IVF and will produce multiple eggs. The eggs will then be fertilized by her husband/partner and transferred back into the surrogate. (A surrogate is a women who carries a baby and at birth, the baby will be raised by other parents.) Many legal and ethical issues surround surrogacy. Dependent on the fertility clinic and state laws, certain practices may or may not be allowed.

Maybe you are a single woman, who hasn’t met Mr. Right, or maybe you aren’t ready to have children yet. Many women are now turning to cryopreservation (freezing) of their eggs (oocytes). Beginning at 30 years old, a woman’s overall fertility [...]]]>

IVF Egg Freezing Is An Option For Women

IVF Egg Freezing Is An Option For Women Not Yet Ready To Have Children

Maybe you are a single woman, who hasn’t met Mr. Right, or maybe you aren’t ready to have children yet. Many women are now turning to cryopreservation (freezing) of their eggs (oocytes). Beginning at 30 years old, a woman’s overall fertility begins a slow decent, which really is more noticeable as a woman approaches her 40’s. This isn’t to say that you can’t have healthy children in your 30’s or 40’s; it just may become a bit more difficult.

When a female is born, her ovaries contain hundreds of thousands of eggs, meaning she has all the eggs she will ever have in her life. Once a young woman begins her menses (period) she begins to release the eggs. In a healthy female, one of her ovaries will send an egg into one of the fallopian tubes about once each month.

One of the most important factors when thinking about the chances of conceiving is a woman’s age. Age affects both the quantity and quality of eggs that a woman has; one of the biggest issues that challenges older women trying to conceive. One of the most recent developments in reproductive technology is the ability to successfully freeze a woman’s eggs prior to fertilization.

What typically happens during the egg freezing process?

• Egg retrieval – Similar to an IVF procedure, a female is given drugs to produce multiple eggs. Ultrasound-guided needles are used to retrieve the eggs from the ovaries.
• Egg maturity – Each egg is examined for maturity using a microscope and then selected for freezing.
• Preparation for freezing of the eggs – Eggs are treated in an ‘antifreeze’ solution before freezing. The current technologies (vitrification) for freezing eggs are raising success rates, but a great deal of data still needs to be collected.
• Frozen Eggs – The eggs that have been selected to be frozen are stored in tubes in a liquid nitrogen storage tank.

What happens when you are ready to use your eggs?

• Egg Thawing – each egg is thawed, not all eggs may make it through this process. Eggs that don’t are discarded.
• Egg Fertilization – each thawed egg is injected with a needle containing a single sperm from either your partner or donor. Injected a single sperm into an egg is a procedure called ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection of eggs.)
• Watchful Waiting – Eggs will be monitored for correct cell division as they develop into embryos.
• Embryo Transfer – Embryos are transferred into the uterus using a catheter, guided by ultrasound.

Freezing eggs allows a woman to postpone pregnancy for various reasons, but is still extremely controversial. Women feel that they are in essence “buying time” and holding on to their biological clock. The future is endless when in comes to reproductive technology. We aren’t yet sure where medicine and technology will take us. Currently success rates are still fairly low in regards to freezing eggs. For many cancer patients though, it gives them hope when before they were left with little or no options. Most professionals agree that there is still a lot of research to be done.

When some people are diagnosed with infertility, they sometimes want to block out the realities and not face the music. Infertility is nothing you with upon anyone but being infertile is not the end of the world. Know the facts. Seek professional help and move forward with the advice from a professional. Some things [...]]]>

The Truth About Infertility

When some people are diagnosed with infertility, they sometimes want to block out the realities and not face the music. Infertility is nothing you with upon anyone but being infertile is not the end of the world. Know the facts. Seek professional help and move forward with the advice from a professional. Some things are just out of your control.

1. Some infertility is unexplained. You might never find out why you are infertile. It can literally drive you crazy searching for the cause of infertility when in fact there might not be a cause that is found. If your infertility is still unexplained after you have gone through all of the proper testing with a trusted fertility specialist, try to stop thinking about it. This is definitely one time in your life that you do not need added stress. Move on and see what kind of fertility treatments might be right for you.
2. You might be the reason you are infertile. It might be 100% your fault. You need to look at your past to rule out things you might have done that could cause infertility. Maybe you were careless in your younger years and had unprotected intercourse that lead to STD’s. Left untreated, STD’s can cause infertility. If this is the case, there is really no one to blame but yourself for being irresponsible. Or maybe you have abused drugs or alcohol. Drugs and alcohol are a major cause of infertility that can be prevented with a little common sense. Look to your past to see if there are things you have done to increase your chances of infertility.
3. Infertility can cause embarrassment. Infertility is not a hot topic people like to talk about, especially when it affects them. It’s common to feel embarrassed or ashamed of having fertility issues. Producing little or no sperm can be a huge hit to a guy’s ego. It was for me at first. This should not be the case as infertility is common and should not be look at as a “freakish” disease or condition. Get all the facts and get some help from a fertility specialist if you are diagnosed as being infertile. There are a lot of treatments that can help.
4. Infertility can be physically, mentally and emotionally damaging. Infertility causes stress in the toughest of individuals. It takes a toll on your body and mind like you’ve never experienced. You need to learn to cope with the stress of infertility in order to help overcome infertility. Stress only increases the severity of infertility so managing stress at this time is essential in optimizing your fertility.
5. Last but definitely not least, infertility might keep you from being able to have children. Sometimes, fertility treatments do not work. It depends on the causes of infertility and each case and individual are different. Just know, that if you are not able to have children, there are always other options such as adoption. There are many treatments available today as opposed to the past so opportunities to have children are much larger than they were in the past.

The most important thing to remember is that there are many different fertility treatments for many different causes of infertility. Make sure you seek a fertility specialist that you trust. Get references from friends. Shop around. Get the correct advice and educate yourself as much as possible about infertility and what you can do in your power to help improve your overall fertility.

Antioxidants
Antioxidants (Vitamins C, E, and Beta-carotene, and selenium [...]]]>

A Natural Way To Fertility

While many men and women are turning to medications to treat or enhance their fertility, some feel that proper nutrition can positively affect fertility in many ways. Here is a list of some easy, natural ways that may help both you and your partner.

Antioxidants
Antioxidants (Vitamins C, E, and Beta-carotene, and selenium may aid with the sperm membrane, higher sperm count, and oocyte development. It may reduce female reproductive diseases such as PCOS and endometriosis.

B-Vitamins
Folate – important for all aspects of fertilization and embryo development. Good sources of folate: dark green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, eggs and milk.

Condiments high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants

Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, garlic, maple syrup, molasses, parsley, to name a few.

Manganese – found in vitamins B1 and E, vitamin deficiencies can lead to reproduce issues. Manganese can be found in whole wheat, seeds, leafy vegetables, eggs, nuts, strawberries apples and pineapple.

Zinc is found to aid with sperm quality. Zinc can be found in red meat, yogurt, nuts, seeds, oatmeal, corn, fruits and vegetables.

Fats

DHA, Flaxseed – possible correlation to enhancing sperm quality and quantity

Fresh food

For the best nutritional safety, many people are turning to organically grown vegetables and fruit. When purchasing meats, look for free range and wild.

Low Glycemic Foods

Low Glycemic foods are those that are typically not as processed and will not raise your blood pressure as much as other foods.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds act as building blocks in the female for a balanced hormonal system.

Sunflowers Seeds

Sunflowers seeds have a lot of Vitamin E, which some say in itself helps with fertility. If you are one that suffers from endometriosis, Vitamin E may help you liver break down excess estrogen caused by the endometriosis.

Whole Grain

Grains such as those found in oatmeal are high in inositol, which can help ovarian function.

Wheat Germ

Zinc and selenium are both found in wheat germ and can be beneficial for the fallopian tubes and well as the ducts where the sperm exits the testes. In essence, making the transportation of egg and sperm easier. It is also found to increase sperm count and quality.

Treating fertility naturally means using mild treatments that are a natural and safe way to balance your body. The hopes are that you will be able to assist your body’s own fertility, while at the same time, making you a much healthier and happier person.