Fertility Headlines

Eat for two — even before there are two

There’s so much about trying to conceive that’s out of our control, so it always seems like truly good news to hear about something we can do that may make getting pregnant (and retaining a healthy pregnancy) a little more likely. That’s why our ears pricked up at new research out of the Netherlands: A new study appearing in the medical journal Human Reproduction looked at the diets of Dutch couples who were planning to get pregnant, and then specifically at 199 couples who’d undergone their first cycle of in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Since we’re already told you this is a story with good news, you might guess what the researchers found: The healthier a woman’s diet before she got pregnant, the better her odds were of an ongoing pregnancy following fertility treatment.  

Dutch dietary guidelines (what is defined there as a healthy diet) don’t vary a lot from what the U.S. government considers healthy (see ChooseMyPlate.gov for more on that), so this is good news for American women as well, since what we eat is one thing we can do something about, in a host of things we can’t influence. Says John Twigt, one of the study authors, from the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, in the Netherlands: “We would like to emphasize the fact that the preconception period is the window of opportunity to optimize the diet in couples planning pregnancy.”

What do you eat? Has your diet changed now that you’re TTC? What have you given up, and what foods have you added?

Author: 
Lorie A. Parch

Fertility Headlines

More bad news about chemicals and fertility

cleaning-products

No one wants to hear it, but more disturbing news came out this week from the European Environment Agency (EEA) indicating that many household products, cleaners, cosmetics, and food contain chemicals that affect hormones — and not in a good way.  On May 10, the organization issued a release saying that “endocrine-disrupting chemicals” — meaning ones that affect the hormone system by either blocking the normal effects of hormones or mimicking hormones — seem to be a contributing factor to “significant increases in cancers, diabetes and obesity, [and] falling fertility.” Since reproduction and fertility are, of course, directly tied to hormones, the effects of these chemicals on a woman’s ability to conceive and a man’s ability to get a woman pregnant may be even more pronounced.

The release went on to list some possible effects of these chemicals, including some that lead to low-quality semen in men. Animal studies have shown the chemicals affect the reproductive systems of a wide variety of animals. It’s very difficult to test the effects of these chemicals, since they could have been involved — and hindered — early development of a person’s reproductive system (as well as brain, immune, and other bodily systems), but the effects wouldn’t be seen for many years or decades.

Just as worrisome, another report came out this week in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives with the finding from a Harvard University study that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may reduce a woman’s chances of conceiving if she’s undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). The study looked at 137 women who were having fertility treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center; the researchers measured BPA levels in the women at the time of treatment. What did they find? “The results show a clear trend of increasing implantation failure [in which an embryo doesn’t implant in a woman’s uterus] with higher BPA levels,” reported EnvironmentalHealthNews.org.

BPA is a very common chemical used in the manufacture of many plastics, including some water bottles, the linings of canned food, grocery store receipts, and other everyday items. The Environmental Working Group offers these tips to help lessen your exposure to BPA.

Fertility expert Dr. Robert Greene also offers this good advice about how to reduce your exposure to environmental toxins as you’re trying to conceive.

 

Author: 
Lorie A. Parch

Fertility Clock Headlines, Fertility Headlines

So Eager for Grandchildren, They’re Paying the Egg-Freezing Clinic

At the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, a popular destination for women hoping to preserve their fertility by freezing their eggs, Dr. William Schoolcraft, the founder and medical director, has started to notice something different: more of the women are arriving with company.

Fertility Clock Blog, My Future Baby Blog

Gender Selection – How and Why?

Gender selection is a fairly new option in the field of fertility treatment. Patients undergoing IVF can now choose whether to use a male or female embryo. Here are some frequently asked questions about this process.

What Technology is Used?

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is the only reliable method for selecting the gender of a child. Sperm sorting is sometimes used by couples in the hope of increasing the chances of conceiving a child of the desired sex. However, the effectiveness of this method is unproven lacking data from large, multicenter trials.

How Does PGD Work?

After an egg has been fertilized in an IVF dish, it is allowed to develop for 3 days. After this, a single cell is removed from the embryo. It is evaluated for Y chromosome (the male chromosome) markers. If these genetic markers are present, the embryo is male. If not, the embryo is female.

Is This Process Safe and Reliable?

The process of PGD does not prevent an embryo from developing normally. The results of the evaluation are available after about 2 days. This means the embryo is transferred to the mother’s womb on the 5th day instead of the 3rd day. This is still within the time frame for successful embryo transfer. This method of determining the sex of an embryo has been shown to be 99% accurate.

Why Might Patients Choose this Option?

Patients sometimes use gender selection if they already have children of one gender and wish to balance their family with a child of the opposite gender. Or, the family may have a history of genetic disorders that are passed down through the X chromosome. These recessive traits typically affect male children because they have only one X chromosome. Choosing to have a girl makes it unlikely that this disease will affect the child. Some patients simply prefer to have a child of a specific gender.

Are There Ethical Concerns about Gender Selection?

Some people feel that selection of non-essential characteristics like gender is not an appropriate use of medical technology. Others believe gender selection is an aspect of reproductive rights and parents should be allowed to make this decision. The use of this technology to prevent genetic disease or to provide family balancing is typically viewed as less controversial than other uses.

Fertility Clock Blog, My Future Baby Blog

What Is The Process For Fertility Testing?

Nine out of ten couples with a female partner under the age of 35 who are actively trying to get pregnant succeed within one year. The chance of a pregnancy is about 20% per month. For couples who fail to achieve pregnancy after one year (and for women over the age of 35 after 6 months) fertility testing is recommended to identify any obstacles that could prevent pregnancy.

A full medical history and physical examination can reveal problems related to pelvic surgery, cancer treatment, or menstrual disturbances that cause infertility.

Fertility testing is done to rule out specific problems in four areas:

Sperm Testing

For approximately one out of four couples, the quality or quantity of the male partner’s sperm is the underlying cause of infertility. Semenalysis can reveal issues with the sperm count, the motility of sperm (its ability to swim), and the morphology (shape) of the sperm.

Ovulation

For women with a history of irregular menses who do not ovulate regularly, underlying medical conditions may be the cause of low fertility. Common problems include thyroid imbalances, high levels of a hormone called prolactin, or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Blood tests and ultrasound exams are used to diagnose these conditions.

Uterus and Fallopian Tubes

Fallopian tubes that are closed can interfere with fertility by making it impossible for an embryo to reach the uterus. Causes of blockage may include previous pelvic surgery or complications from STDs. The uterus may also contain fibroids or polyps that limit the chances of pregnancy. An exam called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) is used to detect structural problems with the fallopian tubes and uterus. It involves the injection of a contrast dye into the cervix to make the patient’s internal reproductive organs visible in x-rays.

Eggs

The quality and quantity of a woman’s eggs plays a vital role in fertility. Egg quality cannot be determined with fertility testing, but it is strongly correlated with age. The quantity of eggs can be estimated using blood tests such as the FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and AMH (anti-mullerian hormone). AFC (antral follicle count) is an ultrasound test that can also assist in estimating the number of eggs available.