How to Improve your Fertility

So you’ve decided to travel the journey of trying to conceive? Congratulations! Here are the top 5 things the Virginia Center for Reproduction recommends you do to boost your fertility and get pregnant sooner!

1) Eat a Balanced Diet

Your diet is very important when you are trying to get pregnant. Choose whole grain foods, fruits, vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids (like salmon). Also, avoid foods consisting of trans fats. For more information about a healthy fertility diet, click HERE 

2) Avoid Pesticides

Pesticides are chemicals used to kill bugs and weeds that threaten crops. However, studies are revealing that the men who ate the most pesticide-treated foods had both lower sperm count and lower sperm quality. It is believed there is a decrease in male fertility but pesticides could also impact female fertility by hindering ovarian function and causing inconsistent menstrual cycles.  When you are trying to conceive, it is best to eat organic fruits and vegetables 

3) Watch your drinks

Drinking too much caffeine or alcohol can impact a woman’s fertility. Relax, moderate amounts of caffeine is ok! Experts believe that if you keep your caffeine intake to less than 250 milligrams a day (one to two eight ounce cups of coffee) your fertility will not be affected. As for alcohol, studies find mixed results. Alcohol is known to alter estrogen and progesterone levels. Excessive alcohol consumption can restrict a woman’s ovulation and cause abnormalities with the endometrial lining. We recommend stopping ANY alcohol intake before you start planning to conceive.

4) Stay Calm

Trying to conceive can be stressful and even cause conflict with your partner. Cortisol (the stress hormone) can negatively impact your reproductive system. Be sure your life is balanced; you have a stress relief activity, monitor your emotions and have FUN trying to get pregnant

5) Know your cycle

Track your ovulation by the calendar method-assuming ovulation occurs 14 days before your menstrual cycle is due or using an ovulation predictor kit. Pregnancy is most likely to occur with intercourse within three days before ovulation

If you find difficulty in the process of trying to conceive we welcome you to partner with the Virginia Center for Reproduction Medicine. We would be honored to help you achieve your dream! 

What is Infertility?

Approximately 85% of women will become pregnant within one year of trying. Only an additional 7% of couples will conceive in the second year. Based on these results, infertility is defined as the inability to conceive within 12 months.

The most common causes of Infertility are:

● Advancing Maternal Age: As women age, the number of eggs they produce and the egg quality decreases at a rapid rate.

● Ovulation disorders: Normal and regular ovulation (the release of a mature egg) is essential for women to conceive naturally. There are many disorders that may impact the ability for a woman to ovulate normally. The most common disorders impacting ovulation include PCOS (link to past written PCOS article). Ovulation can be detected by keeping a menstrual calendar or using an ovulation predictor kit.

● Uterine Fibroids: There are three types of fibroids and 40% of women have them. However, only submucosal fibroids reduce a woman's pregnancy rate. Submucosal fibroids can cause heavy periods, or bleeding between periods LINK TO PAST FIBROID ARTICLE

● Endometriosis: It causes infertility by producing inflammation and scarring in the uterine cavity. This can result in pelvic pain and affect eggs, sperm or developing embryos.

● Unknown: About 15% of couples can never pinpoint the cause of their infertility.

Luckily there are fertility treatments to help overcome Infertility:

1) Clomid, Tamoxifen, Letrozole (pill form) or Gonadotropins (Injectable): These medications help induce egg development and ovulation

2) Insemination: Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is the process where sperm is washed and prepared for placement into the uterine cavity, bypassing the cervix and bringing the sperm closer to the tubes and ovulated egg

3) In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): IVF is the process where the woman's eggs are collected and then fertilized by sperm outside the body in a laboratory

When a couple decides to seek the help of a fertility specialist they will have a fertility evaluation. 

During this process the following will be conducted:

● Medical and Fertility History

● Transvaginal Ultrasound: An ultrasound is an important tool in evaluating the structure of the uterus, tubes, and ovaries. It can also detect any abnormalities like fibroids or ovarian cysts. Additionally, transvaginal ultrasound offers the opportunity for your doctor to assess the estimated number of available eggs (i.e your ovarian reserve).

● Laboratory testing: Blood work is conducted to measure blood levels of hormones like Estradiol, FSH and AMH (anti-Mullerian hormone), (related to ovarian function and overall egg numbers), TSH (assesses thyroid function) and Prolactin (hormone that can affect menstrual function if elevated), and Vitamin D.

● Hysterosalpingogram (HSG): This test is important in evaluating fallopian tubal patency, uterine filling defects such as fibroids and polyps, and scarring of the uterine cavity (Asherman syndrome). Many uterine and tubal abnormalities detected by the HSG can be surgically corrected. We have been performing HSG at our facility since 2009, and Dr Sharara has performed over 1000 HSGs.

● Semen analysis: The semen analysis is the main test to evaluate the male partner fertility concerns. There are many factors analyzed including:

1) semen volume

2) sperm concentration

3) sperm motility (movement)

4) morphology (shape)

5) WBC count

6) viscosity

If you are having trouble conceiving or have already been diagnosed with infertility and are in the process of selecting a fertility clinic, we invite you to visit read this article for an overview of options and factors to consider. Visit: http://vcrmed.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-choose-fertility-center.html

Questions to Ask During your Initial Infertility Consultation at a Fertility Clinic

When you have come to the decision that it is time to consult with a Fertility Center it important to know what to expect at your initial consultation. The doctors and staff at the Virginia Center for Reproductive Health in Reston, Virginia have put together some helpful hints for your Initial Infertility Consultation.

• To prepare your body for a successful pregnancy, VCRM recommends the following, even before meeting with your Fertility Specialist for the first time:

1)   Quit smoking
2) Eat a balanced diet
3) Take a pre-natal vitamin daily
4) Exercise and be active daily
5) Eliminate or reduce stress in your daily life

• Once you have an appointment confirmed with a Fertility Center, you will receive a Patient Registration packet. There will be a variety of forms to fill out, these are usually required to be sent back to the office BEFORE your consultation

• Your consultation usually will be between one to two hours.  You will meet your doctor and review your medical history and discuss your family’s goals. Depending on your history, age and interest, your doctor will order a variety of diagnostic tests to evaluate you and your partner. Most fertility centers also have a genetic and financial counselor to meet with, depending on your needs

• Be sure to provide your doctor with your full and accurate fertility history, bring any records you may have from previous fertility centers or gynecological surgery

• Know your schedule. If you have a vacation planned, work commitments or other events that cannot be rescheduled, share these plans with your doctor so diagnostic testing and treatment can be scheduled accordingly

• Compile a list of questions. Brainstorming the questions, concerns and topics you want to discuss is helpful. You will receive a lot of information during the consultation, take notes!

Just as there are many factors that can cause infertility, there also are many factors that can affect your chances for successful treatment including your age, your personal diagnosis, duration of infertility, and the number of previous unsuccessful treatment attempts. In addition, chances for your success will be influenced greatly by the specialists involved with your care and continued attention to details. It is important to find a fertility center that can best assist at making your dreams a reality.

You can read more about finding the best fit Fertility Center for you by visiting: http://vcrmed.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-choose-fertility-center.html

To learn more about VCRM, you can visit:http://www.vcrmed.com/