Archive for the ‘Infertility Treatment’ Category

Women’s Health Blog: Want to Get Pregnant? Perhaps Mediterranean Diets Can Help??

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Ah, here's a new study suggesting that women who want to get pregnant may want to include vegetables, vegetable oils and fish in their diet. This could result in them not needing fertility treatments to get pregnant. According to a study conducted in the Netherlands, 161 couples undergoing treatment for fertility were studied. Those women who were on a Mediterranean-like diet had a 40% greater chance of becoming pregnant than those who ate "healthy".
 
Although the study does not provide any proof that diet alone boosts fertility, the study may indicate the importance of diet when couples undergo fertility treatments.

So what was the key factor to note from this study? Well, vegetable oils found in a Mediterranean diet contain omega-6 fatty acids. These Omega-6 fatty acids are precursors to hormone-like substances in a women's body, called prostaglandins which are involved in menstrual cycle, ovulation, and pregnancy. A Mediterranean diet also includes higher levels of B6 which may have been the reason for a increased fertility.

Like any study, clinical trials would be required to prove that a Mediterranean diet may indeed lead to higher chances of becoming pregnant. The results of this study can be found in the latest issue of the Fertility and Sterility Journal.

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   Posted by Dr. Douglas Gearity  |  Posted in Infertility Treatment, Pregnancy, Women's Health | No Comments »

Women’s Health Blog: Fertility Treatment Risks

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Fertility treatments may cause a four time greater risk of a stillbirth according to a research study released by British researchers when compared to women who got pregnant naturally. The extra risk was found for women using In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
 
Dr Andre van Steirteghem, the IVF pioneer told a US conference that more than 260,000 children born from IVF treatments in the UK are at greater risk of health problems.

More about the study and associated statistics can be found at

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1253342/Risk-stillbirth-increases-fourfold-women-using-fertility-treatment.html#ixzz0iDcy83TL

 

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   Posted by Dr. Douglas Gearity  |  Posted in Infertility Treatment | No Comments »

Women’s Health Blog: The Women’s Egg-Timer Test!!!

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

Ok, so I know this is happening in Australia but it was too interesting to not report on. Besides I posted a related blog on women and their declining fertility just a couple of days ago so felt that I had to comment on this story.

Women in Australia will soon be able to take a simple hormone test to find out how many eggs they still have remaining in their ovaries. I mean talk about GENIUS!!! The whole family planning and fertility treatment landscape will change with this "egg-timer" test, which is a supposedly a blood test to "predict ovum levels based on the concentration of a specific fertility hormone", according to Peter Illingworth, who is the medical director of IVF Australia.

The test will also help test younger women to diagnose if they would be at risk of nothing being able to conceive when they are older and identify women who may reach menopause before the normal age for menopause.

The anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) test would cost only $58 (US dollars) and can result in saving people a lot of money spent on unsuccessful fertility treatments. I can't wait to hear how the women do and what the results show once this test is administered in Australia.

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   Posted by Dr. Douglas Gearity  |  Posted in Infertility Treatment, Pregnancy, Uterus, Women's Health | No Comments »

Women’s Health Blog: Multipregnancies With Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation

Friday, January 15th, 2010

The American Journal of Epidemiology reports that controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) drugs account for four times more live births than in vitro fertilization. Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) simply means women's ovaries are stimulated to hasten the production of eggs. These COH drugs result in mutilple births that may lead to higher incidence of premature births and other problems of babies, according to a spokesperson from the March of Dimes which participated in this study. The study goes on to say that even single births resulting from the usage of COH drugs may result in premature births.
 
The study shows that approximately 190,000 infants are born each year as a result of fertility drugs used by their mothers. Each year, over 540,000 babies are prematurely born and is this premature birth is the leading cause of death for newborn babies. Vision & hearing loss, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and breathing problems are just a few of the lifelong problems faced by premees who do survive.
 
Bottom-line?

COH drugs result in multi-pregnancies. These multi-pregnancies obviously result in preemies who may suffer life-long health issues. So it is extremely important for doctors and patients to both be more aware of these risks and use caution before prescribing or using COH drugs. Fertility drugs may serve a purpose but perhaps its time for a little more conservative use?

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   Posted by Dr. Douglas Gearity  |  Posted in Infertility Treatment, Women's Health | No Comments »

Women’s Health Blog – New Laproscopic Products at the 38th Global Congress of Minimally Invasive Gynaecology

Monday, December 7th, 2009
Cook Medical, a leader in developing medical devices showcased new UMI and UMI-Loc™ products at the 38th Global Congress of Minimally Invasive Gynecology.

These devices are designed to improve laparoscopic procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of common gynecological problems such as infertility, pelvic organ prolepses, endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts and incontinence.

Cook Medical gave the attendees at the show the opportunity to learn more about how Cook's UMI and UMI-Loc products work by helping physicians maneuver the uterus and gain access to the target tissue.

More than two million women in the United States in 2008 had surgery involving their pelvic anatomy. Laparoscopic surgery allows shorter recovery times and is much less painful.
 
I see that Cook Medical has created devices which are more convenient and effective than the standard uterine manipulator/injectors. Features like friction-grip locking mechanism that slides into the proper position to secure the catheter and catheter markings to gauge accurate placement are all good features that will aid in ease of insertion and maneuverability.

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   Posted by Dr. Douglas Gearity  |  Posted in Infertility Treatment, Women's Health | 2 Comments »