The primary outcome was the miscarriage rate, which included both biochemical and clinical miscarriages. Secondary outcomes were implantation, pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, and live birth rates. Result(s) Cycles were divided into four groups according to BMI (kg/m 2): underweight (<18.5; n = 155), normal weight (18.5–24.9; n = 2,549), overweight (25–29.9; n = 591), and obese (≥30; n = 185). The number of PGT-A cycles per patient was similar in the four groups. Fertilization rate, day of embryo biopsy, technique of chromosomal analysis, number of euploid embryos, number of transferred embryos, and method of endometrial preparation for embryo transfer were similar in the four BMI groups. Miscarriage rates were significantly higher in women with obesity compared to women with normal weight, mainly due to a significant increase in the clinical miscarriage rates. Live birth rates also were lower in women with obesity. Obesity in women and day 6 trophectoderm biopsy were found to influence the reduced live birth rate. Conclusion(s) Women with obesity experience a higher rate of miscarriage after euploid embryo transfer than women with a normal weight, suggesting that other mechanisms than aneuploidy are responsible for this outcome.
What do you think about “Check your BMI before starting a fertility treatment”?
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Posted on by YiannisLast modified: November 7, 2020
Unexplained infertility represents about 22–28 percent of infertility causes. The diagnosis is based on the exclusion of common causes using standard fertility investigation.
Over the years, the causes of unexplained infertility or subfertility have been identified in pre-existing associated pathologies, such as alterations of the immune system, thyroid dysfunctions, and coagulopathies.
Studies regarding the influence of psychological factors on the development of infertility highlighted that spontaneous pregnancies following adoption or the decision to remain childless are absolute exceptions. The link between stress and infertility in humans is still unclear. For many women, the effect of infertility and the subsequent medical therapy represents a considerable emotional stress.
Accordingly, the relationship between the environment and the reproductive capacity has been proved to have a direct correlation. Previous work demonstrated that stress is associated with changes in eating habits and exercise, resulting in a complicated spectrum of reproductive disorders.
However, the potential impact of the interrelationship between stress and frequency of sexual intercourse on reproductive efficacy was not sufficiently described.
The low frequency of sexual intercourse in the couple is often not mentioned during the anamnestic investigation, mostly because this issue is a source of frustration and shame.
Psychological stress, physical fatigue, lack of adequate time, and geographical distance represent the main determinants of low frequency of sexual intercourse. Therefore, there is a considerable proportion of couples with unexplained infertility that is treated with assisted reproduction techniques, who would have been able to naturally conceive a baby by simply increasing their sexual activity.
On March 10-2020, Italy became the first democratic country since World War II to impose a national lockdown. In few days, the outbreak spread from a northern crisis to a national one. Restriction measures are imposed to stay home and seek permission for essential travel.
Many companies have started smart working for their employees. At the same time, both the most accredited national and European scientific societies for reproductive medicine and the National Transplant Center, the institute that is responsible for the control of the Centres for ART (PMA) in Italy, have arranged to postpone the cycles of ARTs, waiting for the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
In order to assess the potential impact of insufficient sexual activity on infertility, the group studied whether recent COVID-19-releated lockdown in Italy had any effect on conception ability of couples with unexplained infertility. The scientists included in the study 50 couples with unexplained infertility. In these couples, medically assisted procreation techniques were temporarily suspended because of the lockdown, as imposed by the Italian Institute of Health. Interestingly, they found that 14% of the couples conceived naturally after years (average 2 ± 0.7 years) of infertility.
All the seven couples were contacted by phone, and all confirmed a significant increase in sexual activity, from an average of 2/month to two to three times/week (p < 0.001). They all stated that the longer time spent together at home contributed to the increase of their sexual activity.
It has to be noted that the spontaneous pregnancy rate is so significantly close to that in the literature of unexplained infertility (14% vs 15%, p = 0.9). Therefore, lockdown and smart working during the pandemic have increased the frequency of sexual intercourse and could have unmasked the real cause of infertility or unexplained subfertility in these couples. It seems unlikely that a reduction of psychological stress would have contributed to the success to the natural conception of a baby in these seven couples, because of the extremely high stress levels felt in Italy during these months, in which more than 25,000 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported.
The team observation seems to suggest that insufficient sexual activity should always be ruled out in couples referring to reproductive centers for fertility issues. It is interesting to note that couples confined to home, naturally increase the amount of sexual intercourse.
Clinicians probably should resist to the temptation to begin an active treatment and not immediately propose medical treatments in these couples. The real impact of insufficient sexual activity on unexplained infertility warrants further clarification in larger studies.
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Posted on by YiannisLast modified: October 14, 2020
Increased oxidative stress has been identified as a pathogenetic mechanism in female infertility. However, the effect of specific antioxidants, such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), on the outcomes after Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) has not been clarified.
The aim of this study was to systematically review and meta-analyze the best available evidence regarding the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on clinical pregnancy (CPR), live birth (LBR), and miscarriage rates (MR) compared with placebo or no-treatment in women with infertility undergoing ART.
Five randomized-controlled trials fulfilled eligibility criteria (449 infertile women; 215 in CoQ10 group and 234 in placebo/no treatment group). Oral supplementation of CoQ10 resulted in an increase of CPR when compared with placebo or no-treatment (28.8% vs. 14.1%, respectively).This effect remained significant when women with poor ovarian response and polycystic ovarian syndrome were analyzed separately. No difference between groups was observed regarding LBR and MR.
The conclusion of the study in the journal was that the oral supplementation of CoQ10 may increase CPR when compared with placebo or no-treatment, in women with infertility undergoing ART procedures, without an effect on LBR or MR.
These types of supplements should only be taken on the recommendation of your doctor.
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Posted on by YiannisLast modified: September 25, 2020
A question that couples very often ask when starting an assisted reproduction program is related to the two most common techniques used to achieve egg fertilization and the coveted pregnancy.
Confirmation of the best technique given through this study based on the highest rates of blastocysts per egg used for the procedure.
In this retrospective study, 62 ICSI/IVF cycles were analyzed with the eggs divided for each technique. Eggs from these cycles were used randomly in ICSI or the classical IVF procedure. Two hundred and thirty-four ICSI cycles and 152 cycles of classical IVF were further analyzed for comparison.
This method of analysis using sibling oocyte split (half oocytes for IVF and other half for ICSI from the same stimulation cycle) showed quite interesting results. In particular, when comparing and calculating the two pronucleus (2PN) in the oocytes between the classical IVF group and the group of ICSI, the quality of blastocysts was clearly higher in the first case (IVF) with a statistically significant degree (p < 0.05).
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Increasing maternal age and subsequent infertility have rapidly become a significant challenge to family planning, as a result of the irreversible decline in female fertility in mammals. The rate-limiting factor for successful pregnancy is oocyte quality, which significantly declines from late in the third decade of life in humans.
Despite the enormous demand, there are no clinically viable strategies to either preserve or rejuvenate oocyte quality during aging, which is defined by the capacity of the oocyte to support meiotic maturation, fertilization, and subsequent embryonic development. A non-invasive, pharmacological treatment to maintain or restore oocyte quality during aging would alleviate a rate-limiting barrier to pregnancy with increasing age that has driven demand for assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Although somatic tissues undergo continual regeneration through turnover by a self-renewing population of resident precursor stem cells, oocytes in the ovary are laid down during in utero development in humans, where they form a finite pool that does not undergo self-renewal. Oocytes are therefore highly susceptible to age-related dysfunction.
The molecular basis for the decline in oocyte quality with advancing age implicates genome instability, reduced mitochondrial bioenergetics, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), and disturbances during meiotic chromosome segregation due to compromised function of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) surveillance system. The molecular cause of chromosome mis-segregation in oocytes with advancing age is still unknown, and as a result, there are no pharmacological strategies to correct this problem. Understanding the molecular or metabolic basis of this defect could lead to therapies that could maintain or even rescue female fertility with advancing age.
The metabolite nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+/NADH) is a prominent redox cofactor and enzyme substrate that is essential to energy metabolism, DNA repair, and epigenetic homeostasis. Levels of this essential cofactor decline with age in somatic tissues, and reversing this decline through treatment with metabolic precursors for NAD+ has gained attention as a treatment for maintaining late-life health.
A team of scientists at the University of Queensland reports sought to determine whether NAD+ declined in oocytes with age, contributing to infertility and declining oocyte quality, and whether this could be reversed through treatment with the NAD+ precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN).
To address these questions, they used mice, whose fertility starts to decline around 8 months of age due to oocyte defects that are similar to those in humans. Twelve-month-old females were treated with NMN in drinking water (2 g/L) for 4 weeks, following which mature metaphase-II (MII) oocytes were recovered and subjected to multispectral microscopy imaging of autofluorescence to determine the relative abundances of native fluorophores. Consistent with their hypothesis, they found that NAD(P)H levels declined in oocytes from aged animals, compared with young (4- to 5-week-old) animals, and NMN treatment increased NAD(P)H levels in oocytes from aged animals, restores oocyte quality and enhances ovulation rate and fertility. Furthermore, supplementation of NMN in embryo culture media reversed the adverse effects of age on development.
The present study supports the premise that age-related reductions in NAD+ availability are a determinant of declining oocyte quality and female infertility and that pharmacological restoration of NAD+ opens a therapeutic window for the treatment of age-related infertility.
Several questions remain, including how NMN treatment would restore oocyte quality in aged animals. One well-known consequence of poor oocyte quality with advancing age is chromosome segregation defects, which overwhelmingly affect the first meiotic division (MI). Indeed, 80%–90% of age-related embryonic aneuploidy is the consequence of female MI errors. Out of caution, we suggest that these supplements should not be taken by women wishing to become pregnant until further studies have been completed.
Having demonstrated that in vivo NMN treatment in aged animals improved oocyte quality and increased ovulation rate and birth rates, they next showed that supplementing embryo culture media with NMN improved embryo development in embryos derived from oocytes from aged animals, but not young animals, supporting the idea that this intervention addresses an age-related deficit in oocyte NAD+ levels.
This finding is highly relevant to the clinical practice of IVF. In addition to age-related issues of decreased oocyte numbers and oocyte quality, mitotic aneuploidy and poor preimplantation embryo development limit the number of euploid blastocysts available for transfer with increasing maternal age. The increasing preference for blastocyst-stage transfers in clinical IVF underscores the importance of reaching more advanced developmental milestones and clinical demand for interventions that can improve embryo development.
This work represents a clinically tractable pharmacological intervention to non-invasively treat female infertility caused by a loss of oocyte viability in reproductively aged females, with important clinical implications. They envisage this work could lead to the development of orally delivered therapeutics that enhance oocyte quality for natural conception or IVF. Moreover, this work could enhance the success rates of existing IVF protocols by improving embryo culture conditions and developmental outcomes.
Any intervention that improves fertility would lead to cost savings and lower the emotional stress of failed IVF rounds or infertility that can lead to long term psychological and social issues, including depression and relationship breakdown.
This could represent an intervention that enables women with poor oocyte quality to have children with their own genetic makeup, because currently, these women have no alternative but to use donated oocytes. While promising, they caution against the use of NAD+-raising supplements until these clinical studies have been completed.
Do you think this new discovery could be a revolution for IVF industry and woman fertility?
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There are many types of yoga and ‘’fertility yoga’’ is one of them. Fertility yoga has much to offer to your body, and could make an excellent alternative method for boosting fertility, preparing your body for future pregnancy.
Most people think of yoga as an activity that contributes to body and mind empowerment, keeping them fit. But yoga is more than that. Yoga poses apart from toning up are supposed to help your body regain balance. An overall balance, of all parts and functions performed in your body, including your reproductive system.
But what is fertility yoga? Fertility yoga is a specialized yoga program designed to support both the reproductive and endocrine system which are equally important to conception. This specialized exercise can increase the energy flow in the body, improving the functions of reproductive and endocrine system.
Fertility yoga, as most yoga programs, helps the body to maintain homeostasis which is essential for the body’s proper function. It consists of a special series of exercises that support reproductive health. Each exercise-pose of this series positively affects the reproductive and/or endocrine system, in terms of hormonal balance.
For optimum results fertility yoga is commonly combined with a natural fertility treatment or other alternative therapies like acupuncture and fertility massage. Moreover, along with fertility yoga, a healthy balanced diet is necessary for improving your fertility and your overall health.
Collectively, some of the benefits of fertility yoga:
– It strengthens the endocrine system and promotes hormonal balance
– Increases blood supply of the reproductive system
– Supports the immune system and helps your body detox
– Offers body invigoration and general well-being
– Reduces stress
Since gentle exercise is vital for fertility, there is no harm in trying yoga. 30 minutes per day, 3 to 5 times per week could work magic. Moreover, trying for a baby can sometimes be quite stressful, especially if it takes longer to conceive than expected. In that aspect, the anti-stress effect of yoga can also contribute to an improved fertility since stress and anxiety have been linked to infertility.
Would you try yoga and other alternative methods for improving your pregnancy chances?
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The issue of fertility preservation (FP) in young cancer patients has become an important issue. Although many techniques have been developed, vitrification of fertilized or unfertilized eggs recovered after controlled ovarian stimulation, prior to cancer treatment, is now the most established and effective method of maintaining female fertility.
When ovarian stimulation is not possible or contraindicated, cryopreservation of the ovaries or vitrification of eggs / embryos after in vitro maturation (IVM) of eggs recovered from small follicles may be alternatives. The place of IVF in the strategy of women FPs has recently been discussed.
We herein report the case of a 29-year-old nulligravida woman diagnosed with left grade III invasive ductal carcinoma. The tumor was positive for both estrogen receptors and progesterone and negative for Her2 overexpression. After left tumorectomy with sentinel node biopsy (1N+/4), adjuvant chemotherapy was scheduled 3 weeks later.
17 small follicles were detected by vaginal ultrasound on the 16th day of the cycle before counseling to maintain fertility. Due to the contraindication of ovarian stimulation for oncological purposes, the patient was offered oocyte vitrification after maturation of eggs (IVM) in the laboratory in combination with ovarian cryopreservation.
Seven immature oocytes were retrieved and were matured and vitrified in the laboratory. Five years later, the patient experienced infertility. The pregnancy was approved by the oncology team, but the patient was advised to avoid ovarian stimulation.
Therefore, the multidisciplinary decision was the re-utilization of cryopreserved oocytes as a first choice. The six oocytes were thawed and all survived the procedure, allowing fertilization with Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) technique. Five embryos were created and one of them was transferred to the uterus. The patient became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
This is the first live birth achieved using vitrification and in vitro egg maturation (IVM) to maintain fertility (FP) in a woman with cancer. This approach was based on the inability to perform ovarian stimulation based on the patient’s oncological history. Therefore, IVM should be considered as a viable and effective choice in the strategy for women to maintain fertility.
Do you think that this technique could be used by any woman who does not want to use hormones for in vitro fertilization?
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Women wanting to know how many eggs they have left may in future be able to have their hair tested to reveal their hormone levels.
A signalling chemical related to women’s fertility called anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is incorporated into hair shafts while they are still underneath the skin. Testing the hair may give a better indication of fertility than current blood tests.
AMH is released by eggs in the ovaries, the number of which decline with age. Blood AMH levels broadly correlate with how many eggs a woman has left, and therefore how long it will be before she stops being fertile.
Some firms offer AMH blood testing for any woman trying to get pregnant – although doctors’ bodies have warned that for the general population, it isn’t a good indicator of how likely someone is to conceive. But for people having IVF, it does predict which women are likely to respond well or poorly to stimulation of their ovaries, according to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
In future, women may be able to send off a hair sample for testing, instead of having a blood sample taken. In a group of 152 women aged between 18 and 65, hair AMH levels correlated with levels in their blood, and with the number of eggs present in their ovaries as seen by an ultrasound scan – but hair levels of the hormone tracked age better than blood levels, suggesting the hair test may be more accurate.
Hormone levels in hair may be a better indicator of longer-term average blood levels than a one-off blood sample, says Sarthak Sawarkar at US fertility company MedAnswers, who did the study. “Hair is a medium that can accumulate biomarkers over several weeks, while hormone levels in blood can fluctuate rapidly in response to stimuli,” he said in a statement.
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Human eggs use chemical signals to attract sperm. New research from Stockholm University and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust shows that eggs use these chemical signals to choose sperm. Different women’s eggs attract different men’s sperm—and not necessarily their partner’s.
Humans spend a lot of time and energy choosing their partner. A new study by researchers from Stockholm University and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) shows that choosing your partner continues even after sex—human eggs can “choose” sperm. “Human eggs release chemicals called chemoattractants that attract sperm to unfertilized eggs. We wanted to know if eggs use these chemical signals to pick which sperm they attract,” said John Fitzpatrick, an Associate Professor at Stockholm University.
The researchers examined how sperm respond to follicular fluid, which surrounds eggs and contains sperm chemoattractants. The researchers wanted to find out if follicular fluids from different females attracted sperm from some males more than others.
“Follicular fluid from one female was better at attracting sperm from one male, while follicular fluid from another female was better at attracting sperm from a different male,” said Professor Fitzpatrick. “This shows that interactions between human eggs and sperm depend on the specific identity of the women and men involved.”
The egg does not always agree with the women’s choice of partner.
The researchers found that eggs did not always attract more sperm from their partner compared to sperm from another male. Ιs this egg or sperm choice? Professor Fitzpatrick explained that sperm have only one job—to fertilize eggs—so it doesn’t make sense for them to be choosy. Eggs on the other hand can benefit by picking high quality or genetically compatible sperm.
“The idea that eggs are choosing sperm is really novel in human fertility,” said Professor Daniel Brison, the scientific director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at Saint Marys’ Hospital, which is part of MFT, and the senior author of this study. The University of Manchester Honorary Professor added: “Research on the way eggs and sperm interact will advance fertility treatments and may eventually help us understand some of the currently ‘unexplained’ causes of infertility in couples.”
“I’d like to thank every person who took part in this study and contributed to these findings, which may benefit couples struggling with infertility in future.” The article “Chemical signals from eggs facilitate cryptic female choice in humans” is published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Australian fertility experts are now testing the technique, which uses artificial intelligence to improve the odds of a successful pregnancy, in the largest trial of its kind in the world. As part of the international study, led by national fertility provider Virtus Health, 1000 patients will be recruited at five IVF clinics across Australia, alongside sites in Ireland and Denmark.
During each IVF cycle, embryos will be grown in an incubator fitted with time-lapse cameras to assess the embryo during the five-day incubation period. The embryo ranking system was built by training the artificial intelligence using thousands of images where it was known whether the pregnancy was successful or not. What the AI tool can do is analyze .all the embryos. The embryo with the highest score can then be selected for transfer by the embryologist with the aim of accelerating the chance to a successful pregnancy
Dr Illingworth said the purpose of the study was to determine whether the technology can shorten the time it takes a woman to fall pregnant, ultimately saving aspiring parents thousands of dollars in fertility treatment.
The novel coronavirus can persist in the semen of men who are recovering following infection, according to a new study.
The preliminary findings of a Chinese study raise the small possibility that the virus could be sexually transmitted.
According to the Authors from The Eighth Medical Center of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, “to avoid contact with the patient’s saliva and blood may not be enough, since the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in a recovering patient’s semen maintains the likelihood to infect others”.
They also added “If it could be proved that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted sexually in future studies, sexual transmission might be a critical part of the prevention of transmission, especially considering the fact that SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the semen of recovering patients”.
One in five pregnancies end in miscarriage and most of the time the cause is not found.
New surveys show that most people are misinformed about how common miscarriages are and what causes them. Even though miscarriage appears to be the most common complication of pregnancy, is a traditionally taboo subject that is rarely discussed publicly. Perhaps that is the reason that myths about miscarriage persist. One in five pregnancies end in miscarriage and most of the time the cause is not found. But that doesn’t stop couples from wondering if there was something they did or shouldn’t have done that might have hurt their baby. Read on to learn about the most common miscarriage myths and the truth about pregnancy loss.
1. If you’ve had one miscarriage, you’ll likely have another
After one miscarriage, your risk of miscarriage is the same as that of a woman who’s never had a miscarriage. However, after having two miscarriages, the risk of experiencing another pregnancy loss does increase — to 20 percent. After three miscarriages, that number rises to 30 percent, and after four, the risk goes up to 40 percent. But still, even if you’ve had four pregnancy losses, there’s a 60 percent chance that you can give birth to a healthy baby the next time you get pregnant.
2. Being frightened can hurt your baby
Events like a loud noise, a near accident or watching a horror movie will not give your baby a heart attack. Just because it scares you it doesn’t mean the baby even noticed. Even if baby jumps when hearing something loud, this is just a startle reflex and actually a healthy sign that he or she is developing normally.
3. Lifting a heavy object can cause a miscarriage
Lifting heavy objects is not a miscarriage factor since your body will not be able to lift anything that cannot afford but either way a good advice that will save you many aches and pains is to pick up anything heavy by squatting and lifting with your legs, not bending over and lifting with your back.
4. Miscarriage is caused by emotional stress
It’s not rare for women to experience traumatic life events during pregnancy, however common stressors such as a hectic job or a death in the family are not causes of miscarriage. As a strong case in point, in Israel it was found a 2 percent difference in the miscarriage rate between women living in a town under constant threat of rocket attack and women in a nearby town that was not under frequent attack. That’s barely a difference.
5. Exercising during pregnancy can increase the chances of a miscarriage
Moderate exercise is actually something that helps you and the baby. There are some rules, however. In fact, it was found that women who exercised throughout pregnancy actually had a 40 percent lower chance of having a miscarriage. However, it is advisable not to get your heart rate above 140 (still not a miscarriage factor, but does start to reduce the amount of oxygen to the baby) or work until you feel faint or exhausted.
6. It’s mother’s fault
It is very common for women who experience miscarriage to blame themselves. They shouldn’t. The majority of miscarriages are caused by abnormal numbers of chromosomes in the fetus or medical complications relating to hormonal imbalances. Most of these things are beyond anyone’s control and can happen to anyone. In general, minor day-to-day experiences don’t have an effect on whether a pregnancy is successful or not, doctors say.
Are you aware of other faulty beliefs about bad pregnancy outcomes?
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Several vitamins available on the market could improve the chances of getting pregnant
Are you having fertility issues? Well, before you turn to medical assistance, vitamins could just be all you need to help you get pregnant faster.
The good news is there are several vitamins available on the market with the potential to improve chances of getting pregnant, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, zink and vitamin B12.
Vitamin C is considered to be quite beneficial for men trying to make a baby. It helps prevent sperm from sticking together and restores sperm damage done by chemicals in tobacco smoke. Thus, vitamin C improves sperm motility and decreases damaged sperm cells number. Men are commonly recommended to receive up to 1000 mg of vitamin C daily for a positive outcome.
At this point, it should be noted that women should receive only as much vitamin C as contained in a prenatal vitamin supplement, given that too much of vitamin C could dry up the cervical mucus harming fertility. Plus excess of it could turn the body acidic and is likely to create an environment that sperm cannot survive.
One of best ‘’fertility vitamins’’ for women who wish to get pregnant is vitamin E. It appears it can improve egg quality and is commonly recommended a supplemental intake of at least 400 IU of the vitamin. Men can also benefit from a vitamin E supplementation. They should receive the same amount as women daily, in order to improve sperm capacity. It is advisable to be received together with vitamin C for maximum absorption.
Another vitamin, not quite known for fertility, is B12 which is particularly important for men. Men who smoke or consume large amounts of processed meat are usually B12 deficient. So, by adding at least 100 mcg of it in their nutrition could have their fertility improved. It is also known to support a healthy neural tube development of the developing embryo, so women can also benefit from an increased B12 intake.
Have you checked into the possibility of a nutritional deficiency that could decrease your pregnancy chances?
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Posted on by YiannisLast modified: December 4, 2021
Can darkness protect female fertility? New research says yes! Women who wish to achieve pregnancy are now advised to avoid late nights and artificial light as it can harm their fertility and, as a consequence, decrease chances of conception.
Every time we turn on the light at night, the production of melatonin is reduced. Melatonin is a hormone secreted in the brain, in response to darkness, that helps regulate other hormones in the body and is commonly known for its sleep effects. However, fertility experts from the University of Texas report another quite important role of the hormone in female fertility.
A review of studies, published in ‘’Fertility and Sterility’’, that summarized previous research results on the role of melatonin and circadian cycle on achieving pregnancy in women, provided evidence that melatonin protects the ovary, eggs and placenta from the disastrous effects of free radicals as it exhibits unique oxygen scavenging abilities. That means that melatonin prevents the production of ROS (reactive oxygen species) saving the reproductive system from oxidative damage.
Russel J. Reiter, professor of cellular biology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and lead researcher of the study, reported that ‘’darkness is important for female fertility as well as for protecting the developing embryo’’.
He also recommended women trying to get pregnant to spend at least 8 hours in the darkness during the night. Ideally, all lights should be off, however if there must be a light on, red or yellow are preferable. White and blue light should be avoided as these colours could disturb the biological clock.
So, can darkness protect female fertility? The main conclusion of the study review was that the circadian cycle and melatonin, both linked to darkness, are crucial for optimal function of the reproductive system. Additionally, the circadian cycle should remain stable smooth and undisturbed from one day to the other otherwise it is more likely for a women’s biological clock to go out of tune. Professor Reiter would advise the same for pregnant women in order to support fetus development.
Would you choose darkness over light for protecting your fertility?
Posted on by YiannisLast modified: December 4, 2021
DHEA hormone administration can significantly increase IVF success rates for women treated for infertility according to a study.
This study showed that women who used DHEA hormone supplements during their treatment increased their chances of pregnancy compared to women who did not receive the supplement.
DHEA is a natural hormone supplement received by many women reaching menopause for slowing down age changes
There are many studies showed the value of DHEA supplementation to subfertile women and there are in agreement with the above findings. Some of them indicate a beneficial effect of DHEA on maintaining pregnancy as well, decreasing miscarriage incidents.
What is DHEA?
DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a natural hormone supplement received by many women reaching menopause for slowing down age changes, fighting anility, or as a part of infertility treatment. It is converted to testosterone and estradiol in the body and it can benefit women with poor egg reserve or low response to IVF medication.
But how safe is for women to receive DHEA supplements? Despite the fact its side effects are relatively mild it is always advisable to check with your physician before you receive any supplement. Due to its androgenic activity DHEA can cause acne, hair loss, facial hair growth, voice deepening and menstruation changes. A low dose of the hormone can keep the risk of side effects low. However women suffering from certain medical conditions like endometriosis and several cancer types (ovarian, uterine and breast cancer) have increased risk for serious DHEA side effects.
Dosage of DHEA
The doctors in the study used a 25 mg DHEA tablet 3 times a day for twelve weeks prior initiation of the IVF treatment cycle for increasing the success rates.
Its use for enhancing fertility is not always an option as there is not enough data clearly documenting its effects on this condition and in some countries like the UK is not permitted. In the US on the other hand, DHEA supplementation is fully licensed in fertility issues.
Would you consider DHEA supplementation for boosting fertility?
Posted on by YiannisLast modified: December 4, 2021
Does stress affect fertility or is it infertility that has negative effects on psychology? Fertility experts indicate that there is a bidirectional relationship between stress and infertility. Most commonly, infertility is treated as a purely medical problem even though psychological aspects of it are perhaps equally important.
Fertility experts indicate that there is a bidirectional relationship between stress and infertility
Whether stress affects fertility or infertility itself is responsible for increased stress levels, has been a major conflict among fertility specialists for a long time and still remains a controversial issue. Research suggests that this is probably not a one way street; meaning that stress can impact fertility but infertility may also have mood effects in a drastic way.
At some cases of unexplained infertility (when a medical cause for infertility cannot be found and no successful outcome can be achieved even after IVF treatment), there might be a psychological factor that hinders natural course of conception. This is called ‘’psychogenic infertility’’ and is related to a deeper unconscious desire of preventing pregnancy.
It is true that the causal role of psychological disturbances remains controversial. However, there are mechanisms which could explain in theory how depression could cause infertility. These mechanisms involve the physiology of the depressed state. Since stress is related to similar physiology effects as depression, it is possible that high levels of it can more or less impact fertility.
An example of stress impact on female fertility is hyperprolactinemia. A condition at which prolactin over production inhibits ovulation and as a consequence impacts fertility. In less severe cases high prolactin levels may only disrupt ovulation once in a while.
On the other hand, it is known that infertility, as all chronic illnesses, could cause couples to experience high levels of cumulative stress which eventually can lead to more serious psychological disturbances like depression. Especially IVF treatment can be a highly stressful procedure for subfertile couples. For many couples IVF is their last chance of having a biological child and this can lead to severe emotional distress.
For all the above, perhaps a mind-body approach to fertility treatment could possibly help couples who struggle with infertility to deal with their problem in a more effective way. Mind body medicine could perhaps be beneficial, not only for those diagnosed with unexplained infertility, but to all couples who are trying to achieve pregnancy.
Do you think mind-body medicine could apply to you?
Posted on by YiannisLast modified: December 4, 2021
Recurrent miscarriage is typically defined as the loss of three or more pregnancies in a row. Many factors apart from maternal health have a significant role in miscarriage risk. According to researchers from Imperial College man’s sperm may sometimes be a factor. Total sperm motility, progressive sperm motility, and normal morphology were all reduced in the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL) group vs controls. The DNA fragmentation was 2-fold higher in PRL than in controls group. The researcher published in, the journal of Clinical Chemistry, say this could be because of high levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
Posted on by YiannisLast modified: February 7, 2019
A Chinese researcher claims to have created the world’s first genetically edited babies.
The scientist, He Jiankui of Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, said he altered embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments, with one pregnancy resulting so far.
He told the audience he had worked on 31 eggs and implanted two altered embryos in one woman through IVF. The health of both children would be monitored for the next 18 years.
Many mainstream scientists think it is too unsafe to try, and some denounced the Chinese report as human experimentation. The genetic editing of a human embryo carries significant risks, including the risks of introducing unwanted mutations or yielding a baby whose body is composed of some edited and some unedited cells.
The tool for gene editing, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to operate on DNA to supply a needed gene or disable one that’s causing problems. It’s only recently been tried in adults to treat deadly diseases, and the changes are confined to that person. Editing sperm, eggs or embryos is different because the changes can be inherited.
If true, it would be a profound leap of science and ethics.
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