How Daily Sex Improves Sperm Quality

Posted on 2016年2月29日 by Yiannis

Can frequent sex improve sperm quality? This has been a debate among fertility specialists for quite a long. What doctors usually advise couples trying to conceive is to have sex every second day, so that there is time for semen to restore its sperm cells count. It is true that frequent ejaculation harms sperm count and sperm concentration as well as sperm quality are critical to successful fertilisation.

But whether that’s a proper advice for men or not, it is not quite clear. That is mostly due to lack of strong evidence suggesting that sexual abstinence can actually be beneficial to male fertility, improving sperm fertilizing ability.

In fact, a recent study led by Dr. David Greening in Sydney IVF indicates quite the opposite: daily sex is more effective than abstinence. What Sydney IVF researchers found, was that daily ejaculation for seven days improved sperm DNA quality without lowering sperm count enough to negatively affect male fertility.

At a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Netherlands, Dr. Greening explained that when a man does not ejaculate for two or three days the number of spermatozoa stored in the epididymis increases. In the epididymis spermatozoa are exposed to reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus the longer sperm cells are exposed to these molecules the greater the DNA damage of the cells. So, frequent ejaculation ensures higher DNA quality sperm.

For this study, Dr. Greening and his team collected data from 118 men with higher levels of DNA damage than normal; roughly 15% more DNA damaged sperm cells than average men. These men were asked to ejaculate daily for seven days.

Prior to daily ejaculation, scientists measured sperm DNA damage after three days of sexual abstinence. They exhibited a 34% of DNA damaged cells. After seven days of daily ejaculation, it was found that 81% of the men exhibited a decrease in DNA damage at about 12%, while for rest 19% of the men DNA damage slightly increased.

Moreover, in most of the men sperm motility was improved. Not greatly but significantly. These results accompanied by normal sperm count in terms of fertility potential. So, in all aspects daily ejaculation enhances male fertility and maybe daily sex improves sperm quality.

Apart from couples who are trying to conceive naturally, these results could possibly apply, as effectively, to couples who are in need of IVF. Men are usually called to refrain from ejaculation for three days before the IVF clinic collects their sperm sample, so many couples do not have sex frequently during the treatment.

‘’This might need to change’’ says Dr. Greening.

Do you need more reasons for enjoying sex on daily base?

Anti-Müllerian Hormone: A Marker for Fertility

Posted on 2016年2月7日 by Yiannis

Anti-Müllerian Hormone and Ovarian Follicles

AMH levels seem to affect pregnancy chances after IVF treatment

Anti-Müllerian Hormone: A Marker for Fertility

Many fertility specialists consider Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) a reliable marker for female fertility. Actually, they can assess a woman’s ovary function or dysfunction by measuring this specific hormone.

Anti-Müllerian hormone is an essence produced in granule cells of primary, pre-antral and antral follicles in the ovary. As the follicles grow in size AMH production is gradually decreased and eventually stops. For follicles with diameter over 8 mm no hormone is produced. Due to this fact, its levels are quite stable and therefore it can be measured any day of a woman’s cycle.

How Anti-Müllerian hormone works as a fertility test

Since AMH is only produced in small ovarian follicles, its blood levels are used to estimate the size of the pool of growing follicles. As women age the number of ovarian follicles declines, so the levels of the AMH hormone decline as well. Women with many small ovarian follicles, like those with the polycystic ovarian syndrome, have high levels of AMH. On the other hand women who have a few follicles left in their ovaries, as well as women close to menopause have low levels of the hormone.

AMH levels seem to affect pregnancy chances after IVF treatment. Women with higher levels of the hormone tend to have a better response to ovarian stimulation for IVF treatment and therefore more oocytes are harvested from the ovaries. A higher number of oocytes available for IVF usually translates into higher chances of a successful outcome.

Most probably, Anti-Müllerian hormone levels do not reflect egg quality but more eggs mean more ‘’material’’ for fertility specialists to work with. Thus, it is more possible to have at least one embryo of high quality after fertilisation, available for embryo transfer into the womb.

The interpretation of AMH levels is an issue not yet resolved since it is a relatively recent test and fertility specialists have not quite agreed on what is called ‘’normal levels’’ of AMH. Even so, according to experts, if a woman’s AMH levels are low for her age is an indication of lower pregnancy chances than expected, with or without IVF.

Conclusively, each patient’s ovarian reserve status should be taken into account in order to achieve a successful outcome. Some women display a diminished egg reserve sooner than expected. The average age of menopause is 51, yet 10% of women experience absence of menstrual periods by age 45 and a low egg reserve roughly 13 years prior, at their early 30’s.

Do you think AMH test would make a useful tool for women who are still waiting for the ‘’right time’’ to have a baby?

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IVF procedure

Posted on 2016年1月9日 by Yiannis

IVF PROCEDURE

For a successful IVF procedure think positive

by Dr Ioannis Giakoumakis

IVF procedure is not one simple, but a series of several medical and laboratory steps.

The steps involved in this procedure are:

Ovarian stimulation
Egg retrieval (collection)
Sperm retrieval
Fertilisation
Embryo transfer

Ovarian stimulation

A combination of medications (commonly termed fertility drugs) and hormones are usually given to the woman to stimulate the ovaries and produce more than the usual one follicle (thus egg) per cycle. This is to enable the collection of several follicles (thus eggs) and increase the success of IVF because some eggs may not be fertilize or develop normally after fertilization.

During this step, the follicles are monitored by blood tests and transvaginal ultrasounds that ensure eggs are collected at precisely the right time.

A number of different protocols are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. These are Short, Long, Flare and Antagonist. The protocol chosen by your doctor will depend upon your age, FSH level and previous response (if applicable).

Oocyte Retrieval (egg collection)

The egg collection procedure is a relatively easy procedure that is performed in a sterile room (egg collection room) with the presence of an anaesthesiologist, as it requires mild anaesthesia. The procedure takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on the number of follicles present at the ovaries. You are advised to be fasting at least for 10 hours and avoid fluid consumption before the egg collection.

During egg collection, the location of the ovarian follicles is successfully spotted with the use of vaginal ultrasound, and then a needle is directed through the vagina wall into the ovarian follicles. As the tip of the needle passes into each follicle, the fluid gets drawn, and the follicle collapses. The fluid is aspirated into multiple tubes, which are then immediately passed to the embryologist in the IVF laboratory where the eggs are identified, isolated, placed in culture medium and in proper temperature.

After the egg collection, the woman can eat normally but she is advised to take a light meal and a lot of fluids. It is recommended to rest at home for the remainder of the day.

Sperm Retrieval

During the egg collection, the husband provides a sperm sample. The male partner should abstain from ejaculation for 3 – 5 days to provide the best quality sperm. Masturbation, especially at the clinic, is the preferred method of collection. However, because it is sometimes difficult and stressful, men could bring the semen sample from home or can freeze a sample several days before the day of oocyte retrieval (fresh samples are always preferred). In cases of men with azoospermia, spermatozoa maybe retrieved directly from the testis (surgical sperm retrieval). The embryologist places the sperm sample at an incubator (37^οC) for a short period of time and following a semen assessment the process of “washing of the sperm” takes place in order to isolate the “best looking” sperm. If donor sperm or frozen sperm will be used, the sample will be taken from the freezer and prepared in the same way.

Fertilization

Several hours following egg retrieval and semen preparation, fertilization occurs in the embryology lab. To begin the fertilization process, the eggs are placed in a petri dish containing a solution rich in specialized nutrients for 2 to 3 hours. The washed sperm is incubated together with the eggs for 16-20 hours in 37^οC. The next morning, the embryologist will examine the eggs to see which have fertilised. The eggs that have been fertilized are now called embryos and are incubated in special laboratory conditions for an additional 48 -96 hours, depending on the stage of embryo your doctor is recommending for transfer. The fertilization rate is usually 80-100%. Alternatively, patients dealing with male infertility problems are offered the choice of Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

Embryo transfer

Embryo transfer is a procedure that does not require anaesthesia. Three to five days following fertilisation the best quality embryos, according to morphological criteria, are selected in order to be placed into the woman’s uterus. The selected embryos are inserted into a thin tube (catheter) and guided towards the woman’s uterus. One to three embryos can be transferred depending of the age and the medical record of the recipient. Sometimes couples have extra embryos available after an IVF procedure. In such cases, couples may decide on cryopreservation (freezing) to store embryos a future IVF cycle. If cell divisions carry on for between five to six days, the embryos reach the blastocyst stage. At this point embryologists can have a good indication of which are the embryos able and most likely to result in a successful pregnancy once they transfer them back into your uterus.

It is not unusual to see vaginal blood spotting prior to the pregnancy test. Approximately 50% of our patients experience very mild bleeding (few blood spots) prior to the pregnancy test or even afterwards.

Rest is recommended for 24 to 48 hours after the embryo transfer.

THINK POSITIVE!

* You must do the pregnancy test even if you have seen a few spots of blood.

Sunlight exposure makes women more fertile

Posted on 2015年12月13日 by Yiannis

There are numerous health benefits of sunlight and one of them is linked to increased fertility.

Sunshine, warm weather and absence of rain lead to a more effective IVF treatment

Sunlight is related with fertility

Sunlight exposure makes women more fertile, boosting their chances to conceive according to a new

Belgian research study. Researchers of University Hospital Ghent’s Centre for Reproductive Medicine, analyzed success rates of 6.000 women who underwent IVF treatment over a time period of about six years. These data were associated with climate conditions of the month that each woman started their fertility treatment.

They found that live birth rates increased from 14%, during less sunny periods, to 19% when the weather in terms of sunlight was improved. Moreover, in periods with at least 4 hours of sunshine per day fertility was increased by one third.

Researchers highlight the fact that women had 35% increased chances of conception following IVF if they were exposed to sunlight a month prior and not during IVF treatment.

Vitamin D appears to have the most critical role in terms of sunlight benefits to female fertility, as it directly affects egg quality and melatonin levels contributing to a normal ovulation cycle.

‘’Sunshine, warm weather and absence of rain lead to a more effective IVF treatment. And even though this study focused on the outcome of women who treated for infertility we believe that weather conditions may positively affect natural conception chances as well’’, said Dr Vandekerckhove who led the study. This study was presented at the annual meeting of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Portugal.

At this point it should also being noted that sun can increase male fertility as well, according to previous studies. It appears that sperm is relatively more effective and capacitated from July to August compared to winter months.

How about planning a trip somewhere warm for increasing your pregnancy chances?

Global Warming Affects Birth Rates

Posted on 2015年11月13日 by Yiannis

Climate change can affect people and the environment in many ways. It now seems that climate affects birth rates as well. A new study reports that global warming leads to a declining number of births.

A new study reports that global warming leads to a declining number of births

More specifically, according to research by the National Bureau of Economic Research in Massachusetts, high temperatures could decrease sexual desire and it is possible that people have fewer sexual relations during hot days. Other than that it is also likely that high temperatures affect reproductive health, impacting birth rates.

Researchers found that birth rates drop dramatically after a particularly hot day, about 9 months later. Actually, birth rates decreased by 0.7% compared to the outcome of a cold day.

These findings suggest that warm weather might be associated with decreased fertility or reduced libido due to hormonal imbalances, or more likely to both of these combined. Decreased fertility for men might refer to poor quality sperm and negatively affected testosterone while for women to abnormal ovulation, menstruation and failed implantation of fertilized eggs.

Researchers noted that days on which temperature exceeds 27 °C result in a significant decrease of births eight to ten months later. These rates seem to be partially restored after a couple of months by 32%. This observation indicates that people adapt to changes caused by high temperatures, altering the month of conception.

Study findings suggest that this trend could lead to 100,000 fewer babies born per year in the US by the end of this century. Air conditioning could possibly allay fears of scientists about the impact of high temperatures to fertility and birth rates. Some researchers, however, argue that the potent greenhouse gases used in air conditioning might as well promote global warming.

Global warming will eventually lead to even more births during summer months according to scientists, when the risk of exposure to hazardous high temperatures is increased. This phenomenon is expected to affect developing countries at a greater level due to extreme temperatures and lack of air conditioning.

Natural Ways for Enhancing Fertility

Posted on 2015年11月9日 by Yiannis

1 in 8 couples worldwide have trouble getting pregnant. If you are one of them

Yoga and meditation are two popular stress reduction practices among people, with possible positive and natural way for enhancing fertility

you might want to try some natural ways for enhancing fertility, before you turn to complex fertility treatments; avoiding costly fertility drugs, injections and all these disturbing procedures involved in typical medical treatments, is enough of a reason for many couples.

There are several folk customs applying to different cultures about enhancing fertility, more or less weird. Chunky fertility statues, special dances, spells and even…cute hitting with sacrificed goat skin in ancient Roman fertility celebrations.

Well you don’t need to go this far, there are simpler more natural ways for enhancing your fertility and here are a few suggestions:

Get some sleep: Sleep deprivation induces a decrease of leptin hormone levels. This decrease causes the brain to suspend the less fundamental functions of the body like ovulation, causing irregular periods and infertility.

Just relax! The more stressed a woman is the harder it is for her to conceive. If typical exercise is not your cup of tea, there are a number of alternative ways for reducing stress levels and perhaps improving your fertility chances. Yoga and meditation are two popular stress reduction practices among people, with possible positive effects on pregnancy chances.

In 2012, approximately 21 and 17 million adults practiced yoga and meditation respectively in USA. According to researchers, couples who took part in a program incorporating yoga, meditation, emotional support and diet changes had a 50% fertility rate within one year. This study was based on the ongoing programs at the mind-body Institute at Harvard University.

Apricots and orange fruits: An old custom in China wants the bride to be to consume fresh apricots for enhancing fertility, since the mineral content of the fruit promotes sexual hormone production. As for men, researchers of the University of West Australia showed that orange colored fruits (β-Carotene) with antioxidant properties like apricots, melons, mangoes and carrots, as well as vitamin E-rich foods, could help them maintain their sperm healthy.

Ankle massage: According to reflexology, ankles are sensitive parts of our body with many nerve fiber endings that correspond directly to the most erogenous body zones. The outside of the ankles, specifically, is the most vital area for reproductive health so massage of these spots enhances fertility.

Would you consider such options for enhancing your fertility?

Low Dose Aspirin May Boost Female Fertility

Posted on 2015年11月6日 by Yiannis

Aspirin boosts female fertility, according to a new American study. Researchers from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Maryland, USA discovered that aspirin at low doses can actually increase chances of pregnancy and live birth rate.

Low dose aspirin may boost female fertility according to researchers from USA

Today, Aspirin is one of the most commonly used drugs. In 2005, 43 million adults reported taking aspirin daily in USA, a number applying roughly to 1/5 of the population. Researchers highlight the fact that many doctors direct women who had previously experienced pregnancy loss and want to reconceive to take a low dose of aspirin. They, often, advise women to consider taking a small amount of aspirin daily (around 81 mg) in order to boost female fertility and increase their chances of having a baby. Fertility experts though comment that up to date scientific evidence is not sufficient for proving the method’s efficiency.

In contrast to the prevailing concept, scientists from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development came to result that aspirin use does not prevent pregnancy loss. For the study, they recruited over a 1.000 of women with a history of miscarriage and randomly allocated them to take either aspirin or a placebo tablet. These women were followed for 6 months while they were trying to get pregnant. They reported no difference among the two study groups concerning pregnancy loss rates.

On the other hand, for women who had recently suffered a miscarriage the aspirin group exhibited increased pregnancy and live birth rates. According to the scientists’ initial publication in ‘’The Lanset’’, 78% of the aspirin group achieved pregnancy compared to 66% of the placebo tablet group.

In addition to these results, scientists analyzed inflammation levels of the women. They found that aspirin increased chances of conception by 17% and live birth rates by 20% in women with levels of inflammation, boosting female fertility.

During his speech at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine annual meeting where the study was presented, Professor Richard Paulson advocated all women who want to get pregnant to take aspirin. ‘’it increases flow blood in the pelvis as well as endometrial thickness, there is no harm in women wanting to use aspirin for boosting fertility’’, says Professor Paulson.

Is that a good reason for considering aspirin use?

Ovulation Calculator: Because Timing Matters

Posted on 2015年11月2日 by Yiannis

12 to 24 hours after the woman ovulates, she is no longer able to achieve pregnancy during that cycle.

Whether you are considering the potential of getting pregnant or systematically trying to conceive, you are probably going to need an ovulation calculator; because timing matters when it comes to fertility.
One in two couples is trying to conceive the wrong days of the woman’s ovulation cycle, probably due to lack of knowledge. A better understanding of fertility, ovulation process and how this is involved in a woman’s menstrual cycle in overall can be of great help for couples who aim to achieve pregnancy.

There are only a few days (typically 6) in each menstrual cycle that you have high chances of getting pregnant, the days prior and during ovulation. So it is critical to be aware of when are these days during your ovulation cycle for successful fertilisation.

What is ovulation at first place?

Ovulation is the procedure happening once in every menstrual cycle when hormonal changes cause the ovary to release an egg. This occurs about 12-16 days before the initiation of your next menstrual cycle.
While an egg survives for no longer than 24 hours after its release, the sperm cell can maintain its viability for up to 5 days. Therefore, you might be surprised to know that sexual intercourse 4 to 5 days prior egg release can lead to the desired outcome, pregnancy.

Fertile Window

The overall ‘’fertile window’’, taking into account the lifespan of the sperm and the lifespan of the egg as well, is roughly 6 days. So the ‘’fertile window’’ applies to the time period during menstrual cycle where unprotected sexual intercourse can lead to conception. At the end of the ‘’fertile window’’, the likelihood of conception declines rapidly and by 12 to 24 hours after the woman ovulates, she is no longer able to achieve pregnancy during that cycle.

Due to menstrual irregularities it might be hard for women to predict their most fertile days, but this knowledge is crucial for getting pregnant. An accurate way for finding out your fertile days is to measure the basic fertility hormones (LH, estrogen). This can be easily done by using an ovulation test or a fertility monitor at home, identifying your full ‘’fertile window’’.

How do you know your “Fertile window”?

Why We Love Pregnancy (and you should too)

Posted on 2015年10月29日 by Yiannis

Giving birth to a baby is without doubt the most intense, life changing experience for a woman.

The birth of a baby is a life event that can’t be compared to any other experience in terms of significance and importance. The responsibility of nurturing and watching children grow and develop changes the appreciation of life and health, with a resulting long term impact upon individuals, families and ultimately, society.
Giving birth to a baby is without doubt the most intense, life changing experience for a woman. However, believe it or not, a baby isn’t the only good thing that women get out of pregnancy. The extra hormones necessary for the embryo development can also have a positive impact on your well-being and general health condition during and after pregnancy. Studies show that most women have a positive pregnancy experience reporting just a few negative symptoms that had to deal with while pregnant.
During their pregnancy women can experience some wonderful changes taking place in their body that they will definitely love, such as:
Improvements to skin and complexion. Women love the fact their hair look thicker and their skin nice and radiant. That happens because during pregnancy the rate at which hair falls out slows right down. As for the skin, since extra moisture is retained under the skin, women’s complexions look shiny and less wrinkled.
Enhanced senses. High levels of estrogen increase the sense of smell in pregnant women and that seems to enhance their perception of taste, meaning you can probably enjoy the taste of your food more than usually.
Diminished menstrual pain. Once the menstrual cycle resumes, after childbirth, it is very likely that the overall period pain that women usually experience, as well as the annoying cramps will be diminished. This pain reduction is a well-known phenomenon even though the reason this happens is not quite known yet.
In addition to positive body changes we could not but mention these little pleasures that women expecting a baby love to enjoy without guilt like eating more, having a nap after lunch, taking time off work and of course allowing themselves to be spoiled by their loved ones.

Thinking of getting pregnant soon?

Egg Donation On The Rise

Posted on 2015年10月26日 by Yiannis

Among women over 45, more now use Egg Donation than their own eggs when using medical assistance to get pregnant.

Egg donation is the process by which a fertile woman donates her eggs to an infertile woman for purposes of assisted reproduction. According to recent statistical studies, egg donation for IVF appears to be on the rise as the number of women using egg donors to get pregnant is constantly increasing. — and with good results.

This is probably not a surprise since that’s something that most people are likely to consider if becomes clear to them that egg donation is going to be the only way in which family creation via assisted conception can be possible. This frequently applies to women of older age whose fertility has started to decrease. Among women over 45, more now use donated eggs than their own when using medical assistance to get pregnant.

Recent statistics surrounding the egg donation industry show a rise of donor egg pregnancies, although the ideal outcome — a single baby born on time at a healthy weight — is still uncommon. A US study reported a 69 percent increase in fresh and frozen IVF cycles from 2000-2010 and that attempts using donor eggs increased over the decade from 10,801 to 18,306.

In 2010, about a quarter of the women who used donor eggs had good birth outcomes (a singleton born after at least 37 weeks) compared to 19 percent in 2000. This is probably related to the number of embryos transferred to the intended mother’s womb. According to the study, single embryos were used in 15 percent of IVF cycles in 2010. In 2000, that number was less than one percent.

The number of egg donors is also increased over the past years and according to Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) women registering as altruistic donors have risen every year since 2006. The HFEA study which surveyed 1423 egg donors at 60 IVF clinics in 11 European countries, reported that the majority of donors are keen to help infertile couples for altruistic reasons, but a large proportion also expect a financial benefit.

What could possibly motivate you for becoming an egg donor, money or altruistic reasons?

More Sex May Boost Fertility

Posted on 2015年10月19日 by Yiannis

Sex at any time induces immunity changes that may boost fertility, enhancing chances of conception. That is what an American study, currently published to ‘’Fertility and Sterility’’ and ‘’Physiology and Behavior’’, reported.

American scientists proved that sexual activity can affect Fertility

Researchers from the University of Indiana, collected data from thirty women in order to investigate how the immune system of women who were sexually active is regulated compared to those who were not. The study was led by Dr. Lorenz, a researcher at the Kinsey Institute of Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction. They found clear differences regarding the immune system regulation between the two study groups.

‘’It is already known that frequent sexual intercourse is recommended to couples who want to achieve pregnancy, even if it’s outside of a woman’s ovulation cycle. However, for the first time we can actually scientifically document that intercourse promotes immunity types in the body that can boost fertility and support conception. In fact, even for non-fertile days the body, during sex, prepares itself in advance for a potential pregnancy’’, Dr. Lorenz explained.

In the paper published in ‘’Fertility and Sterility’’ the scientific team used saliva samples from thirty healthy premenopausal women at the four phases of the women’s cycle (menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal). Half of them were sexually active while the other half was abstaining from sex.

They discovered that women who were sexually active exhibited greater changes to helper T cells and proteins related to the body’s ability to get ready for possible pregnancy changes. Moreover, the same group was found to have higher levels of helper T cells in overall, which are believed to assist the body to adjust to pregnancy during the luteal phase of the cycle.

This study was repeated under the same conditions, using data from other 32 premenopausal women. The outcome confirmed the results from the first study, as published in ‘’Physiology and Behavior’’.

It has been previously shown that immunity changes occur during pregnancy, after labor and during menstrual cycle. But now for the first time the American scientists proved that sexual activity can actually affect the function of the immune system. In other words more sex may boost fertility!!!

What do think? Is this a good reason for having more sex?

Unexplained Infertility: Treatment for Fewer Side Effects

Posted on 2015年10月13日 by Yiannis

Infertility is a significant global problem affecting 1:7 worldwide. An estimated 24% of couples had no detected conception within 12 and 24 months of unprotected intercourse on a nation-wide representative sample of couples from the general population. Unexplained infertility is one of the most frequent infertility diagnoses given to women, encompassing up to approximately 30% of all cases.

Women with unexplained infertility are commonly treated with drugs for ovarian stimulation.

Unexplained infertility refers to couples who fail to conceive, even though the female ovulates normally, has no obvious abnormalities in the reproductive tract, and the male is producing an adequate number of motile sperm. Nowadays, there are plenty of infertility treatments available, however many assisted reproduction techniques like IVF are very expensive and not often covered by insurance; therefore IVF is an option less commonly offered.

Women with unexplained infertility are commonly treated with drugs for ovarian stimulation. During this procedure the ovaries release an egg and sperm is directly inserted into the uterus. This is a quite successful treatment and definitely less costly. Letrozole, gonadotropins and clomiphene citrate are the drugs most commonly used for ovarian stimulation.
Unfortunately, medication for ovarian stimulation has its side effects and can be complicated by ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which results in multiple pregnancies with increased risk of preterm birth. The challenge is to determine which medication is best at achieving and maintaining pregnancy while reducing multiple pregnancies.

In a recent study, scientists assessed the frequency of multiple pregnancies among women with clinical pregnancies. Women age 18 to 40 who were ovulating and had at least one Fallopian tube were treated with letrozole, gonadotropins or clomiphene for up to four cycles, comparing the outcome for the three drugs. According to the study, ovarian stimulation with letrozole resulted in significantly lower frequency of multiple pregnancies, but also a lower frequency of live births, as compared with gonadotropins, but not as compared with clomiphene. Therefore, scientists concluded that clomiphene citrate is the most appropriate means to stimulate ovulation in unexplained infertility treated with intrauterine insemination (IUI).

Would clomiphene, as the least invasive treatment, be your first option among other alternatives for unexplained infertility treatment?

IVF Is Not Always Your Best Option

Posted on 2015年10月12日2021年12月4日 by Yiannis

IVF is not always the best option for infertility treatment and it is highly recommended for patients to go through a thorough investigation in order to have a clear idea about why they need IVF.

Professor Robert Winston, one of the founding fathers of IVF, has recently published his new book, The Essential Fertility Guide, in which he outlines

fertility treatment options suggesting that IVF is not always your best option for infertility treatment.

For many people, there is no other experience that matches the birth of a baby. One in every seven couples in the UK struggle with infertility. There are various reasons for this and a number of treatments available for optimizing their chances of having a baby.

However, there is also a lot of misinformation out there about infertility treatment, so experts say people should be careful about which advice they heed. Especially in the private sector where expensive IVF, which only has a 25 percent success rate, is a highly profitable industry. The fact that a large number of patients address to private clinics for solving their infertility problems could perhaps explain why many people assume the best option for overcoming infertility is IVF (in vitro fertilisation), which according to Professor Winston is often not the case.

When patients meet with their doctor they are often surprised to learn that IVF may not be their first treatment option for infertility. In reality, IVF technique is used far too often before other, usually cheaper and less stressful options, are fully explored. For that reason, it is highly recommended for patients to go through a thorough investigation in order to find out the exact cause of their infertility and have a clear idea about why they need IVF. Prof. Winston adds that most of the infertile couples do not require such a complex treatment and often expectant treatment, ie. waiting to get pregnant, is likely to be more effective than IVF.

It is advisable for infertile patients to start with low tech treatments. Starting with the simplest, most affordable treatment options first and move up to more advanced treatments as medically indicated, is the best way to deal with it.”There are numerous causes of infertility,” says Prof. Winston, “and the best treatment may be different in each circumstance.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is an example of a low tech treatment frequently requiring less medication and fewer monitoring appointments with a lower cost. Depending on the cause, other alternatives to IVF could be drug treatments to encourage ovulation, laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery or treatment for endometriosis.

Have you asked the right questions to your doctor?

Make sure you are properly tested to identify the cause of infertility and choose the best treatment option for you.

Gattaca film. Three parents one baby

Posted on 2015年10月8日 by Yiannis

UK is the first country where mitochondrial donation IVF can now be tested

Many scientists from all over the world believe mitochondrial donation IVF, also

referred to as “three-parents” in vitro fertilization (IVF), has the potential to prevent the disease’s transmission.

Every year over 4,000 children in the US are born with a mitochondrial disease like muscular dystrophy, Leigh’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. In the UK this affects around 3,500 people; at least 1 in 200 children are affected by mitochondrial DNA disease, and while many will be asymptomatic or have mild, late-onset or undiagnosed problems, around 1 in 6500 children are diagnosed to more serious mitochondrial disorders. It now appears that a novel IVF technique can possibly decrease the number of people with such a disease in the future.

Mitochondrial diseases are caused by harmful mutations in mitochondria – energy-generating organelles in the cells.

These mutations stop the mitochondria from converting the energy of food and oxygen into ATP that powers the cells’ functions. This mitochondria dysfunction can impact the heart, brain, muscles, lungs and other parts of the body. Inherited mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are an important cause of genetic diseases for which there is currently no cure. For that reason the development of a preventing strategy is vital.

Three parents – Mitochondrial donation is a new technique based on IVF that involves replacing the dysfunctional mitochondria in a mother’s egg with healthy mitochondria from the egg of a female donor.

However this method has not been tested in humans yet and for this to become possible new regulations are needed to allow the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to permit the application of these techniques. Earlier this year, Parliament agreed to new regulations by voting in favor of a change in the legislation governing UK genetic research. That makes the UK the first country where mitochondrial donation IVF can now be tested in the clinic. Muscular Dystrophy UK funded the early development of this technique, and campaigned for many years for this change in the law.

Despite the overwhelming support for the three parents method as the only way to prevent such a disease, there are still some people opposing to the legalization of mitochondrial donation arguing that this could eventually lead to deliberate modification of the babies’ physical traits in the future, paving the way for ‘’designer babies’’.

So what about the ethical aspects of a method that mixes DNA from 3 different people to create a baby?

Breast Cancer and Fertility Options

Posted on 2015年10月6日 by Yiannis

Breast cancer is not common in young women. Less than 5% of all breast cancers diagnosed in the U.S. occur in women under 40. However breast cancer

The main concern for young women being treated for breast cancer is their fertility options.

in younger women is usually more aggressive and is more likely for them to require chemotherapy. A breast cancer diagnosis can be very shocking for young women since usually at that time in life creating a family is a top priority, so it is really important to them to have fertility options.

The main concern for young women being treated for breast cancer is loss of fertility. Even though breast cancer itself does not impact fertility since it does not damage the ovaries and general reproductive health what impairs or threatens to impair fertility is the treatment of it. More specifically, the two major ways of treating breast cancer that can cause infertility are the chemotherapy and the endocrine therapy.

Standard cytotoxic chemotherapy for breast cancer can damage the ovaries and most of the regimens used for breast cancer seem to cause ovarian toxicity to some level. The level of fertility damage depends on the amount of therapy given and the specific regimen, as well as the age of the woman at diagnosis.

The other major factor is the time it takes to receive appropriate endocrine therapy. Hormonal therapies (tamoxifen, ovarian suppression) are usually given for a period of 5 to 10 years. During that time it’s not that the woman’s reproductive system is damaged by the drugs but it is modified or suppressed in the short term, not permanently. The problem with that is while women are on these drugs their ovaries still aging in time as they naturally do in women growing older.

Breast Cancer and Fertility Options

Two are the main ways to preserve the fertility and increase the chance of having children later:

Cryopreservation, the process of freezing and storing embryos or oocytes for later use. After ovarian stimulation fertility specialists will get oocytes and get them fertilized in a test tube—classic IVF. The embryos can be implanted in the womb after full treatment recovery. The other option is to freeze the oocytes for later use, a method that has now proved out quite successful.
Ovary suppression, a method that spares the reproductive system. This approach uses drugs called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs that can suppress the ovarian function through treatment and temporarily shut down the body’s production of eggs. This process seems to protect the cells that develop into eggs from damage during breast cancer treatment.

Those are the main options and there are more experimental things on the way, including taking a piece of the ovary and freezing that. There is a lot of research going into that so it is likely that more fertility options will come up in the future for women treated for breast cancer.

Would you discuss your options with a fertility specialist before making treatment decisions?

Human sperm in vitro created by scientists

Posted on 2015年10月3日 by Yiannis

Human sperm cells have been successfully created in the laboratory for the first time by using an artificial bioreactor. This is a breakthrough in infertility treatment sought for more than a decade since no one had been able to complete the complicated process of sperm maturation in vitro.

Human sperm cells have been successfully created in the laboratory

Researchers based at a French national research institute in Lyon had announced this discovery previously, but they and government lab CNRS explained the process for the first time on Sept. 17 after taking out a patent on it.

Scientists have managed to complete spermatogenesis in vitro, a process taking place in the male testes in vivo, which leads the immature germ cells to become mature spermatozoa fully competent to fertilize. They succeeded this by developing a bioreactor using a viscous fluid, made partly of substances found in the walls of mushrooms, to mimic the in vivo conditions.

Scientists claim that this achievement promises to succeed in helping young men with cancer that caused them fertility issues later in their lives and adult men who cannot make their own sperm. About 15,000 men are made sterile due to cancer treatments and other 120,000 suffer from untreatable infertility. They explained that their fertility could be preserved by developing mature human sperm from their immature cells, then freezing it. The team hopes to be able to treat patients as soon as 4 years.

Even though trials have been reportedly successful on rat, monkey and human sperm cells, the lack of further details on the process has other scientists feeling skeptical. They look forward to the publication of the study so that to be able to discuss details of the research with the team and reveal the full mechanism through which such a process was accomplished in vitro.

Is this novel data or what?

Is it successful the frozen embryo transfer?

Posted on 2015年9月22日 by Yiannis

There are studies suggesting a higher implantation rate with frozen embryo transfer

Since the first live births following cryopreserved human embryo transfer were announced in 1984 and 1985, the use of frozen embryo replacement has increased worldwide. Since that time, the original protocols have been modified and developed such that cryopreservation may lead to successful survival of up to 80% of the embryos frozen.

The last decade has witnessed a dramatic improvement in frozen embryo transfer and successful IVF rates. The size of the improvement has now lead to equal pregnancy rates for frozen/thawed and fresh embryo transfer as a new report on assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand has announced. More specifically, birth rates have been increased at about 25% in IVF cycles using cryopreserved embryos over the last five years, compared to fresh embryo transfer where birth rates remained steady (23%). The development of rapid freezing techniques, known as vitrification, versus the ‘’older’’ slow freezing technique has greatly contributed to that improved outcome.

Unsurprisingly, the report also found that in the five years leading up to 2013 the percentage of frozen embryos used in IVF cycles has increased from 39% to 45%. This is probably due to the fact cryopreservation increases the total reproductive potential of assisted reproductive technology, expanding the treatment options for the patients.
As previously mentioned, results obtained with cryopreserved embryos are as good as those obtained when transferring fresh embryos. However there are studies suggesting a higher implantation rate with frozen embryo transfer. This could possibly be explained by the fact that pregnancies following a frozen embryo transfer are more similar to natural conception pregnancies than fresh embryo transfer cycles.

Would you go for a frozen embryo transfer

on the advice of your doctor?

10 IVF myths

Posted on 2015年9月17日 by Yiannis

Many people think of IVF as the answer to all infertility problems

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) as an infertility treatment could not but be accompanied by its fair share of myths.The contribution of IVF and generally Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) in the rapidly growing field of
medical technologies and healthcare services, available for disease treatment and life quality enhancement, is undoubtedly unique.

There are studies suggesting a higher implantation rate with frozen embryo transfer

However, many people think of IVF as the answer to all infertility problems. Others believe that IVF is a treatment of high cost, affordable only for a small number of people such as business people or movie stars.

Here is a list of most commonly believed IVF myths:

Myth #1: IVF always results in multiple pregnancies like twins or higher-order multiples

FALSE: The risk for a multiple pregnancy can be decreased by reducing the number of embryos transferred, especially in young women.

Myth #2: Patients undertaking an IVF cycle have no control over the outcome of the treatment

FALSE: The success rate of an IVF cycle is highly dependent on a thorough evaluation of the couple and a careful coordination of both a medical and a scientific approach for each couple. There are a number of things IVF specialists have to deal with in order to optimize the chances of a pregnancy such as ovarian stimulation monitoring and timing of oocyte retrieval.

Myth #3: IVF is the answer to all infertility problems

FALSE: Depending on the case of infertility for each patient there are more options for treatment like Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI) and ovulation induction (OI) with medications.

Myth #4: IVF is only for wealthy people

FALSE: Though the cost of IVF is not low, it is not less affordable than some major procedures like heart surgery or joint replacement.

Myth #5: IVF increases women’s fertility

FALSE: Technically, IVF does the opposite. The hormones that are taken at the beginning of a cycle are made to stop a woman’s natural fertility process. Then the next round of hormones creates a synthetic cycle for optimizing the chances of pregnancy.

Myth #6: IVF babies have a significantly high risk of birth defects and malformations

FALSE: Even though some evidence seem to indicate that there may be some increased risk for birth defects in babies born through IVF, current studies suggest that the difference in the incidence of birth defects between naturally conceived and IVF babies is not high significant.

Myth #7: IVF requires admission in the hospital

FALSE: It does not require overnight admission. It is an out-patient treatment.

Myth #8: IVF is the last resort for infertile couples

FALSE: IVF is only one of the options available for infertility treatment, but in cases where IVF is not applicable there are other types of Assisted Reproductive Technology that work for patients like egg donor, sperm donor or surrogate.

Myth #9: Insurance covers IVF costs

FALSE: Usually there is no fertility insurance coverage but it is advisable to check with the insurance company before starting an IVF treatment.

Myth #10: IVF is successful in all cases

FALSE: Unfortunately this is not true; IVF is successful in up to 40% of cases. Multiple factors contribute to IVF success rates including the age of the woman.

Do you need more reasons for enjoying sex on daily base?

Do you think AMH test would make a useful tool for women who are still waiting for the ‘’right time’’ to have a baby?

by Dr Ioannis Giakoumakis

How about planning a trip somewhere warm for increasing your pregnancy chances?

Would you consider such options for enhancing your fertility?

Is that a good reason for considering aspirin use?

How do you know your “Fertile window”?

Thinking of getting pregnant soon?

What could possibly motivate you for becoming an egg donor, money or altruistic reasons?

What do think? Is this a good reason for having more sex?

Would clomiphene, as the least invasive treatment, be your first option among other alternatives for unexplained infertility treatment?

Have you asked the right questions to your doctor?

Make sure you are properly tested to identify the cause of infertility and choose the best treatment option for you.

So what about the ethical aspects of a method that mixes DNA from 3 different people to create a baby?

Would you discuss your options with a fertility specialist before making treatment decisions?

Is this novel data or what?

Would you go for a frozen embryo transfer

on the advice of your doctor?

Here is a list of most commonly believed IVF myths:

Myth #1: IVF always results in multiple pregnancies like twins or higher-order multiples

Myth #2: Patients undertaking an IVF cycle have no control over the outcome of the treatment

Myth #3: IVF is the answer to all infertility problems

Myth #4: IVF is only for wealthy people

Myth #5: IVF increases women’s fertility

Myth #6: IVF babies have a significantly high risk of birth defects and malformations

Myth #7: IVF requires admission in the hospital

Myth #8: IVF is the last resort for infertile couples

Myth #9: Insurance covers IVF costs

Myth #10: IVF is successful in all cases

Any more IVF myths to add?