When to seek Doctor’s Advice

Infertility Fertility no more a Chance but a Science

The Basics Now that you are planningto get pregnant, having alook about the reproductive

system will help you to carry outdiscussions with your doctor. Thefollowing reproductive events occurinhumans:

- Formationofeggsinfemalesandspermsinmales

- Transfer of sperms into femalegenitaltract(insemination)

- Fusion of eggs and sperms

(fertilization)toformzygote

- Development of embryo andeventuallydeliveryofbaby

Starting your family is one of the most exciting phases of life.

things Andoneshouldknowall thewhat’s,how’s,why’sofgettingpregnant. One out of seven couples may get difficulties inhaving natural pregnancy. Their best option is to seekdoctor’s advice after a certain period of trying to getpregnant. When looking for a doctor, you should look forfertility specialist (reproductive endocrinologist) not simplyGynecologist/Obstetrician.

After one year After six months For Age group in mid 30’s, seek advice after six months.

After three months For Age over 40, seek advice after three months

E L A G - U - I - D - E

For age less than 30 years and trying for more than a year.

Seek immediate advice - those with endometriosis, blocked fallopian, or PCOS

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Pregnancy Chances due to Age

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mean that most of the healthy women willconceivebabywithin firstcycleof theirtrying.After40yearsof age, theiroddsofconceptionare 5% per cycle on average. For more than70%ofwomenover30years, theirmenstrualcyclesarenotregular.

Ovulation During Ovulation phase, egg producedmakes its way to the fallopian tubeswhere it can be fertilized by a sperm.Thisisthetimewhenwomenaremostfertileandthespermhasbetween12to24hourstofertilizetheegg.Iftheeggisnot fertilized, it will leave the bodytogether with the lining of the uterus,whichiswhenyougetyourperiod.

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Although there is no definite diagnosis forinfertility,acommonindicatorofinfertilitycanbe the case when couples are havingunprotectedsexforoverayearandyetunabletoconceive.Woman’sageplaysmostsignificantfactor in infertility cases. A woman’s peakfertilityageisbetween23and30years,which

The Basics

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Infertility due to Medical Conditions

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painful menstruation, painful intercourse andpelvicpain.Endometriosiscausesinflammationinandarounduterus,whichaffects sperm-egginteractionsandimplantation.Thereisnocurefor it atpresent timebut itssymptomscanbetreated.ThyroidImbalanceThyroid problem is simplest to evaluate butvery vital because rise in thyroid-stimulatinghormone (TSH) levels in the first trimester isassociatedwithmiscarriage.

Male Infertility When considering for infertility problems, male infertilityshouldalsobecheckedbecausealmosthalfofallexplainedinfertility cases come from male infertility. About 30-40percent male infertility arises due to testicles like dilatedveins, blockages of the reproductive tracts, or physicaldamage.40-50 percent of themale infertility cases remainunexplained.

Onemajortestformeninfertilityissemenanalysis.This analysis provides information on the spermcount,spermmotility,shapeofthesperm,aswellasthevolumeandconcentrationofthesemen.

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Polycysticovarysyndrome(PCOS)Oneoutof tenwomenareaffectedwithPCOS,whichleadstomissedorirregularperiods,highlevels of male hormones and small cysts inovaries. Certain PCOS symptoms are acne,excessive hair growth, weight gain andproblems with ovulation. Fortunately, PCOS istreatable with fertility medications andsurgery.EndometriosisIt is probably the most common cause ofunexplained infertility. Certain indicators like

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Infertility Treatments Medications

Assisted Reproductive Technology

According to CDC, “ART procedures involvesurgically removing eggs from a woman’sovaries, combining them with sperm in thelaboratory,and returning themto thewoman’sbodyordonatingthemtoanotherwoman”.

a. Insemination

c. Surrogacy b. In Vitro Fertilization IVF is the most commonly performed ARTprocedureinwhicheggandspermarecombinedoutside body in a laboratory and fertilized egg(or embryo) is implanted into woman’s uterus.Oddsofconceptionare20-35%forfirstcycleofIVF.

Usually clomiphene is prescribed, which istaken orally between 3-5 days of menstrualcycle. Clomiphene causes the release ofhormones,whichhelptheeggstomatureinsideovaries. Generally 40% is the success rate.Hormoneinjectionscanalsobeprescribed.

Technicallynot included inARTgroup,artificialinsemination includes washing semen fromfather or donor, separating sperm cells fromother semen components. The sperm is thenplaced into woman’s cervix or uterine cavity.Chances of conception, with this method isaround10%

Surrogacy is a case when another womancarriesandgrows yourembryo to termandgivesbirthtoyourbaby.

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Complications in Pregnancy

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disease, obesity, and HIV/AIDS.

Miscarriages

Losing a pregnancy (loss of an embryo or fetus before it's developed enough to survive) is emotionally painful and heartbreaking but unfortunately, it is quite common. This often happens even before a woman is aware that she is pregnant. On average, about 1 in 5 pregnancies end up in miscarriage, usually in first trimester. Experiencing a miscarriage can cause a lot of mental trouble for couples and they might become hesitant about trying for future pregnancies.

Symptoms of miscarriages are cramping, spotting, heavier bleeding, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, weakness, or back pain. Many women think that these symptoms might be occurring due to heavy menstrual flow (since they might be unaware of their pregnancy).

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High-risk pregnancies

Ectopic pregnancy

When the fertilized egg attaches itself in a place other than inside the uterus, it leads to ectopic pregnancy. Mostly, it occurs in fallopian tubes leading to abnormal development of embryo. It is also dangerous for women’s health as it might cause rupture of fallopian tubes. An ectopic pregnancy happens in 1 out of 50 pregnancies.

Heterotopic pregnancy

Heterotopic pregnancy is dangerous condition when a woman gets pregnant normally, with a fertilized egg in her uterus, but there is also another fertilized egg outside her uterus mostly in one of the fallopian tube. This type of pregnancy is rare in natural conception and tends to happen more in assisted fertilization like in case of IVF. 1 to 2 pregnancies out of 1000 following fertility treatments may lead to heterotopic pregnancy.

Other cases of high-risk pregnancy

Age is the most crucial factor leading to problems. Teen pregnancy or first-time pregnancy after age 35 may lead to complications - prolonged labor, cesarean delivery, delivery complications, preeclampsia, anemia, etc. Other factors could be uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, sickle cell anemia, thyroid

ELA Woman Ela Woman through its patented technology helps women learn about their fertility and understand their period cycles improves their reproductive health while trying to conceive or avoiding pregnancy smartly. Ela has been ranked as the best Women Health Portal since its launch while driving thousands of Research & Clinical Studies, Communications and White Papers in the field of Ovulation and Fertility.

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