The holidays are always a wonderful time to get together with family and friends and a great opportunity to catch up on the latest and greatest in everyone’s lives. But what happens this year when it’s your turn to share and you are in the middle of a struggle with trying to get pregnant? Do you pour your heart out and tell the story of your infertility journey or do you prefer to keep this personal matter private?
There are a lot of variables to consider before you decide to tell or not to tell. First, it depends on your personality. Are you typically an open book or the silent type? It depends on your audience. Will they be understanding or are you scared they will be judgmental? Most important, it also depends on how you expect to feel after you say something. Will you be relieved to share your story or regretful that you shared too much?
If you decide to tell, the holidays could actually be a great time for a “therapy session” with your close friends and family. You may even find that someone else has gone through a similar situation and could offer valuable advice from a place of experience or become an important part of your support system. If nothing else comes out of it, at least people will stop asking the annoying question, “When are you going to start a family?”
If you decide not to tell, there’s an argument for that as well. This is especially the case if you’re not one who typically opens up about personal matters or feels funny about divulging such personal information at a party or family dinner. If the right moment and the right audience presents itself, then fine. If it doesn’t, then that is okay too. There’s no need for the added stress of feeling like you have to share everything. You and your partner may even decide to take a break from all things infertility until after the first of the year. This would give you both a much needed break and a chance to relax and refocus.
Whether you decide to tell or not, you and your partner should agree on the final decision. It won’t go over well if one of you opens up when the other wanted to keep it quiet. The last thing you need is to be arguing over the holidays, especially when it’s a time to relax and be merry!
From all of us at IVF FLORIDA, we wish you a very happy holiday season!
By
IVF FLORIDA at 22 Dec 2016
Tis the season for good tidings and all things festive, and unfortunately, it’s also a time for serious overindulgence – alcohol, sweet treats, and all those delicious, irresistible small party bites where portion control goes completely out the window. This holiday season, try your hardest to keep your nutrition in check, especially if you are trying to conceive (this goes for the guys too!). Here’s why….
Why You Need to Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight puts the cardiovascular system in overdrive, promotes pre-diabetic and diabetic states, increases cholesterol, and causes abnormalities in hormone levels in both men and women that can have a negative effect on eggs and sperm.
What You Can Do to Stay Healthy
- Do not skip meals but rather eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.
- Include a balanced diet of lean proteins, low glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
- Eat protein at every meal (i.e. lean cuts of meat, fish, nuts, beans, dairy products, etc.)
- Stick to a low glycemic diet that will have a limited effect on raising blood sugar. This includes foods such as vegetables, most fruits (watermelon, bananas, and grapes have a higher GI range), oatmeal, peas, carrots, skim milk, and beans. Avoid high GI foods such as white bread, white potatoes, and sugared sodas. (Keeping a low glycemic diet is especially important for women effected with PCOS who are already prone to making high levels of insulin. This is because high level glycemic foods allow large swings in blood sugar, which in turn allow sustained elevations in insulin. Insulin acts as a growth factor in the ovary and releases male hormones, thus lowering chances to conceive.)
- Stop the bad habits! This means giving up smoking and minimizing alcohol intake.
- Exercise more frequently. This is especially true for men as it can help sperm production.
- Men should stop taking male hormone enhancing drugs which routinely decreases sperm production.
While it’s certainly a challenge during the holidays, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can have a positive impact on fertility in both men and women, especially those effected with PCOS. For more information on fertility treatment options or to schedule a consultation at IVF FLORIDA, please give us a call at (866) 770-2168.
By
IVF FLORIDA at 5 Dec 2016
November 2, 2016, (Coral Gables, FL) - IVF Florida Reproductive Associates is proud to announce the opening of its 7th office in Coral Gables, Florida. IVF FLORIDA, celebrating its 30-year Anniversary of helping patients achieve their dreams of parenthood, now offers convenient access with locations throughout south Florida, ranging from Coral Gables to as far north as Port St. Lucie.
The newest office in Coral Gables, FL, will provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment options for female and male infertility at 126 Aragon Avenue near Miracle Mile and Ponce de Leon Blvd.
"Due to the response in demand for IVF Florida Reproductive Associates fertility services in Miami, we’ve located our newest office in the heart of Coral Gables, steps away from Miracle Mile, to provide another convenient IVF FLORIDA location for our patients. We are very excited to provide the Miami and Coral Gables communities with the experience and success we've achieved for over 30 years throughout south Florida," says Dr. Marcelo Barrionuevo.
“We are happy to have IVF Florida Reproductive Associates here in Coral Gables, they will nicely complement our other fine medical offerings,” says Mayor Jim Cason.
IVF FLORIDA strives to make fertility treatment accessible and affordable to more people by offering highly specialized and personalized fertility care and exclusive financial programs that are only offered by IVF Florida Reproductive Associates.
Patients may now schedule an appointment for the Coral Gables office or any of the other locations throughout south Florida, by calling IVF Florida Reproductive Associates at 866-770-2168.
About IVF Florida Reproductive Associates
IVF Florida Reproductive Associates is the leader in providing fertility services in Florida and has been providing individualized compassionate fertility care since 1986. IVF FLORIDA’s physician panel consists of fellowship trained, and subspecialty certified reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialists, committed to helping patients identify and overcome obstacles in becoming pregnant. The superior skill and combined experience make IVF FLORIDA the premier source for fertility treatment in Florida. Providing fertility services in Coral Gables, Pembroke Pines, Margate, Boca Raton, Wellington, Jupiter and Port St. Lucie, IVF Florida Reproductive Associates is the state’s largest infertility and reproductive practice, treating close to 3,000 patients each year. For additional information, visit www.ivfflorida.com
By
IVF FLORIDA at 2 Nov 2016
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a great opportunity to bring awareness to the disease and an emphasis on the importance of early detection. Check out the statistics below…
- Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and is the second leading cause of death among women.
- One in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
- On average, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes, and every thirteen minutes, one women will die.
- Each year, an estimated 246,660 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.
- Although rare, each year an estimated 2,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 440 will die.
- Today, there are over 2.8 million breast cancer survivors alive in the U.S.
- The 5-year survival rate is 98% when detected early (at the localized stage).
No woman should fight breast cancer alone, and every woman should be aware of the risk factors, symptoms, and steps to early detection, as well as the available options when facing cancer treatments. One of the main concerns for women with breast cancer, especially for women who are of reproductive age, is whether or not they will be able to conceive after cancer treatments. Both chemotherapy and radiation can often damage sperm or eggs, leaving many patients infertile. Fortunately, egg freezing and fertility preservation are options that give women hope and the ability to conceive a child even after going through harsh cancer treatments.
At IVF FLORIDA, we are compassionate to the struggle women face when going through cancer treatments, especially when their fertility may be impacted. That is why we offer expedited care at a discounted rate for egg or embryo freezing prior to cancer treatments. For more information on these procedures, please contact us at 866.770.2168.
For information on how you can participate in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please click here.
By
IVF FLORIDA at 24 Oct 2016
You never know where life is going to take you, or perhaps the road you’re currently traveling doesn’t include the immediate desire to start a family, at least not quite yet. Whatever the reason, more and more women are choosing to stop the biological clock and are opting for elective fertility preservation – a process that freezes eggs in order to have children later in life.
As women age, the quantity and quality of eggs decline each year – dramatically declining after the age of 35 and leaving only a 5% chance of conceiving by the age of 40. With egg freezing, a woman can serve as her own egg donor when she is ready to conceive later in life.
Reasons for Fertility Preservation:
- Medical reasons, including cancer treatment *According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology in the Journal of Oncology Practice, “Oncologists should address the possibility of infertility with patients treated during their reproductive years. Fertility preservation is often possible, but to serve the full range of options, fertility preservation approaches should be considered as early as possible during (cancer) treatment planning.”
- The desire to start a family later in life
- Personal reasons that delay child bearing
- To avoid freezing surplus embryos after an IVF cycle
At IVF FLORIDA, fertility preservation has never been easier with our Egg Freezing Fertility Preservation package. The first step of the process starts with a physician consultation that includes an in-depth discussion of the patient’s needs and expectations, as well as a detailed description of the procedure. Once the patient decides to move forward, blood tests and a pelvic ultrasound are performed to assess the number of eggs in the ovaries. The next step is ovarian stimulation - a two-week process that involves fertility hormone injections (gonadotropins) in order to produce more mature eggs than a typical cycle. The physician will then determine the exact time to retrieve the eggs which soon after will be frozen and stored. When a woman decides to attempt a pregnancy, the eggs are thawed, fertilized, and transferred into the uterus.
For more information on elective fertility preservation at IVF FLORIDA, please give us a call today!
Resources: http://jop.ascopubs.org/content/2/3/143.full, http://uscfertility.org/egg-freezing/, http://ivf.org/fertility-preservation/elective-fertility-preservation/
By
IVF FLORIDA at 14 Jul 2016