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Ten Things to Know about Infertility

Have questions about infertility? South Florida’s reproductive specialists at IVF FLORIDA share ten important facts about infertility.

1. Approximately one in eight couples have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy full term.
2. About one-third of infertile couples are undergoing male fertility treatments.
3. While female infertility is the cause of another one-third of fertility cases.
4. The final third is caused by both partners being infertile or unexplainable factors.
5. Women over 35 are likely to be diagnosed with age-related infertility.
6. Those younger than 35 are more likely to have a reproductive condition, such as PCOS.
7. Both men and women who smoke have decreased fertility.
8. You should seek treatment after trying for a full year without success.
9. About 25% of women who suffer from infertility have irregular ovulation.
10. And another 12% of infertile women are either over or under-weight.

Learn more about infertility at IVF FLORIDA's site. And be sure to schedule an initial consultation with our South Florida reproductive specialists if you think these infertility issues may be affecting you.

Tips to Boost Fertility During Male Fertility Month

Did you know that approximately half of all infertile couples can’t conceive due to male infertility issues? In honor of June being Male Fertility Month, IVF FLORIDA wants to share the best ways to boost male fertility to help stack the odds in your favor.

• Maintain a healthy diet. Having a balanced diet improves your overall health. Also try lowering your alcohol intake as it can lower your testosterone levels.
• De-stress. Just like with women, being stressed out is not going to help you get your partner pregnant. Find ways to relax such as massage therapy, meditation, and yoga.
• Stay cool. Stay out of hot tubs and saunas because the excessive heat can lower your sperm count. Also try to keep laptops out of your lap for this reason.
• Exercise. Staying active keeps you healthy, but try to limit your time bicycling; it may cause testicles to overheat.
• See your doctor. Chemotherapy, steroids, and other drugs may inhibit sperm production, so talk to your doctor to see if you can switch to safer medications.
• Quit smoking. Smoking can lower sperm count, as well as being exposed to second hand smoke.
• Try to limit the use of lubricants. If you need a lubricant use Proceed which is safe for conception and was formulated by an REI.
• Avoid toxins and chemicals. Extended exposure to pesticides, lead, and radiation can lower sperm counts.
• Avoid testosterone/androgen therapy. Not good for fertility and sperm production.

If you and your partner are ready to start a family, start adopting healthy lifestyle choices and you’ll be well on your way! If you have been unsuccessful for over a year, contact the reproductive specialists in Miami for a consultation.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/male-infertility/basics/definition/con-20033113

Ten Tips to Optimize Female Fertility

In honor of Female Fertility Month, IVF FLORIDA has compiled the top ten tips to optimizing female fertility.

1. Keep your BMI in the “normal” range. Being over or underweight can make getting pregnant more difficult. Check your current BMI with this calculator.
2. Don’t drink when you are trying to conceive. Avoiding alcohol helps your overall health as well.
3. Watch your caffeine intake. There isn’t a definitive rule about coffee, but some studies show that cutting back to one or two cups of caffeinated beverages helps women become pregnant faster.
4. Know your most fertile days. Ovulation kits can be a good resource - try one, or track your basal body temperature to make sure ovulation is occurring each month.
5. Try online assessments. Resolve has developed a tool to help you understand fertility and create a family building plan.
6. Don’t stress out. Stress can throw off your cycle and affect your health. Meditation or exercise may assist in helping to maintain a healthy stress level.
7. Get enough rest each night. Having erratic sleep and wake patterns will negatively affect your ability to get pregnant quickly.
8. Don’t smoke. Smoking ages your ovaries, stacking the odds against you getting pregnant.
9. Try to stay healthy. Did you know that being ill could throw off your cycle? Wash your hands before eating and around those who have colds or flus.
10. Eat healthy.  In addition to having a well-balanced diet, you may also want to check with your doctor to see if you should add a multi vitamin or prenatal vitamin to your daily regime.

Following these tips may help you conceive, but remember that one in 10 couples will need help from an infertility doctor. If you’ve been trying for over a year without success, contact IVF FLORIDA at one of our South Florida offices today.

Sources: http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/a/How-To-Get-Pregnant-Faster.htm

http://www.resolve.org/about-infertility/optimizing-fertility/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

National Infertility Awareness Week Starts April 19

“You are not alone.” It’s a simple message, but an important one for the many individuals struggling with infertility.  April 19 marks the start of National Infertility Awareness Week and RESOLVE, The National Infertility Association, has chosen these powerful words to help spread the message to the infertility community that they are not alone - that there is hope, help, and support when it’s needed most.     

• Infertility can affect anyone at any age, however there are often certain contributing factors.  See the statistics below…
• Infertility impacts 1 in 8 couples of reproductive age.
• Infertility affects 12% of women (that’s 7.4 million worldwide).
• One third of infertility issues are considered “unexplained” infertility. 
• One third of infertility issues are attributed to males.
• Up to 13% of female infertility is caused by cigarette smoking.
• The risk of miscarriage is much higher for women who smoke.
• Women between the ages of 20-24 have an 86% chance of conceiving after trying a year.  As women age, this percentage gradually falls.  Between the ages of 40 – 44, the chances decrease to 36%.

You are not alone.  We can all do our part to help spread this powerful message during National Infertility Awareness Week and thereafter. Find a friend or be a friend to others battling infertility through local support groups. For information on how we can help at IVF Florida Reproductive Associates, please contact us.  We are here to answer any questions you may have and to help you through this journey. 

Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Dr Wayne Maxson IVF FLORIDA

A woman is born with a certain number of eggs and as far as we know she will not make any more eggs over the course of her life.  Each month the number of eggs decreases:  pregnant or not pregnant, with or without menstrual periods, on or off birth control pills.  Once the number of eggs drops critically low, no more menstrual periods will occur and the woman is said to have menopause.  Although the average age of menopause is 51, the fact is that 1/250 will go through menopause before age 35 and 1/100 before age 40.  The early onset of menopause before age 40 is called Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI).

Although most women ovulate a single egg per month, some estimates suggest that she may lose between 100 and 1000 eggs during that same month.  The loss of eggs is therefore a normal, natural process that every woman faces.  There are no medical techniques known to help a woman keep up her egg count number.  In this battle, nature always wins.  The number of eggs that a woman has can be estimated with 3 medical tests.

The first test, a pelvic ultrasound, can provide an "antral follicle count", basically a traffic report of how many little egg sacs have started to develop that menstrual cycle.  These egg sacs will compete with the largest one shutting down the brain hormones and eliminating the competition, thus resulting in usually a single ovulation.

The second test is a blood test called anti-mullerian hormone (AMH).  This test measures the amount of hormone produced by the very small follicles (egg sacs) in the ovary.  The higher the AMH the more eggs are deemed to remain in the ovary and the further away menopause is felt to be.

The third test measures a follicle-stimulating hormone level (FSH) on the second or third day of the menstrual cycle.  Coupled with an estradiol level, this gives some estimate of the woman's brain's impression of how many eggs remain.

Evaluation of egg reserve at an earlier age, especially for women who have a family history of early menopause, may help in planning a reproductive future.