A: During the time of ovulation, an egg is available to be fertilized for only about 12-24 hours. But since sperm can live in the body for 3-5 days and then the egg is available for one day, your most fertile time is considered to be about 5-7 days.
A: Painful periods do not affect fertility. In fact, for most patients, regular painful periods usually signal ovulatory cycles. However, progressively worsening pain during periods (especially when this is accompanied by pain during sex) may mean you have endometriosis.
A: There is no relation between blood groups and fertility.
A: As long as the periods are regular, this means ovulation is occurring. Some normal women have menstrual cycle lengths of as long as 40 days. Of course, since they have fewer cycles every year, the number of times they are "fertile" in a year is decreased. Also, they need to monitor their fertile period more closely, since this is delayed (as compared to women with a 30 day cycle).
A: The IUI procedure works by concentrating the healthiest sperm in the ejaculate, and placing the "washed" sperm into the uterus adjacent to the fallopian tube & thus increases chances to fertilize the egg.
A: With the functional sperm count exceeding 4-5 million with Grade A motility, chances for pregnancy with well-timed IUI are excellent. Higher success rates are achieved with sperm counts in the range of 20-30 millions/ml.
A: Normal, healthy sperm live approximately 48-72 hours. Washed sperm can survive in the IVF incubator for up to 72 hours.
A: Ideally an IUI should be performed within 6 hours either side of ovulation. At Corion, we schedule two IUIs, 1st within 24 hrs from hCG injection & 2nd after 36 hrs of hCG injection.
A: Once the sperm is injected into the uterus, it does not fall out as the sperm sample is loaded well inside the uterine cavity.
A: It depends on what patient can afford and what medications you were prescribed. Cause of Infertility plays a major role in this switch-over.
One might do 3-4 IUIs on Clomid before moving on to injectables, then do 3-4 cycles on injectables. If one doesn't have success after four good ovulatory cycles on injectables with well-timed IUI, it would be time to consider IVF.
A: PCOS is a condition in which a woman's ovaries and in some cases the adrenal glands, produce more androgens (a type of hormone) than normal. High levels of these hormones interfere with the development and release of eggs as part of ovulation. As a result, fluid-filled sacs or cysts can develop on the ovaries. PCOS is one of the most common causes of female infertility.
A: Patients with PCOS can get pregnant, but usually require Medical assistance. A full hormonal evaluation is necessary to determine which medication(s) may be most appropriate for treatment. For most patients, Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid) is first line of treatment to grow and ovulate an egg. If this medication does not work, other strategies can then be used.
A: Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is an iatrogenic complication of ovarian stimulation for assisted reproduction technology and other infertility treatments. Following gonadotropin therapy, OHSS usually develops several days after oocyte retrieval or assisted ovulation. This syndrome is characterized by ovarian enlargement due to multiple ovarian cysts and an acute fluid shift into the extravascular space. Results include ascites, hemoconcentration, hypovolemia, and electrolyte imbalances.
Treatment is usually conservative & involves administrating a good fluid intake.
A: Patients with PCOS have a tendency to produce many follicles (egg sacs), when undergoing IVF stimulation.These patients are therefore at an additional risk of OHSS.The problem however can be avoided with careful monitoring.
A: Uterine fibroids are the most common, non-cancerous tumors in females of childbearing age.These tumors are made of muscle cells and other tissues that grow within the wall of the uterus & may interfere in implantation process.
A: All fibroids do not require surgery. Only those more than 3.5cm or those indenting the uterine cavity & those within the cavity need excision.
A: Infertility that is idiopathic in the sense that its cause remains unknown even after an infertility work-up, usually including semen analysis in the male partner and assessment of ovulation and fallopian tubes in the female partner.
A: Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial tissue, the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus, grows outside the uterus and attaches to other organs in the abdominal cavity such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Endometriosis is a progressive disease that tends to get worse over time and can reoccur after treatment. Symptoms include painful menstrual periods, abnormal menstrual bleeding & pain during or after sexual intercourse.
A: This test is recommended for women planning to use their own eggs during their IVF treatment: AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone) test is most commonly used by fertility specialists as another and maybe more accurate indicator of a woman's fertility than just FSH alone, more specifically in regards to ovarian reserve.
It is especially advised for the patients with advanced maternal age or in whom past response to IVF stimulation has been low.
A: The term Premature Ovarian Failure refers to the condition where women under the age of 40 experience lowered ovarian function. The symptoms of "POF" include a sporadic menstrual cycle, with women experiencing this condition exhibiting high FSH levels and lowered estrogen levels. Such women benefit best with Donor Egg Cycle.
A: The only procedure that could be considered a minor surgery in the IVF process is the retrieval of the eggs from the ovary. During this procedure a needle attached to a vaginal ultrasound probe is passed through the wall of the vagina and into each ovary. It's done under general anaesthesia given by certified M.D. anaesthetist & hence not painful.
A: In a natural ovulation cycle, the ovary selects one egg from a pool of approximately 100-1000 eggs. Those eggs which are not selected for that month undergo a natural cell death process called atresia. Fertility medications override the body's selection process, and cause many of these "rescued" eggs to grow (8-10 per IVF cycle). These eggs would otherwise undergo atresia. Therefore, you are not "using up eggs faster" by undergoing ovulation induction.
A: The infertility Specialist will make the decision after discussing embryo grading with the patient & embryologist. Generally, two or three embryos will be transferred, but the number may vary slightly depending on the grading of the embryos and the age of the female partner.
A: Complete bed rest is not required.Also the procedure demands no special precautions, but avoid strenous activity. We advise the patients to be mentally & physically relaxed as much as possible. You can return to work if you wish, but prefer to have a few days rest specially 2-4 days after ET.
A: You may try again after your next spontaneous menstrual cycle. You will need to take birth control pills for at least 21 days prior to starting injectable medications. If you have frozen embryos, your physician will review the procedure and medication protocol with you.
A: There is no limit on how many embryos you can have frozen. If you have 6 embryos on the day of your embryo transfer and you decide to transfer the 2 best ones, we will cryopreserve remaining 4 depending upon quality(GRADE) of Embryos.
A: In general, the success of frozen-thawed embryo transfer procedures depends on 3 things: the quality and survival of the frozen-thawed embryos, the age of the patient who produced the eggs, and the uterus of the woman receiving the embryos. For patients <37 years, the chances of pregnancy with frozen-thawed embryos is similar to fresh embryos. For patients >37 years, the pregnancy chances with frozen-thawed embryos decline.
A: Women who are unable to produce healthy eggs, but have a healthy uterus are candidates for Donor Egg IVF. This procedure is the same as that of Self IVF except that the intended parents select a oocyte donor and use the donor's oocytes to create the embryo.
A: Mayer-Rokitansky-Küstner-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a disorder that occurs in females and mainly affects the reproductive system. This condition causes the vagina and uterus to be underdeveloped or absent. Affected women usually do not have menstrual periods due to the absent uterus. First noticeable sign of MRKH syndrome is that menstruation does not begin by age 16.
Although women with this condition are usually unable to carry a pregnancy, they may be able to have children through assisted reproduction & surrogacy.
A: A woman who accepts to rent her womb to carry the child of another woman who is incapable of becoming pregnant using her own uterus is called a gestational carrier. Women who need gestational carriers with IVF include those who do not have a uterus, have an abnormal uterine cavity, have had several recurrent miscarriages or have had recurrent, failed IVF cycles. "Gestational Carrier" is also known as Surrogate Mother for Intended Parents.