How Smoking Harms Fertility
We all know that smoking is bad for our health. But now you can blame Dad. Women who smoke do not conceive as efficiently as nonsmokers. Infertility rates in both male and female smokers are about twice the rate of infertility found in nonsmokers. Misao Fukuda, M.D. and others at the M&K Health Institute in […]
DHEA: 1 Way to Help your Ovaries Be the Best They Can Be
Many of our patients have asked us about DHEA. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a naturally-occurring hormone that is produced by the adrenal gland. It can be considered simplistically to be a vitamin for the ovaries. Its primary function is to produce estrogen and testosterone. Recently, these supplements have been used in the treatment of premature ovarian […]
The Antral Follicle Count: 1 Measure of Ovarian Reserve & Predicting the Outcome of IVF
Antral follicle count is one way to predict ovarian reserve. Chronological age and ovarian reserve are generally parallel. However, this can vary enormously. The number of follicles, each containing one egg, which are available in the ovarian “pool” or reserve relates to the chance of success of in vitro fertilization (IVF). These numbers decline with […]
What You Need to Know about AMH Testing and Ovarian Reserve
AMH testing helps us predict how a woman will respond during an IVF cycle. Patients who are deferring their childbearing now have the AMH test to assess their ovarian reserve. IVF success declines with chronological age, a fact which is well known. Women who have low response also have low outcomes, despite their chronological age. […]
The Problem with Trying to Get Pregnant After Age 35
The problem with trying to get pregnant after age 35 has to do with your eggs. Currently women often delay childbearing until the mid to late thirties. From the point of view of ideal fertility, childbearing is best in the 20’s. To what extent is this common delay an issue for fertility? The decline after age […]
Be Proactive, Like Michelle Obama
Take a lesson from the former first lady, Michelle Obama, and be proactive when it comes to your reproductive health, especially if you’ve experienced a miscarriage. This one’s for the ladies from a fine role model: be proactive about seeking fertility care. Michelle Obama has disclosed in her memoir “Becoming” that she had in vitro fertilization […]
