Female Factor

Writing about the creation of life is about beginning again. There is so much information available today for most people who are trying to conceive. Websites, blogs, advertisements, all leading to potential answers and antidotes which will certainly help you become pregnant. After having gone through so many infertility treatments, experiments on my body, mind and soul, it would inevitable lead to the "Begin Again". And, every time, the begin again was so excruciating and so painful, and yet there was the promise of next time. This is where the mind is so powerful over being influenced by those involved in this multi-million dollar industry. Your goal is to be a parent and you will go through things so incredible to have a… [more]

Welcome to the new series of Fertility Blogs! As a Mom and a woman who had some of the most excruciating experiences with my infertility treatments, I can empathize and sympathize with every woman, man and family during these emotional times. A friend once asked me to describe myself, using one word, starting with the letter of the alphabet. This gave me 26 ways to describe myself and I felt compelled to accept the challenge; knowing it would be simple, right? I began to ask other friends, family and colleagues to use a word that best described me in their eyes. Some were hilarious, others poignant, and still some even stung. As a columnist, I began a series on life from A-Z and it… [more]

When asked about the worst medication that I had to take when undergoing IVF, my surprising answer is - birth control pills. Of course, I didn’t love the shots, or hot flashes caused by other medicines, but the hormonal surges, caused by “the pill,” were by far the hardest to endure. I took birth control pills prior to trying to conceive (obviously before I knew that was unnecessary) and never found one without overwhelming side-effects. The pill made me moody and anxious, sad or irritable, gave me headaches, and just generally did not contribute to a good quality of life. The difference when I was taking them and when I wasn’t was so pronounced that it… [more]

I have come to the realization that I like to find holistic treatments to infertility. After looking back at the majority of my posts it seems to be the trend, so don't be surprised at the message of this one! My sister-in-law and I have a lot in common-- we married James brothers, we are obsessed with changing our hair (cut, color, bring it on!), we laugh at the weirdest things, and we both have infertility issues. My sister-in-law deals with PCOS and has struggled throughout her life with womanly issues. She often jokes with me about the fact that she's had as many periods in her lifetime as a normal woman has in a year. One day last fall we were… [more]

When I initially visited my ob/gyn and told him that I endured painful, heavy menstrual cycles he suspected endometriosis. I endured a number of tests that showed that while I did not have endometriosis, I did have quite a few large fibroids and numerous polyps. Nevertheless, my doctor told me that a correlation between fibroids and infertility had not been found and that it was his opinion that unless they were affecting my quality of life that there was no need to remove them. I could not imagine what a "normal" period was at that time and thought that everyone had extremely painful cramping. I did think that having to use the largest tampons possible every hour… [more]

Just as there are some basic initial tests for men; most women also typically endure the same first tests. Actually, the very first thing most women do after they encounter trouble conceiving is begin to track ovulation - either through ovulation prediction at-home tests or charting basal body temperature. If a woman finds that she is not regularly ovulating then she can talk to her doctor armed with that information that can help him devise a treatment plan. However, most physicians will also ask that the female undergo some additional testing to rule out other issues or to help pinpoint the primary barrier to fertility. A number of blood tests are typically administered including measures of FSH, estradiol, progesterone… [more]

I have mentioned in previous posts that the very first fertility treatment I tried was clomiphine citrate, more commonly called Clomid or Serophene. I was initially prescribed Clomid after my diagnosis of PCOS. Prior to starting the Clomid medication I had tracked my cycles and realized that I do not reliably ovulate each month - it was definitely hit or miss. The goal of Clomid is to induce ovulation and when I told my ob/gyn that I was not ovulating every month he assured me that Clomid had an excellent success rate and that he was confident that it would do the trick. He remarked that I would only be allowed to take the Clomid for six cycles, but told… [more]

If I hadn't been having trouble conceiving I probably would have never been diagnosed with PCOS. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS is just one of the litany of problems that I bring to the table in efforts to conceive and one that long-term will probably have the most substantial impact on my health and well-being. Nevertheless, when I am visiting doctors other than the ob/gyn or fertility specialist I often forget to mention (on forms or in person) that I even have PCOS. PCOS is an endocrine disorder that affects approximately one in ten women that is typically characterized by cysts on the ovaries, irregular periods, and high levels of male hormones or androgens. It is the most… [more]

"I didn't know age mattered so much!" That statement, or a variation of it, is one that I have heard too many times when talking to others struggling with infertility. We all know of a young person who "accidentally" got pregnant, oftentimes saying it was their first time or while using birth control. However, we have probably all also heard stories of older women with teenage children suddenly pregnant with an "oops" baby. So, it isn't surprising that when a couple is struggling to conceive, many don't automatically make the correlation between age and infertility. The sad truth is that age does play a significant role in a woman's chances of getting pregnant. The American Society… [more]

In this era of "octomoms" and families of 8 or 18 it is easy to understand how people can have misconceptions about infertility and its treatment. As I was searching for information and statistics regarding multiple births and fertility treatment (out of pure curiosity), I realized that there are A LOT of myths and misunderstandings when it comes to reproductive challenges and assistance. I, like a lot of other people, don't always know the difference between truth and fiction when it comes to infertility and so I thought I would use this blog as a forum to address some of those myths and try to find the truths. Probably one of the most prevalent general ideas about IVF… [more]