Eating Right: The Recommended Path To Reproductive Health

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Proper diet is key to optimum health, more so for a couple trying to get pregnant. The cardiovascular system is the first to respond to nutritional intake. The overweight individuals have a higher risk for heart diseases and diabetes. Unsurprisingly, the diet quality also plays a role in reproductive health.

Dysmenorrhea is a recurrent pain for some women and could be an early symptom of a more serious condition. To avoid or manage it, the head of the nutrition department at the University Teaching Hospital, Kigali, recommends eating fiber-rich foods. This way, pain and other forms of menstrual cycle disturbances are lessened. Plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber. Additionally, fruits’ stimulating effect to the central nervous system also boosts reproductive health. They reduce cholesterol and improve the overall circulation of blood. For maximum absorption of nutrients, fruits are best eaten fresh.

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For men suffering from impotence, adding ample amounts of zinc, wheat germ, and antioxidants in the diet can help significantly. Top sources of such phytochemicals are berries, citrus, and leafy greens. Their overall effects include improving blood flow to the arteries, which supply the erectile tissue of the penis. Eating right also means staying away from detrimental items such as alcohol and foods rich in cholesterol, saturated fat, and stimulant beverages. Cigarettes, while not necessarily eaten, must also be avoided at all cost.

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Study: Infertility In Women Increases With Stress

Excessive stress is known to have many physical effects. Those who are chronically stressed often have weaker immune systems, are more prone to diseases, and are at risk, for others, of more serious medical conditions. Adding to this list is an increased chance of being infertile. A recent study warns women of the hazardous effects of stress on their pregnancy chances.

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The research, which was published in the Annals of Epidemiology, tracked the sexual activities of around 400 women, 40 years old and younger. Participants were asked to record their stress levels in a daily journal. Other activities tracked included menstruation, contraceptive methods, intercourse frequency, alcohol and caffeine consumption, and smoking habits. The study followed these women until they became pregnant or until the study concluded. Urine samples were also collected and mean stress levels calculated during each menstrual cycle phase. It was found that stress was the only significant factor in fertility during ovulation.

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Authors of the study hope that the results of the study would encourage both men and women to relax and practice stress-reducing activities if looking to conceive. These activities can range from meditation to exercise to talking to a health professional. Furthermore, authors caution women of constantly looking at their pregnancy tests – this only increases stress levels.

The results are not meant to devalue other factors of infertility. Risk factors such as alcohol, smoking, and obesity do have direct impacts on pregnancy chances. However, the study aims to encourage more awareness of the link between stress levels and fertility.

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Addressing male infertility with intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Infertility is an issue that affects not only women but men as well. Many are quick to assume that when a couple does not have a child, it is already a fertility problem on the side of the woman. What they do not know is that infertility is not so uncommon in men.

ICSI or intracytoplasmic sperm injection is a treatment designed to address male infertility. The treatment was introduced in the early ‘90s and is considered as an effective tool for infertile couples to be pregnant. It is also known as one of the most important procedures in infertility care.

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Even men who lack sperm when they ejaculate have some sperm stored in their testicles. The testicular sperm can help fertilize eggs. Through the ICSI, a testicular sperm is injected into an egg to facilitate fertilization through IVF.

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The ICSI can be hard for both the male and the female, as there are certain risks for it. Because it is linked to IVF, women may experience superovulation and may have high-risk multiple pregnancies. Children conceived by these techniques may have certain birth defects. It is best to consult the doctor first before going through ICSI or IVF.

High Quality Affordable Fertility Centers provide male infertility treatments such as the ICSI. Learn more about the clinic by visiting this website.

Increasing IVF Success Rates Through Comprehensive Chromosome Screening

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Patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) have the option to have the embryo assessed through Comprehensive Chromosome Screening (CCS). The primary purpose of CCS is to transfer embryos that possess the appropriate number of chromosomes after thorough analysis and selection.

Due to tremendous improvements in CCS, genetic screening of embryos can help those patients who had undergone multiple IVF cycles, patients who have a history of miscarriage, and women 35 years of age or older whose eggs are at a higher risk of chromosome errors. CSS helps patients achieve higher implantation rates and less pregnancy terminations.

When the embryo created by the IVF process reaches the blastocyst stage (day 5-6), the doctor removes a few cells from the embryo. The chromosomes present in an embryo’s cell are then counted.

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Normally, each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. Aneuploidy is the condition in which there is a presence of abnormality in the number of chromosomes. Studies show that aneuploidy causes over 60 percent of miscarriages and reduces the success rate of IVF. The risk of producing an embryo with aneuploidy increases as a woman ages. Thus, the risk of miscarriage also increases as a woman ages. Implanting embryos with the correct number of chromosomes then improves the success rate of pregnancy and IVF.

Patients who will be freezing all of their embryos and those who wish to have only one transplant can also benefit from CCS. This preimplantation genetic screening can truly make a positive impact on IVF.

High Quality Affordable Fertility Centers provides individuals and couples with state-of-the-art pregnancy and fertility services. For more information about the clinic, visit this website.

PGD: Lowering The Risk Of Babies Inheriting Genetic Disorders

One of the many wonders of conceiving via fertility treatments is that babies can be healthier through such methods. This is because a process known as Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is undertaken before the embryo is attached to the mother’s womb. PDG is a laboratory procedure performed in conjunction with in vitro fertilization (IVF) to detect genetic diseases. This prevents certain parental disorders from being passed on to the child. In fact, even families in search of a bone marrow donor can have recourse to PGD to bring a child into the world by providing matching stem cells.

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PGD is done concurrent to egg retrieval and fertilization in the laboratory. Over the next few days, the embryo will divide into eight cells. One or two cells are then removed from the embryo. The cells are carefully examined to identify problematic genes, or to determine their presence. After which, the embryo is placed back in the uterus, and implantation is performed. Remaining embryos free of genetic problems can be frozen for later use while those with problematic genes are destroyed.

While PGD is not necessarily compulsory in an IVF treatment, it is best done for individuals who have genetic conditions. Candidates are usually carriers of sex-linked genetic disorders, single gene disorders, those with chromosomal disorders, women aged 35 and over, women experiencing recurring pregnancy loss, and women with more than one failed fertility treatment.

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Visit the High Quality Affordable Fertility Centers website to know more fertility options.