5 most important things you should know about IVF Treatment

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

As we know infertility means when you are unable to concive naturally despite of one year of trying. As you age your fertility levels will decline plus there are many lifestyle factors that affects your fertility and then you opt for IVF treatment to conceive. So, here are few things that you should know about IVF: 

1. When women's and men’s fertility really starts to drop: 

First and foremost you should know about the time when a woman's fertility starts to drop dramatically i.e from the age of 30 onwards. Diminishing egg numbers along with diminishing egg quality is one issue. A simple blood test, known as AMH, will tell a woman if she has a normal number of eggs for her age but tells us little about the quality of the eggs remaining. 

On the other hand, men's fertility can also reduce with age. While women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, men are continually producing new sperm. However, as men age, the quality of the genes in their sperm deteriorates.  

2. Success rate of IVF treatment: 

There are ‘N’ number of fertility clinics and infertility specialists in the world and many have achieved the highest success rates in IVF in the world. However, an individual couple's chance of success depends on a number of factors such as the cause of infertility, age and lifestyle. As a general guide, there is a 60 to 70 percent chance of conception per IVF treatment if aged under 30. This goes down to a 20 percent chance for your first IVF treatment over the age of 40. 

3. Cost factor:

Infertility is increasing at a fast paced and IVF is becoming a common option for all. So, as a result IVF has become more affordable in India than in other developed countries. It is just 1/5th of the costs outside India with success rate at par with the world. 

4. Risks involved: 

IVF has been around for more than 30 years. It is a very safe procedure, with no long-term risks to mother or child. The most serious medical complication is

Dealing with infertility

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

We are living in a society where barrenness ia a taboo. In today’s era also people look down to such women who cannot bear a child in their womb. No matter how society as a whole we are progressing there are many issues which needs to be dealt carefully and one such issue is infertility. Today, we talk about on how to deal with infertility. It is very normal thing these days as there are many lifestyle factors that affects ones fertility be it a male or a female. But without losing our self confidence we need to deal with it.  

So, here are few tips that may help you to get through it: 

1. Love your body  

No matter what God has given you beautiful body. Self-care is utmost important things that you can do Just nurture and love your body. Diet and exercise can be a great way to take control and give your body what it needs. From taking a long hot water shower bath to treating yourself to lovely food, to pampering yourself with a spa etc just do that. 

2. Give yourself time 

Take each day as if it’s today only. It is a cliché that ‘time heals’, take each day as it comes and try not to beat yourself up. Manage your work home time equally and do what the time needs at a particular given hour. 

3. Do not get over emotional 

It is completely ok if you feel a loss for sometime but hanging to such a loss for a longer period of time is not good. Today thanks to the technology we have so many options to

Air Pollution causing miscarriages among pregnant women

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Mail Today

We all are witnessing the worsen air quality these days. Every year after Diwali, India suffers air pollution problems. It is so obvious that air pollution triggers major health issues in adults as well as children. According to a recent report of WHO, Air pollution is linked to one in 10 deaths of children under 5. The greater the exposure to fine particulates emitted by fires, vehicles, and industrial smokestacks the greater the risk is for pregnant women and the baby inside her womb. Every time the pregnant woman is exposed to air pollution, it increases the risk of problems for her child.  

Air pollution contains harmful substances like car exhaust, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold that can affect breathing and harm your health. Constant exposure to high air pollution increases the risk of miscarriage and early labor in pregnant women and also results in low birth weight. Actually fetal development is very sensitive to environmental factors; particularly high blood pressure which is associated with increased morbidity and

Pregnancy safety tips for this Diwali

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Diwali is the time to rejoice and celebrate with your loved ones. However if you are an expectant mum, you have to take extra care of yourself this season. Get to enjoy the festival but be extra cautious while stepping out or even if you stay indoors. Go by the following tips to ensure care for yourself and your unborn child inside your womb: 

• First of all, expectant mothers should dress comfortably and wear flat slippers, as this is the time when guests are around or you might indulge in decorating the house. So, its important that you should wear something comfortable especially the footwear. 

• Do not indulge in heavy household chores also do not lift or carry heavy objects. As your tummy must be heavy itself so, its better you just watch around before doing any heavy work.

• Stay away from crackers. As it creates heavy noise and air pollution. The smoke emitted from crackers contains carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide content, and creates respiratory problems which is not at all good for you and your unborn inside. Also, the heavy noise coming from bursting of crackers could also proves to be fatal for your baby

Your Lifestyle may be the cause of your infertility

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

There is an old saying that “Good practices reap good results and bad practices reap bad results”. Here in the process of your parenthood your lifestyle choices plays a pivotal role which decides your fertility levels. If you have opted whole life the good choices then results will be good and vice versa. Modern day habits like easy reach to junk food, no physical activity, and sedentary lifestyle can reduce your chances of conceiving children. This is especially true in this time and age, where couples prefer to have babies late (in their mid 30s). In such a scenario, lifestyle choices become even more important. 

Here in my post, let’s throw some light on the various factors that can negatively affect your fertility levels. 

First and foremost your Age: 

Age is one such issue which tops the list because you can’t do anything about it. There’s no medicine, no cure for old age and the disabilities that come with it. The only thing you can do is plan your future well and make the best of today. The ideal age for pregnancy is the mid-to-late 20s. If you want to wait, then you can push that limit to 35. After 35, the chances of a successful pregnancy starts declining. 

Smoking, a lifestyle choice: 

Smoking has been associated with infertility in both male and female partners. It’s also known to cause many other problems in women, such as increased rate of

Vitamin E improves fertility among men

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Infertility is a common problem now. No one knows that what the exact cause of infertility is. Lifestyle plays a vital role in our fertility issues. For example what we take inside our body directly impacts on fertility if we drink alcohol or smoke regularly it badly affects our fertility. 

Studies have shown that certain nutrients if we consume on a regular basis can directly impact the sperm quality in men and can ultimately results in improved pregnancy rates. Many times it is said that low levels of Vitamin E can cause impotence in men. Lack of vitamin E also causes low sex drive and infertility. So, in a way vitamin E is considered as very important nutrient for men. Vitamin E acts as a anti oxidant protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. 

In a study conducted in USA, men undergoing IVF treatment who have been given vitamin E have shown better fertilization rates which suggest that the antioxidant activity of vitamin E makes the sperm more fertile. Vitamin E is known to

Your journey from fat to fertile

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

As we all know that fat is no fun. Being overweight or obese has its own plethora of problems. Being overweight affects everything.  Yet another growing problem in today’s time among the population is infertility caused due to Obesity. Weight problem cases are on increase everywhere, and so are infertility clinics. Almost 10% of couples in the country get affected by infertility and are hesitant to take medical advice. The obesity rates in India have been rising at an extensive rate, out of which quarter of the women’s population is defined as medically obese. 

People in cities follow a sedentary lifestyle. Little or no physical activity, easily jumping up to junk food, sitting for prolonged hours, night shifts, wrong eating patterns etc are to be blamed for being obese and there by infertile. 

Obesity also leads to low stamina, which reduces the urge of having sex. Obesity in women is known to contribute to anovulation, a reduced conception rate and at greater risk of pregnancy complications like having a C-section, giving birth to a large baby or even developing gestational diabetes and hypertension. On the other hand men who are

All you need to know about Surrogacy

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Surrogacy is now a well explored and accepted form of starting a family that people are turning to. Surrogacy simply means a biological or non biological mother carrying the child of another woman for full nine months. 

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data says that approximately 2,000 babies are born every year through commercial surrogacy. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) figures claim that surrogacy is a $2.3 billion industry in India, because it is largely unregulated and cheap. 

These days awareness about surrogacy is increasing. People who would have never thought that they would be able to become proud parents are finally getting chance to be. 

Surrogacy is advised to those who have either no or a malformed uterus, uterus damaged due to infection/ tumor, and where the uterus is removed for some clinical process. Surrogacy is also for those couples intending to be parents but where the woman is having repeated miscarriages. 

In IVF surrogacy or gestational surrogacy a pregnancy is created by the egg and sperm of the parent couple. The surrogate is just a carrier and is not genetically related to the child. While the procedure costs Rs. 15 lakhs or upwards, a surrogate earns Rs. 5-6 lakh and is paid Rs. 9-10,000 per month during the pregnancy. 

Surrogacy is a legal deal between a couple and an individual and a third party to carry their baby to term. There may be many reasons why couples opt for surrogacy; it may be a missing uterus, multiple pregnancy losses, or failed in vitro fertilization attempts. So, now the couple can have their own biological baby by hiring a surrogate. 

Sometimes a family member or friend offers to be a surrogate. This can deeply reduce the cost of surrogacy. However, because not everyone knows

Is Thyroid giving you infertility?

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Infertility as we all know is the inability to conceive after one year of regular intercourse without contraception. It is one of the medial, social and psychological burdens in the world. The thyroid hormone regulates cellular function; abnormal thyroid function can affect your fertility. 

According to Indian Thyroid society about 70% of women with PMS have low thyroid levels, which make the ovaries less able to produce progesterone leading to PMS symptoms. 

Having trouble getting pregnant? Your thyroid could be the problem - and your doctor may not even know it. Standard blood tests miss up to 80 percent of cases in which low tissue thyroid levels are causing or contributing to infertility. 

What are the factors affecting your Thyroid health? 

Your thyroid levels can be affected by a variety of reasons such as: 

• High stress levels 
• Nutritional deficiencies, if you are not taking proper balanced diet 
• Immunity disorders 
• Excessive levels of estrogen and prolactin in the body 

Under active thyroid (hypothyroidism) is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn't produce enough of certain important hormones. For women, there is a link between hypothyroidism and infertility. Low levels of thyroid hormone can interfere with ovulation, which impairs fertility. In addition, some of the underlying causes of hypothyroidism — such as certain autoimmune or pituitary disorders — impair fertility. 

Since standard thyroid blood tests are not sensitive enough to detect low ovarian tissue levels the majority of the time, Women must find a knowledgeable physician who understands that standard tests will often not be useful in detecting low ovarian thyroid levels. 

Let’s look at the symptoms of developing thyroid: 

The symptoms of hypothyroidism can be of many types. Some patients show no symptoms, while others show some marked symptoms. The symptoms usually depend on the severity of the hormone deficiency and the rate at which it develops in the patient. The symptoms are usually milder at the beginning but develop gradually as the condition deteriorates.

• weight gain 
• fatigue 
• constipation 
• muscle

How old is too old to have a baby.?

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

We all witnessed the recent news of an Indian couple where the woman of 72 years of age and her husband 79 years of age gave birth to a baby boy but at the same time we know that age factor is directly associated with decreasing fertility in women; their eggs grow old. But age does affect the fertility level in men too. 

Yes, you heard it right. Age is not a difficulty in women but after the age of 30, there is a drop in testosterone of 1% per year in men too. Testosterone is the energy, the hormone that you need to make good-quality sperm. It’s not just women who have to worry about their ticking reproductive clock. Men's sperm quality seems to decline after the age of 35. The older a man is the more his sperm cells are dived, and the more divisions present, the more there is a chance for an abnormality to occur. 

In males, sperm motility changed with age. Sperm motility is how well the sperm swim. Sperm motility is usually the best before age 25 and lowest after age 55. In fact, when comparing the number of “good swimming” sperm in men between the ages 30 to 35 with men over age 55, sperm motility decreased by 54 percent. 

In fact many studies have claimed that pregnancy rates decrease between 23% to 38% in comparisons between men under 30 and men over 50. Increased paternal age

Some Do’s and Don’ts during IVF treatment

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

In Vitreo fertilization (IVF) is a blessing for infertile couples and indeed IVF trend has picked up in India from quite a while now.  When a couple chooses IVF for conception, it affects both the partners physically and emotionally.  There are a few things that you need to keep in mind to improve your chances of conception. 

1. First of all de-stress yourself; be calm and composed think positive.  Also avoid making major life changes such as moving to a new house or starting a new job the same time you’re going through the IVF process. As High stress levels are known to reduce fertility in both men and women and compromise the outcome of an IVF cycle. 

2. Take good care of yourself; It’s very hard to combine your job with an IVF treatment. Don’t stop living. Don’t put everything on hold for your big dream. The impact will be massive. 

3. Eat good amount of nutrients; before your IVF begin start eating fertility diet. Getting nutritious foods is vital for producing healthy eggs and promoting implantation of the embryo. Your diet should consist of 4-6 small meals each day and each should consist of some complex carbohydrate (such as brown rice or quinoa) interspread with fresh fruits and vegetables. For a fertility diet read here. 

4. Drink lots of fluids; Some women during IVF process suffer from OHSS (Ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome) so drink lots of fluids during this time. Drinking 3-5 liters of water per day can prevent OHSS in some cases. 

5. Stop consuming alcohol; Alcohol consumption, even in small amounts, can reduce a woman's chance of conceiving by more than 50%, so why take a chance. 

6. Communication

Trying to conceive then quit smoking

By Dr. Shweta Goswami

If you are a chain smoker and trying to get pregnant then please stop smoking as cigarette smoking is harmful to the ovaries, and the degree of damage is dependent upon the amount and length of the time a woman smokes or is exposed to a smoked environment. Nicotine and other harmful chemicals in cigarettes interfere with the body’s ability to create estrogen, a hormone that regulates folliculogenesis and ovulation. Female smokers also have decreased rates of fertility and decreased fallopian tube function. It not only can lead to all kinds of serious problems with the baby but also reduces the chances of IVF producing a live birth by 34% and increases the risk of an IVF pregnancy miscarrying by 30%. A pregnant woman who smokes also adds a risk to pregnancy. 

If you smoke for many years or smoke many cigarettes per day, your risk for fertility problems is increased. When you smoke, more than 7000 chemicals spread throughout your entire body and all of your organs. This can lead to serious fertility problems like blocked fallopian tubes, damage to your reproductive organs, premature menopause, genetic issues etc.  Ovarian aging is thought to be a major contributor to unexplained infertility. 

Not only that but due to the toxins that released from cigarettes; smokers are more likely to suffer from miscarriage than nonsmokers. In addition, smoking increases

With IVF it’s possible

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Motherhood completes a woman; in fact it makes you a better person. Every married woman dreams of having own her baby but due to fast paced life and sedentary lifestyles these dreams seem to have taken a back seat and people are busy in building their careers. 

Many times we don’t know that small lifestyle issues severely affect our fertility and there by reduces the chances of conceiving naturally. Fast paced life, junk food, late working hours affect the fertility levels in both men and women thereby making you infertile. 

According to ICMR (Indian council of medical research) bulletin it is estimated that globally between 60-80 million couples suffer from infertility every year, of which probably between 15- 20 million are in India alone. 

The reason behind infertility are many few of them could be PCOS, sedentary lifestyle, eating junk food, depression, problematic womb, consumption of alcohol, smoking, stressful life, uterine problems, fallopian tube blockage, low sperm count, etc. The causes of infertility are present in both the genders. A woman cannot be blamed alone for this. 

But thanks to modern technology In Vitreo Fertilization or IVF technique, a woman can now enjoy motherhood with their own biological child even after crossing their puberty age. However, many do not know about the advanced treatment presented by the medical science 

The fertility of a woman starts declining after she crosses 27 and men fertility too starts dropping after 35. The chances of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or

Eat right to enhance fertility

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

What you eat is directly affects your overall well being. It is very important for a woman to eat a healthy holistic diet to enhance the fertility. If you are planning for baby then your diet plays a very special role if you eat specialized fertility diet then it would enhance the egg and sperm quality and supports a healthy pregnancy.  

There are particular foods that may increase your fertility thereby enhancing the pregnancy success rates.  For example: Bananas are a great source of potassium, vitamin C, Vitamin B-6, Manganese, fiber and a range of other nutrients, which men need in order to maintain a strong sexual vitality. Also many studies have proved that bananas provide nutrients that can influence male fertility. Bananas are rich in Protein, Vitamins, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese which are essential for healthy sperm count in men. 

Apart from that starting your day with a bowl of oatmeal might be a course to successful conception because it has great cholesterol-lowering powers & regulates your blood pressure as well. It is well known that both high cholesterol & hypertension could affect fertility. Oats are a great source of many vital minerals and essential nutrients which are very good for a healthy fertility. They are rich in soluble fiber, protein, manganese, magnesium, zinc etc. which play a vital role in fertility enhancement. 

Diet is important for men too. Various studies have shown adverse effect of dairy products, especially those with high fat content and high carbohydrates

Time to seriously think of PCOS

By Dr. Shweta Goswami    

PCOS which is called Poly cystic ovarian syndrome is a hormonal imbalance disorder in which woman’s levels of sex hormones estrogen and progesterone gets out of balance. This leads to growth of ovarian cysts. To elaborate what actually cysts is that in girls with PCOS, the ovaries produce higher levels of androgen than normal, and this interferes with egg development and release. Some of the eggs develop into cysts which are little sacs filled with liquid and instead of being released during ovulation, these cysts build up in the ovaries and even get enlarged , hence the name poly cystic ovaries or Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. Thus a girl or woman with PCOS does not actually have cysts in her ovaries, she has lots of egg follicles in various stages of maturation which on an ultrasound give the appearance of numerous fluid filled cysts in both ovaries  

Mostly more than half of women with poly cystic ovary syndrome don't even realize they have PCOS; mainly hormonal imbalances and genetics play a pivotal role in developing PCOS.   

Women with infrequent menstrual periods or irregular bleeding are likely to have PCOS. Moreover if you notice these symptoms in your body then please do consult a good IVF specialist as PCOS could give you infertility as well which means that you are unable to get pregnant on your own.  

One should consider getting evaluated for PCOS if:   

• you  have irregular menstrual cycle or prolonged cycles (beyond 35 days or so)
• increased growth of hair on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes 
• your skin is breaking out or you get acne, oily skin, or you are getting dandruff  
• you have gained extra weight around your tummy   
• darkening of skin around your neck    

If PCOS is not diagnosed early and treated properly it can lead to problems as well like type 2 diabetes , high cholesterol, high blood pressure, abnormal bleeding from the uterus, and very occasionally cancer too. The most important step is screening the condition and PCOS can be easily diagnosed through Blood tests and Ultrasound and therefore the chances of having serious side effects are reduced. The important thing is to diagnose

Stress declining fertility level among males

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Stress is the most over used term these days and there are numerous problems that stress causes like asthma, heart problems, constant headaches, obesity, depression and many more. Infertility is said to occur when a couple fails to conceive despite of one year of trying without any protection. Many researches in the past have shown the results that stress is the main factor that causes infertility in men.   

One of the very popular myth is that infertility is always a woman’s problem. In fact out of 100% nearly 30% of all infertility cases, the cause is attributed to a problem in the male, 30% of cases, the cause is attributed in female and 40% to both combined male and female factors . 

The main cause of male infertility is the abnormalities in sperm which includes low sperm production or immobile sperm. In addition to this one’s lifestyle plays a pivotal role in fertility levels. In today’s time stress is inevitably creeping into our lives and increasing cases of infertility globally. This has been scientifically established by comparing fertility levels of men in the older times compared to the present scenario with a definite increase in stress levels also on comparison.

Men with hectic jobs are at the highest risk of infertility especially those who works in night shifts are affected more as compared to men working in morning shifts as their biological clock is very badly disturbed. They sleep during the day and to keep themselves awake, they often smoke, which damages the system further. The stress at work place and sitting for long