How to select your IVF specialist

By Dr. Shweta Goswami

Searching foran IVF specialist is such a big task as there are numerous IVF doctors availainle across the world. Also, not to mention discussing an issue like infertility which is quite a social taboo even in this day and age is also such a big question itself. Today, as an infertility expert let me help you out explaining about the traits one should look out for in an IVF specialist.

Let us consider below points while selecting your IVF Expert:

1. An IVF Expert should answers all your questions and doesn’t dismiss them as being trivial. Believes the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask. Responds to your email (usually within 24 hours) and doesn’t force you to come in for every little problem.

2. An IVF Expert should be fully staffed, with a full-time experienced embryologist, so he/she does not have to depend upon external experts.

3. An IVF Expert must respect you and treats you like an intelligent adult. He/She should not talk down to you and does his/her best to educate you, so you have realistic expectations of your IVF treatment.

4. An IVF Expert must be open and transparent and provides clear documentation of all your IVF treatment, including photos of your embryos.

5. An IVF Expert must clear about the costs incurred for the treatment and provides a receipt for 100% of your payments.

6. An IVF Expert must has a high success rate because the lab and

Can I smoke while trying for a baby?

By Dr. Shweta Goswami

We make many lifestyle changes while trying to have a baby like by limiting the coffee or alcohol intake But not all changes are equally easy to make. Caffeine, for example, is addictive, it has nicotine. If you are a smoker, you probably already know that you should stop smoking during your pregnancy, but can you smoke while trying to conceive? Many surveys and researches have been conducted in the past which says that women who smoke are 60 percent more likely to ne infertile as compare to nonsmokers.

Cigarettes smoking affects your fertility in major way. Following are the ill effects of smoking:

• smoking may affect different stages of reproduction, including hormone production and embryo transport
• smoking may affect ovarian reserve and the quality and quantity of the eggs.
• smokers may also have a lower

5 things that can affect your fertility

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Many a times we didn’t realize that there are very basic things that causes hindrance in getting pregnant. Let’s get to know what are all these factors that can affect one’s fertility 

1.     Being obese   

Women who are overweight or obese have less chance overall of getting pregnant than women of a healthy weight (with ‘healthy’ defined as having a body mass index – or BMI – of between 20 and 25). Overweight and obese women are also more likely to take longer than a year to conceive. Being obese (BMI of more than 30) can cause pregnancy and birth complications, such as hypertension and pre-eclampsia. 

Overweight and obese men have worse sperm quality than men of healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can also cause hormonal changes that reduce fertility and make men less interested in sex. Men who are very overweight are also more likely to have problems getting an erection. 

Being overweight or obese in pregnancy also has implications for your baby’s health later on, as children born to overweight or obese mothers are more likely to become obese children and adults – with associated health problems (including fertility issues). 

The good news is that if you’re overweight or obese and planning to try for a baby, losing even a few kilos can increase your chances of getting pregnant. 

2.     Drinking too much caffeine  

Although there is not absolute evidence to suggest caffeine having a negative effect on your fertility, studies are constantly indicating that it can disrupt ovulation and hormone levels, as well as the efficiency of the fallopian tubes. 

3.     Alcohol and Smoking  

Everybody knows that smoking and drink alcohol are big NOs when pregnant but did you also know that excessive alcohol consumption over long periods of time and constant inhalation of cigarette fumes can affect your future fertility; Smoking can affect your hormone production and the environment in the uterus. It can also

What you should know about Ovarian Cancer?

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Ovarian cancer - the cancer of ovaries has been known as a ‘silent killer' in the past because it's hard to diagnose. 

Its symptoms are:

• persistent tummy or pelvic pain  
• increased tummy size or persistent bloating – not bloating that comes and goes 
• Difficulty eating and feeling full quickly.  

Some women may also experience other symptoms like: 

•  the need to wee more frequently,  
• changes in bowel habit,  
• extreme fatigue or pain.  

If you have these symptoms more than 12 times in a month, you should seriously consider going to see your doctor. 

According to the American Cancer Society about 1 in 75 women will get ovarian cancer in her lifetime, but young women are rarely affected. The risk escalates starting at age 63, 

Diagnosis of Ovarian cancer: 

It is often diagnosed at a late stage. Ovarian cancer is frequently diagnosed when the cancer is already at an advanced stage and women often delay seeking help. This may be because the woman thinks her symptoms are due to menopause or confused with other common stomach and digestive complaints. Doctors also often initially suspect less serious

How to change your diet and exercise routine if you have PCOS

By Shweta Goswami 

PCOS - polycystic ovary syndrome as we all know is one of the most common hormonal disorders for women. But when you've been diagnosed with it, no matter how severe your symptoms are, from excess hair to spots, irregular or absent periods and weight gain, it can be really hard to know what to do next. Firstly, it's important to remember that although PCOS is related to our hormone levels, and insulin production, it's not your 'fault' if you have it. The symptoms can sometimes, however, be managed and hopefully, improved through diet and exercise. 

1. If you are overweight (with a BMI of over 25) even a small reduction in weight can significantly improve symptoms, including a low mood or depression.  

2. Keep your sugar controlled; as you can't handle high sugar levels in PCOS. So, your diet is a chance to really change things and this can also help you in future too, during pre-menopause and before and during pregnancy. By keeping your weight stable, your pregnancy is likely to be more straightforward health wise.  

Here I have listed out few important Do’s to do if you have PCOS: 

1. Focus on nutrition, not diet 

Eat clean. Have lots of leafy green vegetables, blueberries, pineapples and a focus on whole foods and sources of protein like fish, eggs and chicken breast, and good fats like nuts and avocado. Also add spices like turmeric, cinnamon, fenugreek, and ginger, that are anti-inflammatory and believed to help with insulin resistance. 

2. Cut out processed foods 

It simply means swapping fruit drinks and smoothies for whole fruit, because they contain more fibre, which is vital for a healthy gut. Fruits low in fructose are best, like grapefruits, lime, lemon, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. 

3. Try and balance your blood sugar throughout the day 

Start with breakfast. Don't leave home with an empty stomach and then grab a sandwich at 12 or simply a big aaple. Just make sure

When to go for fertility treatment?

By Dr. Shweta Goswami   

Infertility or unable to conceive is a common problem in today’s modernized society. Today, fertility treatment is a gift of modern science which has helped millions of couples across the globe to conceive.   

Often the question arises when should we seek for fertility treatment? Consider following points if:   

• You haven’t conceived even after having one-year of regular unprotected sex, see a fertility specialist  
• You are under 35 who find it difficult getting pregnant after having regular unprotected intercourse for a year must seek medical help.   
• You are over 35 and having difficulty conceiving after having six months of regular unprotected sex must opt for fertility treatments.   
• You are having irregular menstrual and ovulation patterns poses a high risk for infertility. If you are going through these issues, then it is highly recommended to see a fertility specialist to increase your chances of getting pregnant.  
• Either of the partners has been

Let’s talk about myths and facts about infertility

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

There are many myths associated with infertility and IVF treatment. Today let’s burst some myths and consider facts about it. 

Myth No.1: Infertility is a psychological problem, not a physical one! 

Fact: Friends and family may suggest that infertility is due to you being under stress or due to worrying too much. While infertility is usually a condition of the reproductive system, in 30% of cases the cause is unexplained. Stress in any situation is never good for your health and studies indicate that time to achieve pregnancy can be reduced and success rates for achieving pregnancy increased by cutting down on stress. Start relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation for about 10-20 minutes a day, which can relieve your stress and improve your overall well-being. 

Myth No. 2: A woman can get pregnant only on a single day of her menstrual cycle. 

Fact: The fertile window is the six-days that end on the day of ovulation. Pregnancy is most likely to occur with intercourse within the three days before ovulation. Keep track of ovulation with the calendar method (ovulation occurs around 14 days before the menstrual period is due) or by using an ovulation predictor kit. Frequent sex boosts your chances of conceiving. It’s important to have a happy sex life. Be relaxed and have sex often throughout the month. 

Myth No.3: Infertility treatment is expensive 

Fact: In some cases infertility treatment can be expensive, but in many cases, it is simple, brief and inexpensive.  The sooner patients

Should I travel during my IVF treatment?

Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Many questions keep pondering us during IVF treatment. One of them would be should I travel when my IVF treatment is going on…? Many couples ask me, if they can take vacations and travel before, after, or during treatment. Actually, IVF medications and procedures can interfere dramatically with your day-to-day life. In all honesty, the bottom line is better safe than sorry. 

It would be quite difficult for one to travel during the medication phase of the IVF process. Regardless of your medication schedule, which is likely to be sturdy, you will be seeing your doctor on a regular basis for monitoring appointments that include blood work and ultrasounds. It is likely that you won’t be able to get away during this phase of your treatment. Keep in mind, you also don’t know how your body is going to react to the medications, you might want to be near your doctor just in case you have some bad side effects or concerns. 

The next part of the IVF process includes two procedures; egg retrieval and embryo transfer. You won’t be able to find here to travel at all. Some IVF patients do travel from their home quite some distance to seek treatment in a larger town or city. This type of traveling is okay, as you will need to travel back and forth between your home and treatments. Some doctors do recommend a hotel stay for a night or two immediately following each procedure. 

So you are thinking to yourself, after all that I have gone through I need a little time to get away. Dependent on your doctor, you typically will have bed rest for at least 1 day following your embryo transfer. Some doctors recommend up to 5 days, but the average is typically 2-3 days. Do to your work schedule and or planned vacations, many women wonder if it O.K to proceed with life as normal. Part of the answer is yes, you need to

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

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

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

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