With the rise of more testing and data in healthcare, it seems like infertility is becoming more common. This may be due to the rising age of parenthood across the globe, environmental issues, or a slew of other issues. Conventional infertility treatments can be extremely expensive and complicated, so many who struggle with infertility seek alternative solutions that are more manageable.
As a result, we’re seeing growing interest in homeopathic or natural fertility treatments, such as acupuncture, reflexology, or herbal supplements. While there remains some scepticism about these therapies and their effectiveness in improving fertility, a growing body of research supports the impact they can have.
The average age for first-time mothers in the US and UK has been steadily rising for decades. Due to the increasing cost of living, more education (& debt), and growing career opportunities for women – along with a slew of other reasons – it’s no surprise that many people are now waiting until they feel more financially stable to grow their families. In many cases, this means that women may not start trying to have children until their 40s.
While there are some health risks to pregnancy as you age, we wanted to take a minute to review the facts about fertility in your 40s. Not sure what you need to know, why it may be harder to get pregnant, or signs to watch out for? Read on…
Emma, author of the "ItsMostlyOkay" blog, discusses her struggles with secondary infertility and how OvuSense has helped her learn more about her cycle in a recent blog.
"During the last, nearly four years now, something I’ve never been 100% certain of is whether or not I’m actually ovulating. We started trying for a second baby back in 2015 and I duly bought and used ovulation sticks, given that they worked literally like a dream when we conceived Olivia. However second time round I found them to be increasingly unreliable. I seemed to get conflicting information from them – either nothing each month or several peak days. This meant I’d start using them really early to try and catch the right day, which ultimately meant spending loads of money."
Miranda began her fertility journey in 2015 and was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in 2016.
Since then, she and her husband Tyler, who is in the military and frequently travels, have visited several doctors in the hopes of getting pregnant. After recently finding a new reproductive endocrinologist closer to their home, they’re now beginning a new regimen of medications that help stimulate ovulation and using OvuSense to learn more about her cycle. Earlier this year she started a YouTube channel to chronicle her journey and share some of the challenges that have come with the diagnosis.
When beginning your fertility journey, navigating the terms used in blogs, articles and doctors offices can be confusing, to say the least. This time of your life shouldn’t have to be scary or intimidating, and understanding the “language” can help ensure you’re getting the most accurate information about your health and fertility.
And we’re here to help! Read through our glossary of fertility terms to help familiarize yourself with them before your next appointment or online research session...
"OvuSense changed everything. It gave me back some of that control I desperately needed and it comforted me to know that all the data this medical device is gathering will help us conceive. The device gave us vital information. We saw that I ovulate incredibly late in my cycle, nearly a week after what we thought my fertility window was.
Not only did the device show that I tend to ovulate very late in my cycle, but it also showed that my luteal phase might be too short. Something that’s not the best when it comes to supporting a pregnancy. It also showed that I DON’T ovulate every month. I will definitely write a review about OvuSense and go into full detail in a separate blog but the short story is: I would recommend it to my fellow trying to conceive cysters."
“I bought my OvuSense in mid November 2018. We had 3 full cycles with OvuSense before conceiving on March 8th. This is a miracle device! Reading all of your posts for months gave me hope and I want to thank each and every one of you for that. I’m more of a quiet group member because I feared my comments or questions might be offensive or misinterpreted. I’ve learned so much from all of you by silently reading and seeing what worked and didn’t work for each of you! If you’re out there reading this, please know you’re not alone because I let the loneliness of this journey really eat away at me.When Sarah was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) at 23, she didn’t think much of it immediately. She was told that it might cause her some difficulty when she wanted to get pregnant, but at the time she wasn’t engaged to her then boyfriend (now husband) so trying to conceive was far from her mind. After getting married and talking with her husband, Rob, about beginning their family at 27, she spoke with a friend who encouraged her to talk with a reproductive endocrinologist right away.
