fertility

My wife and I wanted a baby and so we started looking for a donor in 2011.  As we are a same-sex couple, obviously our only choice is to use donor sperm in order to conceive.  It’s hard work to find the right donor and with AI (artificial insemination) but we are proof that miracles can happen!

Obviously, timing it all is really critical with a donor as you have to know exactly when you are ovulating and you only get one chance each month and you don't want to waste it! We found OvuSense and bought it thinking it would help us to get pregnant (and it did!).  Just 3 cycles and it happened for us!

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With advancing technology, we have come to rely on Apps for many things in our lives, be it shopping, music or social media and now even Apps for your fertility! Recently there has been a great deal of media attention surrounding the benefits of Apps and Monitors for fertility, but can they really help you get pregnant?

My patients tell me that they feel really confused as to which is the best fertility App or Monitor to use. Recent research studies have found that fertility Apps used alone are generally ineffective and do not accurately show a woman when she should try and conceive (Setton et al. 2016; Duane et al. 2016), resulting in even greater confusion.

In this blog I review the most commonly used fertility Apps and Monitors, explain what they are, how they work and who they are useful for.

Most importantly, I review their accuracy, including their ability to identify fertile days and ovulation, as well as considering the customer support they offer and the all-important cost. However, before I start it’s really important to explain one crucial difference between Fertility Apps and Monitors.

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If you are trying to conceive it’s very likely that you have given some consideration to your current health. You may have reduce or cut down your alcohol intake, stopped smoking if you were, started to include exercise into your daily routine, eat just that little bit more healthily and even started having daily green juices!

However have you actually spent any time considering how healthy and fertile your mind is right now?

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Take a read of the most common factors that affect ovulation and your fertility..................

Age

It is a well-known fact that the older you are the more difficult it is to conceive. The average age of the menopause and the end of a woman’s reproductive life is around 52 years of age. However even a decade or so before she may experience fertility problems, as her cycles become less regular and the quality of her eggs decline. Tragically, some women experience a premature menopause as early as their 30’s or 40’s.

There is no definitive age when fertility starts to decline and every woman is different, however it’s important for women of any age who are struggling to conceive to get advice sooner rather than later.

Hereditary factors

Women will generally experience the menopause around the same time that their mother did. So, ask your mother how old she was when she went through the menopause. This will give you a good idea of when it may happen for you so you can make decisions on when to start a family or to seek help if time is running out.

Smoking

Everyone knows that you shouldn’t smoke when you are pregnant, but few women realise the impact that smoking can have on your fertility. The shocking facts are that smoking ages your ovaries by 10 years and smoking can adversely affect the ease in which the egg travels down the fallopian tubes to meet the sperm.

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If you have been trying to conceive for a little while, it’s very likely that you’ve either read or been told that being overweight makes falling pregnant more difficult. However, then you walk down the street and what do you see? You see a woman who looks as though she has a problem with her weight, pushing a pram. Your first thought is ‘This isn’t fair’’ and then probably something like ‘’Why can she get pregnant when she’s overweight and I can’t? Your feelings of frustration deepen and your sadness grows.

You may have experienced the upsetting scenario when your doctor says that you need to ‘’Go away and lose weight and come back when you’ve got your BMI down to 30/35’’. You leave the hospital feeling disappointed and unsupported. No one likes to be told they are overweight. Least of all women and even less so a woman who is trying to conceive

I’ve heard these stories from my patients over and over again. Trust me, if you’ve been in one of those scenarios, you are far from alone.

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Baby au naturale...is there a place for naturally achieving a pregnancy in this drug ridden, pill pushing world of TTC? 

I was diagnosed with PCOS 15 years ago.  At the age of 16, having a baby wasn’t at the top of my to-do list.  So keeping my body healthy for this reason wasn’t something I focused on.   After dating for 6 years, my husband and I started trying after our wedding in 2013.  Fast forward two years, two MCs, and too many tears, we decided it was time to seek medical help.  Our goal; to have a baby without fertility drugs.  Easier said than done!

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If you are quite new to using OvuSense, you are most likely enjoying finding out more about your body and your cycle. Hopefully, you’ll be getting used to using your sensor at night and downloading your data in the morning. However you might be wondering what your data actually means for you and your fertility?  Continue reading →

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