How Do Phthalates Reach The Depths Of The Female Reproductive System
Phthalates from the many consumer products to which people are exposed enter the body through food, through drinking, or even via the air we breathe. Phthalates are in the air and also in the dust, explains Brent-Yitzhaki.
“Previous studies have found phthalates in the blood, and its hypothesized that theyre transmitted through the bloodstream to various organs and areas in the body including the ovaries, he said.
Does Breastfeeding Increase Fertility
Want to get pregnant but dont want to stop breastfeeding? The good news is that even though youre breastfeeding, your chances of getting pregnant increase as you move further away from the day your baby made their appearance. If you want to further increase your chances of ovulation, try making abrupt changes.
Path To Improved Health
Depo-Provera works for about 3 months at a time. To prevent pregnancy, you have to get 1 shot from your doctor 4 times a year, about 12 to 14 weeks apart. If you get it in the first 7 days of your cycle, it works right away. If you dont, youll need to use another form of birth control for 1 week. Your doctor will confirm you are not pregnant before giving you the injection.
Most women who use Depo-Provera have changes in their menstrual periods. These may include:
- Bleeding or spotting between menstrual periods.
- An increase or decrease in menstrual bleeding.
- No menstrual bleeding at all.
About half of women who use Depo-Provera stop having periods after 1 year. This is not harmful. Menstrual bleeding usually returns to normal when you stop using Depo-Provera. It may take about 9 to 10 months to get pregnant after your last shot.
Contact your doctor right away if you have abnormally heavy or nonstop bleeding. Other possible side effects of Depo-Provera include:
- An allergy to the drug in Depo-Provera.
Recommended Reading: Can Pcos Woman Get Pregnant Naturally
Make A List Of The Positives
Literally, write down everything that you are grateful for. If you can stretch yourself, also write down the things you are able to do now without the added responsibility of a new child. Really try to appreciate your life, just as it is right now. It may sound cliché, but it really does work. So much of our obsession and sadness comes from the belief if only I had a child, my life would be complete.
Believing that your life is wonderful and is unfolding exactly as it should release you from being stuck in thinking life will not go on if you dont get pregnant. This doesnt mean that you stop hoping for a child, it just means your life is full of other amazing things that you have the time right now to really focus on and appreciate.
Make The Day You Get Your Period A Celebration
The day your period comes plan something amazing for yourself. It can be getting together with your favorite people for dinner or drinks, going to your favorite restaurant, going to see a good movie, getting a massage, whatever makes you HAPPY!
Try your best not to discuss the fact that your period came, or if you do, only talk about it in a positive light . If you are able to create something else to look forward to on that day, the pain and disappointment will be just a little less.
Also Check: Do Gas Stations Sell Pregnancy Tests
Is It Normal To Take 2 Years To Conceive
For some couples, its typical to take up to two years to become pregnant. If its occurring to you, it could feel very out of the ordinary. However, it doesnt necessarily indicate that you have a reproductive issue. If a couple tries again after a year and is unsuccessful, almost half will become pregnant the following year.
The Best Time To Get Pregnant
You are most likely to conceive if you have sex within a day or so of ovulation. This is usually about 14 days after the first day of your last period.
An egg lives for about 12-24 hours after it is released. For you to become pregnant, the egg must be fertilised within this time. Sperm can live for up to seven days inside a womans body. So, if you have had sex in the seven days before ovulation, the sperm will have had time to travel up the fallopian tubes to wait for the egg to be released.
Recommended Reading: What Is Due Date In Pregnancy
Your Gp Will Ask You About Your Lifestyle General Health And Medical History They May Ask You Questions About:
- any previous pregnancies or children you may have
- how long you have been trying to conceive
- how often you have sex
- how long it has been since you stopped using contraception
- if you take any medication
- your lifestyle and habits.
They may also advise you about the things you can do to improve your chances of getting pregnant and how your partner can improve their fertility.
Causes Of Irregular Cycles
Irregular cycles may point to a subtle hormonal imbalance. You may still be ovulating every month, but your ovulation day may vary. If you’re ovulating, you may be able to get pregnant without the help of fertility drugs. Here are some possible causes of irregular cycles that are also infertility risk factors.
Don’t Miss: What Is The Best Pregnancy Test For Early Results
What Is Intrauterine Insemination
Intrauterine insemination is an infertility treatment that is often called artificial insemination. In this procedure, the woman is injected with specially prepared sperm. Sometimes the woman is also treated with medicines that stimulate ovulation before IUI.
IUI is often used to treat:
- Mild male factor infertility
- Women who have problems with their cervical mucus
- Couples with unexplained infertility
Does Stress Actually Affect Fertility
Stress and Fertility: A Scientific Perspective
Recent research has linked a womans daily stress levels to a decreased probability of getting pregnant. For instance, women who had higher amounts of the stress-marking enzyme alpha-amylase in their saliva took 29% longer to become pregnant than those who had lower levels.
Read Also: How To Know Id Your Pregnant
Plan For A Healthy Pregnancy
If treatment is successful and you become pregnant, the fertility clinic will likely monitor you for the first several weeks of the pregnancy, and you may need to continue some hormonal treatments or injections.
Depending on the cause of your infertility, and whether you conceive multiples, you may need closer monitoring during your pregnancy. Pregnancy after infertility is not the same as an “easily conceived” pregnancy. Even deciding when to tell people you’re expecting can be stressful. If you have infertile friends, you may experience survivor’s guilt or feel like you’re leaving them behind.
Weight Loss To Restart Ovulation
Many people with PCOS struggle with obesity. This is because PCOS negatively affects how the body processes insulin, which can, in turn, cause weight gain.
One of the main reasons people with PCOS cant conceive is they dont ovulate, or they dont ovulate regularly. People with PCOS who are also overweight are more likely to experience more severe anovulation, going months between periods.
Studies have found that losing some weight may bring back ovulation. According to the research, losing 5% to 10% of current weight may be enough to jump-start menstrual cycles.
Unfortunately, theres not much evidence that losing weight alone will help you conceive. You may still need fertility drugs. But people who lose weight have a greater chance of success with fertility treatments.
Losing weight isnt easy for anybody, and it may be even more difficult for those with PCOS. Also, not everyone with PCOS is overweight. If that’s your situation, weight loss isn’t a solution to help with fertility.
Also Check: How To Do The String Test For Pregnancy
Make An Appointment With Your Ob/gyn
Your first stop should be at your regular gynecologistno need to go straight to a fertility clinic. You may want to bring your partner along, although that’s not necessarily required at this point.
To prepare for your appointment, gather the following information:
- The dates of your last six periods, even if your cycles are very regular. If you’ve been keeping a fertility calendar or body basal temperature chart, bring the last six months’ information. If you’ve done any at-home fertility testing, bring those results too.
- A list of medications youand your partnertake on a regular basis. Some drugs can interfere with fertility, including certain antidepressants and even over-the-counter allergy treatments.
- A list of any infertility symptoms or risk factors you have.
- Any questions you have. If you write them down, you’re more likely to ask them.
When you discuss your symptoms, make sure to mention embarrassing ones, such as painful sex, unwanted hair growth, or low libido. These can all be symptoms of a fertility problem. Include any symptoms your male partner may be experiencing as well. Up to 40% of infertile couples face male infertility.
Age Is A Major Factor For Women
Youve probably heard the phrase your biological clock is ticking. This phrase refers to your fertile window. Women cant conceive after their menstrual cycles stop, usually sometime in your 40s or 50s. Men produce sperm throughout their lives, but women are born with a set number of eggs that decreases as you age.
At birth you have about two million eggs but naturally lose hundreds of thousands of them by the time you reach puberty, says Cross. Your body continues to lose eggs no matter what you do. And the rate at which women lose eggs accelerates around the age of 37.
The quality of eggs stored in the ovaries also declines over time. The eggs youre born with are naturally paused in the process of dividing their DNA, Cross explains. They complete that process, or ripen, when you ovulate them 20 to 40 years later. The longer eggs are stuck in the mid-division stage, the more likely that process will go wrong creating eggs with the wrong number of chromosomes. That results in not becoming pregnant, experiencing miscarriages or having babies with genetic syndromes due to chromosomal abnormalities.
The bottom line: The quality and number of eggs a woman has decreases throughout her lifetime and egg loss accelerates around the age of 37, which makes it more difficult to become pregnant.
Recommended Reading: Can You Get Pregnant If Nexplanon Expires
Tips To Help You Stop Obsessing About Becoming Pregnant
For sure, it seems nearly impossible to stop obsessing about pregnancy while dealing with infertility. Babies are all around you. You spend countless hours in the doctors office checking this, assessing that all in the hopes of having the sperm meet the egg. Here are some ideas for how to get pregnancy off your mind, or at least deal with it in a more healthy way.
Female Fertility And Alcohol
The UK Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines recommend that women trying to have a baby, or pregnant women, should not drink alcohol at all to keep health risks to the baby as low as possible.
Alcohol can decrease female fertility. A recent review has shown that light drinking reduces fertility in women, and fertility is reduced even further in women drinking moderately or heavily.7,8
Don’t Miss: How Do I Read My Pregnancy Blood Test Results
Pms Symptoms Might Reappear
Many women go on birth control to help with premenstrualsymptoms like cramps, bloating and nausea, says Dr. Zanotti. So the unwantedside effects of your period will probably return after you stop taking the pill.
Birth control helps regulate cycles and control hormonalsymptoms, so dont be surprised if you feel like your breast are more tenderright before your period or if you feel more irritable or moody.
Some women might also see the return of a menstrual migraineright before they get their period.
You May Like: Can You Get Laser Hair Removal While Pregnant
Can Ovarian Cysts Stop Me From Getting Pregnant
Your ovaries are two almond-shaped organs that sit on either side of your uterus. Theyre responsible for producing eggs and hormones that either flush out every month with your period or result in fertilization and pregnancy.
When fluid-filled sacs form on your ovaries, you have ovarian cysts. Cysts are quite common, with an estimated 10% of women experiencing them at some point in their life. Most women dont even realize they have a cyst as they are benign and resolve on their own.
Cysts usually dont cause symptoms, though they do have the potential to rupture and cause pain and discomfort.
If youve been diagnosed with ovarian cysts and are trying to get pregnant, know that most of the time, cysts dont interfere with your fertility or make it harder to get pregnant. The OB/GYN team at Capital Womens Care in Silver Spring and Laurel, Maryland does see exceptions to this rule, however. Ovarian cysts can be a sign of an underlying condition like polycystic ovary syndrome or endometriosis. These conditions can affect fertility.
Heres what to know about ovarian cysts and getting pregnant.
Don’t Miss: Why Is Getting Pregnant So Difficult
Premature & Early Menopause
Premature menopause
Premature menopause is when the final period occurs before a woman is 40. The reason for premature menopause may be because:
- your periods stopped spontaneously but early
- you have had surgery to remove both ovaries
- chemotherapy has caused ovaries to fail
Early menopause
Early menopause is when the final period occurs before a woman is 45. Again the reasons may be spontaneous, surgical or chemical.
Effect on fertility
With premature and early menopause, the ovaries run out of eggs earlier than expected and they are unable to produce an egg or the hormones required for pregnancy.
Very rarely, , a woman may have a spontaneous pregnancy after a diagnosis of premature/early menopause.
Sometimes, premature/early menopause is diagnosed when a woman has sought help for fertility. If the ovaries fail to respond to the hormones used to produce eggs or if eggs fail to fertilise, these may be signs of premature/early menopause developing.
For a woman who has gone through premature/early menopause, depending on her circumstance her options for having children include:
- surrogacy with a donor egg
To explore the best option for you, ask your doctor for a referral to a fertility specialist who is a member of one of the in vitro fertilisation clinics.
Old Age Over 35 Years Old
Unless youre over 42, odds are on your side that youll be able to get pregnant on your own within six months to a year, writes Twenge in The Impatient Womans Guide to Getting Pregnant. Consider doing some fertility tests, particularly the , before you start trying . Twenge also suggests getting a fertility monitor to make sure your timing doesnt pose a problem or prevent pregnancy. If age is one of the things stopping you from getting pregnant, see your doctor for fertility tests especially if youve been tracking your ovulation for six months.
If youre over 35 and youre worried about health problems that prevent or affect pregnancy, read 15 Things You Need to Know About Pregnancy After 40.
Recommended Reading: What’s The Best Time After Your Period To Get Pregnant
The Negative Effect Of Phthalates On Fertility
In recent years, knowledge has been accumulating about the negative effect of phthalates on female fertility.
In 2017, a previous study was conducted by scientists at Sheba Medical Center, including by some researchers who also conducted the current study. Some 136 women who underwent in vitro fertilization participated. Seventeen different metabolites of phthalates were found in the subjects’ urine.
The researchers discovered that the amount of eggs that were matured as part of the preparatory treatment for fertilization, as well as the amount of eggs that were successfully fertilized and became embryos, were lower when there was a higher concentration of three of the decomposition products of the phthalates in the urine of the women tested.
In the new study, recently published in the scientific journal Human Reproduction, researchers tried to understand exactly how phthalates affect female fertility. The study is an international collaboration of researchers from Sheba Medical Center, Ruppin Academic Center and Harvard and Columbia Universities in the United States. It was led by Prof. Ronit Mechtinger, senior physician in the IVF Unit at Sheba and Dr. Zohar Brent-Yitzhaki of the Faculty of Engineering and the Health Informatics Center at Ruppin Academic Center.
The researchers looked for evidence for the presence of phthalates in follicular fluids that surround the egg when its inside the ovarian follicle before ovulation.
Does Managing Stress Improve Fertility
In brief, managing stress may improve fertility. However, the effect of managing stress on the rate of fertility has not been well-studied.
Most available research suggests that there is a positive effect. Mind-body infertility programs have been shown to improve the pregnancy rates in women with infertility.
One study showed that 55% of women involved in a mind-body program could get pregnant, compared to 20% of women who were not in such a program. These programs teach relaxation techniques, stress management, coping skills and group support. Programs range from five to 10 sessions, and most include male partners in the sessions.
Fadi Yahya, M.D., is an OB-GYN in Albert Lea and Austin, Minnesota.
For the safety of our patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a non-patient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.
Topics in this Post
Read Also: What Should I Be Feeling At 9 Weeks Pregnant
