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Posts Tagged ‘5 Million’

Smoking Can Create Issues When It Comes to Conception

Monday, April 4th, 2011

If you and your partner decide to pursue fertility treatments as an option for becoming pregnant, it’s important to take into consideration many factors that will have an impact on the outcome, including your lifestyle habits.  And that includes smoking.

Whether you indulge in an occasional cigar or smoke a pack of cigarettes a day (or more), you are introducing a multitude of toxins into your body.  These toxins have been known to cause or contribute to a plethora of medical conditions, including cancer of various organs.  They also are known to raise the risk of infertility or difficulty becoming pregnant.

This is one of the reasons the World Health Organization (WHO) has placed a significant emphasis on encouraging smoking cessation in individuals around the globe.  From Korea to the United States, the WHO estimates that 5 million persons per year die from factors attributable to smoking.

For you or your partner, this means one thing – kicking the smoking habit.  Of course, this is easier said than done and often requires more than a modicum of patience, assistance and support.  However, if it increases your chances of having a successful round of fertility treatments, it could be a significant turning point for you.  In the end, it’s a healthy decision regardless of its impact on reproductive health.

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When Endometriosis is the Cause of Infertility

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

Endometriosis is a relatively common disorder that afflicts approximately 5.5 million American women at any one time.  A disorder affecting the genitalia, endometriosis is more than just an annoyance.  In fact, females with endometriosis typically experience such symptoms as pain (e.g., severe cramps, intense bowel movements, discomfort during sex), very heavy vaginal bleeding, fatigue and, in a third of patients, infertility

Ironically, infertility that stems from endometriosis may be misdiagnosed because not all women with the condition realize they suffer from it.  Many simply assume that their pain is a “woman problem” related to menstruation rather than a problem that can cost them their ability to conceive.  (This isn’t surprisingly, truly; for many females, endometriosis pain worsens during periods.  Thus, the physical distress would seem to be connected to monthly bleeding rather than a condition of its own.)

Endometriosis typically worsens as women age, so early diagnosis is the best way to ensure that infertility treatments are attempted as soon as possible.  However, even if a female with endometriosis is not diagnosed until later in life AND has been having fertility issues, she can still become pregnant through assisted reproductive techniques (ART).

Two of the most common treatments used to help those with endometriosis conceive are IUI (intrauterine insemination) and IVF (in vitro fertilization).  Because these procedures position embryos directly into the woman’s womb, it becomes unnecessary for her body to go through all the other steps naturally associated with conception.  Therefore, her chances of having a successful pregnancy are increased. 

To learn more about endometriosis, infertility and other similar topics, visit RSI’s website today.

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