Posts Tagged ‘Periods’
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
Women in your mid-to-late 30s… have you been experiencing any (or all) of the following symptoms?
- lowered sex drive
- unexplained weight gain (especially around your middle)
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- shorter- or longer-than-usual cycles between periods
- heavier-than-usual periods (sometimes including blood clots)
- more painful/uncomfortable periods than before infertility
If so, you may be surprised to learn that your body could be entering into perimenopause.
As the name suggests, perimenopause is the stage before full-blown menopause. Though it typically is seen in women who are approximately 40 years or older, it can absolutely affect those in their 30s. And because it is a result of changing hormone levels, fertility changes are to be expected during this phase of life.
Perimenopause can last anywhere from a few years to a decade, so it’s not an indication that menopause is “just around the corner”. With that being said, it can and does cause many couples to have issues when it comes to conception, so it’s important to get a diagnosis if you’re not getting pregnant within a few months of trying sans contraception.
If you feel that you might be entering into perimenopause, never fear. Go to a reproductive specialist and discuss your concerns. If you are perimenopausal, he or she can help you identify a variety of fertility treatments to give you the best chances of having a child naturally.
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Tags: Blood Clots, Conception, Contraception, Couples, Decade, Diagnosis, Fear, Fertility Treatments, Hormone Levels, Hot Flashes, Infertility, Menopause, Perimenopause, Periods, Reproductive Science Institute, Reproductive Specialist, Rsi, Sex Drive, Unexplained Weight Gain
Posted in Medical Conditions & Diseases | No Comments »
Friday, July 16th, 2010
For good or bad, we live in a society that suggests we have to be “upbeat” all the time, putting on a “happy face” despite problems. When we’re asked, “How are you?”, we’re expected to say, “Fine, thank you!” No wonder so many people with infertility feel embarrassed because they go through periods of sadness and depression.
If you’re one of the many men or women dealing with infertility, it’s important to know that feeling unhappy or “down” is completely normal. It’s not a sign of weakness, nor is it something unusual. In fact, reputable reproductive science specialists will always consider your mental health throughout your fertility treatment journey.
But what can you do in the meantime if you’d rather not make a phone call every time you’re feeling blue? Why not try one of these methods of addressing your state of mind:
→ Acknowledge and accept your sadness.
→ Talk with someone who will listen without judging or trying to “solve” your emotions.
→ Do something that isn’t related to fertility issues, such as working out, going for a hike, taking a walk or reading a book.
→ Write down your feelings in a personal journal.
→ Ask yourself if you’re being too hard on yourself. (This is often the case.) Infertility isn’t something you can control.
Remember that infertility and unhappy moments can often go hand-in-hand. So allow yourself to have human moments of disappointment or even depression. And, of course, if your mental state turns into one you cannot easily control, please contact your physician to discuss other steps you can take.
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Tags: Control, Disappointment, emotions, Feelings, Fertility Issues, Fertility Treatment, Happy Face, Infertility, Journey, Many Men, Many People, Mental Health, Miracles, Periods, Personal Journal, Reading A Book, Reproductive Science, Rsi, Sadness And Depression, Science Specialists
Posted in Mental Health | No Comments »
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Are you one of the numerous women whose periods don’t fall neatly into any kind of a 28-35 day cycle? If so, you may have difficulty becoming pregnant.
During a woman’s menstrual cycle, one (usually) egg is released from the ovaries. If the egg isn’t fertilized within 24 hours, it is no longer viable. Thus, within several days, menses occurs. However, if your period isn’t happening on a predictable basis, it can be tough to figure out when the best time of the month to conceive would be. (Remember — it’s a smaller window of opportunity than you might think!)
This is where a reproductive science specialist can help tremendously. Your physician can prescribe pharmaceuticals to help regulate your menses, thus increasing your chances of naturally getting pregnant.
If you’ve been trying to have a baby for over six months and haven’t been able to conceive (without using any kind of birth control), it might be worth a trip to a fertility specialist.
Don’t immediately assume that you’ll have to invest a lot of money, either. Many couples whose only problem is the woman’s irregular cycle have found great success for an extremely economical investment.
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Tags: Best Time, Birth Control, Couples, Economical Investment, Egg, fertility specialist, Irregular Menstruation, Menstrual Cycle, Miracles, Ovaries, Periods, Pharmaceuticals, Reproductive Science, Science Specialist, Time Of The Month, Trying To Have A Baby, Window Of Opportunity, Woman
Posted in Menstruation | No Comments »
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
There’s nothing wrong with working up a good sweat, eating healthy foods and taking care of your body. But sometimes too much of a good thing can lead to fertility issues.
If you’re a recreational athlete who has whittled her body fat down too far, you may be compromising your ability to conceive naturally. Typically when a woman’s body fat percentage dips below approximately 18% (some sources go a little lower), periods typically cease or become highly irregular due to dropping estrogen levels. And that, in turn, leads to fertility problems.
Though this doesn’t mean that you have to drastically change your exercise regimen, it may mean that you have to be more conscious of the types of foods you’re eating, especially if your body fat percentage is very low. Even adding 100 calories per day and cutting back your intense exercise by an hour or more a week could make a significant difference over time.*
* As always, it’s important to check with your family physician and/or reproductive science specialist before altering your routine.
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Tags: Back Exercise, Body Fat Percentage, Calories Per Day, Dips, Eating Healthy Foods, Estrogen Levels, Exercise Regimen, Family Physician, Fertility Issues, Fertility Problems, Intense Exercise, Lead, Miracles, Periods, Recreational Athlete, Reproductive Science, Science Specialist, Sweat, Woman Body, Workout
Posted in Health and Nutrition | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
What many women, especially those who work outside the home, don’t realize is that IVF treatments can seriously impact the way you live your life. Bedrest, avoidance of heavy lifting and frequent shots can all contribute to one thing — your inability to be the best employee you can.
It would be a perfect world if employers didn’t care about losing you for weeks at a time during your IVF treatments, but the world isn’t ideal. That means you have to figure out ways to keep your employer happy while you undergo IVF.
Below are a few ways to maintain your workload:
- Discuss options with your personnel manager. You may be able to work from home on a laptop during periods of bedrest.
- If you have many weeks of vacation “stockpiled”, perhaps you could use it during IVF treatments and your company could hire a temporary worker to complete your assignments.
- Try to be accommodating to your employer. For instance, don’t schedule your IVF treatments during the holiday season if you work in retail.
- Look into short-term leave options with your personnel manager. You may have options you didn’t realize existed. And if you don’t, it still never hurts to ask.
- Be creative and go to your supervisor with solutions, not a “I’m doing this… so what are you going to do about it?” attitude. No one likes to feel like his or her back is “against the wall”. Be positive.
Of course, even the most lenient employer has his or her limit, meaning that there will likely be some stressful moments. But the more you plan ahead, the fewer those difficulties will be.
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Tags: Attitude, Avoidance, Fall Newsletter, Heavy Lifting, Holiday Season, IVF treatments, Laptop, Miracles, Options, Perfect World, Periods, Personnel Manager, Stressful Moments, Supervisor, Temporary Worker, Workload
Posted in IVF treatments | No Comments »
Friday, November 27th, 2009
Endometriosis, a condition where the endometrium spreads beyond where it is typically found in a woman’s body, affects over 5 million females throughout America and Canada. For some people, the result is mild irritation; for others, it’s severe pain. And for many, it’s infertility.
In fact, many women do not realize they have endometriosis until they have difficulty conceiving naturally. It’s when they are seeking treatment for their reproductive concerns that their endometriosis is discovered.
So how can you tell if you might have endometriosis? Although the only way to know for sure is via examination by a medical professional, you may be at risk if you:
- Have a mother with endometriosis. (The condition can be passed down generation to generation.)
- Have periods that last longer than 8 days.
- Have periods that occur more frequently than once every 27 days.
- Experience pelvic pain during periods, during sex, during urination (while menstruation is occurring) and/or during bowel movements (while menstruation is occurring).
- Are dealing with infertility.
If you think you might have endometriosis, it’s important to get checked. And if you are having difficulty getting pregnant naturally, you’ll want to rule out endometriosis as a possible contributor.
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Tags: 5 Million, Bowel Movements, Canada, Contributor, Endometriosis, Endometrium, Fall Newsletter, Females, Generation To Generation, Infertility, Menstruation, Mild Irritation, Miracles, Pelvic Pain, Periods, Reproductive Concerns, Risk, Severe Pain, Urination
Posted in Endometriosis | No Comments »
