Polycystic ovarian syndrome PCOS is one of the most common causes of female infertility, affecting an estimated 5 million women. There are a number of effective fertility treatments available, from Clomid to gonadotropins to IVF.
Most women will be able to conceive with a combination of lifestyle changes and fertility drugs. Many but not all women with PCOS struggle with obesity. This is because PCOS negatively affects how your body processes insulin, which can, in turn, cause weight gain. Women with PCOS who are overweight are more likely to experience more severe anovulation , going months between periods. Studies have found that losing some weight may bring back ovulation.
You may still need fertility drugs. Research has found that women who have lost weight have a great chance of having fertility treatment success. Also, not all women with PCOS are overweight. If that's your situation, weight loss isn't a solution to help with fertility.
Eating a healthy diet is important for women with PCOS. Is there any one diet that is best for PCOS? The most important thing is to make sure your diet is rich in nutrient-rich foods and adequate protein and low on high-sugar foods.
Avoiding junk food and processed foods is your best bet. Regular exercise has also been found to help with PCOS symptoms. However, a healthy lifestyle may help your fertility treatments work better, and it will certainly help you feel better overall.
Ask your doctor to test your insulin levels. It may also help you conceive. Using metformin for PCOS is considered off-label use. However, the drug is relatively safe and may help you conceive. According to the research, metformin may:.
Can metformin alone help you get pregnant? This is unlikely. While earlier research found that metformin increased the odds of a woman ovulating on her own, further studies have not found an increase in pregnancy or live birth rates. In other words, the improvement with ovulation didn't lead to increased fertility.
Clomid is the most commonly used fertility drug overall, and also the most commonly used treatment for women with PCOS. This is when Clomid does not trigger ovulation as expected.
Studies have found that a combination of metformin and Clomid may help beat Clomid resistance. If metformin and Clomid are not successful, your doctor may consider the drug letrozole.
Also known by its brand name Femara, it is not a fertility drug but is frequently used as one in women with PCOS. Letrozole is actually a cancer medication. However, studies have found that it may be more effective than Clomid at stimulating ovulation in women with PCOS.
The side effects are relatively mild, and it has been heavily researched in women trying to conceive. If Clomid or letrozole is not successful, the next step is injectable fertility drugs or gonadotropins. Your doctor may suggest a combination of oral and injectable fertility drugs for example, Clomid with a trigger shot of LH mid-cycle. Another possibility is a cycle with just gonadotropins. Or, your doctor may suggest gonadotropins with an IUI intrauterine insemination procedure.
IUI involves placing specially washed semen directly into the uterus via a catheter. The semen may be from a sperm donor or your partner. One of the possible risks of gonadotropins is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome OHSS. This is when the ovaries overreact to the fertility medication. If untreated or severe, it can be dangerous. It can also affect the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the bowel. Endometriosis may cause very painful periods and reduce fertility or cause infertility.
Fertility is your natural ability to have a child. Infertility is when a couple has had regular unprotected intercourse for a year but have not become pregnant. For a woman to become pregnant, a man's sperm needs to meet with a woman's egg. The fertilised egg then implants in the lining of the woman's uterus and starts to grow into a baby.
The Pink Elephants Support Network are a not for profit charity, formed to support women through miscarriage, pregnancy loss and beyond. Read more on Pink Elephants Support Network website.
Being in the healthy weight range reduces the risk of infertility and improves the chance of conceiving spontaneously and with assisted reproductive technology ART. Fertility is the ability to conceive a child. Most of us take our fertility for granted but the process of reproduction is complex, so some people may experience difficulties when trying for a baby.
There are a range of factors that can affect fertility. Taking care of your preconception health by modifying your lifestyle can improve your chance of a pregnancy and the health of your future child. Medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS and endometriosis can reduce fertility, however it may just take longer to get pregnant.
In some cases, medical procedures can be used to preserve fertility. Fertility preservation freezing of gametes for later use is used by people who are not ready to have a baby during their most fertile years or for those facing medical treatment that might impair their fertility. Understanding reproduction It is useful to understand how eggs and sperm are normally formed, and how conception occurs to understand the causes of infertility and how they are targeted in fertility treatment.
The hormones which control the production of sperm and eggs are called gonadotrophins. In men, they stimulate the testicles to produce sperm and testosterone. In women, they act on the ovaries where the eggs develop.
The female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, are produced by the ovaries when eggs mature and are released ovulation.
For women, the production of sex hormones and the release of an egg is known as the menstrual cycle. It is counted from the first day of the period until the day before the start of the next period. Sperm are produced at the rate of about million per day. They take some 80 days to mature.
Each sperm has a head, which contains the genetic material, and a tail, which propels it up through the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes where the egg is fertilised. Conception occurs when an egg and a sperm come together. At ovulation, an egg is released from the ovary into the fallopian tube.
If sperm is present at that time, the egg can be fertilised. The fertilised egg then starts to divide and becomes an embryo. After ovulation, the ovary produces progesterone which prepares the lining of the uterus - the endometrium - for the growing embryo. A few days after implantation, the embryo starts to produce human chorionic gonadotrophins HCG - the hormone that gives a positive pregnancy test reading.
If an embryo does not form or attach to the endometrium implantation , the level of progesterone drops and the next period starts. Read more on Better Health Channel website.
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby is not responsible for the content and advertising on the external website you are now entering. Video call. This information is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes.
The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care. For pregnant women, PCOS brings an increased risk of complications.
This includes preeclampsia, a dangerous condition for both mother and baby-to-be. The recommended treatment to resolve symptoms is delivery of the baby and placenta. If you develop preeclampsia during your pregnancy, you will have to be monitored extremely closely. Other concerns include pregnancy-induced hypertension high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. Having gestational diabetes could lead to you having a larger-than-average baby. This could lead to problems during delivery. Most PCOS symptoms during pregnancy can be treated with careful monitoring.
If you develop gestational diabetes, insulin may be required to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Unfortunately, having PCOS during pregnancy makes things a little more complicated. It will require more monitoring for both you and your baby. If your baby is a girl, some studies have shown that there is up to a 50 percent chance that she will also have PCOS.
Women with PCOS are also more likely to deliver by cesarean because they tend to have larger-sized babies. Other complications may also come up during labor and delivery. Some women may not realize they have PCOS until they try to conceive. PCOS often goes unnoticed. Your doctor can help you develop a plan for getting pregnant. Some strategies, such as losing weight, healthy eating, and in certain cases, medications, can increase your chances for getting pregnant.
But symptoms and severity can vary. Women who have gestational diabetes are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life, but breast-feeding can help lower that risk. Breast-feeding has many benefits for both you and your baby, so if it fits your family, be sure to explore the options and available resources so you can have a successful breast-feeding experience. PCOS can cause women to develop excessive hair and acne.
It can also cause cysts on the ovaries and interrupt normal menstrual cycles. Excessive hair growth or irregular periods might be signs. Doctors can then piece together a picture of PCOS. PCOS often gets missed in women because of the difficulty of making a diagnosis. The symptoms can vary and occur in many different types of women.
0コメント