Upload
others
View
9
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Getting Pregnant,
Staying Pregnant &
Post Pregnancy
by
Siobhán Boucher
www.siobhanboucher.com
Getting Pregnant, Staying Pregnant and
After you have your baby
1. Types & Causes of infertility
2. What can we do to influence our fertility – A Mind / Body Approach
3. Assisted Reproductive Technology
4. Cost of an IVF Cycle in Ireland
5. Going abroad for treatment
6. Staying Pregnant
7. After you have your baby
Types of Infertility
1. Primary Infertility – Describe a couple that have never been able to conceive
2. Secondary Infertility – Describes a couple who after having 1 or more babies cant conceive or who have had one for more miscarriages or stillbirths
3. SubFertililty – Indicates that there are problems that make conception difficult if not high unlikely with out medical help or if you can get pregnant but keep having miscarriages
Causes of Infertility
1 in 6 Couples have difficulty trying to conceive
The main causes of infertility are:
• 32 % Female Factors
• 32% Male Factor
• 12% Combined male & female
• 24% Unexplained infertility (no identified male or female cause)
Source HFEA 2008
What can WE do to influence our
fertility – A Mind Body Approach
1. Nutrition
2. Weight
3. Work / Life Balance
4. Lifestyle, Alcohol & Smoking
5. Environmental Hazards
6. Stress
Nutrition
Nutrition
Not just our reproductive system we need to take a whole body approach. Nutritional stress can have huge impact on your overall health.
• Balancing blood sugar
• Hormonal balance
• Digestion
• Liver Function
• Nutrients for general health and wellbeing
Nutrition Tips
• Eat every 3 hrs to balance blood sugar
• Always eat breakfast
• Eat protein and carbs together
• Avoid processed foods & eat food in its natural state
• Avoid low fat foods that contain chemicals and
sweeteners
• Water at least 1.5 ltrs a day
• One size does not fit all so find a nutrition programme
that suits you and enlist the help of a professional if
necessary.
Weight /BMI
Weight /BMI
• A 10% change in body weight can have a
positive impact on your chances of
conceiving
• Being underweight is equally as unhealthy
as being overweight
Factors that influence fertility
Work
Work
2 Big Questions I get asked:
1. Should I give up work
2. Should I tell my boss I’m having
treatment.
Lifestyle
Alcohol
Here’s the science - 2 studies found alcohol
consumption can delay conception in fertile
women
Findings:
The more alcohol fertile women drank per
week the longer it took to get pregnant.
Environmental Factors
Environmental Factors
• Decrease Xenoestrogens - These are
man-made chemicals that mimic
oestrogens and are harmful to health.
• They are found in plastic, cleaning
products, cosmetics, pesticides etc.
Factors that influence fertility –
Relax
Inducing the Relaxation Response
1. Meditation
2. Yoga
3. Mindfulness
4. Deep Breathing
5. Guided Imagery
Stress
Importance of Reducing
Emotional stress
Importance of Reducing
Emotional stress
• The stress hormones and the sex hormones are made from cholesterol. When stressed, the body prioritizes making stress hormones over the sex hormones. This can cause low levels of progesterone.
• Adrenalin (the hormone released when you are stressed or when blood sugar levels drop) stops your body using progesterone in the second half of your cycle. Progesterone is essential for pregnancy.
How to reduce Emotional stress
• Induce Relaxation Response
• Cognitive restructuring
• Coping skills
Recent research shows women who do a
Mind / Body Programme more than double
IVF success rates.
Impact of TTC (Trying to
Conceive) Alice Domar - Stress associated with trying to conceive is the same as those suffer from a major illness like Cancer
Infertility is more than not having a baby its about
loneliness, social exclusion, unacknowledged grief, shame, feelings of inadequacy
• Personal Impact- monthly reminder, unsuccessful treatment, miscarriage, self esteem
• Relationships - significant other, parents, siblings, friends
• Work
• Social Life
What can you do if you are
having difficulty conceiving
• GP – Health Check, routine bloods to check iron, thyroid, vitamin D, hormones day 3 & 7 LH, Oestrogen, FSH, prolactin, inflammatory markers, smear
• Fertility Clinic / Specialist
– Female Tests, AMH, Hysterosalpingogram (HSG), Hysteroscopy, Laparoscopy
– Male Test include semen analysis, DNA fragmentation
– For both male and female Immune Testing
Assisted Reproductive
Technology
• Cycle Tracking / Monitored Cycles
• IUI
• IVF (With or without fertility drugs),
• Donor Conception
• Surrogacy – Traditional & Gestational
What is IVF
4 Stages of IVF
1. Natural Cycle or Stimulation Phase
2. Egg Retrieval
3. Embryo / Blastocyst Transfer
4. 2 Week Wait (2WW)
Risk with IVF
• OHSS (Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome)
Success Rate – 33%
Cost of IVF in Ireland
• IVF (ICSI) €5,000
– Does not include routine bloods, scans,
counselling, medication, freezing, assisted
hatching, blastocyst culture
• Donor Egg €10,000
• Fertility Workup bloods, scans done
previously.
Going Abroad for Treatment
• Technological advances
• USA - ASRM lists cost at $12,400 (€9K)
• Spain Barcelona €6,500-€9,000
• Czech Republic – Prague €4,500 and
€6,000
• Greece €4,000 - €5000
• Surrogacy Costs USA - €80K -€150K and
India €20K-€60K
Choosing a clinic
• Number of Treatment cycles
• Live Birth Rate
• Single Birth Rate
• Choose a clinic that specialise in your
particular issue e.g. low ovarian reserve
• Anonymous or known Donor
BFP
Being Pregnant
• After IVF
• Freeze embryos
• Risk of miscarriage / ectopic pregnancy
the same with IVF as natural pregnancy
• Nurturing yourself - Manage your
emotional bank account
• Challenge your thought pattern
Other Family Building Options
• Warning ART is addictive
• Donor Conception
• Adoption
• Fostering
• Surrogacy
• A life without children
Other Family Building Options
After you have your baby
After you have your baby
• Fear, anxiety, low mood, baby weight,
keeping up appearances
• Postnatal Depression
• Secondary infertility
Last Word
“To the brave and the faithful
nothing is impossible”
Questions