Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is an important protein produced primarily by the liver but also in smaller quantities by the brain, uterus, placenta, breast and ovaries. Its role is to bind to your sex hormones including testosterone and oestradiol, and transports them around the body, but what can it mean if your levels are high or low? We’ve broken down all you need to know about SHBG levels. Why do…
Author: Hertility
9 Posts
Metformin and PCOS: A treatment right for you?
Read morePolycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects around 1 in 10 people with ovaries (1). Despite being named as an “ovarian” syndrome, PCOS has both reproductive and metabolic characteristics. Your metabolism describes the chemical processes that take place to keep you alive and your organs functioning normally, such as breathing, repairing cells and digesting food. Many PCOS sufferers are prescribed a drug called metformin to help treat symptoms of the condition. Metformin…
Alcohol and Fertility: How Drinking Affects Your Conception Chances
Read moreMonitoring your ovulation, reducing your caffeine intake, taking folic acid… If you are currently actively trying to conceive these recommendations will most likely sound familiar. Chances are you will also have been recommended to stop drinking alcohol. But how are alcohol and fertility linked, and can drinking impair your chances of conceiving? In short, yes. However, new research has now indicated that both the timing in your cycle at which…
Living With Endometriosis – What I’ve Learnt Along The Way
Read moreMy name is Abbie (@cheerfullylive) and in May 2019 I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis after a 9 year battle with pain. If you aren’t aware, endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating condition where cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb are found elsewhere on the body. These cells breakdown and bleed, causing painful periods, as well as possible infertility, fatigue, bowel and bladder problems, as…
Menstrual Cycle Basics: What You Need To Know
Read moreIf you’re anything like us, your memories of sex ed probably revolve around cringing, as your science teacher put a condom on a banana, rather than actually understanding the ins and outs of the amazing process that women go through every month. You aren’t alone if your only knowledge of the menstrual cycle is that it exists, involves blood, and can cause PMS. If you wish that a text message…
Age and Fertility: Is Your ‘Biological Clock’ Ticking Away?
Read moreThe infamous “biological clock” concept, yet another social pressure to add to the modern woman’s life. What started as an undoubtedly sexist term in the seventies to push women into motherhood after a drop in fertility rates, has clung on to modern society’s ideals and still lingers around today… But does this mythical clock actually have any scientific evidence to prove that age and fertility are closely linked? Believe it…
PCOS & a Dermoid Cyst To Top It All Off
Read moreErratic periods I’ve always had a feeling something wasn’t quite right with my hormones. Nothing major… but something a little skew-whiff. Since I was a teenager I’ve had erratic periods. They’re on the light side, making me one of the lucky ones, but sometimes they won’t come for months. Once, just after my final exams at university, my period didn’t come for about 9 months. I’ve always been a normal…
How Your Fertility May Be Affected By Your Lifestyle
Read moreWe’re all guilty of having bad habits; smoking, drinking, over-indulging on the caffeine or stressing out over the simplest of things, these are common poor lifestyle choices we often make. But vices like these can not only impact your general health but your fertility too. 1 in 7 heterosexual couples in the UK experience fertility struggles and for those, modifying bad habits and lifestyle choices are the first step. Whilst…
Thyroid: The conductor of your hormonal orchestra
Read moreHow can your thyroid be affecting your fertility? Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of your throat. It plays a crucial role in influencing metabolism, temperature, growth, and development, via the production of thyroid hormones. The main thyroid hormones are thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Whilst many are aware that the imbalance of these hormones could cause changes in weight and mood,…