Category: Fertility
How Can Women Check Their Fertility? | A Guide to Fertility Tests
Understanding Fertility in Women Why and When to Check Your Fertility Initial Self Assessment and Tracking Overview of Fertility Tests Common Fertility Issues Identified Through Testing Next Steps After Fertility Testing FAQs If you’re planning a family, now or in the future, checking your fertility can offer you insights and peace of mind. Navigating fertility testing can be both enlightening and empowering, offering valuable insights into your reproductive health. This comprehensive guide will serve as your go-to resource for female fertility tests, providing detailed information about different types of fertility testing, and everything you need to know to take control of your reproductive health, wherever you are in your fertility journey. We’ll cover where you can get female fertility tests done and when you would be eligible, including fertility tests on the NHS, fertility tests at home, and fertility tests online. We’ll also explain how fertility tests are carried out, whether they’re painful, and information about blood tests. We’ll delve into the hormones and individual tests so you know exactly how the tests work, what exactly they’re testing for, and what your fertility test results mean for you. You can get answers to your fertility testing questions including: Understanding Fertility in Women Let’s start with the foundations of female fertility and the biological processes that govern your reproductive system. Your fertility is influenced by various factors, both physiological and environmental. Understanding what goes on inside, and how your fertility works, helps you gain a deeper understanding of fertility testing. Menstrual Cycle The foundation of fertility lies in your menstrual cycle—a recurring roughly 28-day cycle that’s regulated by your hormones. A normal menstrual cycle can last between 25-31 days. The cycle consists of phases, including menstruation (when you get your period), the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase. Within different phases of your menstrual cycle, different things are happening in your body, all orchestrated by your hormones. Each phase has its superpowers, but for fertility, the most important phase is ovulation. Ovulation Ovulation is when a mature egg is released from the ovary making it available for fertilisation (the first step of conception and pregnancy). Ovulation typically happens around the middle of the menstrual cycle (around day 14 of a 28-day cycle, but it might be later or earlier depending on your cycle length) and is an important moment in the fertility timeline. The egg travels down the fallopian tube where it awaits potential fertilisation by sperm. If you’re not ovulating, this could impact your fertility potential. Issues with ovulation accounts for 40% of female infertility. Fertilisation and Implantation Fertilisation occurs when sperm successfully penetrates the egg. If it does fertilise it, the fertilised egg is called a zygote. The zygote travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus where its goal is to successfully attach itself to the uterine wall lining (implantation). From there, it grows and develops into a baby. Hormone Regulation Hormones play a crucial role in the menstrual cycle and fertility. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH) released from the pituitary gland in your brain, along with oestrogen and progesterone from the ovaries, regulate the various phases of the cycle. Each hormone has a specific role to play. A big part of female fertility testing is testing your hormones to offer insights into your fertility. Ovarian Reserve Your ovarian reserve refers to the quantity of eggs you have remaining. It gradually declines with age, particularly after the age of 35. Assessing ovarian reserve provides insights into a woman’s fertility. Age, and therefore, declining ovarian reserve, is the most common reason for infertility. Cervical Mucus and Reproductive Environment The consistency of cervical mucus changes throughout the menstrual cycle. Just before ovulation, and during ovulation, your cervical mucus becomes slippery and water like to help the sperm travel through the fallopian tube to meet the egg, for the egg to become fertilised. If fertilisation is successful, the next stage towards healthy pregnancy is implantation (when the fertilised egg successfully attaches to the uterus wall lining). For implantation to be successful, the uterine lining has to be thick enough. If implantation doesn’t occur, the uterine (womb) wall lining sheds resulting in a period (and no pregnancy). External Factors Lifestyle factors such as nutrition, sleep and overall health can impact fertility. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential for optimising reproductive function. Why and When to Check Your Fertility There are various reasons why and optimal times you’d want to check your fertility from age-related concerns to family planning and if you’ve been trying to conceive without success. Family Planning If you want to get pregnant or are planning a future pregnancy, checking your fertility from the get-go could be beneficial. Getting a fertility test at the start of your journey can help to start your journey from a place of knowledge and understanding. Some individuals and couples wait until the 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month mark trying to conceive without success before pursuing a fertility test. To get a fertility test on the NHS, you have to have been trying for a year without success. You can, however, check your fertility from the comfort of your own home at any point in your fertility journey. The earlier you know, the better, since fertility declines with age. Age-related Concerns Concerns about age-related fertility decline might prompt you to check your fertility to assess your ovarian reserve and fertility potential, especially if you’re considering delaying conception until later in life. This might be the case if you’re in your 30s but don’t want a baby yet. Women are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have (the ovarian reserve), and as you age, you gradually lose eggs every menstrual cycle. Your naturally declining ovarian reserve is the leading cause of infertility. In your 20s and early 30s, you are considered at your most fertile age. After the age of 35, fertility can decrease significantly. This prompts many to take a fertility test whether it’s out of curiosity or wanting to plan […]
How Ageing Can Affect Fertility Rate in Women
Understanding Female Fertility and AgeAt What Age Does Fertility Decline?How Age Affects Fertility in WomenFertility Milestones by Age GroupPlanning for Family: Age and Fertility StrategiesMyths vs Facts: Female Fertility and AgeFAQs Age is one of the biggest factors affecting women’s fertility. Although ageing is inevitable, how it affects your fertility is complex, and varies between individuals. As women age, their reproductive health undergoes various changes that impact conception, pregnancy, and childbirth. But how and why does fertility decrease with age, and what can we do about it? We get it—you want to know, ‘What is the best age to have a baby?’, ‘What age does a woman stop being fertile?’ and ‘What are the chances of getting pregnant over 35 naturally?’ In this article, we explore how and why ageing affects fertility, offering insights into hormonal shifts, alterations in egg quality and quantity, and your reproductive health overall. We’ll cover everything you need to know about fertility in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond, so you’re equipped to make informed family planning decisions as you navigate ageing and fertility. Understanding Female Fertility and Age To understand how ageing affects female fertility, and whether there’s an age limit to pregnancy, we need to go back to the basics of female fertility with a biology lesson. Female and those AFAB fertility is closely tied to the menstrual cycle. The average menstrual cycle lasts about 28 days, but it can vary. The menstrual cycle involves the release of an egg (ovulation) and the build-up of the uterine wall lining in preparation for a potential pregnancy. Women are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have. Your eggs are stored in your ovaries and this pool of immature eggs is known as your ovarian reserve. Each month, a couple of eggs from this pool start to mature, but only one egg is eventually released during ovulation. But here’s the thing: as you age, the quantity and quality of your eggs decline—they age too! Hormones, particularly oestrogen and progesterone, play a crucial role in regulating the menstrual cycle. Hormonal balance is therefore essential for the proper functioning of your reproductive system, but hormonal imbalances affect lots of people trying to conceive for reasons in and out of their control. You can support your hormones with lifestyle adjustments like eating a well balanced diet, regular exercise, managing sleep and stress, and limiting alcohol and smoking. Your uterus provides a safe space for a fertilised egg to implant and develop into a foetus. The fallopian tubes transport the egg from the ovary to the uterus where fertilisation can occur (the first step of pregnancy). For a natural pregnancy to occur, your reproductive environment (like your uterus and fallopian tubes) must be in good condition too. Those three factors—the quality and quantity of your eggs, your hormones, and your reproductive environment (uterus and fallopian tubes)—are what need to be in tip-top shape for a healthy pregnancy to occur. If one or more are out of sync, conception and pregnancy become more difficult. At What Age Does Fertility Decline? A woman’s fertility typically peaks during her 20s and early 30s. During this time, the likelihood of conception is higher and the risk of miscarriage is relatively low. One study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health found that miscarriage was lowest among women aged 25-29 at 10%. This rose rapidly after age 30, reaching 53% for women aged 45 and over. Female fertility starts to decline in the late 20s and more significantly after the age of 35. The quantity and quality of eggs diminish more rapidly, making it more challenging to conceive. As we age, especially from our mid-30s, the decline in the ovarian reserve both in terms of quality and quantity happens very rapidly and the odds for conception and pregnancy become harder. Menopause marks the end of your reproductive years, usually occurring between ages 45-55. During menopause—an inevitable part of ageing—your ovaries stop working, your hormones gradually decline, your menstrual cycle ends and you can no longer get pregnant naturally. A woman stops being fertile at menopause (when she’s not had a period for 12 months), however, fertility declines gradually with age, and after age 35, it becomes much more difficult to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy. However, it is important to note that this decline is unique to each person. How Age Affects Fertility in Women Our bodies are incredible, but unfortunately, as we age, there’s a time limit on our fertility. Wondering how fertility decreases with age? For most, in your 20s and 30s, your reproductive health is in full swing and your eggs are super healthy. As you age, your eggs do too, which means there’s less available, and the ones there aren’t necessarily the best quality. Your ovarian reserve can be estimated with an Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) test, but it won’t tell you the quality of your eggs, only the number you have left. Good-quality eggs are associated with better rates of fertilisation, improved embryo quality, and a higher chance of successful implantation (when the fertilised egg attaches to the womb lining to develop into a foetus, then a baby). Infertility issues, frequent miscarriages and in rare cases, genetic disorders like Down syndrome, can be down to poor egg quality. As we age, our hormones change too. Your fertility hormone heroes, oestrogen and progesterone, can fluctuate and gradually decline over time, with the most significant dip at menopause. Reproductive health conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which can make your periods and ovulation unpredictable, thereby making getting pregnant difficult, is also the result of a hormone imbalance, especially androgens like testosterone. Plus, as you age, you might experience health issues. Medical diagnoses, chronic health conditions, and autoimmune disorders can crop up as you get older. These can all prevent your hormones and the reproductive environment from working as they should. Fertility Milestones by Age Group You are most fertile in your 20s. Fertility gradually declines in the 30s, particularly […]
How to Boost Fertility Naturally in Your 30s
Despite misconceptions, you can likely have a healthy pregnancy and baby in your 30s, but it’s worth bearing in mind that as you get older, it becomes more difficult to get pregnant and to keep the pregnancy. This is why many have to turn to fertility treatments to freeze their eggs and start IVF cycles in their 30s. When you’re trying to conceive (TTC) in your 30s, whether you’re using fertility treatments or trying to get pregnant naturally, every little helps. Your lifestyle choices, nutrition, menstrual cycle awareness and mental health can play a crucial role in your fertility journey in your 30s, and at any age. Lifestyle Changes to Boost Fertility Despite what we’ve been led to believe, your fertility is not something that’s left to chance and depends on luck only. While some aspects of fertility are out of our control, there are actions you can take to improve your chances of getting pregnant in your 30s, with and without fertility treatments. Lifestyle changes can help to optimise your fertility naturally. Choosing a well-balanced and nutritionally rich diet, doing regular physical exercise, managing your stress and getting enough sleep can all support your fertility. Physical Exercise To Boost Fertility Getting at least 150 minutes of physical exercise a week is important to help you manage your weight and boost overall health. Broken down, that’s 30-minute workouts, five days a week. 30-60 minutes of physical exercise per day was shown to reduce the risk of anovulatory infertility (infertility due to an ovulation disorder). Exercise not only balances your hormones, but it can boost your mood, help you manage stress and support your energy. However, be careful because, underweight, or doing vigorous physical exercise (more than 60 minutes a day) combined with eating a calorie deficit, can negatively impact your fertility since it usually has a knock-on effect on your hormones, which can lead to irregular periods and ovulation. Your menstrual cycle relies on a delicate hormone balance, and if your weight is too low or too high can throw them out of sync affecting your chance of conceiving. Stress Management Strategies For Fertility Stress can also throw off the balance of hormones causing irregular periods and ovulation. It might also affect your desire to get intimate / libido which is not ideal when you are TTC. Manage stress to boost fertility in your 30s by identifying coping strategies that work for you. You could try relaxation techniques like breathwork, yoga, meditation and mindfulness to help you relax. If you find that self help measures are not helping out, you can always consider seeking out professional help. The Connection Between Sleep and Fertility It’s recommended to get between 7-10 hours of sleep every night, depending on how much you need, since getting enough sleep is associated with better reproductive health. So, how does sleep affect our fertility? A lack of sleep can cause your circadian rhythm (responsible for your sleep-wake cycle) to become dysregulated, and this can affect your hormones, and in turn your menstrual cycle, and fertility. One study revealed that in a survey of nurses of reproductive age, 53% reported menstrual cycle changes while engaging in shift work. Your hormones being balanced is key to your fertility. To get a healthy sleep routine, try switching all screens off two hours before bedtime, and have a wind-down routine which could include a hot bath, calming tea, stretching or bedtime yoga. Try to stick to a schedule by going to bed and waking up around the same time each day, so your sleep-wake cycle is regulated. It’s usually easier to fall asleep when it’s quiet, dark and cool, but test different sleep environments to see which works best for you. Morning sunlight is proven to improve your ability to sleep too. Exposure to sunlight in the first hour of waking for 10-30 minutes a day, and in the afternoon as the sun is setting, will help to regulate your body’s inner sleep-wake cycle clock. Getting more physical exercise and having a well-balanced diet will also support your mood and energy levels which will make managing stress and getting enough sleep easier. Medical Considerations and Check-ups Boosting fertility naturally in your 30s begins with a proactive understanding of your reproductive health. Regular medical check-ups, including a hormone and fertility test, are crucial in providing timely insights and addressing potential hurdles to pregnancy. Lots of healthcare providers recommend only visiting a fertility specialist if you’ve been trying to get pregnant for a year without success, but you don’t need to wait that long. While some couples have no trouble conceiving, 1 in 6 couples face fertility struggles, and knowing your body from the inside means you can seek support and advice faster with all the facts if you need it. When it comes to getting pregnant in your 30s, timing is everything. By taking charge of your reproductive health through regular check-ups and fertility screenings, you equip yourself with the knowledge needed to optimise your chances of a successful pregnancy. Start today, embrace a proactive approach, and navigate your fertility journey with confidence. Nutritional Supplements and Diet The right nutrition can help to support fertility by balancing your hormones, improving your egg quality and supporting a healthy reproductive environment for fertilised eggs, foetus and baby to thrive. While there are no specific guidelines for the best fertility diet, there are foods that can boost your fertility. Mediterranean Diet A Mediterranean diet—rich in whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and unsaturated fats like olive oil and avocado—can boost fertility. Consider a fertility meal plan and use a fertility nutrition shopping list to make life easier. That’s one less thing to think about! The abundance of fruits, vegetables and whole grains makes the Mediterranean diet rich in antioxidants, which have been shown to protect eggs from DNA damage and oxidative stress and support implantation and pregnancy. Healthy Eating Tips To Boost Fertility In Your 30s Some healthy eating tips if you’re […]
What are the Five Main Factors that Affect Fertility in Women?
Embarking on your fertility journey can be both exciting and challenging. Understanding the various lifestyle factors that can affect fertility is crucial for individuals and couples. In this article, we’ll delve into the five main lifestyle factors that play a pivotal role in fertility, and how you can shape and optimise your lifestyle to support your reproductive health. First, let’s explore what fertility is from a biological perspective. Ovulation plays a critical role, marking the release of an egg from the ovary. For a pregnancy to occur, a healthy egg must meet healthy sperm (usually in the fallopian tube) where the egg gets fertilised. Plus, the uterus (womb) must be in optimal condition so the fertilised egg can implant and grow into a healthy baby. To get pregnant and have a baby, many biological factors come into play. When one or more of these factors fall out of sync, that’s when you might face difficulties with fertility. Lots of couples conceive without any issues, but it’s important to know the facts. 1 in 6 couples face fertility struggles, so if it’s taking longer than you’d hoped, know that you’re not alone. The earlier you know what’s going on inside, the earlier you can take action to support your future fertility goals. Age and Fertility Unfortunately, the ticking of the biological clock is a reality that every woman and those assigned female-at-birth (AFAB) face. For a pregnancy to occur, you need healthy eggs. From a biological standpoint, the younger you are, the healthier your eggs will be. As you age, the quality and quantity of your eggs (known as your ovarian reserve) decline. While an Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) test can help you to understand how many eggs you have left, it can’t tell us the quality of the eggs we have. Women and those AFAB are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have. Each menstrual cycle, you lose an egg, and once you hit your late thirties, that number has decreased dramatically, and it brings with it a host of hormonal changes. Collectively, it reduces your ability to become, and often stay, pregnant. And it’s not just about your egg count either. After the age of 35, there’s a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications and negative health outcomes for the baby. There’s also a higher risk of miscarriage, high blood pressure, and gestational diabetes. Plus, chromosomal conditions like Down’s syndrome are more common. It’s not just a woman’s problem either. Despite misconceptions, ageing affects male fertility too. From age 40 onwards, the sperm quality and sperm function decreases with significant implications to pregnancies and births including increased time to conception and increased risk of miscarriage. Lifestyle Choices and Their Impact Think your fertility is out of your control? Think again. While there are aspects of fertility that are beyond our control, there’s a lot we can do to support our reproductive health. Through lifestyle choices, we can impact the quality of our eggs and contribute to a healthier reproductive environment. Eating a well-balanced, nutritionally rich diet, getting regular physical exercise, managing stress, getting enough sleep, limiting caffeine to less than 200mg a day (one small cup of coffee), and stopping or reducing smoking and excess alcohol can contribute to improving your fertility. This is because your lifestyle choices directly impact your hormones, and hormonal balance (involved in regulating your menstrual cycle) is crucial to a successful conception, pregnancy and healthy baby. Eat a Fertility-Friendly Diet Being underweight or overweight can affect your ability to conceive because your hormones are often out of whack. Eating a Mediterranean diet—one that’s based on plant foods like fruit, vegetables, nuts, beans and whole grains with a moderate amount of dairy, fish, meat and eggs—can support your fertility. Discover a fertility-friendly meal plan, and fertility nutrition shopping list to support your healthy diet. Plus, when you’re trying for a baby and in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, taking prenatal supplements like folic acid can help prevent major birth defects by supporting neural tube development. Get Regular Physical Exercise Getting regular physical exercise is healthy no matter where you are in your fertility journey, but be wary of overexercise. Too much vigorous physical activity can stop ovulation, cause irregular periods or for them to stop altogether amenorrhea because of hormonal imbalances in important hormones that control your menstrual cycle. An absent period is often a sign that something’s not quite right, so it’s worth speaking with a healthcare professional if you’re worried. Limit Smoking and Alcohol Smoking, alcohol and recreational drug use are associated with an increased risk of miscarriage and complications during conception and pregnancy. Cigarette smoke contains chemicals that can disrupt your hormones and impact your fertility. It’s also been linked with early onset menopause. There’s limited evidence to know how vaping affects fertility (although early studies suggest it could affect the ability to implant and result in lower birth weights) but if you’re trying to get pregnant, not vaping is safer than vaping. The lack of information doesn’t mean it’s safe, but by stopping, you’re being exposed to fewer chemicals. Get help to quit smoking in the UK with the NHS. Excess alcohol consumption is not only associated with hormone imbalances, there is no safe level of alcohol that can be consumed during pregnancy as it can lead to adverse health effects for the baby. In women and those assigned-female-at-birth, disrupting your hormones can affect your menstrual cycle causing irregular periods which can affect ovulation, reducing your chances of conceiving. As well as its impact on our hormones, alcohol negatively impacts our general health which can lead to knock-on impacts on our fertility making it harder to become and stay pregnant, as well as increasing the risk of foetal conditions and birth complications. Protect Against STIs Left untreated sexually transmitted infections can lead to fertility issues because they can lead to scarred or blocked Fallopian tubes, which can increase your risk of an ectopic pregnancy. The only way to protect yourself […]
The Ultimate Guide to Fertility and Pregnancy Nutrition
Having a healthy diet and active lifestyle is vital for good health, however, there is never a more important time to optimise your nutritional health than whilst you are trying to conceive and whilst pregnant. During both stages of TTC (trying to conceive) and pregnancy, there are many questions asked in regard to pregnancy nutrition. Some questions you may have might include ‘Which foods increase fertility?’, ‘What are the best foods for pregnancy?’, ‘What nutrients are needed for pregnancy?’. Well, if so you have landed in the right place. We will dive deep into pregnancy and fertility nutrition, to help you understand what or what not to eat during this time, for optimal health for you and most importantly, your baby-to-be.
Fertility Tracking – Our Top Tips and Benefits!
Fertility tracking… Let’s throw this one out there to start. How proactive are you about your fertility? In an age where you can track the movements of your loved ones on a phone app, get a detailed daily breakdown of your screen time at a glance and monitor the number of steps you’ve taken on your Apple Watch – it’s high time we gave the same attention to tracking our fertility. Fertility tracking is not a new concept. It’s been around for eons; in fact the rhythm method was once-upon-a-time promoted as a ‘natural’ method of avoiding pregnancy. But the truth is that the benefits of fertility tracking are well documented. How often are we told to ‘listen to our bodies’? But what does that actually mean in terms of your fertility? In a nutshell, fertility awareness involves identifying that golden window of opportunity of fruitfulness. That briefest of moments when we are locked, cocked and ready to rock! Because guess what? Despite the general assumption, we don’t spend the majority of our cycle walking around in a heightened state of fertility. The harsh reality is we are only actually capable of getting pregnant during a general five day opening around ovulation. Tight schedule. Sort of like timing your walk through a revolving door. It’s simple enough in theory, but it gets complicated when you’re carrying bags (think jobs, children, social engagements, stress) and that gap suddenly becomes a lot narrower.
Five Personal Accounts of Navigating Egg Freezing – Hertility
For women or those assigned-female-at-birth, society ensures that as we age, we’re hyper-aware of our declining fertility. Jokes about our ticking ‘biological clocks’, extended family constantly asking when we’re going to ‘settle down’ and even trying to navigate company maternity policies—it can feel really overwhelming. There are many different pathways to parenthood and for a lot of people, either for medical or social reasons, their fertility timeline just doesn’t line up with where they are at in their personal or professional lives. Luckily, advances in reproductive science are enabling many people to access fertility treatments, like egg freezing, to preserve their fertility. We spoke to five people, all with different circumstances, who have undergone egg freezing. We hope these accounts can help you to understand a little bit more about the egg freezing experience. A Deeper Dive into Egg Freezing The egg freezing process (known medically as ‘oocyte cryopreservation’) is a fertility preservation method and medical procedure that involves having your unfertilised eggs surgically removed from your ovaries, frozen and stored in a lab until you’re ready to use them. You may choose to freeze your eggs if you want to have children in the future, but aren’t ready to yet. As you age, the quantity and quality of your eggs decline, which means your chance of getting pregnant does too. Freezing your eggs will preserve their quality, as they are now, for if and when you become ready to use them. There are two types of egg freezing: Wondering how the physical process of egg freezing works? An egg-freezing cycle involves several different stages: Egg-freezing can be incredibly empowering—allowing you to control your family planning timeline and focus on your personal and professional life, or any medical treatment, without having to worry about your fertility decline. However, it can be an intensely emotional journey full of ups and downs, with financial strain, daily injections, and hormonal changes that can affect your mental and physical health. Remember—if you’re going through this process, Hertility’s fertility counsellors can support you through these challenges. While the procedure is generally safe, there is a small risk of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), which is a condition that can happen in response to fertility medication. For more information, read our egg-freezing guide. Personal Account 1: Natalie Getreu’s Egg Freezing Journey Ovarian biologist and one of our very own co-founders, Dr Natalie, had a unique egg freezing experience after having been both a fertility practitioner and patient. “I thought I knew everything about egg freezing, at least from a scientific standpoint. I’d supervised procedures, sat in on consultations, educated women and delivered lectures on treatments. “But when it came to undergoing the process myself, as a patient, it was a completely different experience. “I definitely didn’t fully appreciate the physical toll it would take, how draining it would be emotionally, or how much I would have to relinquish control to the process and just let my body do what it needed to do in response to the treatment. “Probably the biggest thing I came to appreciate was how much I needed to slow down. As a founder, there is an enormous pressure to be available 24/7, and as a woman, for everything to be done perfectly. There often doesn’t feel like we are afforded the space to slow down, but I realise now how important that is. “The whole process made me have a much deeper appreciation of the lack of education and awareness out there about alternative routes to parenthood. If you’re thinking about undergoing treatment, get as much info as possible. Support is out there no matter what your circumstance is’.” Personal Account 2: Asher’s Egg Freezing Journey “I discovered the importance of [egg freezing] the same day that I was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and recommended for Testosterone HRT. Luckily, this is when I was introduced to Hertility – finally some humane guidance, clarity and crucially being seen and understood as a trans person. “The whole process became much clearer and felt more manageable, and honestly I started to feel inspired by the gift of being able to do this. The actual process wasn’t nearly as bad as I imagined, especially in relation to triggering my dysphoria. Personal Account 3: Georgia Habboo’s Egg Freezing Journey “The reason I did this was that I had not had a period since coming off the pill (it had been 3.5 years) and I literally was getting no answers from doctors after 10,000 tests. I did the hormone testing kit which I’m SO grateful for. “My AMH, which is an indicator of your egg reserve (ovarian reserve), was really low – within the range of a 55-65-year-old, so they recommended that I freeze my eggs straight away Personal Account 4: Daniella Abraham’s Egg Freezing Journey “At age 30, I wasn’t anywhere near ready to have a baby. Although I wanted the option to have kids in the future, I didn’t want to feel pressured into trying sooner than I might have done just because of my ‘biological clock’. Honestly, the hardest part was deciding if the process was right for me, but in the end, I’m so glad I chose to do it. “Freezing my eggs has given me reassurance that I didn’t need to rush into making any major life decisions and given me peace of mind that I will have the option to start a family in the future when I’m ready to.” Personal Account 5: Mish’s Egg Freezing Journey “As I approached 35, I knew I wanted to freeze my eggs. I didn’t want to feel pressured to have a baby just because of my biology. But I had no idea if I would be able to – I knew you can only get screened on the NHS if you’re trying, so I assumed I would just have to wait until then. “That’s when I found Hertility. I took a Hertility test which allowed me to see if I had any issues in advance […]
Everything You Need to Know about Ovulation
Understand how to know when you’re ovulating – and how having sex during the fertile window can improve your chance of getting pregnant. Check your fertility What is Ovulation? Ovulation refers to the phase around halfway through your menstrual cycle when your body releases an egg (ovum). It travels through the fallopian tube where sperm can fertilise it and you can become pregnant. Pinpointing the day you ovulate can improve your chance of conception since you can ensure you have sex within your fertile window. Your fertile window is a six day window during each menstrual cycle, it includes the five days leading up to the day of ovulation, and the day after ovulation. If the sperm fertilises the egg and implantation (the attachment of the fertilised egg to the wall of the uterus) occurs, it can develop into a pregnancy. But if it doesn’t implant, around 14 days later, you’ll have a period. Your period (or menstruation) bleed is the uterus wall lining (endometrium) shedding. Timing is Everything: When Does Ovulation Occur? Ovulation will usually happen during the middle of your cycle (anytime from 11-16 days after your period starts) if you have a regular period, however, the day of ovulation is dependent on the length of your cycle and can also sometimes vary from cycle to cycle, particularly if you do not experience regular periods. Whilst it is often true that ovulation occurs halfway through your menstrual cycle, for instance in a 28-day cycle, ovulation occurs on day 14 which is also 14 days after your period starts, however, it is important to remember that not everyone’s cycles are 28 days long. Cycles can vary in length from person to person and even from one cycle to another. Anything from a 21-day cycle to a 35-day cycle is considered regular. Tracking your menstrual cycle can help you determine when you ovulate. Track it with an ovulation and period tracker app or a physical calendar, but also monitoring signs like basal body temperature changes and discharge changes, along with ovulation test kits can help too. An egg can only survive for 12–24 hours, which might seem like a brief window of opportunity for the egg and sperm to meet and fertilise, but sperm’s lifespan is much longer. Sperm can survive for up to five days in the female reproductive tract, so if you have sex five days before ovulation, it’s still possible to become pregnant. If you’re not ovulating, it could be because of various factors including breastfeeding, experiencing menopause, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), sudden change in body weight, being stressed or fatigued, or excessive exercise. If you’re trying to get pregnant and not ovulating, speaking with a fertility advisor could offer advice and support your next steps. There are lifestyle changes and fertility medicines that can help you increase the chance of ovulation and pregnancy. The Ovulation Process: What Happens in the Body? Ovulation occurs when your ovary releases a mature egg. The egg then journeys down the fallopian tube, where it can potentially encounter sperm for fertilisation, on its way to the uterus. If sperm does not fertilise the egg, your body reabsorbs it. If fertilisation occurs (sperm fertilises the egg), after about a week, the fertilised egg will become attached to the lining of your uterus (implantation). During this process, your body releases hormones, specifically oestrogen and progesterone, which cause the thickening of the uterine walls, providing the necessary nutrients for eventual baby development. As cells continue to grow, some develop into the foetus and others form the placenta. Hormones signal to your body that the baby is growing inside your uterus, and so it adapts to support its development. This signal prompts your uterus to retain its lining to prevent the usual shedding that results in your monthly period. Not getting a period when you would usually is often an early sign that you’re pregnant. If you’re taking birth control or hormonal contraception exactly as prescribed, you shouldn’t ovulate. The hormones in hormonal contraception work by stopping ovulation and thickening cervical mucus, which makes it harder for sperm to reach and fertilise an egg. If you’re worried about fertility or ovulation or want to learn more, speak with a fertility advisor or fertility counsellor. Recognising Ovulation: Signs and Symptoms Wondering how to know when you’re ovulating? There are a range of science-backed methods to track ovulation and maximise your chances of becoming pregnant. Ovulation test kits Ovulation test kits can determine whether you’re ovulating. They work similarly to a pregnancy test. They test your urine to detect the levels of luteinising hormone (LH) – the hormone released by the pituitary gland in the brain to trigger ovulation. Although LH is always present at low levels, it surges 24-36 hours before you ovulate. Ovulation prediction kits may not be not suitable for someone with PCOS, because they often have high LH levels which can cause falsely positive results. Our at-home hormone and fertility test can help you get clarity on what’s going on inside your body including your egg count and highlight any red flags to do with fertility. It’s personalised to include a comprehensive Online Health Assessment, personalised hormone panel, at-home blood collection kit, and a gynaecologist to analyse your results and help you create an actionable plan for the future. Calendar method Tracking your menstrual cycle is an effective way to determine when you’re ovulating. You can use a traditional pen and paper, digital calendar or even period tracking apps that you mark when you’re bleeding. You can also track different symptoms throughout the month to notice patterns that can indicate which menstrual cycle phase you’re in. Mobile application-based fertile window predictions may not always take into account current cycle variations or factors that might impact your cycle. They are also reliant on the accuracy of the information you input, which is why you should be careful with relying on them for predicted fertile windows, because it could […]
What to Do When You Have a Haemolysed Blood Sample
With any type of blood collection, haemolysed blood samples can happen. They are very common—in fact, they are actually the number one cause of rejected samples by labs, second only to insufficient sample size (1). But we know it can be frustrating to hear that your sample couldn’t be analysed—especially if you’re someone who doesn’t like having blood taken. In this blog post we will walk you through what happens if your Hertility at-home hormone testing kit comes back with a haemolysed blood sample, what happens during lab tests affected by hemolysis and our top tips for taking and sending off your samples to ensure your hormone blood test results don’t come back haemolysed.
Just been diagnosed with PCOS? Here’s What You Can Do to Manage PCOS Symptoms
If you have been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and are feeling a bit clueless or overwhelmed, we’re here to help. PCOS is an extremely common reproductive health condition that affects up to 1 in 10 people assigned-female-at-birth. It can affect how the ovaries work and can cause an array of different symptoms, which can range in severity from person to person. The good news is, even if you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious at the outcome of your recent diagnosis, PCOS symptoms can be treated and managed with lifestyle changes. In this blog we will guide you through what happens next after diagnosis, possible treatments for PCOS and suggestions for how you can effectively manage your symptoms. Symptoms of PCOS The main symptoms of PCOS include: As with most conditions, the symptoms of PCOS vary from person to person, as does the severity of the symptoms. Not everyone with PCOS will experience all of these symptoms, but you need to have at least two of the above to have been diagnosed. Other symptoms can include: What causes PCOS? Currently, the exact cause of PCOS is unknown but it often runs in families and can be related to abnormal hormone levels in the body, including high insulin. Higher insulin levels also induce your ovaries to produce androgen hormones such as testosterone. An increase in androgen hormones can cause symptoms like excess hair growth (hirsutism) acne and alopecia. High levels of insulin can also eventually cause insulin resistance. Because insulin metabolises carbohydrates in your body, those with insulin resistance are therefore unable to respond to glucose properly. This can then lead to being overweight as your body is not able to absorb the sugars from your food into your liver and convert it into energy—so it is stored as fat instead. How to manage your PCOS symptoms The current treatment options for PCOS are symptomatic, as there is currently no cure. This means treatment is focused on treating and mitigating symptoms with lifestyle changes and certain medications. Your treatment will follow patient-centred care, meaning you will have a say in your treatment and your doctors should respond by providing you with care that is responsive to your preference and needs. The first line of treatment they will recommend will be to make changes to your lifestyle. These include changing your diet, exercising, losing weight and taking part in activities to maintain healthy mental health. Don’t underestimate the power of lifestyle changes. Making healthy choices and bringing positive changes to your lifestyle can create a major difference in your symptoms, allowing you to control them and improve your quality of life. With the right, tailored care plan, many people find that their PCOS symptoms can be controlled and that they don’t present any further problems for them. Let’s take a look at some of the lifestyle changes involved in PCOS symptom management. PCOS Diet and Nutrition Some research suggests that following a healthy balanced diet is a significant way to manage your PCOS—it can regulate your period and ovulation and reduce the presence of symptoms like acne and hirsutism. High GI Carbs Vs Low GI & Weight Loss If you are currently overweight, losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for managing PCOS. The more overweight you are the more complications you will face with PCOS as well as having a higher risk of developing other long term health conditions. There are many different PCOS diets that people recommend, but a healthy and sustainable option is a low glycaemic index (G.I) diet. This involves substituting high GI carbs with low GI carbs which can help PCOS sufferers lose weight efficiently. Low GI carbs increase blood glucose levels very slowly, whereas high GI foods are digested rapidly, which can cause spikes in your glucose and insulin levels. A great book that explains the G.I diet very well is ‘ The Low GL Diet Bible’ by Patrick Holford, it contains a list of foods that you can substitute your daily carbs with. Here are some great examples of Low GI carbs that you could incorporate into your diet: Following a low GI carbs diet is generally the key piece of advice that clinicians and dieticians will advise in the case of any PCOS diagnosis and will likely form the basis of a PCOS specific nutritional care plan. However, there are other foods and simple switches that you can incorporate into your diet which may help to further reduce your symptoms too. A PCOS friendly food list may contain: If you’d like help with anything regarding PCOS specific nutrition, you can book a consultation with one of our Fertility Nutritionists who will be able to help you with a nutritional care plan. Reducing Fat and Salt As well as managing and decreasing your carbohydrate intake, you should also manage your fat and salt intake and make sure you’re taking in all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Try to keep your salt intake to a maximum of 2,300 mg per day.Also, increasing the intake of whole foods aids weight loss and helps to maintain a healthy balanced diet. Although losing weight isn’t so easy for PCOS sufferers, it is totally worth it—just a decrease in 5% of overall body weight can significantly improve symptoms. PCOS and Exercise Benefits Like losing weight, exercise increases metabolism and may help to improve many of your symptoms. When exercising, the main goal is to lose weight in the abdomen and reduce fat around the organs. This will help to support your endocrine system, which secretes and regulates your hormones, including your insulin and testosterone levels. If you’re new to regularly exercising, it’s best to start slowly, steadily increasing your workouts as well as the time spent working out. In the long run, this will be much easier to maintain. Cardio is great for heart health, with things like swimming, hiking and running great for getting a sweat on. But there is a misconception that you will […]