Dr. Manju Agarwal

A woman when gets married has dreams of making a beautiful family. This family gets completed when a baby enters the loving world of his parent's care. The dream of becoming a mother is the most desired one for a woman. Those, who for some reasons are not able to become a mother, there is a ray of hope in vitro fertilization (IVF). This blessing called in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a service that is provided by many hospitals nowadays. Ivf is a fertility treatment that one or both partners can use to step up their chance of having a baby. Ivf is a process which is a simple and painless way to become a parent.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is usually utilised for women having inoperative fallopian tubes and men who are infertile. For couples who have tried other treatments for becoming a parent, and have not been successful, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a blessing.

What is in vitro fertilization?

The couple is evaluated first to find out the cause of infertility and mode of treatment decided.

In IVF first female is given some injections to stimulate ovaries depending upon injection protocol like long or short protocol.

Once follicles are ready then trigger injection is given for egg maturation.

Once follicles are mature after 36hours of trigger injection eggs are removed under anaesthesia.

Then eggs and sperms are fertilised, keep in culture to form embryos which are transferred to the uterus depending upon embryo status and uterine lining.

What is embryo freezing

In some cases when there is a risk of hyperstimulation then instead of going ahead with embryo transfer embryos are frozen and transferred to the uterus in next cycle once lining is ready called as frozen embryo transfer.

Whenever some extra embryos are produced can be frozen for years.

Unfortunately, if one cycle doesn't work then frozen embryos can be used for the second round.

If lucky you may conceive in first round those frozen embryos can be used for the second child.

Amenorrhea is the medical condition wherein a woman misses the menstrual periods. Girls aged 15 or more who have not yet started menstruating are at the maximum risk of this condition. The most common cause of amenorrhea is pregnancy. Other causes of amenorrhea include problems concerning the reproductive organs or glands that help to regulate hormone levels. Treatment of the underlying conditions often resolves amenorrhea.

Some of the main causes and solutions of amenorrhea are:

1. Dieting: In some women, dieting may cause amenorrhea. This is reversible, simply by eating a balanced diet.
2. Anorexia: Women who suffer from anorexia nervosa are highly likely to suffer from amenorrhea. In this case too, the only solution is to eat a healthy balanced diet.
3. Obesity: In some women, being overweight can cause amenorrhea. They should restrict the amount of fat consumed and should exercise daily to maintain an ideal body weight.
4. Vigourous Exercise: However, extreme exercise is also a cause of amenorrhea. More than 8 hours of vigorous workout, in a week, for a prolonged period of time, can cause amenorrhea. Try to strike a balance between the right kind of exercises and the time devoted to them.
5. Emotional stress: Excessive stress can often cause normal menstrual cycles to be disrupted. This can be cured by simply dealing with the cause of stress. Once stress levels come down to normal, so will menstruation.
6. Addiction: Excessive consumption of alcohol or smoking of cigarettes can also cause amenorrhea. Maintaining a safe distance from all such intoxicants is advised.

Once the cause of amenorrhea is determined, treatment is directed at correcting the underlying disease, which should restore normal menstruation. In case of any anatomical abnormalities of the genital tract, surgery may be advised. Treatment with medications such as dopamine agonists, Glucophage or oral contraceptives is also helpful. Hormone replacement therapies are used in those cases wherein a lack of estrogen is the cause behind it.

A word of caution
While many individuals and companies have marketed herbal therapies as a successful treatment for amenorrhea, none of these have been conclusively proven to be of help. In fact, some of these have been associated with serious and even fatal side effects, though in rare cases. Some preparations have been found to contain high levels of toxins. Before deciding to take a natural or an alternative remedy for amenorrhea, it is best to seek the advice of a healthcare practitioner.

Amenorrhea is very easily avoidable by eating healthy and balanced diets, exercising moderately, maintaining ideal body weight and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption and smoking.

Glycemic Index is a method of examining food items to calculate how much they raise blood glucose. The Glycemic Index or Gl measures how rapidly an individual food breaks down into sugar in our blood stream. Higher the Glycemic index, the quicker that particular food turns into blood sugar. For all the health and diet conscious people out there, glycemic index is quite useful in determining the impact of the meal on their blood sugar levels. Knowledge of glycemic index helps prevent diabetes and also helps in its treatment.

Glycemic index is divided into three ranges on a total scale of 1-100, 100 being pure glucose. Low Gl - 55 or below Moderate Gl - 56 to 69 High Gl - 70 or above

GLYCEMIC INDEX OF VARIOUS FRUITS

Low Glycemic Index Fruits Cherries -22 Plums -24 Grapefruit -25 Peaches -28 Peach -30 Apples -34 Pears -41 Dried Apricots -32 Grapes -43 Coconut -45 Coconut Milk -41 Kiwi Fruit -47 Oranges -40 Strawberries -40 Prunes -29

Medium Glycemic Index Fruits Mango -60 Sultanas -56 Bananas -58 Raisins -64 Papaya -60 Figs -61 Pineapple -66 High Glycemic Index Fruits Watermelon -80 Dates -103

Glycemic Index is however, not a constant or absolutely reliable measure because sometimes there are different varieties of the same fruits and other factors like ripeness tend to differ from one fruit to another.