Dr. Smiriti Agarwal

It is very important to keep the essential oils of your skin intact. Use warm water for bathing to preserve those oils because hot water will make your skin devoid of those oils and leave it dry.

PCOS is an abbreviation for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is a problem that is caused in women when their hormones are out of balance. It affects menstrual periods and can even hinder conception when aggravated to an advanced stage. Many women having PCOS develop small cysts on their ovaries. These cysts might not be harmful, but they lead to hormonal imbalances. 

Common symptoms include:

1. Gain of weight or Weight loss problems
2. Acne
3. Excess hair on body and face
4. Irregularities in periods
5. Fertility problems
6. Depression

It is possible for most women with PCOS who fail to attain pregnancy easily to use other treatments to get pregnant. Using In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one such mode of treatment. The procedure is helpful if done within the age of forty. You should undergo IVF only in a high quality clinic under the supervision of an experienced doctor.

There is a considerable amount of risk of having a higher order multiple pregnancy due to treatment of PCOS infertility using injectable gonadotrophins. Recent developments have allowed the patients to maintain high rates of pregnancy while simultaneously controlling the risk of multiple pregnancy. A variant of the standard IVF treatment known as Blastocyst embryo transfer is useful in the control of multiple birth rates. Generally, success rates for IVF treatment in cases where infertility is caused due to PCOS is quite high.

IVF Protocols for PCOS
There are two simulation protocols that are commonly used with PCOS:

1. Ganirelix with Lupron trigger protocol: Used to avoid ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
2. PCOS down-regulation protocol

This protocol combines:

1. Oral Contraceptive Pills
2. Metformin

A calendar is followed for the down regulation protocol for PCOS. Before starting with Lupron, a dosage ( 500 mg, 3 times a day) of metformin is followed daily. After this, oral contraceptive pills are prescribed for around 21 days. Lupron coincides with the last 3 pills of birth control. 

Lupron is a subcutaneous injection of a medicine that is taken once daily. Simulation of the ovaries is initiated after 6 or 7 days without using pills. It is very important with polycystic ovary that the dose of FSH hormone is properly controlled and that the ovarian response is cautiously monitored. Over response to the treatment can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This should be avoided.

The symptoms caused due to herniated disc can be very severe and can also cause a bit of disability. The disc of the spine is like a cushion and separates the set of bones on the backside. The discs are shock absorbers of the spine and are mainly composed of 2 parts, a soft jelly centre called the nucleus and a tough outer covering called the annulus.

Effects of Herniated Disk
A herniated or cracked disc is a severe condition and it seems to happen most commonly in the lower back.  It happens when a fraction of the soft centre gets pushed through the destabilized area due to degeneration, trauma or by putting pressure on the spinal cord. 

Nerves are located precisely at the back of every disc and are responsible for controlling everything in our body. While a disc gets herniated, the external covering of the disc tears and creates a bulge. The soft jelly gets shifted from the centre of the disk to the region where the damage has occurred on the disc. Most commonly, the bulge occurs in areas where the nerve is located and it causes strain on the affected nerve. It has been observed that individuals do not feel any painful sensations even if their disc gets damaged.

When is Surgery Recommended for Herniated Disc?
Surgery for herniated disc is recommended only after options like steroid injections, pain relievers, exercise and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs do not work. If the pain persists even after these options, then it becomes important to go for surgery. There are certain risks involved in this surgery like infection, bleeding or nerve damage. 

There are chances that the disc may get ruptured again if it is not removed. If you are a patient suffering from degenerative disc disease, then there are chances that problem occurs in other discs. It is very important that a patient maintains healthy weight to prevent any further complications.

The main factor that increases the risk of herniated disc is excess body weight, which causes a lot of stress on the lower back. A few people become heir to a tendency of developing this condition. Even individuals with physically demanding jobs are prone to this condition. 

Activities like bending sideways, pushing, twisting, repetitive lifting can increase the risk of a herniated disk. At times, emergency surgery is also required to avoid paralysis in a patient. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Neurosurgeon.

There are many reasons why the problem of infertility occurs in many humans. Few of the main reasons of this are the inability of male partner to produce sperms and inability of the fertilized egg to get rooted in the uterus. It is in such conditions that the procedure of artificial insemination is carried out to infuse the sperm into the uterus of the female.

Steps Involved in Artificial Insemination-

There are certain steps that need to be followed before you get pregnant if you are planning on artificial insemination, and that would be of great use in providing an economically safe pregnancy. Artificial insemination is a technique that is of great use to couples who cannot get pregnant. The procedure is simple, but it has its own side-effects. It is a commonly used procedure and which is less expensive than other treatment options for infertility. The success rate of this procedure is about 86%, and a couple needs to make a few attempts to get pregnant.

Need for Artificial Insemination-

The effectiveness of the artificial insemination process plays a vital role for the women having fertility issues, especially while selecting the treatment. Many couples prefer the procedure of Intrauterine Insemination when fertility medicines do not work effectively. The procedure of artificial insemination which is a reproduction technique comprises of introducing the semen into the vagina, uterus, or cervix of a woman without sexual intercourse.

The artificial insemination procedure is made use not only in humans but even for breeding in animals. Sometimes the procedure is done if a woman has a condition called endometriosis or in other words, abnormality in her reproductive organs. The method is also suggested by the Doctors when the real reason for infertility cannot be identified.

Why Artificial Insemination?

The procedure is a great benefit for a woman who is single and desires to have children. The best part is that during the artificial insemination, the sperm used during the treatment is tested for any genetic disorder. This way, it reduces the chance of any disorder being transmitted to the child from a parent. The procedure is much cheaper than natural reproduction, and the main benefit of artificial insemination is that desirable characteristics of the parent are passed on quickly to the child.

Overall, the benefits of this procedure are that it is very effective and prevents any genetic disorder in the child, and the cost of the procedure is comparatively lesser.