Dr. Zeenut I Kazi

Women are blessed with the power to bear babies in their womb for nine long months and giving birth to them. But due to certain reasons, many women are not able to conceive a baby. But with the advent of the medical science, even if you are suffering from infertility issues, you can use donor eggs for In Vitro Fertilization process to have a child.

What is Donor Egg IVF?
It is the process of the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) where the eggs used are from a donor. The donor may be within your relatives or friends, or you can also select a donor from a pool of egg donors available. Moreover, if you want to go for an IVF with frozen egg, then you have a choice of donors across the nation, and in case you only want to go for fresh donor egg IVF, then choose the donor locally. Fertility clinics and the hospitals are there to help you with the entire process.

What is the process?
IVF with a donor egg is a time taking process but it worth the time. Firstly, the fertility clinics ask for donor selection, if you already have someone from your close group, who is willing to donate her egg, it becomes quite simple. Otherwise, you can choose from the donors already registered with the fertility clinic.

• Once you have decided on the donor, the next step is to match both of your menstrual cycles. This is done by providing daily injections and medications to the donor to suppress her menstrual cycle and to match with yours. Moreover, this drug also improves the egg production so that the chances of receiving a healthy egg increase.
• Then the recipient’s womb is prepared for the embryo transfer. You would be provided with injections to boost your hormonal levels so that your uterus lining can grow thicker to receive and keep the embryo safe and healthy in it.
• Once you are prepared for the embryo transfer, the doctors after continuous monitoring of the donor decide on when to retrieve the egg. Once the donor produces the egg, it is extracted and processed for further procedure.
• Once the egg is retrieved, it is fertilized with the sperms of your partner in a lab. Fertilization and the embryo formations take few days after the egg retrieval process. Once the doctor becomes assured of the embryo is healthy, it is implanted in your uterus.

After successful embryo implantation, the physician will monitor the growth of the fetus on a periodic basis; you need to go for monthly follow-ups. It is little difficult at the beginning but keeps in mind the success rate; it is regarded as a boon for women who want to feel their baby in their womb even after having fertility issues. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an IVF Specialist.

Folic acid is the synthetic form of the vitamin B9 and more commonly known as folate. For a pregnant woman, it is extremely important to consume folic acid in adequate quantities. It has the ability to prevent any birth defect, related to brain and spinal cord. It essentially protects the neural tube, which shapes into the spine and the brain. Since neural tube defects can occur in the first few weeks of pregnancy, it is essential that a woman starts consuming folic acid right before she endeavors to conceive.

What are the benefits?
Many researchers are of the view that folic acid is a key component for safeguarding the baby from certain diseases such as cleft palate, certain heart defects and cleft lip. Apart from this, folic acid mitigates the risk of pre-eclampsia in a pregnant lady. Pre-eclampsia is a disorder related to blood pressure and affects close to 5%of all pregnant women. Folic acid also helps a would-be mother from a type of anemia. It is responsible for giving birth to DNA and increasing cell growth of the baby.

Consumption amount of folic acid:
In order to save the baby from any neural defect, it is essential that a pregnant woman consumes at least 400 micrograms of folic acid on a daily basis. Since many women conceive without planning, it is therefore suggested by experts that all women entering the childbearing age should consume folic acid. Some groups such as the National Institute of Health, US suggest that folic acid consumption for a pregnant woman should be 600 micrograms per day. If you are taking any supplements, check the label to see the folic acid quantity present in it. If a woman is consuming prenatal vitamin as prescribed by a doctor, she should not consume any folic acid from outside, since it already has a folic acid content of around 800-1000 microgram. To abstain from any side effects, it is strongly advised not to consume more than 1000 micrograms of folic acid per day..

When is extra folic acid needed?

1. If you are carrying twins
2. If your previous pregnancy involves a neural tube defect
3. If you have a genetic condition called methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase
4. If you are suffering from diabetes or consuming any anti-seizure medications

What are the sources of folic acid?

1. Certain grain products such as pasta, cereals, rice and bread
2. Certain food supplements available in the market
3. Naturally occurring vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, avocado, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts
4. Citrus food or the juice extracted from them without adding any sugar component to it
5. Certain nuts and peas 

   If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dietitian-nutritionist.

Infertility is a condition that can be caused due to a variety of reasons, for both males as well as females. Yet, it also comes with plenty of emotional baggage because there is a great deal of social stigma attached to childless parents, especially in the developing countries like India, where we still hold on to traditional thinking which does not really justify modern day realities.

Understanding Infertility in the Developing World: As per medical science, infertility is defined as a problem that is faced by couples who do not manage to conceive even after a year of trying without any birth control measures. In countries like ours, there is a great social stigma that is attached to being childless. As per many studies by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 15% of couples the world over are affected by infertility. Also, such cases go undetected because there is a great social stigma attached to the same. Further, there may be underlying conditions like Tuberculosis which may have been undiagnosed because people do not like to talk to doctors about the symptoms. The main problem in countries like India, and others areas is that people do not open up about such problems and they consider doctors and other medical practitioners as strangers.

Still in the Dark Ages: Even though we have made the transition from an agricultural country where we would pray to the elements and wait for signs for all our everyday activities from harvesting to childbirth, to an industrial country we are still in the dark ages as far as our social setup goes. There are many educated and well-heeled families where being childless is considered as an issue. And many people tend to go to astrologers and temples to change their fate, where a simple visit to a doctor and procedures like IVF, or adoption as the last resort, can also work out.

Infertility Stigma for Males and Females: For an infertile couple, the problem may stem from the male, or the female or both partners. There are still many social stigmas that are attached to this and many people in countries like India tend to call the woman barren, if she is unable to bear a child. In many cases, the male partner does not even go in for a check up as it is not even considered as an option that the problem might lie with him. Male erectile dysfunction, ejaculation problems, and general infertility can cause a range of issues for the couple when it comes to conception. So it is imperative to have the same checked by the doctor so that a sperm test can also be conducted and the treatment can carry on accordingly with the help of IUI or In-vitro fertilization (IVF). If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist.

Brain mapping is a technique where the biological quantities of a human brain are represented as spatial quantities resulting in maps. As with many other medical technologies, brain mapping is fast-evolving as well. Among several uses, brain mapping is chiefly used while performing surgery on the brain.

When surgery is to be performed on the brain such as surgery for epilepsy, the surgeon would want to comprehend how the brain areas are affected by seizures. The surgical intervention is meant for removing as much as seizure focus as possible while preserving crucial functions like understanding, speech, vision, movement, and sensation.

Why is brain mapping performed?
Brain mapping is a process which helps in identification of functions of various parts of the brain. Mapping the brain by stimulating different areas of the brain areas can aid in creating a map for a particular person. The map allows the doctor in understanding what parts of the brain are responsible for performing critical functions including sensation, movement, speech and other functions.

Which functions of the brain can be mapped electrically?
Typical areas of the brain which have motor, language, visual and sensory functions are needed to be mapped. When current is applied to a single area at a time, the doctor understands which part of the brain is responsible for which function.
When the patient is not able to speak due to the current, then the area is likely to be crucial for language function. If the limbs, face or trunk of the patient stop moving as the current passes, the area that is tested is responsible for movement. On the other hand, if the individual experiences tingling, numbing, and other sensations when the current is applied, it means that a sensory region is discovered.

How is electrical brain mapping performed?
Electrical brain mapping for guiding brain surgery for epilepsy can be performed in two distinct processes: directly during the surgery or in a two-stage procedure.

Two-stage procedure:
In the first stage of the process, the surgeon creates an opening in the skull which helps in exposing the surface of the brain. Small electrical contacts or electrodes are placed on the brain surface even though no brain tissue is removed. As soon as the electrodes are in the right position, the scalp is closed. The electrodes not only record the seizure of the patient electrically but also allow mapping of various areas of the brain. The last stage is surgery where abnormal brain tissues are removed.

Brain mapping process during surgery:
Electrical brain mapping may also be performed during the surgery which exposes part of the brain. This is termed as intraoperative brain mapping since it occurs while performing the main operation. The process of mapping may last for an hour to several hours at a stretch.

Brain mapping is also used to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In these cases, the brain map shows extreme shrinkage of the brain due to tissue loss. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Neurosurgeon.

Technology may be a boon for your love life as due to technology a number of means of communication have evolved, which keep you connected with your loved one in the form of devices, software and applications. However, in spite of its benefits, they are plenty of things that come with technology, which can completeely ruin your love life. Here are some signs that technology may be creating trouble in your paradise:

1. You may waste your time checking photos of ex-girlfriends and love interests. You may check out a picture of an ex on her Facebook profile and wonder about a new guy present in the picture. The same may happen with a present lover. These activities create unnecessary complications in your mind which may harm your relationship with your partner.
2. You end up spending more time with your smartphone than with your partner. This may affect your relationship, as you are too engrossed with checking social media websites and posting updates instead of paying attention to your partner, who is right by your side.
3. Sexting is a common trend in today's world where the exchanging of nude photos between a couple takes place via messengers and chatting platforms. This can be worrisome as you may always be concerned about your pictures getting leaked or exposed.
4. You may become technologically clingy. Your partner may have texted you, and you have not been able to reply in spite of reading the text. Modern technology enables a person to see when you have read their message and when there is no response, the speculations creep in. These situation lead to host of other problems.
5. It is easy to lie about something online or via texting than saying it face to face. Technology allows you to lie and make untrue statements, which are not true in real life. This creates dishonesty within a relationship.
6. With technology, you have too many options at hand and this makes situations difficult. In case you want to go for a dinner with your partner, you might spend hours searching for a good restaurant by going through the ratings online.
7. You may spend a lot of time deciphering text messages. Modern day texting is full of abbreviations, short forms and emoticons. Some of these may make you over think stuff, and you may try to decipher meanings from normal texts, which actually have no twisted meaning.
8. With so many forms of social media, you may be confused about what to use at which stage or phase. You may think whether you should text first, should you add an interest on Facebook and should you comment on a picture. All this creates confusion and honestly there is no real conversation between you and your partner.

There is no doubt that modern technology has taken the level of communication to a new level. Technology plays significant role in keeping in touch with your friends and loved ones sitting thousands of miles away by bringing them close. But it is high time that you realize that technology is something that has driving you away from your loved one. Make an attempt to have some personal conversations without your phones, laptops and tablets. Watch a movie, go on long drives or late night walks and reignite the love and passion in your relationships. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychologist.

Detoxification is a process in which a person makes lifestyle changes to clear body of toxins. These lifestyle changes involve abstaining from harmful things. Some changes are temporary, such as following a cleansing diet, others are permanent.

Toxins are substance that can be poisonous or cause negative health effects, it can be metals, chemicals, pollutants, artificial food ingredients, pesticides, and poisons.

The Body and Detoxification

• The excretory system in the body plays the largest role in detoxification. The main organs involved in excretion are the skin, liver, lungs, large intestine, and kidneys.:
• The liver filters and excretes waste, hormones, drugs, and other foreign substances.
• The lungs help remove carbon dioxide.
• The large intestine converts waste into stool that is expelled from the body through defecation.
• The kidneys filter the blood and help remove waste from the body through urination.
• The entire body relies on this system to live a healthy life.
• Your body is detoxifying itself all the time, around the clock, 24x7

Ways To Detox Your Body:

Right Foods
Take green vegetables and fruits over fast food and other processed foods. Avoid pesticide contaminated foods

Exercise & Meditation

• Exercise and meditation help maintain a healthy body. Exercising helps body to sweat, and this helps release toxins through your skin.
• Meditation helps to keep your mind clear and reduces stress.

Diet

• Few foods stuffs that aids in detoxification like garlic, lemon, broccoli sprouts, mung beans, and raw vegetables.
• Raw diet – like uncooked fruits and vegetables along with raw nuts, seeds, and sprouts.
• Juices – made from fresh fruits and vegetables.

Breathe Clean Air

• Breathing clean air reduces your exposure to toxins especially over your home and work areas.
• Proper ventilation at home and work placePlanting.Planting house plants which act as natural air purifier.

Water
Drinking Luke warm water a glass everyday is a powerful tool to detoxify the waste in body. Bathing with luke warm water also soothes and remove toxins from body.