Dr Jaydeep Shinde Diabetology Clinic

Pregnancy is something, which is quite divisive. The mere prospect of it can really go a long way in scaring people. At the same time, for some others, giving birth to a baby can be the primary cause for a lot of happiness. When a couple is having trouble conceiving, infertility is usually the reason why there is a relationship strain between the two of them. Considering this, doesn’t it make sense to learn a bit about infertility and the truth to all that is said about it so as to separate the wheat from the chafe?

To start with, it is often said that when there is an infertility issue, it is probably due to the lack of fertility of the woman rather than the man. However, this is pretty untrue. It has been found that both men and women are responsible for infertility almost equally. In fact, according to a study, in about a fifth of the cases of infertility, the reason for it was that both the man and the woman were not fertile.

Many people say that, if a woman wishes to have a baby, she should do so before she crosses the age of 35. This is true to some extent as the chances of a woman conceiving do fall to a significant extent after the age of 35. As a matter of fact, a woman can expect to reach the peak of her fertility while she is in her twenties, itself!

Without a shadow of doubt, having sex around the time of ovulation is the key to getting pregnant. However, it is believed by a large number of people that there is no chance of getting pregnant if sex is had too soon or too late after ovulation as sperms only live for a few hours after an intercourse. The truth is that the sperms have the ability to live for several days.

When planning to conceive, many women believe that for about a quarter of a year or three months after they stop making use of the birth control pill, they will not be able to get pregnant. The good news for them is that as soon as the pill is stopped, the levels of a woman’s hormones return back to their pre-pill levels almost immediately and ovulation can be expected to occur at the time of their following cycle.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Now-a-days, the entire world along with the inhabitants have become so fast-paced that the most common matter which affects almost everyone is stress. Getting stressed is not only unhealthy for your body and has an impact on every aspect of life including fertility. You might be wondering that how stress can affect your fertility as they sound unrelated. Read on to understand. Till date, though no direct correlation between stress and infertility has been established, it has been observed that if a couple who is trying their best to conceive is under stress, there appears to be a problem. Now, have a look at few of the impacts that stress has on fertility.

How stress affects fertility?
Too much stress has an impact on the proper functioning of the hypothalamus. It is that part of the brain which has the responsibility of sending as well as receiving all type of signals from the reproductive system. The menstrual cycle is one of the most complex communicating systems between the brain and ovaries, and thus stress may affect the fertility cycle. In this manner, stress may delay the ovulation, and in severe cases, it may also prevent the women from ovulating.

Another point that needs to be mentioned is that due to stress fewer mature eggs may be available. Some of the studies focus on the point that the women, who were stressful as well as anxious regarding their IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization), possessed approximately twenty percent fewer eggs than they usually could produce that are viable for fertilization.

Dealing with stress
Different women have their way of dealing with stress. Thus, the impact this unwanted issue has on a woman might not be similar to the reactions of another woman. Many people start to gain weight in such stressful periods while some lose a lot of fat. A fact is sure that stress is not at all healthy and good for an aspiring mother.

So, now that you are aware of stress and infertility and how stress affects your fertility, the best possible course is to eliminate stress from your life as much as possible in a systematic manner. To reduce stress, you must have an adequate amount of sleep and also practice exercise on a regular basis. You may also opt for other habits like practicing yoga, meditation, prayer, seek counseling, etc.

Thus, the bottom-line is, if you are trying to get pregnant, either naturally or through IVF due to genetic or medical reasons, relieving yourself from stress is crucial. If you are willing to know more about stress and infertility and how stress affects your fertility, then you may consult with your physician who would guide to adopt necessary measures.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Are you one of those couples who has been diagnosed with infertility? Then you would know that it is impossible for people on the outside to understand the level of suffering and struggle you go through. You make desperate efforts to overcome the problem, but with technology advancements, there are procedures that can help deal with the condition effectually. IVF or In Vitro Fertilization is a medical fertilization process where an egg is combined or fertilized by a sperm outside of the living organism or the body or ‘in vitro’ environment.

In IVF, which is a kind of ART or Assisted Reproductive Technology, once the embryo or embryos are formed, they are transferred into the uterus. Since its invention, IVF has helped over millions of couples conceive and enjoy complete happiness.

To know more about how IVF can help people, continue reading.

1. Couples can have a baby despite having Infertility issues: Whether a couple suffers from low sperm counts, any damage or issues with the fallopian tubes or the uterus, endometriosis, irregular ovulation or any other infertility problems, IVF still makes healthy and successful pregnancy possible. With having a reliable success record, the advanced technology of IVF is also safer.
2. IVF boosts the chance of healthy pregnancy as well as a healthy baby: PGD or Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis being possible in IVF, it not only makes pregnancy possible but also ensures the health of the child. This diagnosis helps in identifying whether the embryo has any chromosomal deficiencies or not before it is implanted inside the uterus.
3. IVF lets couples have more control over WHEN they want a baby: While to get pregnant naturally, couples have to try for years, IVF lets couples have more control over the time when they want a baby. Be it the gap between the two or more children or planning the birth of a child at a certain time or getting pregnant at the right time, IVF offers everything and makes it rather easy.
4. IVF lets couples enjoy more options of having babies: When it comes down to having babies, IVF simply gives aspiring parents more options. From allowing women the chance to have children even after menopause, to storing of the sperm and eggs for future use, IVF helps people in materializing their dream of having children in every possible way.
5. IVF also lets same-sex couples and single women to have babies: IVF has made it possible for single women and same-sex couples to have children of their own. Yes, it is IVF, which gives such people the opportunity to become parents with the help of donor sperms or donor eggs. Especially, for those who fail to acquire satisfactory results through IUI, IVF turns out to be the next best option for potential patients to fulfill their dream of becoming parents.

One must also remember that opting for IVF doesn’t always mean success as the ultimate accomplishment of this assisted reproductive technology depends on various factors, such as health and quality of the eggs, the fertility of the sperm and a healthy uterus that can carry the embryo successfully. 

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results in high blood sugar levels in the body. It basically means that the body is either insensitive to insulin or the insulin production levels in the body go down. The various symptoms of diabetes are blurred vision, weight loss and hunger.

Some other symptoms of diabetes are:

1. Excessive urine output
2. Wounds that take time to heal
3. Yeast infections
4. You may experience fatigue on a regular basis
5. Frequent Mood Changes

Diabetes is also known as a Lifestyle disease. From the food you eat to the amount of activity, they are all connected to diabetes prevention. The various modifications that you may carry out to prevent diabetes are:

1. Exercise

You should exercise on a regular basis as it increases your overall wellbeing. It helps you to lose weight and allows you to maintain optimal blood sugar levels. It can also improve your body's sensitivity to insulin to prevent blood sugar problems. Exercise helps in increasing endorphin levels in the body which are responsible for keeping you happy & satiated, thereby avoiding depression and over-eating.

2. Eat more whole grains

Unlike simple carbohydrates, whole grains are complex carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar steadily instead of spiking it suddenly. Avoid refined grains as most of the important nutrients are stripped from refined grains. A Well-balanced diet with adequate amounts of PUFA/MUFA help in increasing the insulin sensitivity, reducing cholesterol and heart problems, etc.

3. Eat a lot of fiber

If you have type 2 diabetes, you should be, including high-fiber foods in your diet is a healthy way to control high blood sugar. Fiber does not raise blood glucose levels. Because it is not broken down by the body, the fiber in an apple or a slice of whole grain bread has no effect on blood glucose levels because it isn't digested. The grams of fiber can actually be subtracted from the total grams of carb you are eating if you are using carbohydrate counting for meal planning. Fiber helps you in feeling satiated, thus prevents you from overeating. It also improves your blood sugar levels and decreases your chances of getting affected by heart disease.

4. Lose weight

You should aim to maintain a healthy weight level as it also decreases the risk of diabetes. It also helps in improving your cardiovascular health. Follow a regimen, which is based on a balanced diet and moderate amount of exercise. Losing weight is the best way to keep diabetes away. Weight is something that we can keep under control. The waist size of men and women should not be more than 150 cm and 90 cm respectively. Always maintain your ideal body weight as per your BMI (Body Mass Index). Globally, obesity is one of the leading causes of diabetes.

5. Avoid sugary drinks

With ten teaspoons of sugar in every 12-ounce can or bottle, sweet drinks can send your blood sugar soaring and boost your risk for weight gain, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. One sugary drink a day adds 150 empty calories and 40 to 50 grams of blood-sugar-raising carbohydrates to your diet, and can lead to a weight gain of 15 pounds per year. Switching to healthier drinks can save hundreds of calories and a lot of carbohydrates.

6. Avoid Stress

When you are stressed, your blood sugar levels rise. Stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol kick in since one of their major functions is to raise blood sugar to help boost energy when it's needed most. You can't fight danger when your blood sugar is low, so it rises to help meet the challenge. Both physical and emotional stress can prompt an increase in these hormones, resulting in an increase in blood sugars and diabetes. Ensuring a stress-free life is very important if you want to stay away from diabetes. Avoid stress by going out for garden-walks, indulging in social causes/activities, yoga, meditation, etc.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!