Tag Archives: infertility

World’s First Breath Test Fertility Tracker Launches To Increase UK Pregnancy Rates

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New breath tests will be launching today, that can help to increase pregnancy rates with the world’s first fertility tracker breathe ilo, that uses breath analysis (CO2) to identify ovulation patterns.

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With a study revealing that only 12.7% of women correctly estimate their ovulation day¹, breathe ilo is the easiest and most comfortable way to naturally track cycles with a small handheld device that is synced to an app. The technology reads the breath’s CO2 saturation to determine where a woman is in her cycle with incredible accuracy. The device uses real-time ovulation and historic symptom data to offer women precise day-to-day insights into their fertility forecast.

 

The new technology signals a shift so women no longer need to track their cycles by urinating on a stick or by measuring their temperature early in the morning. The innovative device works by simply breathing and displays the results in just 60 seconds, with no consumables or maintenance needed. Through consistent daily use, the breath analysis tracker empowers women to understand their body and cycle phases better.

 

The breathe ilo app, which is compatible with iOS and Android, features a calendar that displays a clear overview of fertile days and a cycle diary to learn more about individual cycle patterns. breathe ilo’s cycle diary also offers the possibility to document further cycle symptoms like breast tenderness, PMS, cervical mucus, or headaches to help prepare women for their next cycle.

 

Lisa Krapinger, breathe ilo’s spokesperson, says, “We believe that fertility and cycle tracking should not be a tiresome task. breathe ilo is designed to bring fertility tracking into the 21st century and the precise and uncomplicated nature of the device is the future of female health by using their breath.”

 

“Our mission is to not only make fertility tracking as easy as breathing, but we have a wider ambition to create a comfortable space where women can speak freely about trying to conceive and their menstrual cycles, along with all that is in between. With 640,370 women in England & Wales giving birth in 2019², we hope to make it easier and less stressful for those trying to conceive moving forward.”

Pia Haas’s story

 

After two years of trying for a baby, Pia Haas, 32, decided to take a chance on a new piece of tech to increase her likelihood of getting pregnant.

 

As part of a field study for the femtech start-up, Pia agreed to test out the device which claimed to be able to tell her when exactly it’s the right time to try conceive just by simply breathing. Three months later, Pia was stunned and delighted to find out that she was pregnant and became the first woman to give birth to a baby thanks to breathe ilo.

 

Pia, whose son Felix is now 10 months, says of her experience using the breathe ilo: “With breathe ilo my biggest wish came true. I think it is the easiest way of tracking your fertile days. It was less stress than peeing on sticks or measuring temperature. We are planning to use breathe ilo again in the near future to get a sibling for Felix.”

 

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Dr Horst Ruther’s story

 

  • Please can you share your own experience with trying to conceive and the difficulties you and your wife faced?

My wife and I’s wish to have a child was unsatisfied after more than 5 years of trying. The journey to parenthood was tough because it caused private pressure within our relationship as a couple, but over the years also external pressure from friends and family. The available methods to detect the most fertile days were not very user friendly or easy to use, and also quite unprecise. We even underwent some clinical treatment which only made us more frustrated and increased the pressure further. After several years,  Edith and I decided to go down the adoption route and were very grateful to be able to adopt our son Benjamin. To our surprise shortly after adopting Benjamin, Edith became pregnant and our son Bastian was born only 10 months after his brother Benjamin.

 

  • How did the idea behind breathe ilo manifest?

After having gone through a tough journey to become a father, I was super excited to learn about the research Prof. Wildt had done in the area of breath analysis to detect fertile days of women – particularly the great advantages of the method because it was much easier and more pleasant than any other method available. So I organised a meeting with Prof. Wildt and immediately knew that we were going to bring the innovation to the broad majority. While Prof. Wildt did show promising research results in the correlation of CO2 in breath and the female cycle with professional respiratory analysers at the clinic, he lacked the knowledge how to build an affordable respiratory analyser for women at home. But with my engineering background and 30 years’ experience leading successful development projects for blood gas analysers for diagnostic companies like Roche Diagnostics, we were able to collaborate to bring breathe ilo to life.

 

With the option to buy a device for £259.00 or rent for £29.90 a month, breathe ilo is available to purchase exclusively now at  www.breatheilo.com from September 16, 2020.

 

How old is too old to have a baby? 44, according to British women

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how old is too old to have a baby? post natal depression, PND,How old do you think is too old for a woman to become a mother? Well new research conducted by the Private Pregnancy UK Show reveals that when it comes to having babies, British women believe that 44 is “too old” and should be the cut-off point. This is despite social factors such as focusing on careers and not finding the right partner, as well as advancements in medicine and science, playing crucial roles in the surge in older women having babies.

The research aims to start a debate on how far medical intervention and assisted conception can go in aiding women who wish to preserve their fertility or delay having children, as well as highlighting the need for increased fertility awareness for adult women and calls for sex education to include information on fertility options.

The five most cited reasons as to why women believe 44 should be the cut-off age are:
1.    It is unfair on the child to have old parents
2.    Increased likelihood of health complications like Down’s Syndrome for the child
3.    Women aged 50-plus should not be allowed fertility assistance via vitro fertilisation (IVF)
4.    Parents won’t live long enough to see the child grow up
5.    It is “unnatural” to have babies after that age

The research also reveals that almost three-quarters (74%) of women believe that there isn’t enough fertility education available for women about not “leaving it too late” to start a family, or the options now available to help preserve a woman’s fertility and likewise, to assist with conception. The majority of women (75%) questioned believe that the responsibility to educate women about these time-sensitive issues lies with government health officials.

Dr Amin Gorgy, fertility consultant and IVF specialist at The Fertility & Gynaecology Academy comments:

“The ideal age for women to become pregnant is in their twenties and early thirties. A woman’s fertility potential declines rapidly after the age of 35 and drops even faster after the age of 40. Indeed, successful egg freezing through vitrification has made it possible for women to postpone conception to later in life but as a society, we should be encouraging couples to have children at a younger age, in fact, I recommend that couples should aim to complete their families by the age of 35. There isn’t enough education available to women, many of whom still believe they can go on forever.

Theoretically, through egg donation and using eggs frozen at an earlier age, women can conceive at any age, in fact, the receptivity of the womb for implanting embryos declines only after the age of 54 but usually, we take 50 as the age limit for assisted conception and only under special circumstances will we consider someone beyond the age of 50. IVF must be put into perspective if used after the age of 35 as the chances of having a live birth with an IVF cycle declines dramatically with age, for example, there is a 20% success rate at the age of 40 which falls to just 1% above the age of 45.”

Dr Alex Eskander, consultant gynaecologist at The Gynae Centre comments:

“My feeling is that women in the UK enjoy much more the liberty, freedom and opportunity to further their careers over settling down to have children, the latter of which is now a thoroughly outdated concept of the traditional family.

I find the two key points of pressure for these women to have children come from their parents’ “need” to have grandchildren and a growing understanding of their biological clock. As a clinician, let’s be clear, I am not scare-mongering, it is a fact that ovarian function declines significantly from 30 years of age and even more sharply after 35 years.

I agree that 44 is too old for women to have children. From the ovaries standpoint, the number of eggs decline and the egg quality is poor. As a result, it is difficult to conceive and the conception maybe associated with a high rate of chromosome abnormalities and increased chances of miscarriage. From the mother’s standpoint, there is a high risk of hypertension, pre-eclampsia and caesarean section.

My advice for young women who may want to delay conception for any reason beyond the age of 35 is to seriously consider egg or embryo freezing (with donor sperm) as your “insurance policy””.

The two doctors will be joining a wider panel of experts who will be hosting this debate in a women’s healthcare Question Time seminar on Sunday 22 May at the Private Pregnancy UK Show.

For more information, please visit www.privatepregnancy.co.uk

 

 

Struggling To Get Pregnant? Losing Weight Will Help

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Dr Sally Norton – UK leading NHS weight loss surgeon & consultantOne of the many reasons that women, and occasionally men, come to see me for weight loss advice is because they want to start a family, but are struggling. Did you know that obesity is a major cause of difficulty getting pregnant – and can increase the risk of miscarriage or problems during pregnancy and childbirth? In fact, there is a significantly greater risk of diabetes during pregnancy if you are overweight – and this can affect the future health of your child as well as you.

Research evidence shows that being overweight can contribute to period problems, hormonal imbalances, lack of ovulation, resistance to fertility treatment and therefore fertility problems particularly in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

There is a higher risk of miscarriage, higher risk of abnormalities of the baby as well as still birth in women who are overweight. The pregnant overweight mother is also at higher risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and difficult or complicated delivery of the baby by Caesarean or forceps.

Some women end up seeking help with IVF (in-vitro fertilization) or other forms of fertility treatment, but this isn’t usually funded unless women are below a BMI of 30 or under the age of 40 – which is why I get women coming to me for weight-loss surgery. They are desperate, the clock is ticking, and they can’t seem to lose weight on their own. It’s sad to see, and the stress of it all doesn’t help fertility in the slightest!

Interestingly it’s not all about the woman’s weight. In men, being obese can cause the following problems: reduced semen volume, a reduced sperm count and increased sperm DNA damage. Losing weight will improve these parameters.

So, if you are thinking of starting a family, it is a great incentive for both you and your partner to lose weight. But you have to make sure you do it in a way that is good for you. Fad dieting which will starve your body of essential nutrients which, for women, is just at the time when you and your unborn child need them most. In fact, some studies suggest that a mother’s diet, even BEFORE she actually gets pregnant, can affect the health of her child. So instead of crash dieting, treat your body with the care and respect it deserves – after all, you’ll be relying on your body to create a healthy new life within it. Fill it with the most nutritious food you can find, keep active to ensure you are as fit as you can be – and not only will you be rewarded with a slimmer healthier body but you will find it easier to get pregnant too.

By Dr Sally Norton – UK leading NHS weight loss surgeon & consultant

 

 

Jaime King Talks About Infertility & Enduring Five Miscarriages

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Jaime King may be a very happy mother now but she endured years of painful infertility and five miscarriages due to PCOS & Endometriosis. The Hart of Dixie star shared her struggles to become pregnant. “For all the struggling women & moms out there that think they are alone – This is the truth about conceiving my son and struggles after, 8 yrs of pain and undiagnosed PCOS & Endometriosis. 9 doctors until Dr. Randy Harris diagnosed me & saved my life from a severe ectopic, 5 miscarriages, 5 rounds of IVF, 26 IUI’s, most with no outcome, 4½ years of trying to conceive,” she revealed on Instagram.
Jaime King Talks About Infertility & Enduring Five Miscarriages

King gave birth to her son James Knight last October. She went on to reveal: “26 hours of brutal labor, early delivery b/c of sudden preeclampsia, tearing and tearing after the stitches were in once I was home, milk supply issues, painful mastitis, uncontrollable crying while breast feeding.”

She then went on to say that she overworked afterwards instead of looking after herself and her new baby.

“[I] worked until the day before I [gave] birth and went back 6 weeks after, I was afraid of letting others down.”

King wanted to share her story to help other women who are struggling and captioned her Instagram post: “#youarenotalone,#ihavetobebravetosupportothers #realtalkthatterrifiesus.”

What do you think? Have you had problems with infertility?

 

 

Male Infertility: Did You Know That Sperm Count Is Dramatically Declining?

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spermmensfertilityIt’s Men’s Health Week (9th-15th June 2014) and whilst much has been written about the previously taboo male health topics such as prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction, the area of male infertility has, until recently, been relatively ignored. Most information and support around infertility is directed at women, however in 40% of cases, the cause of the problem lies with the man.1

Recently, doctors and researchers have been looking at the decline in sperm quality in all men, one of the more common causes of male infertility, and speculating on the causes for this alarming and growing problem. Up to a fifth of young men today have a low sperm count (defined as fewer than 20 million sperm per millilitre of semen2) and the number of sperm in each millilitre of semen has halved between World War Two and 1992, while abnormal sperm is on the rise.3 We can’t be sure why this is happening, although a recent study suggests that a combination of different chemicals found in everyday packaging and toiletries, may be having an impact.

To help couples who are trying for a baby but may be experiencing issues such as low sperm count and motility issues, The Stork is a new home conception aid, which uses cervical cap insemination and bridges the gap between starting to try for a baby and in-clinic treatment options.

“Male fertility is an area which has been greatly over looked over the last few years so it’s encouraging to see this research examining the causes. It’s important for men to think about their fertility – not just their partner’s – when planning a family. Overheating, obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking can all impair sperm quality and motility. Some men may feel their masculinity is compromised in some way when they learn they could have fertility issues, check this as it is better to deal with these head on than bury your head in the sand. Ask your doctor to investigate what might be the cause so you can identify potential solutions. For some couples with low sperm count or low motility, the new at-home conception aid, The Stork, can help because it puts the sperm as close to the egg as possible,” said Professor Ellis Downes, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

1. Schiffer C., Müller A., Egeberg D. L., Alvarez L., Brenker C., Rehfeld A., Frederiksen H., Wäschle B., Kaupp U. B., Balbach M., Wachten D., Skakkebaek N. E., Almstrup K. and Strünker T. (2014), Direct action of endocrine disrupting chemicals on human sperm. EMBO

2. NHS Choices: Low sperm count. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/low-sperm-count/Pages/Introduction.aspx [Last accessed June 2014]

3. Elizabeth Carlsen and others, “Evidence for decreasing quality of semen during the past 50 years,” British Medical Journal, 305, 1992, 609-613

The Kitchen Baby | Book Review

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The Kitchen Baby is about the author delivering his fifth child on the kitchen floor of the family’s Kent farmhouse without medical assistance. It also tells the story of how the author became a father. Five times! Through infertility, going broke and all of the problems that holding a relationship together brings. It is a story of triumph over adversity.

The Kitchen Baby is a well written and thoughtful book. Men really do not have much of a voice when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth. True, they are not the ones that carry the baby for nine months and give birth, but they are still a large part of raising a child. That said, I do not think this book is just for men, women will enjoy it too.

More men should write books about pregnancy and fatherhood. It is an untapped market. Quite often men are just left to fend for themselves. Or course women are the ones that go through pregnancy and childbirth, but it takes both parents to raise a child. Men go through all of those sleepless nights too. No one should have to suffer on their own and fathers never get enough credit.

The Kitchen Baby is not just a book about the author delivering his fifth child in the kitchen of the family home, it is also about a man who didn’t want children becoming a father of five, even through fertility problems and the other obstacles that life throws.

The book flows very well and Kennedy is obviously a talented writer. He has a very natural and entertaining style. Angus does have a tendency to go off subject occasionally, but it does not harm the book and he is a good writer and the book works. It is entertaining and informative. I really enjoyed it and I recommend it for both sexes, whether they are parents or not.

The Kitchen Baby is available here.

Fertility expert, Dr Marilyn Glenville, gives conception hope to thousands of couples

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Nutritionist and fertility expert, Dr Marilyn Glenville, gives conception hope to thousands of couples across the UK

Study reveals Fertility Support Programme can improve fertility of couples

Leading nutritionist and fertility expert, Dr Marilyn Glenville, launches the Fertility Support Programme – a personalised 12-week nutritional and lifestyle fertility plan that can dramatically increase chances of conception, giving hope to thousands of couples across the UK experiencing problems with infertility.

1 in 6 couples in the UK experience difficulty getting pregnant. IVF has a 25% success rate, which means 75% of the cycles are failing – leaving thousands of couples with emotional heartache and financial strain. Dr Marilyn Glenville has guided hundreds of couples through their fertility journey; and her 3-month programme provides a range of dietary, supplement and lifestyle changes, which have helped so many to conceive naturally.

“Couples with fertility problems can often experience stress, frustration and feelings of isolation,” says Dr Marilyn Glenville. “ Many people are unaware that just simple changes to your lifestyle and diet could help you achieve a healthy pregnancy. The support programme is a unique plan which encompasses an integrated approach through a combination of conventional and nutritional medicine.”

A ground-breaking study conducted by the University of Surrey revealed that after following the same nutritional and lifestyle advice outlined by Dr Glenville, 86% of couples with a previous history of infertility became pregnant.[1] “We took the vitamins, followed the advice, and three months later my wife became pregnant. It was almost like a switch, one year or so of nothing but trying, then three months of the plan – and pregnancy!” says Ian R, who followed the Fertility Support Programme.

Fertility is a major issue for many couples. Around 70% of patients visiting the Dr Marilyn Glenville clinic reveal that they receive a lack of support and insufficient advice from their doctor regarding fertility problems.

Dr Glenville is keen to highlight that while you can’t change the number of eggs you have, you can change their quality. “By improving the quality of your eggs, you are increasing your chances of conceiving naturally, and also preventing miscarriage. Men produce sperm all their lives so it is always possible to not only improve the quality, but also the quantity, with lifestyle and nutritional changes.”

Nutrients such as antioxidants have been shown to significantly boost male fertility and also help women improve their chances during IVF. Correcting the deficiencies of certain nutrients like vitamin D can have an enormous benefit for fertility for both men and women.

The Fertility Support Programme is available exclusively at the Dr Marilyn Glenville fertility clinic – www.marilynglenvilleeducation.com/article

Rebekah Brooks Expecting First Child

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Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks is expecting her first child with racehorse trainer husband Charlie.

The couple are having the child through a surrogate. They are the biological parents and it will be born in February 2012.

Brooks’s spokesperson David Wilson said in a statement released on November the 17th: “Charlie and Rebekah are overjoyed. While the pregnancy has not been without its difficulties and sadness, Charlie and Rebekah are obviously hoping for a very happy ending to almost five years of trying to conceive themselves.

“Both parents are acutely aware of the infertility problems encountered by many other couples, and in the longer term hope to recognise their own good fortune by working in some way to help others facing similar challenges.”

The couple are having a girl, who was originally one of twins, but one of the twins died earlier in the pregnancy.

The surrogate mother wishes to remain anonymous.