FSH, or follicle stimulating hormone, governs the growth of ovarian follicles. FSH levels on day two or three of the menstrual cycle reflect "ovarian reserve," the number of good eggs still left in the ovary, according to David Bruce Sable, M.D....
In-vitro fertilization, or IVF, is an expensive infertility treatment that sometimes enables women to have babies. According to the Advanced Fertility Center in Chicago, the IVF process includes taking hormonal medications by injection to...
Insemination is the process by which a sperm cell is able to combine with an egg cell. Sometimes this process can be hindered by problems with the sperm or the female reproductive tract, requiring the use of alternative insemination processes.
In vitro fertilization is a process in which a fertilized embryo is transferred to the uterus. IVF is a helpful procedure for women who have difficulties getting or staying pregnant. If you are about to go through an IVF cycle, your doctor may...
The placenta produces human chorionic gonadoptropin, or hCG, during pregnancy to increase the lining of your uterus so your baby can implant there. It is also responsible for producing progesterone, which will eventually take over the job of...
During early pregnancy, your developing baby begins to secrete a hormone called hCG, which stands for human chorionic gonadotropin. This hormone is crucial to the success of your pregnancy, because it helps communicate to your body that you're...
Human chorionic gonadotropohin, hCG, is a hormone produced during pregnancy. Cells that form the placenta excrete hCG once an egg has been fertilized and implanted into the uterus. HCG levels double every 72 hours and peak between eight and 11...
Progesterone is one of the hormones that your body secretes each month as part of your normal reproductive cycle. The hormone helps prepare your body for pregnancy, and in the event of pregnancy, helps you maintain the pregnancy. Low progesterone...
Ectopic pregnancies happen when a fertilized egg implants outside the endometrium, or inner lining, of the uterus. While ectopics can technically include implantation outside the reproductive tract entirely, many are tubal, meaning that the egg...
Human chorionic gonadotropin, also called hCG, is produced during pregnancy when the embryo implants into the uterine wall. Human chorionic gonadotropin is the hormone that pregnancy tests use to determine pregnancy. Human chorionic gonadotropin...
Uterine fibroids and polyps are both abnormal growths of uterine tissue and can cause similar symptoms. Polyps grow from endometrial tissue, the tissue that lines the uterus, and fibroids are growths of uterine muscle, according to the Advanced...
Weight and body mass index, or BMI, can impact a woman's fertility, whether she's overweight or underweight. A man's BMI can also have an effect on fertility, particularly if he's overweight. Overweight women may also suffer from metabolic...
The hormone hCG, which stands for human chorionic gonadotropin, helps to communicate to your body that you're pregnant, and maintains the pregnancy during its early weeks and months. Because developing embryos produce hCG, levels of hCG in a...
Many newly pregnant women wonder, "Is it twins?" Although twin pregnancies are more easily identified later in pregnancy, even at the time of the first missed period, or 4 weeks of pregnancy, there may be clues that more than one baby is on the...
Infertility specialists often prescribe medications to help the ovaries produce and release mature eggs, otherwise known as ovulation. Certain health conditions can prohibit a woman from ovulating, thus preventing pregnancy from occurring....
Much has been made of the idea that low levels of HCG can indicate a problem with a pregnancy. Both the American Pregnancy Association and the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago report that this is not necessarily true. HCG levels vary among...
Although it happens every day and appears to be a simple process, several conditions must be met for a woman to successfully conceive. One of these is that she should be neither overweight nor underweight -- either condition may have a negative...
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that as of 2008, as many as 72 million Americans could be considered obese. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index score of 30 or greater; an overweight BMI score starts...
Most people get pregnant in the usual way; they find a partner, have sex and wait for the positive pregnancy line to show up on the home pregnancy test. This doesn't work for everyone, though; people with infertility issues, who have no partner or...
Progesterone is one of the hormones that your body depends upon to help maintain pregnancy. If you experience a miscarriage, your doctor will likely test for a variety of potential causes, some of which have to do with production of progesterone...
HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, is a hormone that comes from a developing embryo to let your body know that you're pregnant. Adult humans don't normally produce any hCG; it's only normal in pregnant women. Quantities of hCG increase through...
When a fertilized egg begins to divide into a cell ball called a zygote, it communicates to your body that you're pregnant by using the hormone hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. If your hCG levels don't increase appropriately, it can be a sign...
During pregnancy, your hCG level is important, as this is the hormone that helps you maintain your uterine lining. HCG signals your body that you're pregnant; without it, you'll have a period, effectively ending your pregnancy. Unfortunately,...
Progesterone is a female hormone that plays a critical role in preparing your body for conception. With low levels of progesterone, it is difficult for your body to either conceive a child or carry the child to term. This significantly impacts...
The menstrual cycle is governed by the interaction of hormones that allow an egg-containing follicle to grow. Follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, plays an important role in the recruitment and development of eggs each month. Abnormal FSH levels...
Many of your body's hormones work together to help maintain your pregnancy. One of these hormones is called progesterone, which also has functions in the reproductive cycle of non-pregnant females. If your progesterone level is low during...
If you're pregnant, one of the most important hormones in early pregnancy is hCG. If your hCG levels aren't high enough, you could lose your baby. If you're concerned that papaya enzyme supplements will lower your hCG levels, you needn't worry;...
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or HCG, is a hormone released into the bloodstream of pregnant women after the egg is fertilized and implants into the lining of the uterus. Doctors expect HCG levels to occur within certain ranges depending on the...
FSH, shorthand for follicle-stimulating hormone, is a substance that is released by the pituitary gland. FSH is required for normal fertility; the hormone stimulates a man's sperm production and the release of eggs in a woman. According to the...
