Hypogonadism refers to a condition in which the hormone secretion from the sex glands or gonads is inadequate. The reproductive glands include the testes in males and ovaries in females. Testosterone is the major secretory product of the testes....
Fertility is complex for both men and women. A lot of components must align for a man to impregnate a woman. A number of things can disrupt this alignment, leading to issues with fertility. Health problems and medical treatments are known to cause...
Human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, is a hormone produced during pregnancy. It used to stimulate ovulation prior to egg implantation in women undergoing in vitro fertilization. In men, it stimulates sperm production, and in boys, it has been...
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine based on traditional Chinese medicine. Trained therapists insert the tips of needles into specific points on the body to stimulate healing in those areas. Acupuncture may boost fertility in patients...
Femara is the brand name for the generic medication, letrozole. It belongs to a class of drugs known as aromatase inhibitors, which block production of estrogen. Femara treats postmenopausal women with breast cancer or for women with infertility...
Human chorionic Gonadotropin, or hCG, plays an important role in maintaining early pregnancies. Blood and urine pregnancy tests evaluate levels of hCG produced in the early stages of pregnancy by placental tissue. If you're having twins, triplets...
Being a surrogate mother helps to make the dream of a baby come true for a family. While surrogacy can be a self-sacrificing act, the process of conception and maintaining a pregnancy can be difficult and requires many tests. The method of...
It takes only one sperm to fertilize an egg and start a pregnancy. However, to overcome the daunting odds of a sperm successfully navigating the female reproductive tract to penetrate the egg, a man must contribute tens of millions of sperm to the...
Gynecologists and obstetricians work together to ensure the reproductive health of women throughout their lives, from puberty through menopause and beyond. In most cases, the training is identical and a doctor is certified in both fields, although...
Fertility is a complex issue that involves many factors, from the woman's weight and gynecological health to her exposure to environmental toxins. Even medications that you have taken in the past, such as diet pills, can have an effect of your...
Fertility problems can be distressing for many individuals and couples. Your physician may recommend fertility drugs, artificial insemination, surgery or assisted reproductive technology to help you and your partner get pregnant, but these...
Progesterone is a natural and synthetically produced steroid hormone. Progesterone is essential for the regulation of the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Progesterone is indicated for the treatment of several conditions, including absent...
Retrograde ejaculation is a medical condition in which semen flows backwards into the bladder because muscles in the bladder neck do not close properly to prevent back flow. Retrograde ejaculation is usually diagnosed by a "dry orgasm" and the...
Infants are surviving outside the womb at younger gestational age and lower birth weight, but earlier preterm birth is associated with higher medical and nutritional risk. Preterm and low birth weight infants may require prolonged hospitalization...
Acupuncture is an alternative Chinese therapy that uses the insertion of needles into the skin. Proponents claim that acupuncture is a viable option to treat pain, disease and infertility. However, medical evidence showing acupuncture to be either...
According to a 2009 study published in "Clinics in Perinatology," C-sections now account for about 32 percent of deliveries, compared to less than five percent in 1970. Deliveries in older women, women with multiple fetus pregnancies due to...
The technique of manually injecting a single egg with a single sperm is called intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI. ICSI has allowed men who were previously considered hopelessly infertile to conceive children. ICSI is performed to bypass...
Injecting a sperm into an egg or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is an assisted reproduction laboratory technique invented in1992. ICSI has given men with extremely poor sperm quality and low sperm count the ability to father children....
Over 1.2 million women in the U.S. seek treatment each year for infertility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some conceptions require only fertility-enhancing medications or artificial insemination. Other babies start...
According to the Mayo Clinic, advanced age is one of the leading causes of both male and female infertility. In fact, it reports that after age 32, a woman's chance of getting pregnant begins to decline. The likelihood of a woman over 40 having...
Getting pregnant is more challenging for women at 40 than it is for their younger counterparts. This is because around the age of 32, according to the Mayo Clinic, a woman's fertility begins to decline. According to the American Society for...
In-vitro fertilization, or IVF, is utilized by couples that are unable to conceive naturally. During the process, mature eggs are fertilized by sperm in a laboratory. The fertilized egg is then implanted in the uterus. According to MayoClinic.com,...
Getting and staying fit can add years to your life and make you feel younger and stronger. Unfortunately, being physically fit cannot reverse the effects of aging on your eggs. Getting pregnant becomes more difficult as you age. Even the most...
The most common method of sperm collection for semen analysis or insemination is self-collection by masturbation and ejaculation into a sterile collection cup. Typically, the patient is given a clean private area that is stocked with erotic...
Many couples wrongfully decide not to seek treatment if they have difficulty conceiving after they've already had a child. They figure since they easily conceived with their first child, they should not have a problem with their next. However,...
Women may take the female hormone progesterone as part of hormone replacement therapy after they reach menopause, while others may use progesterone to help with menstrual cycle abnormalities. The medical reference "UpToDate" says that women may...
Being overweight affects your chances of getting pregnant. A study reported by Barbara Luke of Michigan State University looked at pregnancy rates in 50,000 women undergoing assisted reproductive technology procedures. The study showed that women...
Couples who are unable to conceive a child on their own sometimes turn to surrogacy. Two types of surrogacy--traditional and gestational--have different legal and medical implications for the intended parents.
As a woman, your fertility peaks before 30 and declines steadily after that time. By age 44, your body is preparing for menopause by turning off its production of the female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Becoming pregnant without...
