Fertility drugs are given to stimulate the ovaries so that they produce mature egg containing follicles. In a normal menstrual cycle, one follicle (occasionally more) matures and releases an egg. Fertility medications often stimulate the...
Your body produces a number of hormones each month in the course of a normal menstrual cycle. These hormones lead to the changes you experience as your body prepares for the fertilization and implantation of an egg. HCG, which can come from a...
Donating eggs for an infertile woman, couple, or for an egg donation center can be an emotionally and financially fulfilling process. Strict screening rules mean that egg donation isn't for every woman, though, and even if you are able to donate...
Receiving an egg from a donor can help a woman to get pregnant even when her own body is no longer releasing eggs, or her eggs are not viable for reproduction. The egg is combined with sperm in a laboratory--it can be her partner's sperm or donor...
Ovulation is usually at the midpoint of a woman's menstrual cycle. It takes place when the right mixture of hormones reach a certain point. Pregnancy occurs when a woman ovulates and releases an egg from the ovaries. The egg than travels down...
Egg donation is the medical harvesting of fertile egg cells from a healthy donor. These cells are then fertilized and implanted into the womb of another woman who wants to get pregnant but can't use her own eggs. Egg donation helps thousands of...
Most people have heard recommendations to drink eight glasses of water a day, but this can prove challenging, particularly for busy women who are trying to get pregnant. Taking time to drink water really is worth it, though. Water is vital to...
Making the decision to become a surrogate mother for a friend is a responsibility that must be considered with care. Not only will you have to deal with the physical aspects of a pregnancy, but you must also cope with the emotional element of...
Many infertile couples look to herbs and herbal remedies to improve their fertility and increase their chances of conceiving. One highly effective herbal treatment for infertility in the female is vitex, also known as chasteberry. Vitex can help...
During a woman's menstrual cycle, her body produces hormones to signal her ovaries to produce and develop an egg. The complete process of egg development and maturation takes about 2 weeks. During this time, the woman's hormones are also changing...
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,...
Assistive reproductive technologies, or ARTs, are fertility treatments that enhance a woman's ability to get pregnant. According to the Canadian Medical Association, ARTs include anything from fertility-enhancing drugs to more complex procedures...
Pregnancy occurs when an egg is fertilized by a sperm. After fertilization, the egg is implanted in the lining of the uterus. Once implantation occurs, hormonal surges cause a number of the early signs of pregnancy. While these signs can be...
Your fertility clinic will recommend a egg donor agency to use to pick an egg donor. Meet directly with the egg donor or learn all about her with an extensive questionnaire. The egg donor becomes prepared to donate the egg to you after you have...
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a medical procedure in which eggs and sperm are fertilized in the laboratory and the resulting fertilized eggs or embryos are returned to the mother to establish a pregnancy. Physicians use variations on this...
With all the changes that take place during pregnancy, it's easy for women to wonder whether what they're feeling is normal or a sign that something is wrong---particularly when what they're feeling is painful. The pelvis and abdomen undergo...
Conception requires multiple events to take place. To begin with, sperm has to enter into the vagina and travel to the cervix. Next, it needs to come into contact with a mature egg and fertilize it. The fertilized egg has to travel to the uterus...
Insemination usually describes an artificial method of mixing sperm with an egg for fertilization. Insemination can be done in several ways, and is usually done with the assistance of a fertility center. Insemination is always done around the time...
One of the difficult issues with becoming pregnant is that conception can only occur when a mature egg is available to be fertilized, a time also known as ovulation. The period in which an egg can be fertilized is narrow, so many women seeking to...
Surrogacy is one way for a couple who are unable to conceive to have a child. The process involves a contract between the couple and a woman who agrees to become pregnant, carry the fetus to term and turn the baby over to the couple almost...
Sexual intercourse is the reproductive act in which semen can be expelled into the female via male ejaculation. During sexual intercourse, the male inserts an erect penis into the vagina, and the bodies move together until ejaculation occurs. Once...
Even the most careful couple can have an accident during intercourse. The Morning After Pill provides an option for preventing an unwanted pregnancy. When other birth control methods have failed, emergency contraception is available as a back up.
The ovaries are responsible for producing hormones and releasing eggs for fertilization during childbearing years. If there is an injury or disease that causes ovarian pain, the pain may be felt in the lower abdominal area or the pelvis. Depending...
Ortho Tri-Cyclen is combination of two female hormones that work together to prevent pregnancy. The estrogen and progesterone combination pill prevents ovulation and changes the lining to the uterus to make it hard for sperm to get to the egg and...
Conception occurs when a female egg is fertilized by sperm from the male, and is the basis for determining the date on which a baby is due to be delivered. While a gynecologist may take personal data or perform an ultrasound to gauge the age due...
Women who smoke take longer to become pregnant and are more likely never to become pregnant than women who don't smoke. Exposure to passive smoke is almost as harmful to female conception as active smoking. Smoking affects female fertility by...
As puberty hits, the production of certain hormones increases. For women, this begins in the ovaries, located on either side of the uterus. During puberty, the ovaries begin to produce more estrogen. The estrogen kick-starts the menstrual cycle...
Many women need egg donors in order to achieve their dreams of becoming a mother. Although these women are otherwise healthy, they lack the healthy egg production that is needed to produce a baby. With egg donation, a doctor surgically extracts...
Pregnancy involves several different steps, including the release of a mature egg, the egg's fertilization, and the fertilized egg being accepted by the uterus. Due to the complexity of this process, it can be difficult for some couples to...
A menstrual cycle is a natural occurrence for women in which the uterine lining is built up, an egg is released from the ovary, and if not fertilized, the lining and egg are shed in the menstrual period. Learn more about the menstrual cycle in...
