If you are interested in donating your eggs, you should be aware of possible risks associated with egg donation. The New York State Department of Health has published a must-read guidebook for potential egg donors called "Thinking of Becoming an...
The body is made up of billions of cells working together to maintain the function of the thousands of tissue types that make up organs. Female and male bodies display sexual dimorphism--although both sexes share similar characteristics, they...
The freezing of human eggs for childbearing purposes is a technology used by in vitro fertilization, or IVF, clinics to help provide more options for women who want to eventually have children but who may be facing circumstances that make future...
Endometriosis is a condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus, or the endometrium, migrate to other parts of the body, which can lead to scar tissue and pain. Although no cure exists, endometriosis is typically treated with...
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...
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...
Pregnancy describes the period of time from conception to birth as an egg develops into a baby. Because no one knows exactly when an egg becomes fertilized, doctors calculate the length of pregnancy as 40 weeks from the first day of the last...
HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin and is a hormone generated from the placenta while you're pregnant. Tests for the presence of hCG in your blood or urine are common for determining whether you're pregnant. Your doctor might also...
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...
Louise Brown, the world's first in vitro fertilization baby, was born in 1978 in Oldham, England. Five years later, the world's first birth using a donated egg occurred in Monash, Australia. Since then, egg donation--which separates the roles of...
Menstrual cycles are controlled from beginning to end by hormones. Different female hormones are responsible for recruiting, maturing and releasing oocytes, or eggs, so they're ready to be fertilized by sperm. Four hormones are responsible for...
Estrogen is an important hormone for both men and women, though it plays a more important role in females. Estrogen is supplied by primarily the ovaries in women, and in small amounts in the testes of men. Estrogen can also be produced by the...
The primary reproductive organs for the male are the testes and their connecting tubes, and the prostate gland. The primary female reproductive organs are the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the uterus. The ovaries and testes are collectively called...
When it comes to making babies, women do the heavy lifting. The parts of the female reproductive system work together in a symphony of function that starts with fertilization and culminates in the birth of a baby.
Your adrenal glands produce dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA, a steroidal hormone that is converted to produce the sex hormones androgen and estrogen. The rate at which your adrenals produce DHEA begins to decline in your mid-twenties. According to...
Egg donation involves injecting hormones to stimulate ovarian follicles. Later, eggs are removed from the ovary using a needle. Researchers have not yet fully studied the long-term health impact of donating eggs. Payments of up to $35,000 are now...
If you are experiencing infertility and have tried a number of treatments without achieving pregnancy, your doctor may suggest trying in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Success rates for this procedure vary by age. For women under age 35, each IVF...
Cats are wonderful pets that will create many warm moments and loving memories for you and your children. Unfortunately, they will also create hundreds of pounds of dirty litter during their lifetime. Several types of parasites, bacteria, worms...
