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...
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...
Infertility affects approximately one out of every six couples, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Although there are many reasons why a couple may be infertile, hormonal imbalances are one common cause. Hormonal imbalances in a...
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...
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...
CoQ10, or Co-enzyme Q 10, a compound normally produced in the body, decreases in production as people age and in some medical conditions. CoQ10 is currently getting press in the fertility world as a way to improve fertility in both men and women....
More than 1 percent of all babies born in the United States are conceived through assisted reproductive technology, also known as in vitro fertilization, or IVF, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2010. Women undergo IVF...
Of the millions of sperm men release when they ejaculate, only between 50 and 75 percent are healthy enough to fertilize an egg, according to the Mayo Clinic. Everything from the temperature of your bathwater to whether you're stressed at the...
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...
Acupuncture and assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), are different tools to treat different types of infertility problems. When used together, acupuncture and ART may provide complementary...
The root of the Siberian ginseng bush, also called eleuthero, is used in herbal medicine to stimulate the immune system. Siberian ginseng is not the same as either Asian ginseng, sometimes called panax ginseng, or American ginseng. Each type of...
Many genetic disorders are associated with reproductive problems. Genetic disorders are caused by spontaneous gene mutations or by inherited genes. Inherited genes can be recessive--which means that both parents must pass on the gene for a child...
As many as 9 percent of assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles in the U.S. involve donated eggs, according to Resolve: The National Infertility Association. Egg donors can earn as much as $25,000 for participating in a donation cycle. Egg...
In a normal menstrual cycle, a woman releases a mature egg from a follicle that develops in the ovary. Luteinizing hormone (LH) matures the egg inside the follicle and causes the follicle to burst, releasing the egg. The rise in LH, called an LH...
Progesterone, a hormone produced by the corpus luteum, the remnant of the follicle that remains after ovulation of an egg, helps an embryo implant in the uterus. Women with infertility take progesterone suppositories for several reasons. They may...
Progesterone suppositories contain the hormone progesterone and work by altering the lining of the uterus. They are available by prescription and are typically used as part of an assisted reproductive technology program, according to Drugs.com....
Every human being has 46 chromosomes, including two chromosomes (X ,Y) that determine gender. The Y chromosome is unique to males. Inheriting an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the father makes the child male. Because the Y...
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most commonly used form of assisted reproductive technology. During the IVF procedure, a woman's eggs are retrieved during surgery and then fertilized outside of her body with sperm. Several days after...
In vitro fertilization is often characterized as an assisted reproductive technology where eggs are extracted from the ovaries and then inseminated outside the body before being placed into the uterus. Following embryo transfer, most women must...
Progesterone is one of the hormones essential for female reproduction. Progesterone, produced by the corpus luteum, the remaining remnant of the follicle that once contained the developing egg, helps maintain a pregnancy, should one occur. When...
Menopur, or menotropins, is a prescription medication that is a gonadotropin and ovulation stimulator. It's used in conjunction with hCG in infertile women to induce ovulation and pregnancy. It is also used for stimulating multiple follicle...
The time honored method for your doctor to assign a due date is to take the first day of your last menstrual period, or LMP, count back three months and add seven days. For example, if the first day of your last menstrual period was April 1, count...
If you've decided that the right time to become pregnant is during your 40s, there are several factors to take into consideration including risks to your health and the health of the baby. On the other hand, some women find that this stage of life...
HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, is a drug given to mature eggs from artificially stimulated ovaries during assisted reproductive technology, or ART procedures. HCG is usually given 34 to 36 hours before egg retrieval, since release usually...
Some women do not make enough progesterone, one of the dominant female hormones, to achieve and maintain a pregnancy. They make take progesterone supplements to increase progesterone levels before and during early pregnancy. Others take...
The Food and Drug Administration regulates the donation of eggs and other tissues under Chapter 21 of the Code of Federal Regulation Parts 1270 and 1271. Under this law, the FDA requires prospective egg donors to be evaluated using specific...