Expert interview: What an embryologist from an IVF lab says about when women should start having babies and why During the workshop at a spanish fertility clinic, I took the opportunity to spend some time with Dr. Fina Gomez, a leading embryologist in the IVF lab. I asked her the kind of questions that…
Extra-weight does decrease your chances of getting pregnant I will start this post by telling a little secret. In my counseling sessions, I sometimes insist on having video chats on Skype, for the reason that I like to see the women I’m talking to. Why do I need to see them? Because even when they’re…
What I would tell my daughter when she gets her first period Young women are often poorly informed about the impact of age on fertility and there is hardly anything new about that. But, if you now think I am talking only about being aware that one-third of women over 35 are not able to…
How late is NOT too late to start having children? I just came back from a vacation, where I met a 40-year-old woman who just became a first-time mother. She conceived naturally, on her second date. Both she and her beautiful baby daughter look fabulous and give the impression that becoming a mother at 40…
Dear ladies, thank you very much for your letters, questions and support. Each one of your voices and your comments over the past years has helped me to build a better website. For that I feel very grateful. But most of all, thank you for letting me have a glimpse of many of your fertility journeys and…
A few possible downsides of reproductive technologies? Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART), better known as in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), involve manipulation of several steps of conception, from the stimulation of gamete production to the culture of embryos in the laboratory. A whole lot of manipulation as the matter of fact. These manipulations include: the…
Poor egg quality can be improved and here is how Do you have reasons to think you may have poor egg quality? Are you are struggling to conceive due to your age of over 35, high FSH, or any unexplained cause? There is really no need to feel desperate. It is still possible to become pregnant, and the…
Why you really need folic acid If you live in a modern Western society (especially if you are over 35), you definitely need supplements during preconception time. Besides improving your chances to get pregnant, they also give the best start possible to your baby, which will need a lot of support (and B-group vitamins!) in…
Who was the first one to discover beneficial effects of DHEA on egg and embryo quality? We all now know that DHEA can improve egg quality in women, especially those who are in advanced reproductive age. But DHEA has come a long way in the past ten years – from a coincidental finding, to the…
