To achieve conception many hurdles have to be crossed and this takes time and a lot of luck or planning! Only about 85% of couples are able to achieve pregnancy in the first year of trying. As the chances of requiring medical advice increases after the first year of trying, this is the cut off for defining Infertility. Those over the age of 36 years are more likely to require medical assistance as fertility declines faster after this age. Help should be sought after 6 months

Men and women are different in terms of how the reproductive system works. In men sperms are produced continuously from the time of puberty and hence do not have a fertile window as such. Women on the other hand are born with eggs in their ovaries. These eggs are present in tiny sac of cells called Follicles. Every cycle, one egg is released from a follicle about two weeks before the next period. Pregnancy is most likely to happen in the three days prior to ovulation. The day

Ovulation is the process of release of egg from the ovary. Once ovulation occurs, the next period will come after about 2 weeks unless there is a pregnancy. The period from the beginning of the cycle to ovulation may vary but the time from ovulation to next period is constant. At this time you will notice mucus that is transparent, like raw egg white. It is stretchy, watery and may be reddish (with some blood). Body temperature too rises slightly just after ovulation and this

Pregnancy happens when sperm travels from the vagina via the cervix and the uterus to the fallopian tube and combines with an egg to form an embryo. (For details please see my blog on Conception ) If you are trying to conceive, you need to ensure that you have sex at or just before you ovulate (release egg). Since it is stressful to plan this event and ovulation can be unpredictable, a good practice to follow is to have relations every 2 to 3 days. Since sperms survive for a

Fertility is often taken for granted and the common perception is that pregnancy will happen soon. But then that doesn't happen. This causes a lot of confusion, anger, denial, sadness and self-doubt. The probability of conception is 15-25% in one cycle and approximately 85% of women under the age of 40 conceive within 12 months of trying. Therefore, doctors would advise you to stay calm and continue to try naturally for one year unless: You do not have regular periods You are

Many factors can impact your chances of pregnancy. Age of female partner: Fertility naturally reduces with age. The decline starts in the mid-thirties and faster after the age of 40. Regularity of periods: Irregular periods indicate irregular ovulation which will impact conception. Past operations (such as Laparoscopy for Endometriosis or Ovarian cyst) may have had an impact on the ovary or cause scarring in the pelvis leading to infertility. Lifestyle: Fertility declines due

The most crucial yet least heeded advice is to normalize your weight. The chances of conception decrease if your weight is too much or too less. In terms of BMI (Body Mass Index) ideally weight should be between 19.5 and 24.5. A healthy lifestyle with balanced diet with calorie control and regular exercise should help you work towards your target weight. Women trying to conceive should take Folic acid supplement daily. Sexual position, orgasm or rest after intercourse do not

Conception is a wondrous event, a result of several coincidences happening in the right order: release of egg (or ovum) from the ovary the egg enters the fallopian tube (usually of the same side) cohabitation occurs (at or just before) sufficient number of sperms travel up the vagina, uterus and into the fallopian tubes, egg and sperms interact culminating in formation of EMBRYO embryo continues to move along the tube and into the uterus embryo 'implants' or burrows into the

During evaluation, problems that can impact conception or pregnancy may be detected. This step consists of holistically treating the couple prior to the definitive fertility treatment. It is crucial to treat women with underactive thyroid (many times undiagnosed) to improve success rates and for a healthy baby. It is extremely important to achieve blood sugar control in women who have Diabetes to protect the unborn baby and for best outcome of pregnancy. Patients are advised

Once information is obtained, this information has to be informed to the patient/s followed by discussion on the steps that need to be taken. If the investigations reveal a problem, discussion may also include corrective steps to be taken before any fertility treatment is undertaken to ensure the best chances of success. Details of each of the options are discussed including the cost and success rates that can be expected. Recommendations are also given as to the best path to