The world’s largest study on the effects of lifestyle on the quality of sperm has been published this week, with some surprising findings.

Researchers at the universities of Manchester and Sheffield found that smoking cannabis can have a severe effect on male fertility, yet other lifestyle choices such as drinking alcohol and wearing tight briefs were not considered to cause problems, despite earlier reports suggesting otherwise.

Sperm quality has been in decline for decades, and scientists seem unable to make up their minds as to the exact causes, citing everything from smoking to an increased exposure to oestrogen.

However, the best advice is probably this: if you are concerned about your sperm, consult a doctor, not the internet.

Eat red food

Last month a report published by Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic, following analysis of 12 studies conducted by different groups around the world, found that consumption of lycopene improved the quality, mobility and volume of sperm dramatically, increasing sperm count by up to 70 per cent. Lycopene is an essential nutrient found commonly in red fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes, strawberries, cherries and peppers.

Lay off the laptop

A 2011 study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility suggested there could be a link between using a laptop with a Wi-Fi connection and a reduction in sperm quality. Sperm samples from 29 men were stored normally and under a laptop connected to WiFi. The sperm stored under the laptop became more sluggish and showed signs of DNA damage.

Get off your bike

Cycling has myriad health benefits, but not when it comes to your sperm. A 2009 Spanish study by the Andalusian Center of Sports Medicine and the University of Las Palmas found that a prolonged spell on your bike can severely affect the shape and quality of your spermatozoids. After monitoring 15 Spanish triathletes with an average age of 33 the study found that “those that systematically cycled 300 kilometers a week– had less than 4pc, which is considered a fertility problem”.

Keep your cool

The optimum temperature for sperm production is 34.5 degrees celsius, which is slightly below body temperature. A three-year University of California study in 2007 found that five out of 11 men who stopped taking hot baths experienced a sperm count rise of almost 500 per cent.

Drink coffee – but not too much

In 2003, researchers from Sao Paolo University in Brazil studied 750 men and concluded that drinking coffee can improve the swimming speed of human sperm, although whether this means pregnancy rates are higher among coffee drinkers is unclear. Other studies have suggested that drinking just three cups of coffee a day can cause genetic mutations in sperm, making it harder for them to successfully fertilise an egg.

Following the successful launch of two new outreach clinics in Limerick and Waterford, clinicians from the Waterstone Group, will host a free fertility information seminar in Fels Point Hotel, Tralee on May 27^th.

This patient information seminar will give practical advice to couples on how to maximise their chances of conception and will explain the different treatment options available. As part of the seminar, there will be a series of short and informative talks from the clinic’s specialist team of gynaecologists, scientists and nurses.

The information seminar will begin at 7pm with a talk entitled ‘Trying to conceive – understanding your fertility’, presented by Dr. Waterstone. He will also give an overview of the fertility treatments and options available. Couples will also have an opportunity to meet leading embryologist Dr. Tim Dineen who will discuss male fertility tests and treatments. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers throughout the evening.

“We understand how intimidating it can be to seek fertility advice,” says Dr. John Waterstone, Medical Director of the group incorporating Cork, Limerick and Waterford Fertility Centre’s. “Our hope is that through this informal fertility seminar, men and women will feel more comfortable about taking that important next step. Our expert team of fertility specialists will explain treatment options, what the process entails and answer any queries couples might have.”

The new clinics in Limerick and Waterford provide key fertility services including fertility consultations, fertility testing, diagnostic ultrasonography, ovulation induction (OII), follicle tracking and intrauterine insemination (IUI). Patients from Kerry can now avail of services in both Cork and Limerick. 

Dr. Waterstone explains that fertility difficulties can affect as many as one in five couples in Ireland: “Sometimes difficulties can relate to something as simple as lifestyle, which can be addressed and resolved easily. Other couples may need fertility treatment in order to conceive. In opening two new fertility outreach clinics, we are delighted to be extending our services to people throughout Munster. Assisted reproductive services are evolving and when the best medical and nursing care is combined with the latest scientific innovation and developments, notable success rates can be achieved.”

Waterstone Clinic, the Waterstone Group’s flagship clinic has been providing world-class fertility treatment since 2002. Its multidisciplinary team led by Dr Waterstone offers a wealth of experience and scientific knowledge that, when combined with the latest technology, allows them to deliver success rates that match the best in the UK and USA. Waterstone Clinic is at the forefront of new developments in the field of assisted reproduction and boasts some of the best success rates in Europe.

To book your place register now or contact us on 1800 303 677.

Here are seven common misconceptions about getting pregnant:

It takes a long time to get pregnant after stopping birth control pills.

Many women think that, after they stop taking birth control pills, it will take them six to 12 months to get back to regular menstrual cycles, and that during this time, their chances of pregnancy are reduced.

But studies show this is not the case, said Dr. Jani Jensen, an obstetrician/gynecologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

In a study of 200 women who took birth control pills for at least a year, 40 percent had a period or became pregnant just one month after they stopped taking the pill. And by three months post-pill, nearly 99 percent had a period or became pregnant, Jensen said.

Jensen recommended that women who haven’t had a spontaneous period within three months of stopping birth control pills be evaluated to see if there’s a problem affecting their ability to produce eggs.

Couples who want to have a baby should always try for a year before seeking fertility help.

Doctors in the United States generally define infertility as not conceiving after one year of unprotected sex, but some couples should not wait an entire year to get evaluated if they don’t become pregnant.

Studies show that many couples become pregnant within a few months of trying: Among couples without fertility problems, 60 percent will be pregnant within three months, and 75 percent within six months.

Doctors recommend that women age 35 and older try for no longer than six months before seeking a fertility evaluation, Jensen said. Women younger than 35 should still try for a year, unless they have a condition that could make it difficult to become pregnant, such as a menstrual cycle longer than 35 days, Jensen said. In the latter case, they shouldn’t wait a full year to seek an evaluation.

Women who monitor their body temperature to boost their conception chances should wait until their temperature goes up before having intercourse.

Monitoring body temperature is one way women can track their fertility over the course of the month and boost the chances of conception. But women shouldn’t wait until after their temperatures rise to have intercourse because this temperature rise (about 0.1 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0.6 degrees Celsius) happens after an egg is released, Jensen said.

“If you wait to have intercourse to that point, your chance of success is now reduced by more than half,” Jensen said.

Women have the best chance of becoming pregnant if they have intercourse on the day before ovulation, because sperm can live in the female reproductive track for several days, Jensen said.

“What the data seem to suggest is that if there’s sperm really ready and waiting at the time the egg is released that that has the best chance of success,” Jensen said.

If a man has had a child in the past, he can’t be the reason that a couple is infertile.

Some couples think that if they are having trouble getting pregnant, it can’t be a problem with the man if he’s fathered a child before. But there are many reasons why this is not necessarily true, Jensen said.

“The fact that you had fathered a pregnancy in the past doesn’t mean that you have a guarantee for the future,” Jensen said.

Many things could have changed in the years since the man first fathered a child. For example, the man could have gained weight or developed thyroid disease, both of which can affect fertility, Jensen said.

There’s also a remote possibility that the man wasn’t really the father of the child, Jensen said.

Couples should have intercourse every day to increase the chances of pregnancy.

In the days leading up to ovulation, women have a window of time when they can become pregnant. But couples don’t need to have intercourse every day during this period — every other day is just as good, Jensen said.

For most women, the “fertility window” is days 10 to 20 of their cycle (counting day one as the first day of menstrual bleeding), Jensen said. So having intercourse every other day in this window is a general recommendation to increase pregnancy chances, Jensen said.

Certain coital positions can increase the chance of pregnancy.

The idea that coital position affects pregnancy chances, or the gender of a baby, is a myth, Jensen said.

“Doing things like lying down with your feet in the air doesn’t increase the chance of pregnancy at all,” Jensen said.

Expensive vitamins help with fertility.

Some expensive vitamin products are marketed as a way to improve fertility, but the evidence to support this claim is weak, Jensen said. “I strongly urge patients not to take expensive vitamins,” Jensen said.

Source: LiveScience  | by  Rachael Rettner

The medical director of Waterstone Clinic, Dr John Waterstone, has called for the introduction of a new reporting system to increase transparency within the sector and help couples choose a clinic which has a proven track record for producing pregnancies. Dr Waterstone believes that more transparency is vital in the industry in order to protect patients.

“In Ireland, for the consumer – the person or couple who are looking for fertility treatment – we don’t have a transparent reporting system for success rates in this country and I feel that one is necessary,” Dr Waterstone told the Sunday Independent.

“If you live in the UK or you live in America, there are comprehensive reporting systems, so that every fertility centre in that country who carries out IVF treatment has to make returns – which means if you’re a member of the public, you can look up the success rates for the clinic on the internet and it’s all transparent,” he added.

“I think it’s only what the consumer deserves and in Ireland when we don’t have that sort of mandatory transparent reporting system, it’s too easy for clinics to claim that they are successful when, in fact, they aren’t very successful,” Dr Waterstone said.

“The consumer of fertility services needs a mandatory reporting system for success. I feel that’s the biggest regulation change that needs to take place.”

Dr Waterstone also differs from some of his colleagues in the Irish fertility sector, over the practice of social egg freezing, sometimes referred to as ‘egg-surance’.

A growing number of young career women across Ireland are choosing to put motherhood on hold and are freezing their eggs while they are in their 20s and early 30s.

However, Dr Waterstone believes that this procedure is leading to many women putting all their hopes on a technology which has not been perfected here, as no pregnancies have resulted from the process in Ireland as yet.

“It’s a new technology, which has not been successful until very recently,” he said. “Over the last five years progress is being made, but most progress has been made, not in Ireland nor in England, but in countries like Spain in particular and in the USA.”

According to Dr Waterstone, whereas embryos or fertilised eggs can be frozen with relative success, freezing eggs alone is very new territory in Ireland.

As a result, Dr Waterstone feels that social egg freezing should not yet be offered to women here, particularly as a commercial service.

“We are starting to do research on freezing or vitrifying eggs, but vitrifying eggs is more difficult,” he explained. “I don’t make any secret of concerns I would have about recommending that young women freeze their eggs. My advice to them is to just be a little bit careful, the technology is in its infancy in Ireland and we haven’t really perfected it yet.

“I’ve got no doubt that this will be a big area in years to come and it makes perfect sense logically,” he added.

“Every day of the week I’m telling women that as they get older, their fertility is getting less because their eggs quality and numbers are getting less, so freezing at an early age as an insurance policy makes perfect sense, but we need to be a careful before we recommend it to young women, who are then putting their eggs in that basket.”

According to Dr Waterstone, the current method of social egg freezing available in this country may be misleading women.

“I’m a little bit careful about women being misled about how successful egg freezing is,” he explained. “It has been successful in the US, and I’m sure in the future the technology will become more successful, but it hasn’t done so yet in Ireland.”

Up to 3,000 babies are born each year in Ireland as a result of IVF procedures.

Joanna Kiernan, Sunday Independent

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/mothers-babies/call-for-fertility-clinics-to-publish-success-rate-charts-30263361.html

By Sophie Borland and Scarlett Russell Mailonline

• 21 babies were born out of 253 fertility cycles between 1991 and 2012
• Is the equivalent of around an 8% chance of conception
• Private clinics typically charge between  £5,000-£6,000 for egg freezing

Career women who spend thousands of pounds freezing their eggs only have an 8 per cent chance of having a baby, figures have shown.

Private clinics typically charge £5,000 to £6,000 to remove the eggs, then £250 a year to store them and up to £6,000 for them to be re-implanted years later.

But between 1991 and 2012, just 21 babies were born as a result of 253 fertility cycles which used frozen eggs.

There are 69 licensed fertility clinics in the UK. Private clinics typically charge £5,000-£6,000 for egg-freezing

Despite this, figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority show 2,262 women froze a total of 20,465 eggs over the same period.

Fertility expert Lord Winston also stressed that women should only freeze their eggs when they have no other options. He added: ‘There are innumerable clinics that will freeze your eggs for a handsome fee but the justification for this is highly dubious.

‘By the age of 40 your chances of IVF working are slim and you are just as likely to get pregnant naturally. Egg freezing remains an experimental treatment which can only be justified when there is no alternative.’

The number of women choosing to undergo the procedure has increased sharply over the past few years – 580 decided to freeze their eggs in 2012, more than double the 284 who went through the process in 2009.

Patients are given high doses of hormones which stimulate their ovaries to produce large numbers of eggs. These are then removed by a fine needle and stored in liquid nitrogen for a maximum of ten years.

While around 30 per cent of the women had the procedure because of health reasons, the remainder cited social reasons such as the desire to delay motherhood in order to pursue their career.

Michael Summers, a consultant in reproductive medicine at London’s Bridge Centre, said he believes some clinics have been offering patients ‘false hope’, adding: ‘Personally I am blunt with my patients about the chances of success.’

In egg freezing, eggs can be stored for up to ten years in liquid nitrogen at 196 degrees centigrade – rather like a deep freeze.

When a woman decides the time is right for a baby, the egg is thawed slowly which involves a carefully controlled drop in temperature before being warmed up again.

Your Health When Trying For A Baby

A healthy lifestyle has been proven to increase the chances of becoming pregnant naturally and is important for the short- and long-term health of your baby. It can also optimise your chances of becoming pregnant while receiving fertility treatment. Both you and your partner can make lifestyle changes to maximise your chances of becoming pregnant, as well as promoting the health of your baby.

What lifestyle changes can I make?

Changes to your weight, what you eat, how much you exercise, smoking habits and alcohol intake can all be made to increase your chances of becoming pregnant. These factors are known to impact on the fertility of both men and women.

How does weight influence my fertility?

If you are trying to conceive, it is important to be a sensible weight. The best available evidence indicates that being underweight or overweight can impact the fertility of both men and women. In women, excess weight can affect the healthy development of eggs by the ovary and can also affect the implantation of a fertilised egg in the womb. A healthy weight is also needed for the normal production of hormones (oestrogen and testosterone) in both males and females. A healthy weight can increase your chances of becoming pregnant naturally and improve the success of pregnancy while receiving fertility treatment.

If you are trying to conceive, we recommend that you calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). This can be calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms (kg) by your height in metres squared (your height in metres multiplied by itself). While trying to conceive both you and your partner should have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of between 20 and 24.9. A BMI of above 25 is considered overweight and above 29 is considered obese.

If you have a BMI of more than 29, weight loss of 5% to 10% can significantly increase your success of pregnancy. If you are underweight (BMI of less than 18.5), you are likely to experience irregular periods. Gaining weight can kick-start your ovaries to work properly again and increase your chances of pregnancy. To achieve a healthy weight it is important to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly.

What should I eat when trying for a baby?

A healthy, balanced diet is essential when trying to become pregnant. If you are overweight, a healthy diet is essential to achieve weight loss and increase your chances of pregnancy. A healthy diet also reduces your risk of complications during pregnancy such as the development of diabetes and high blood pressure. What you eat before and during pregnancy can also influence the long-term health of your baby. A poor diet can result in low-birth weight and development of heart disease and non-insulin dependent diabetes in adult life. A balanced diet in men is needed to keep sperm production at an ideal level and so increase chances of pregnancy. Here are some tips for healthy eating:

• Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
• Use low-fat options to products (e.g. low-fat milk, low-fat butter).
• Reduce intake of fizzy drinks, fast foods and confectionary (cakes, biscuits and sweets).
• Choose whole-grain alternatives to carbohydrates such as bread, rice and pasta.

You are also advised to monitor your caffeine intake (coffee, fizzy drinks). Research has shown links between high caffeine levels and an increase in the time it takes to become pregnant and an increased risk of miscarriage. It is recommended for both you and your partner to limit your caffeine intake to less than two cups of coffee per day.

If you are a woman you may also think about supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals. We recommend women to take folic acid (400ug) while trying to become pregnant and during the first three months of pregnancy. This will reduce the risks of birth defects in your developing baby. Be careful with your intake of Vitamin A as high intake of this vitamin can cause birth defects. Avoid Vitamin A supplements and limit your intake of liver and liver products such as liver pate and cod liver oil supplements.

For women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) a healthy diet is especially important. If you have a diagnosis of PCOS, please refer to our diet fact sheet specific to this condition.

How much should I exercise when trying for a baby?

Regular exercise is needed for a healthy body and mind when trying to conceive. This is particularly important if you have an increased BMI and are trying to achieve a healthy weight. Adults are recommended to take part in 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise at least 5 times per week. Moderate intensity exercise includes activities such as brisk walking, cycling, tennis and gardening.

Trying for a baby can be a stressful time in your life, regular exercise can help relieve some of this stress by promoting your body to release endorphins (‘happy hormones’).

Be aware of the dangers of over-exercising. Too much exercise can lead to excessive weight loss and irregular periods.

Can I smoke when trying for a baby?

Smoking affects the fertility of both men and women. If you or your partner are a cigarette smoker you are strongly advised to quit smoking. Available research indicates that the rate of infertility is higher, and the time it takes to become pregnant is longer, in smokers than in non-smokers. In men, cigarette smoke is thought to affect the quality of sperm. In women, smoking has been linked to damage to the ovaries, changes in hormone levels needed for pregnancy and earlier onset of the menopause. If you do become pregnant, smoking is linked with increased risk of miscarriage and low birth weight of the baby.

Can I drink alcohol when trying for a baby?

You may also want to reconsider your alcohol intake while trying to become pregnant. How alcohol influences your fertility remains unclear. However, alcohol has been linked with reduced ovulation and impaired development of a fertilised egg in women. In men, heavy alcohol intake has been linked with decreased testosterone production and quality of sperm.

It is not known how much alcohol you need to drink before it will affect your fertility. Therefore we recommend you to significantly decrease your alcohol intake or to totally avoid drinking alcohol while trying to become pregnant. If you are a woman you should not drink more than 1 or 2 units of alcohol once or twice a week (1 unit = small glass of wine or half a pint of beer). If you are a man, avoid drinking more than 3-4 units a day.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Natalie Akoorie, NZ Herald News

A genetic test that can predict menopause – allowing women to better plan when to start a family – could be available within five years. The test will enable women to plan for natural conception or to consider fertility preservation measures, such as egg freezing for in vitro fertilisation (IVF), if they want to delay a family.

The research was presented at the Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction in Brisbane last week by Bart Fauser, professor of reproductive medicine and gynaecology at University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. He said developing technology made it likely the test would be available soon.

Fertility Associates group operations manager Dr John Peek said most couples “crammed in everything before parenthood” – travelling, establishing careers and becoming financially secure before having children in their early 30s.

“It works for the majority but there’s still a lot of people whose fertility declines before they get to that stage so having some accurate information when you’re very young, you can think, ‘Well, I do really want children, but I’m going to have to go about it in a different order’ …of course you can’t escape age no matter how good your fertility.”

The average age of menopause is 51 but the ability to conceive falls dramatically 10 to 15 years before menopause.

If a test predicted menopause would start at age 43, for example, the woman’s fertility would start fading in her early 20s and be almost gone by her early 30s, markedly altering her family planning choices, Dr Peek said. Premature menopause, before 40, happened to about one in 100 women and could be genetic or due to environmental factors or conditions.

A person’s eggs and sperm are in place by the time a fetus is at 12 weeks’ gestation and the mother’s health or exposure to environmental factors could condition the baby’s reproductive fitness, Dr Peek said. Smoking can reduce the average age of menopause by two years.

In the research, scientists found complex genetic traits that can determine the age of menopause, which varies among women from 45 to 55.

Fertility Associates’ Hamilton medical director, Dr VP Singh, said the test could in future be routinely administered as early as age 18.

Mother says news was a huge shock

Anita Stokes was 29 and about to get married and start a family when she discovered she had already gone through menopause.

A fit and healthy young woman with no family history of premature menopause, Mrs Stokes said she was “absolutely shocked” when doctors told her she could never conceive.

“I was devastated when I found out. I’d been on the [contraceptive] pill for 10 years and I’d gone off the pill and my periods just didn’t arrive.”

Now 43, Mrs Stokes said doctors could not explain her ovarian failure but pinpointed a battle with meningitis at the age of 20 as a possible factor.

Mrs Stokes, a Waikato primary school teacher, and her husband, Paul, were faced with adoption or using an egg donor if they wanted to pursue having a baby.

They decided to use an egg donor and underwent IVF to conceive fraternal twin boys, who Mrs Stokes gave birth to in July 2002. She was pleased a genetic test to predict menopause was being developed.

“If only they had that about 12 years ago. Never mind, I got [children] in the end so that’s the main thing. It’s going to be great for giving people choices.”

What is menopause?

• The cessation of menstruation for more than 12 months.
• It happens as the ovaries stop producing eggs.
• The average age is 51.
• Symptoms include hot flushes and night sweats because of the withdrawal of oestrogen.
• Premature menopause can be caused by a family history, environmental factors, auto immune conditions, and chemotherapy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

1. Your fertility is mostly determined by genetics, which influences how many eggs you are born with.

Doctors believe that the number of eggs you have at birth determines the length of time you will remain fertile. At birth, women have about two million eggs in their ovaries.For every egg ovulated during your reproductive life, about 1,000 eggs undergo programmed cell death. Other things, such as smoking cigarettes can accelerate egg cell death and promote an earlier menopause.

2. Regular menstrual cycles are a sign of regular ovulation.

Most women have regular cycles lasting between 24 and 35 days. This is usually a sign of regular, predictable ovulation. Women who do not ovulate regularly have irregular menstrual cycles. Those who do not ovulate at all may have a genetic condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

3. Basal temperature charting does not predict ovulation.

An older method of tracking ovulation involves taking your oral body temperature each morning before getting out of bed. This is called basal body temperature. This method is used to spot a rise in basal temperature, which is a sign that progesterone is being produced.

The main problem with using this method is that your temperature rises after ovulation has already occurred. This makes it more difficult to time intercourse at an optimal time for conception.

A better method is to use over-the-counter urine ovulation predictor test kits such as Clearblue Easy. These kits test for the hormone that prompts ovulation, which is called luteinizing hormone (LH).

4. Most women with blocked fallopian tubes are completely unaware they may have had a prior pelvic infection.

About 10% of infertility cases are due to tubal disease, either a complete blockage or pelvic scarring causing tubal malfunction. One major cause of tubal disease is a prior pelvic infection from a sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia. These infections can cause so few symptoms that you may be completely unaware your tubes are affected. This is why fertility physicians will order a dye test of the tubes, called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG).

5. In most cases, stress does not cause infertility.

Except in rare cases of extreme physical or emotional distress, women will keep ovulating regularly. Conceiving while on vacation is likely less about relaxation than about coincidence and good timing of sex.

6. By age 44, most women are infertile, even if they are still ovulating regularly.

Even with significant fertility treatment, rates of conception are very low after age 43. Most women who conceive in their mid-40’s with fertility treatment are using donated eggs from younger women.

7. Having fathered a pregnancy in the past does not guarantee fertility.

Sperm counts can change quite a bit with time, so never assume that a prior pregnancy guarantees fertile sperm. Obtaining a semen analysis is the only way to be sure the sperm are still healthy.

8. For the most part, diet has little or nothing to do with fertility.

Despite popular press, there is little scientific data showing that a particular diet or food promotes fertility. One limited study did suggest a Mediterranean diet with olive oil, fish and legumes may help promote fertility.

9. Vitamin D may improve results of fertility treatments.

A recent study from the University of Southern California suggested that women who were undergoing fertility treatments, but had low vitamin D levels, might have lower rates of conception. This vitamin is also essential during pregnancy.

10. Being either underweight or overweight is clearly linked with lowered levels of fertility.

The evidence in recent years is that obesity is clearly linked with a longer time to conception. Having a body mass index less than 18 or over 32 is associated with problems ovulating and conceiving, as well as problems during pregnancy.

At Waterstone Clinic, we see men every week who think they are the only one with this problem, but in fact, in at least one third of all cases, sub fertility can be attributed to the male. Men can also be reassured that male factor sub fertility can be overcome through various treatment options.

Male infertility is generally due to low sperm numbers, immobile sperm or the most severe form of male infertility is where there is no sperm in the ejaculate. This may be due to the fact that there is no sperm production or maybe because of a blockage that prevents delivery of sperm. Illnesses, injuries, chronic health problems, lifestyle choices and other factors can play a role in causing male infertility.

Early fertility assessment in the form of Fertility Check is a self-referral service provided by Waterstone Clinic. It is ideal for those who are thinking of starting a family or have been trying to conceive for a short time and would like an assessment of their reproductive health. After an initial consultation, where an appropriate medical history is taken, a semen analysis will be performed. Semen analysis is the principle investigation used to evaluate male fertility – it measures the number of sperm, the motility of sperm and the morphology of the sperm. If semen quality is sub optimal some lifestyle changes may improve sperm quality before a number of fertility treatment options are considered.

Even when a man is faced with learning that there is no sperm in the ejaculate, the good news is that it is possible for him to still have his own biological child, it does not mean the end of the line. Waterstone Clinic offer Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE). This involves a testicular biopsy to retrieve sperm from testicular tissue. Waterstone Clinic carry out approximately 40 of these procedures a year and a number of babies have been born by carrying out ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) using sperm from these biopsies.

For a man, a diagnosis of infertility should not be underestimated. I have co-authored a paper, that has recently been accepted for publication, on the psychological impact of infertility and fertility treatment on the male. The paper explains that fertility investigations and the nature of fertility treatments mean that the male partner may have a relatively minor role compared to the female partner. But this may only add to his feelings of guilt and inadequacy. It is important to realise however, that if a few sperm are present, while it may not be possible to identify the reason for the man’s fertility problems, and while it may not be possible to correct the problem, with the use of ICSI, it may be possible to overcome the problem.

Dr. Tim Dineen, Head of Laboratory services, Waterstone Clinic

IVF Pregnancy Rates Using Frozen Eggs Are Comparable to IVF Using Fresh Eggs

While celebrities like Maria Menounos and Sofia Vergara have talked about their decision to freeze their eggs there is still a lot of confusion. First, what exactly is egg freezing and why does it suddenly seem much more accessible? Fertility doctors such as myself have been trying for many years to crack the code about the best way to maintain excellent quality eggs, much like we’ve been able to do with freezing sperm.

Cyropreservation — using a slow-freezing method — delivered inconsistent results due to the potential for ice crystals to form in the egg, thus ruining its quality. In October 2012, the organization that sets standards for our profession, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), lifted its ban on egg freezing. This was due to the development of a new technology called vitrification, which is the process of flash freezing eggs. Vitrification was found to be more successful than slow-freezing. Specifically, the ASRM cited studies demonstrating egg freezing using vitrification resulted in pregnancy rates comparable to the same rates expected from an IVF treatment cycle using fresh eggs.

Freezing Eggs in the Early to Mid-30s Optimizes Pregnancy Later

Now that the ban has been lifted practices like Shady Grove Fertility have witnessed a significant increase in the number of women who want to freeze their eggs. For healthy, non-smoking women egg freezing can definitely provide some peace of mind if they are concerned pregnancy won’t be an option for them in the near future. Basically, through egg freezing a woman’s fertility potential is captured at the time the eggs are frozen. For example, now a 40-year-old woman using her own eggs, which were frozen when she was 35, can expect the comparable chances of delivering a baby as a 35-year-old women going through IVF using fresh eggs. At Shady Grove Fertility, we will freeze eggs for women between the ages of 30-40, depending on their ovarian testing, but to optimize future chances of conception, we recommend women freeze in their early to mid-30s, when fertility is still near its peak.

Women with Cancer Are Able Preserve Fertility before Undergoing Cancer Treatment

Egg freezing is also beneficial for women who have been diagnosed with cancer, and who would like to try to preserve their fertility before undergoing chemotherapy or radiation. Because these treatments can compromise fertility, egg freezing can be a positive option at a difficult time.

No Need to Freeze

Now, there is certainly a group of women who do not need to freeze their eggs. If you are in your 20s and want to wait to have children, you have plenty of time! The chances of becoming pregnant naturally are higher for a woman in her 20s and you may just not need those eggs you paid to freeze.

By Stephanie Beall, MD, PhD. Physician, Shady Grove Fertility