When it comes to getting pregnant, few things are more important than knowing when the woman experiences ovulation each month. There are many ways to know, including fairly accurate home ovulation kits (provided you follow the directions carefully). However, your body gives you several clues, which include: Changes in cervical mucus. Throughout your cycle, your cervical mucus changes in consistency and amount discharged. When you are not ovulating, you may have no cervical mucus, or it could be sticky or creamy in consistency. However, as you progress in your cycle toward ovulation, your mucus changes the consistency to clear and...
HRC Fertility’s Dr. Potter Visits Australia
Dr. Potter was recently featured in a number of publications discussing the growing number of Australian couples traveling to the U.S. for gender selection fertility treatments. Click the button below to read the full articles.
The Key to Maximizing Male Fertility: Stay Cool
Male infertility accounts for up to one-third of infertility cases overall, by some estimates, even as high as 47 percent. Based on the sperm count, motility (movement) and shape (morphology), fertility specialists can determine whether male fertility is the factor in a couple’s fertility problems and inability to get pregnant on their own. While there is no cure for male fertility, you can maximize your potential. So what’s the key to maximizing male fertility? It’s quite simple, really: Stay cool. Heat is not male fertility’s friend. Why? When a man’s testicles get hot, they reduce the amount of sperm produced....
New Study Finds GMOs Made Rats Sterile
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a part of our diet, finding their way into many of the foods we eat. This might not be good news for couples struggling with infertility. A new study finds that GMO corn made rats sterile. While rats are one thing and humans are another, it’s probably a safe bet that GMOs shouldn’t play a part in your fertility diet. The study, led by researchers from the Suez Canal University, revealed that by day 91, the rats fed GMO corn were sterile. This sterility was in addition to the organ damage they suffered to their...
Gender Selection Isn’t Just for Kim and Kanye
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are pregnant again with a baby boy. While the couple didn’t choose the gender of their second child, conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), their announcement sparked a lot of interest in both gender selection and IVF. Their recent announcement shed some light on a technology that has been in existence for over 20 years. The focus on gender selection began based on rumors the couple chose the gender of their child during their IVF cycle to create a “perfect” family. But the couple denies these rumors. Gender selection is made possible through a study...
Important Tips for Getting Back in Shape to Get Pregnant
Couples undergoing fertility treatment often ask me what they can do to help their effort to get pregnant. In many cases, I tell them the key to healthy and regular ovulation or optimizing male fertility is getting your body back in shape. A healthy lifestyle does more than get you back in shape, however. Eating right and getting plenty of exercise is also beneficial to your emotional state of mind. When your body has the resources it needs to be at its optimal health, it is better able to relieve stress and battle negative feelings that often accompany fertility treatment...
Don’t Let Your Fertility Go Up in Smoke
For those couples that are working to get pregnant, there are a few things you can do to help your body achieve conception. One important thing is to quit some of your bad habits that keep you from regular ovulation and disrupt your hormone levels. One of these bad habits is smoking. Why Smoking Is Bad for Fertility There are ingredients in cigarettes that are bad for your fertility (and your health in general). These include nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar. Here’s how: • Nicotine is used as an insecticide. It has been linked to poor fetus development. • Carbon...
You Know Those Infertility Highs and Lows? They’re Worth It!
Carrie and Steve tried to conceive for four years before choosing to work with HRC and Dr. Jane Frederick. Their long journey to parenthood had many emotional highs and lows, but Carrie said feeling overwhelmed wasn’t one of them. “With HRC, you are assigned a coordinator who is always available via text or phone. Whenever I contacted my coordinator, she would get right back to me.” It’s no secret that fertility treatment requires a lot of medication in varying doses and at different times to work optimally. For Carrie, many of her texts and calls were about her medication schedule...
Why You Should Freeze Sperm Before Cancer Treatment
Cancer treatment has a terrible effect on fertility. When you are diagnosed with cancer, it is important to act quickly as it pertains to fertility preservation. Men who would like to have children in the future are wise to learn all they can about freezing sperm — sooner rather than later. So how does cancer treatment affect fertility? Simply put, there are certain cancer treatments that can sterilize you, such as removal of testicles. Others, such as chemotherapy and radiation, can also sterilize you or damage the quality of your sperm’s DNA or the quantity you produce. All of these...
Explaining the Dangers of Chlamydia for Fertility
Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD), and it has direct effects on fertility if left untreated. For any couple that is considering children or actively trying to conceive, understanding the link between STDs and infertility is essential. To that end, here is an explanation of the dangers of chlamydia for fertility. What is chlamydia? Chlamydia is the most common STD that causes tissue damage and scarring. Recent research revealed that the bacterial infection is accelerated by the natural immune response. The scar tissue left behind can block your fallopian tube, a common cause of infertility. Chlamydia is...