GynoFiles

Trying for pregnancy should be fun and relaxed, most couples manage quite well without a lot of plotting, tools or technique. Statistically between 50 and 60 % of couples are pregnant after 6 months of trying. One of the first questions many gynos get: is 'do I need to lay down for a certain amount of time after we have sex to maximize the chances I will get better? Or can I still quickly run to the bathroom? Or do I need to put a pillow under my hips?! To answer the question of what is the best way to get pregnant regarding whether you need to rest in bed after sex in order to enhance getting pg  Dr.Coroday and collaborators from the University Hospital in Nancy France reviewed the information from 176 medical reports to come to the conclusion that yes, laying back improves your odds of getting pregnant, but by just a bit. It will increase pregnancy rates by about 60%, whether the couple was having sex, or getting inseminated. But the studies were not large and didn't last v...

Getting pregnant has several critical steps. Even couples who are helped to ovulate, have a good sperm count, and time their conception perfectly may not conceive if the lining of the uterus is not healthy enough for implantation. Preparing the uterine lining has mostly been done with estrogen treatments. It's also important to be sure you don't have other problems with the uterus, including scaring, or infection, or polyps, but again, in the absence of these some women do not conceive. Hundreds of genes that are differently expressed at the time of implantation, as well as the immune system, play an active role during embryo-endometrium interaction Other than estrogen medicines like silenafil, aspirin and heparin have been tried with varying success. The lining is so complex that it takes the coordinated efforts of many hormones and the synchronization of literally hundreds of genes to establish a uterus with the proper place for  implantation so that coordination between...

When planning a pregnancy it is important to consult with your gyno regarding risks of any birth defects. And then you can plan when you stop contraception, and begin trying. It is important to know that there have not been birth defects associated with contraceptive pills .  Other co-factors in pregnancy may contribute to neural tube defects of the child in a given pregnancy. Thirty years ago research suggested that high maternal fevers in the critical first trimester may be a contributing factor. In fact this is one reason for worrying about hot tub exposure in that time as well, as core temperatures can rise dramatically with prolonged hot tub soaks. It is really the core temperature that affects the fetus the most, and women can heat to feverish levels in hot tubes if they aren't careful. So too, fevers in pregnancy should be brought down safely if a mom is sick.The neural tube closes at about the 4th week of pregnancy, so only two weeks after you miss your period. Fo...

Oral contraceptive birth control pills have been implicated as a cause of depression and anxiety and mood changes. Depression is listed as a possible adverse reaction in the package insert materials on oral contraception.. If we fundamentally understood all the reasons for depression, researchers could more reliably understand the links between oral contraception and depression. Deficiencies in the chemicals in our brain serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, γ-aminobutyric acid and peptides , probably cause most all of these reactions and some women may have lower levels due to stress or genetics. Few studies have been done to try to link depression, levels of these brain chemicals, and steroid hormones given as contraception. As the dosage of hormones is very low in the modern contraceptive pills, it's possible that we have little to no effect on the natural brain levels of these molecules from taking the currently available contraceptive pills. The CDC currently states there is n...

It's not just an app that will help you get pregnant and get pregnant easily.  Many couples planning pregnancy come in with similar basic questions regarding pregnancy planning and sexuality for pregnancy planning. Here are some basic questions discussed from advice we give our patients at Women's Health Practice. 1.  Have sex, don't worry about exact position. All sex positions work for conception. Being in missionary position, having a pillow under your hips, and having orgasms have been talked about to lead to more often getting pregnant, but no medical studies back these pieces of advice up! 2. Enjoy your time cuddling or whatever you want to do after conception sex, no true evidence to the various exercises you need to put your hips through to encourage sperm to swim to their destination. Laying still after sex to enhance pregnancy also has not reliably been studied, but douching after intercourse does decrease your chance of conceiving. 3. Earlier is...

Babies that measure small on ultrasound are not necessarily ill, but they may be and we have to take serious note if the baby is in a low weight percentile for it's age. One particular consideration for a small baby is the pace of the growth of the developing fetus. And a new study  published in Obstetrics and Gynecology shows that the position that mom sleeps is also a factor. They talk about the 'triple risk' of mom's factors, baby's factors, and a stress like the position during sleep that can compromise blood flow. The healthiest babies are not too big and not too small. Babies that are too small for how far pregnant you are is a condition called "SGA" or small for your gestational age. SGA babies can be small genetically, or small because of poor fetal growth, or "IUGR" fetal growth restriction. There is risk of stillbirth , or dying prior to birth, from being to small and growing too slowly. Small babies aren't just at risk duri...

In a recent article in the NY Times they point out that young women with obesity are having strokes during pregnancy in a rising number of cases . We have thought of this strokes as a disease of the elderly, there are two types but essentially the issue is lack of blood to part of the brain. Strokes are also very deadly . Women with high blood pressure are at risk, and so are diabetics,and those with high cholesterol,  other factors lead to clogged blood vessels can predispose a woman to stroke. There are conditions called thrombophilias that are essentially genetic conditions that alter clotting factors and increase risks like DVTs, heart disease, and stroke. The NY Times article also highlights the conditions of preeclampsia, eclampsia, congenital heart disease, sickle cell anemia and migraines that can drive stroke risk. Fertility and sex drive are both lower with high cholesterol, so risk of stroke is not the only reason to get your cholesterol in check, gyno before pregnanc...

When are you going to have a baby is the first step in planning your pregnancy. In Mexico the average age of first pregnancy is just over 21, in the UK it's closer to 29 on average, in the US we are something between those two, so think over your reproductive life plan, how are you going to fit baby into your school, job, or marriage plans if any. Then get physical and get ready to do what it takes to get ready for the conception, prenatal days, the birth and the life with baby. Planning your pregnancy by some simple tests to insure your health, and relatively simple steps is more likely to result in getting pregnant more quickly and having a healthier baby and pregnancy. A new study says that preconception care has potential for return on investment. Women with chronic illnesses have the most to gain from planning their pregnancies, and yet they the least likely to plan their pregnancy according to this new study, and thus enter pregnancy less likely to maximize their chance for ...

Preterm pregnancy (or prematurity) remains the leading cause of neonatal death and long-term neurologic disabilities according to a January 2014 article in Obstetrics & Gynecology. The preterm birth rate is lower, but not as low as our national goals said the annual March of Dimes Premature BirthReport Card released in November of 2013.The most serious preterm cases are those called Early Preterm birth , or before 32 weeks of pregnancy which is normal when it is 40 weeks long.  Still about 500,000 premature infants are born in the us, for a staggering $26 billion dollar price tag for their care per year. Babies have about 11% chance of being born prematurely, and we want that under 1/10. In my home state of Illinois, the rate has remained stuck around 12%. California, New York, and Oregon are among states who have reached that goal of under 1/10 babies born premature. the far southern states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are reporting the highest rates of prematuri...