Common Infertility Drugs and Their Usage
When a couple is dealing with the issues of reproductive challenges and possible infertility, there may be some simple measures they can take to increase their chances of conceiving. For others, however, they may get a recommendation from their doctor that they begin a round of infertility drugs in order to help them along. If this is the case, we have assembled some helpful information about the most common infertility drugs, typically prescribed to the woman, along with their usage. Here is the rundown:
Bravelle Inj
This medication provides the hormone (FSH) that helps cause the ovaries to produce eggs. This medication is usually used in combination with other infertility drugs, including a hormone (hCG) for the growth and release of a mature egg (ovulation). This medication is not recommended for women whose ovaries no longer make eggs properly (primary ovarian failure).
Bromocriptine Oral
Bromocriptine is one of the infertility drugs used to treat hormonal problems caused by high levels of a certain chemical made by the body (prolactin). Such problems include unwanted breast milk, missed/stopped periods, difficulty becoming pregnant, decreased sperm production, and decreased sexual ability. Because of possible serious side effects (e.g., high blood pressure, seizure, heart attack, stroke), bromocriptine is not recommended for stopping unwanted breast milk after pregnancy, miscarriage, or abortion. Note that this is true for all infertility drugs – they should be used for their intended purpose and nothing else.
Chorionic Gonadotropin IM
This medication is used in women to treat fertility problems. It is given after finishing another other infertility drugs (menotropins) to cause the release of an egg (ovulation). It should not be used in women whose ovaries no longer make eggs properly (primary ovarian failure).
Clomid Oral
This medication is used to treat infertility in women. It works by stimulating an increase in the amount of hormones that support the growth and release of a mature egg (ovulation). As with many infertility drugs, this medication is not recommended for women whose ovaries no longer make eggs properly (primary pituitary or ovarian failure).
Menopur SubQ
This medication provides follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) that help healthy ovaries to make eggs. This medication is usually used in combination with other infertility drugs, including another hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin-hCG) to help you become pregnant by bringing about the growth and release of a mature egg (ovulation). This medication is not recommended for women whose ovaries no longer make eggs properly (primary ovarian failure).
As with all infertility drugs, be sure that you are in constant communication with your doctor about their dosage, storage, possible side effects, and of course the length of time for which you should take them. Make sure that you are very clear on all the necessary information and don’t hesitate to speak up if you have questions or need further assistance in understanding these things – after all, infertility drugs are very strong medicines, and you will need to make the decision about whether or not they are the best course of treatment for you.
Filed under Health by on Oct 9th, 2008.
How Successful is the Infertility Diet?
When dealing with the issue of infertility and difficulties with conception, most couples of course want to try anything and everything they can to help the process along. With that thought in mind, some wonder if there is such a thing as an infertility diet, and if so, does it actually work? Can your eating habits do anything to help or hinder your situation with pregnancy? Let’s examine some of that information here.
Doctors Respond to the Infertility Diet
In a new study cited in OBGYN News, a group of Harvard researchers found that 79% of infertile couples had a lower-than-average intake of foods high in antioxidants – like fruits and vegetables. In one study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Medicine, doctors found that after one week of daily doses of 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C, sperm counts rose by some 140%. Obviously, when dealing with infertility, diet and getting enough of the right vitamins is helpful to some.
More recently, a study published in the Archives of Andrology showed the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium improved the ability of sperm to swim – a skill necessary to reach the egg.
Physical Activity is Part of the Infertility Diet
Exercise also improves muscle tone and good muscle tone helps every aspect of your system as well. Excessive body weight also puts undue pressure on the reproductive organs and doesn’t allow them to function optimally; obese persons often suffer from reproductive issues. When dealing with infertility, diet alone may not be enough. Regular physical activity must be part of the equation as well.
However, you don’t want to go overboard in this direction either. It’s been sadly reported that many young female athletes that are pushed to excessive physical activity have irregular periods and subsequent issues with reproduction. Starving your body of vital nutrients and overworking it physically will take a tremendous toll on your system, and this is true for both men and women. So if you do exercise and keep track of your diet, make sure you’re being balanced and healthy.
But modest exercise is beneficial in so many ways, not just when discussing the infertility diet. Exercising increases the blood circulation and good circulation is important for all aspects of health. Blood brings nutrients to every part of the body and filters away dead cells.
Additionally, eating right and exercising will make a person feel better all around; feeling more positive will lead to a reduction in stress, which is also beneficial when trying to conceive. And when thinking about your infertility diet, this may be something that helps to draw you together as a couple, which can lead to a better, more active sex life – another important aspect of conception! So never dismiss the thought that your condition can be helped or hindered by your eating habits and exercising; even doctors agree that when dealing with infertility, diet is important, as is exercise and physical activity.
Filed under Fitness by on Oct 9th, 2008.
The Myths Surrounding the Causes of Infertility in Women
If you are a woman who is experiencing what you think are reproductive challenges, or you’ve already been given the diagnosis of infertility from your OB/GYN, then it’s important for you to separate the facts from the fiction when it comes to the causes of infertility in women. After all, if you find yourself believing something that is not true or not applicable in your case, you may wind up wasting precious time ignoring the real problems.
So what are those common myths when it comes to the causes of infertility in women? And better yet, what is the truth about those beliefs? Let’s examine a few here.
Myth: It’s all in your head.
This myth may have developed over the years as some couples have dealt with infertility for some time, and then eventually were able to conceive on their own. Others may view this as a reason to believe that reproductive problems are simply stress related or that a couple is being overly sensitive to their situation. Yes, stress and such things can be pinpointed as one of the causes of infertility in women, but it certainly is not the only cause, and not even the most common!
Advances in modern science that can plainly pinpoint different problems with a man’s or a woman’s reproductive system should have squelched this myth years ago, but unfortunately it seems to continue to thrive. Despite the abilities we have to look deep into the body’s reproductive system and find even the smallest of defects which can be one of the causes of infertility in women, some still think it’s simply a mental challenge.
Myth: Miscarriage is a common cause of infertility in women.
First of all, it’s important to remember that in most cases of miscarriage, there was nothing the woman could have done to prevent it. Rarely is it ever caused by stress, overworking, and the like.
It’s also important to remember that miscarriage itself is really not a cause of infertility of women; most doctors regard it as simply a possible symptom of a larger problem. Many miscarriages that are caused by such things as exposure to environmental and workplace hazards, such as high levels of radiation, hormonal problems, uterine abnormalities, incompetent cervix, and severe medical conditions can be considered a symptom, as these are some of the common causes of infertility in women as well.
Myth: If you’ve already had a baby, you’re not infertile.
Filed under Health by on Oct 9th, 2008.
The Biggest Cause of Infertility That You Can Fix Yourself!
Facing the challenges of reproductive issues is a difficult situation for any couple. Tests and treatments can be expensive and downright unpleasant. Sometimes, for some couples, there is no one cause of infertility that the doctors can pinpoint and then subsequently correct. This can be frustrating and downright disheartening. But for most, there is something that shows up on a test result that can then be treated properly. It may be a low sperm count or poor sperm motility for the man, or a lack of ovulation or damaged uterus for the woman. There may actually not even be a cause of infertility at all, if the couple are not engaging in regular (twice per week on average) unprotected sexual activity over the course of many months or even a year; some couples are under the mistaken belief that you get pregnant every time you have unprotected sex, and are just assuming that after a few times of trying, then there is obviously a medical problem.
But for many, there is something that is going on, either with their reproductive systems or with some other cause of infertility that perhaps they are bringing upon themselves. Of course, no one likes to hear that they will need to make some changes or that some choices they’ve made in their own lives has been a long-standing cause of infertility for themselves, but really, this is something that should be empowering. If you yourself are bringing your reproductive issues into your life with a few bad habits, then you can change those habits and eventually realize your dream of having a baby – and possibly without drugs, medicines, medical intervention, surgery, and the like.
So then, what is the biggest and most common cause of infertility that most people just don’t want to hear about? In a word, it’s smoking.
Smoking is one of the most damaging habits you can have overall, when talking about any healthy problem whatsoever. There are over 4,000 chemicals that are produced when a cigarette is burned; over 250 of these are toxic and more than 50 are known carcinogens.
One of the reasons that smoking is a cause of infertility is because these toxins and carcinogens enter the bloodstream and are then transported to every area of the human body, every single cell, and this means the reproductive system as well. These toxins can interfere with a man’s sperm count, cause his remaining sperm to be malformed, give him low sperm motility, and even decrease his circulation enough to cause impotence. For a woman, smoking interferes with the fallopian tube’s natural abilities to drop an egg or ovulate, can damage the eggs she has, and can also damage the uterus, making it impossible for that fertilized egg to attach itself.
This is just a partial list of why we can rightly say that smoking is a leading cause of infertility. Again, no one wants to hear that perhaps they need to make a change in their habits, but if it means finally being able to conceive that child that you dream of, doesn’t it make it all worthwhile?
Filed under Health by on Oct 9th, 2008.
Degenerative arthritis, which is also referred to as osteoarthritis, is a specific kind of arthritis which is mainly the result of the breakdown as well as the total and ultimate loss of cartilage of one or more of a persons joints. Amongst the over 100 unique kinds of arthritis conditions that are recognized at the current time, degenerative arthritis is in reality the most prevalent as well as the most problematic in nature.
Degenerative Arthritis – The Known Causes
Degenerative arthritis has a number of unique causes that are responsible. The number one responsible factor involved is that of aging. Because of aging the content of water within the cartilage in the body becomes augmented, and the total protein consistency of cartilage starts to degenerate.
Eventually, after some time passes, the cartilage starts to degenerate in an extreme manner through the process of flaking and then forming minute crevasses, and when it gets to the more advanced cases, what then occurs is that there is a complete loss of cartilage cushion that rest between the joints and the bones, and this normally results in a high degree of serious inflammation and a great deal of intense pain.
The Process of Diagnosis
As soon as you are aware of any kind of acute pain or swelling within your muscles or joints, you should have an appointment with your physician setup, so that you can get to see him as soon as possible in order to get the quickest and most accurate diagnoses, the sooner that you get the right treatment to help in relieving your inflammation and pain the better.
Degenerative Arthritis – Treatment
You can select from several unique forms of treatment. The less severe of these treatments would be an elevation in physical activity as well as a modification in your diet, as this is thought that by stopping the intake of certain foods from your diet, your arthritis will encounter less irritation overall.
Nevertheless if you feel that you are in need of a treatment that is stronger you always have the option of talking to your doctor in regards to medication. You will typically find that the use of Aspirin is a highly recommended option. Treatments such as Rimadyl, which is a kind of medication that was created as a refinement on Aspirin, This can help in relieving the pain that is induced by your osteoarthritis.
Numerous individuals instantly come to the assumption that by having arthritis their life is going to be taken away, yet you should know that this is not the case, and that as long as you obtain the right type of diagnosis and proper treatment you should continue on with your daily activities.
To learn more go to Apnea Acidosis Arthritis Trio and at Magnetic Bracelets For Arthritis
Filed under Health by on Oct 7th, 2008.