The Laurence A. Jacobs M.D. Blog

If Overweight, Losing Weight Is One of the Most Important Ways to Increase Your Fertility

May 14, 2012 by Laurence Jacobs

If there is just one thing I could tell women — and men — that would improve their fertility, it is this:

If you are overweight, lose weight, and your chances of successfully achieving a pregnancy will increase.

A study presented recently at the 19th European Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France, adds more data to a growing body of research on this topic. Researchers from the University of Sydney found that for women in fertility treatment, losing weight is one of the simplest ways to improve their chances of conception. They conducted a randomized controlled trial on overweight women (BMI greater than 30) seeking fertility treatment by assigning them to either a 12-week intervention program, which included a very low-calorie diet during the first six weeks, or recommendations for weight loss. The women were all ages 37 or younger.

Frozen Egg Banking Is Another Option for Egg Donation

May 6, 2012 by Laurence Jacobs

In certain situations, in vitro fertilization with donor eggs may be the best choice for a couple to achieve the family they desire. Some of these siutations include when the ovarian reserve is diminished, if the woman no longer has her ovaries or the ovaries have been damaged because of surgery or treatment of a disease such as cancer, or if there is the chance of passing on a genetic disease.

Typically, the egg donation has involved matching the recipient with an egg donor who has been screened with a full physical examination, as well as psychological screening and counseling and comprehensive testing for genetic disease, substance abuse and infectious diseases. Once the pair is matched, their menstrual cycles have to be synchronized so that once the egg donor’s eggs are retrieved and fertilized, they can be transferred to the recipient’s uterus.