The Laurence A. Jacobs M.D. Blog

Even though the Mayan Calendar says otherwise, I really don't believe the world is going to end in 2012. If I'm right, that means it's time to get busy and take control of your life and your fertility in 2012.

As your fertility doctor, I will do all I can to help you have a successful pregnancy and birth, but you need to do your part. Empower yourself - take control. 

Here are some helpful suggestions and comments.  We can discuss your specific details face-to-face in the office, since I have many ideas, resources and programs that can help you.  

January is the time when the desire for making positive life-changes is in the air, and yet it often doesn't last long. It seems like men and women have good intentions, but they usually lose steam as they roll through the year. Research indicates that couples who make resolutions together are much more likely to adhere to them if one partner does. So keep helping each other!

Many of my patients feel absolutely miserable because of their infertility situation. So how can we change that? This article may seem a bit harsh to some, but I am being honest ... with tough love. I'm trying to help. To quote Dr. Phil: "You need to hear what you need to hear."

The holidays can be painful for anyone, but as a practicing reproductive endocrinologist, I see how painful they are for my infertility patients. Many of them know the holidays are going to be stressful, and they are reluctant to go to visit family members and face the inevitable questions like "Isn't it time you started a family?"

Sometimes, my patients ask me for advice on how to deal with the holidays, and this is what I tell them:

Every day I see patients who are experiencing infertility that is caused or exacerbated by excess body fat. And I am often asked why being overweight matters and why a patient should try to lose weight before trying to get pregnant or undergo a fertility treatment such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Here’s why: There are several adverse effects associated with excess body fat that inhibit conception and a healthy pregnancy.

• Overweight women often have hormonal imbalances and abnormal endocrine function, which results in a disruption of regular ovulation. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one specific type of endocrine condition that is generally associated with obesity.
• Insulin resistance (a condition that can develop into type 2 diabetes) is a common problem for overweight or PCOS patients and further interferes with ovulation.

Are you trying to get pregnant and wondering why you haven’t conceived yet? Or maybe you are in the planning stages and want to make sure everything is in working order.

At Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI), we are offering the new Fertility Awareness Check-Up for a limited time. Because 40 percent of infertility involves men, 40 percent involves women, and the other 20 percent is a combination, this program provides an inexpensive opportunity for individuals or couples to gain an understanding of their fertility potential with basic fertility testing.

The Fertility Awareness Check Up  provides an inexpensive initial overview of reproductive potential. This information will help alleviate stress and save valuable time and financial resources in your journey tobecome a parent.

Much research has found that lifestyle can affect fertility, and now investigators are finding more proof  that diet matters when trying to conceive.

The latest research conducted in mice has found that calorie-restricted diets for longevity also may have the benefit of increasing fertility. In "Prevention of maternal aging-associated oocyte aneuploidy and meiotic spindle defects in mice by dietary and genetic strategies," published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital tested the effects of caloric restriction (a diet that had been shown to slow the ravages of age in mice) on the quality of mature eggs produced by aging mice. They found that 12-month-old female mice who were on a 40 percent calorie-restricted diet from the age of 3.5 months produced eggs that were of significantly better quality than mice who were fed a normal diet.