Tuesday 30 April 2013

Acne Related To Hormones


                      Acne Related To Hormones


All cases of acne have their roots in hormone production, but some acne is a symptom of an underlying hormonal condition that can cause far more than facial blemishes. “Acne is caused by an excess of oil production, which in turn is caused by the action of testosterone,” says Dr Rita Bakshi, Chairperson of International Fertility Centre.

The average menstrual cycle is 28 days, and each of these days is different hormonally. “In the first half of a woman’s menstrual cycle, the predominant hormone is estrogen; in the second half, the main hormone is progesterone,” explains Dr Rita Bakshi, Senior Gynaecologist and Infertility Specialist. Then levels of both hormones fall to their lowest levels of the month as bleeding approaches.  

Meanwhile, the male hormone testosterone (made in smaller amounts by women) stays at a constant level all month. This means that before and during menstruation, testosterone is relatively higher than the female hormones.  These behind-the-scenes hormonal shifts do all sorts of things to a woman’s skin. For one, the mid-cycle progesterone rise stimulates the production of sebum. Sebum is a thick, oily substance that acts as a natural skin lubricant. And as levels of progesterone increase, skin swells and pores are compressed shut. As a result, pores never looked so minimized. But this tourniquet effect also causes sebum to build up beneath the skin’s surface. In addition, higher testosterone levels around menstruation further activate the sebaceous glands to make even more sebum.  

Sebum yields different effects in different women. For some, it produces a healthy glow; for others, it creates a chronic oil slick. The oil provides food for the bacterium P. acnes. This bacterium causes increased breakouts and inflammation around the time of women's periods.  

Unfortunately, you can’t change the relationship between acne and hormones. But there are some things you can do to make those breakouts less severe.

Friday 19 April 2013

Ectopic Pregnancy,The Painful Experience

I face many challenges while treating infertility cases and many of them are extremely difficult to handle. Yet, there is always a feeling of triumph and self-containment when a case with complex infertility gets resolved and the conception happens. However, the journey is not always smooth and there are some unexpected twists and turns that make me and my team greatly disappointed. There is a feeling of demanding and helplessness when all the efforts and hard work go in vain. Ectopic pregnancy is something of this kind and it is really difficult to cope up with the feelings.

What is ectopic pregnancy?

Ectopic pregnancy is actually one of the most unfortunate events that happen during the infertility treatment. In a normal pregnancy, the embryo gets implanted in the uterus. The inner wall of the uterus has special arrangement so that the embryo gets attached to it firmly and starts developing. In the ectopic pregnancy, the implantation happens outside the uterus. Among various ectopic pregnancies, the most common one is tubal pregnancy where the implantation happens in the fallopian tubes.

This is a kind of disorder that happens because of special enzymes that got produced while implantation. These enzymes trigger the fetus to get attached with any tissue, instead of the specific tissues found in the uterus. The condition is extremely dangerous and we decide to terminate the pregnancy so that the woman is not at risk of life.

Why does it happen?

Well, there are many factors behind it and the major are:

 • Age: Women conceiving after the age of 40 are more likely to get ectopic pregnancy.

Problem in the pelvic region. This is one of the significant causes. I have observed that most of the women complaining problems in the pelvic region are diagnosed with inflammation. This causes scarring of the tissues and in turn that causes ectopic pregnancy.

Structural deformities: There are women with structural deformities in the tubal region. Sometimes we need to perform surgery to remove the problem. However, there are greater risks of ectopic pregnancy in such women.

Habit: That also plays a major role in it. In some women, there is a habit of tubal pregnancy and in multiple attempts; very few get implanted in the uterus.

Are there any symptoms?

Unfortunately, there are no major symptoms in the early stage leaving experts like us unprepared. In the initial stage, they are very much confusing. However, a few signs may trigger an early alarm:

a)Pain while urination: Women should never feel pain while urinating. If there is even a slightest pain and you are in the risk bracket, then immediately the expert should be consulted. This will certainly detect it quite early.

b)Pain in the lower abdomen: Although this is very confusing and common symptom, still you should not ignore it and report to us.

c)Vaginal bleeding: It is also one of the major signs.

How to handle Ectopic Pregnancy?

Actually speaking there is nothing much left in our hands as an expert, other than terminating the pregnancy. It is absolutely fatal to continue the pregnancy and there is a great risk to the mother’s health. Termination avoids serious complications.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Control The Sweet Tooth If You Want Success In Getting Pregnant

As you move forward for an exciting vacation, the first thing that tempts you is the great opportunity to munch. The little treats keeps on bombarding you with the loads of sugar that you just tend to ignore in the name of fun and relaxation. Have you been struggling hard in getting pregnant and also under a treatment of an infertility expert? Then, it is better that you quit the sweet plate and search for alternative food items that would satisfy the sweet tooth. You would be amazed if I tell you that the efforts you and your doctor have put in terms of defeating the infertility may be in vain just because of a sheer negligence of yours. The fudges, pastries, ice-creams, candies and so many other items, filled with a lot of refined and raw sugar may cause havoc not just in terms of increasing weight, but in terms of getting success in pregnancy as well. The culprit is not only concentrated high sugar like refined white sugar, table sugar, corn syrup and chocolates; even white flour, white rice, alcohol and sweet corn share the equal responsibility.

The obvious question may arise in your mind that what is the relation between the sugar and infertility? Well, as an expert of infertility I can say there is a great impact!

It disrupts the hormonal balance

Refined sugar is broken immediately by the body and there is a surge in the insulin level to bring the sugar level down. The sudden high in the sugar level puts extensive load on the pancreas. As soon as the sugar level comes down, the body becomes drained and exhausted. To cope-up with this situation, adrenal glands release stimulant hormones. If the cycle gets repeated multiple times, then there is a great load on the adrenal gland and remember, this gland produces the hormones in limited quantity. Too much exhaustion of adrenal gland cause serious hormonal imbalance in the body. This imbalance is not good for you, especially if you are under infertility treatment!

It causes resistance to insulin

The pancreas gland of your body is responsible for insulin, the element that controls the sugar level. Over stimulation of pancreas gland would lead to a condition called insulin resistance. This is something not good for your ovulation cycle, the most vital activity responsible for conception. Women with a condition of insulin resistance have four to five times more chances of miscarriage.

Drop in the immunity level

Access sugar levels bring a significant drop in the immunity leading to frequent illness, delayed recovery, bacterial infections and also the fertility level. Consuming high sugar contents cause the deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the body. This reduces the immunity level further and you face serious health problems.
As an infertility expert, I would strongly say that keep the temptation of sugar and sweetened stuff a bit and support the treatment. Your infertility expert is sweating a lot to make the attempt successful, never let them go waste just because of a small thing.

Monday 15 April 2013

Best Age To Have A Baby

Almost daily I receive at least one query about the correct age of having a baby, either in the personal discussions or in the online forums or tweets. Well, although it is not a question with a universal answer that fits everybody, but there are surely a few guiding factors. Individual anatomy plays a vital role in deciding the right age for conception in a couple and one should always try to see it from the personal angle.  While talking about the right age to have a baby, people consider only the physiological aspects. However, factors like social, economic, emotional and psychological components also should be considered. Needless to say, it is purely a person specific issue and everybody can perceive it in a different manner.

Physical factors

Being an infertility expert, I would obviously pay the maximum attention towards the physical aspect of this question. Let’s understand it from a physiological perspective.
You would be amazed to know that a female has the best age to conceive at the age of 18. The hormone secretion in this age is at the peak and there are incredibly fewer chances of getting complexities during the pregnancy. The age, however, is not at all suitable from the socio-economic perspective and it is almost impossible to think about conception in the age of 18. From all practical aspects, the age between 25 to 30 are the best years for a safe, smooth and successful pregnancy. The vitality is at the peak and so are the hormonal secretions that play a major role in the process of pregnancy.
As the age reaches 35, pregnancy becomes difficult with every year progresses. In fact, we never suggest delaying it intentionally. There are cases when couples have a problem in conception and the treatment lasts for a few years. In such cases, pregnancies happen in quite a late age and the doctors need to be on the toes during the full term. Fertility drops significantly at the age of 40 and many problems can arise, if it happens at all. There are always higher chances of abnormal termination of the pregnancy or forcible termination due to other issues related to the development of the fetus.

Social Factors

As discussed earlier, couples should always try to have baby when the female is between 25 to 35 years of age. There is better stability, mental peace, economic and financial safety. The female is in a better position to bear the responsibilities of a mother at the three levels, i.e. mental, physical and emotional. If the pregnancy happens after 30, there are a lot of social, economical and the other factors. If the female is a working woman, she would face great pressure of maintaining work-life balance with the increased professional responsibilities. Also, the decreased physical capabilities and stamina would make it very difficult to raise the kids.
To conclude, it is the best thing to get conceived in the age of 25 to 35 since it is favorable from all the aspects. Raise the kids in a happier, harmonized, positive and fun-filled environment and enjoy parenting!

Friday 5 April 2013

Excessive Exercise Cause Infertility?

Exercise is one of the most integral and fundamental aspects of the life. It keeps your mind and body healthy, and improves the overall condition. Scientists and research associates have done immense study to understand the effect of exercise on the overall health and have found clear-cut correlation. Fertility and sexual health does not depend directly on the level of exercise. However, too much of a good thing can also be bad.

Livestrong puts it as Amenorrhea, it is a condition “when a women of normal reproductive age does not experience a menstrual cycle for three months or more. Long-term excessive exercise combined with not enough food is a common cause of amenorrhea. If you cannot reduce your training volume, you need to increase your caloric intake if you wish to conceive.”

Care2.com substantiates this with a Danish study done in March 2012, looked at 3,600 women who were trying to get pregnant. They were grouped according to their BMI, and their exercise habits were monitored. “The researchers found that in normal weight women, too much strenuous exercise could cause delays in conception. The study came out in the journal Fertility and Sterility, and it found that depending on your current BMI, exercise can impact your fertility in different ways. Moderate exercise, like walking or gardening, can actually boost your fertility, regardless of your BMI. In normal-weight women, however, more vigorous exercise may make it harder to conceive.”

It is also true that obesity can increase the risk of infertility; when your obese body is overheated which is bad for your sexual life. Women exercising for a long duration can also affect their estrogen levels.

Male Fertility


In case of males, exercise may reduce sperm counts. Long-term exhaustive exercises decreases sperm count and your potential for reproduction. On the other hand, heavy resistance training works antagonistically. Heavy resistance training actually increase the production of testosterone, which can exhibit a secondary effect on other hormones that contribute to fertility in men.

What to do?


Don’t despair my marathon-running friends! If you’re trying to get pregnant but can't, you don’t necessarily have to ditch those running shoes. What we recommend is when you exercise do it in moderation as that it is more important than vigorous workouts. Too much will take away the energy that you require for a successful pregnancy. Don’t over exert yourself and keep a check. Try to make your lifestyle disciplined and systematic by making a timetable of exercise, rest, diet plan and proper sleeping routine. 

As for your diet, opt for at least 20 percent fat if not closer to 35 percent may be optimal for those wishing to conceive. This will also help offset the caloric demands of exercise.