Browse Month

August 2020

Patients seeking for IVF treatment

Work From Home – A Ray of Hope for Patients seeking IVF Treatment

The demand for IVF treatment is gathering pace. This is because it has helped all those patients who were otherwise unable to conceive. The ultimate objective of IVF is to have a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby. However, today’s digitally driven and stressful corporate world has created a challenge for women who are looking to welcome Motherhood with the help of IVF treatment.  However now there is a ray of hope as Work from Home is the new norm for most of the employees due to the current crisis caused by the pandemic.

How Work from Home Benefits?

The present pandemic has forced many employees working in the corporate world to compulsorily work from home. While this could slightly be a challenge to deal with those employees, especially working women, who have children to take care of, it can be a boon and much needed boost for those, who are eagerly looking to go the family way.

Success Rates of IVF Treatment

IVF has been a successful course of treatment adopted by many working women globally due to its success rated and flexible pre-requisites.  Having said that, IVF treatments needs to be well-planned, as the procedures involved take time. One of the major challenges women faced while working out of office was to request for time and leave. The high pressure, corporate work environment always made it difficult for women to plan the IVF treatment program.

The other reason is the sensitivity involved in discussing the nature of the treatment with superiors and managers. Many managers would think twice before sanctioning leave due to the stringent delivery schedules and productivity issues. Parallely, women too would find it difficult to discuss as they would want to keep the infertility issue confidential, which is understandable and rightfully so.

Working from Home comes as a big relief for all those working women who would want to plan to take IVF treatment and look forward to have a baby. They can plan their schedule in such a way that they can balance both personal and professional commitments. It is a challenge to decide to undergo the IVF treatment due to the complexities involved. The financial, physical and emotional stress on the patient due to the processes involved could be difficult to bear. This is where work from home can come in as a good solution.

Conclusion

The best part of a women’s life comes in when she is ready to go the family way and attain motherhood. It is one of the most joyous moments to expect her first child. However, finding herself in a position to meet her professional and personal expectations is a challenge in today’s world.

The IVF treatment is a proven way to help women enjoy motherhood in a safe and successful way. The need of the hour is to visit a fertility centre which gives a patient hearing to every patient and offers personalized care. It is of utmost importance to understand the work schedule of the couple and time the IVF procedures accordingly.

How to balance work from home and enjoy motherhood? NU Fertility at NU Hospitals has the answer to all your queries. 

IVF Fertility Care

Fertility Care – It’s all about being in Good Hands

Life presents us with many choices. It’s the choices we make that determine our future. This is all the more evident in the healthcare sector these days where patients would like to have multiple opinions before going ahead with the medical treatment advised by the physicians relevant to their specific health issues. In other words, patients would like to meet multiple doctors and take their individual opinions. This is also referred to as doctor shopping.

Doctor shopping is widely seen in patients addicted to drugs but there is another sector which is in great demand across the world and continues to see patients being impatient and choosing to doctor shop and that is choosing the IVF treatment to address fertility issues.

IVF continues to by far be the most used medically assisted reproductive technique. However, it has been observed that most of the patients resort to doctor shopping here. The reasons are multiple.

1. Patients want to take an opinion if they really need IVF or could do away with other simple treatments.

– Choose a fertility specialist who clearly justifies the treatment, discusses the other available options and their pros and cons. Discuss the success rates of each of the options available and then decide

2. Next thing to be discussed is the success rate of IVF.

– Always remember IVF success rate is anywhere between 50-65 % across the globe and never 100%. Success depends on multiple factors. Patient factors cannot be changed but appropriate clinical judgement and individualization of protocols can make a difference. Choose a clinician with a good experience. Read their online reviews and consider taking reference from other patients who have undergone IVF there.

The IVF lab and the embryologist make a huge difference in the success rate. Choose a centre which has a well maintained and well equipped IVF lab. Make sure they have a in house senior embryologist. Insist on talking to them so that you can get to know who is handling your embryos and also clear all your doubts and uncertainties. Make sure to enquire about the success rate of the centre which you are considering.

3. Next important consideration is the finance.

– Most of the IVF clinics are not transparent about the charges. They do not divulge the exact price during the discussions with the patients. Most centres offer IVF packages. However, having had to make a choice, you may not be right all the time as you might just be lured into attractive packages and actually end up shelling much more than what you anticipated.

When comparing the IVF packages enquire about the hormonal injections used. Substandard drugs can decrease the cost of the IVF package but may compromise with the outcome. Also find out if the package includes the procedures like semen freezing, embryo freezing, blastocyst transfer, laser hatching, frozen embryo transfer or any other add on s which may be suggested by your fertility expert.

4. Publicity: With many IVF centres cropping up, all of them resort to publicity to be visible. Don’t blindly follow the publicity material. Decide based on the above parameters.

Conclusion

It’s time to choose wise and choose well. Hence make your choices reflect your hope, not your fears. It’s up to you to make a healthy choice. Are you still stuck with making the best choice now?!

Your search ends here at NU Hospitals. You will surely not have to make another choice.

 

 

Male Infertity Depression and Treatment

Infertility and Mental Health

How one affects the other and what is the way out?

Parenthood is more than just a phase in life; it’s something a lot of us dearly wait for. But as much as there is a large amount of anticipation and excitement that surrounds pregnancy, same is the amount of psychological impact that the non-conceivability of a baby has on a couple.

The effects are many and have been observed all over the world in patients when they discover infertility. Infertile couples are more prone to emotional deficits such as anger, depression, sexual dysfunction, marital issues, and social isolation to name a few. Some couples have been seen to experience a loss of identity, stigma, and a marred self-esteem. While a woman’s reaction to discovering infertility is much stronger than her male partner’s, studies show that a man’s reaction is hugely influenced by his spouse’s feelings and emotions.

In instances where infertility depression is observed, it is also noted that there exists a strong indulgence of depressed physiology such as imbalance in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, elevated prolactin levels, and malfunctioning thyroids. Changes in the immune function associated with stress and depression may also adversely affect reproductive function.

 

Male Infertility depression and treatment

It is normal for couples to experience psychological distress during an infertility treatment due to the uncertainty associated with the treatment. No treatment has a 100% chance of conception. The associated IVF failure depression acts as an additive to infertility depression. Studies reveal that IVF depression and stress complements each other.

Psychological ailments may also interfere with factors such as infertility treatment, IVF success rates, and the body’s reception to a treatment. The male infertility depression is common when the male partner realises that he may not be able to father a child naturally.

Counselling at every aspect of fertility treatment and also preparing the couple for the result of such treatment, goes a long way in avoiding IVF depression and IVF failure depression. Fertility treatment should be individualized to the unique needs of each couple.

Although there are still no specific studies on how infertile couples can help cope with the mental consequences, it is believed and practiced that the usual psychological interventions that are beneficial for the larger population works in this case as well.

Conclusion

Another effective treatment in this case is pharmacotherapy but many people step back with the fear that antidepressant medication may put assisted reproductive procedures at risk. While pharmacological therapy is beneficial for both the female and male partner it is however not recommended to use antidepressants during pregnancy but there is no proven impact of medication on infertility treatments.

 

 

 

World Breastfeeding Week

World Breastfeeding Week begins August 1st and ends of August 7th 2020, and is a week dedicated solely to imparting knowledge, facts and statistics about breastfeeding amongst expecting women all around the world.

Here, we have compiled for you, some basic information about breastfeeding, which is vital for every mother-to-be and new mom to know.

 

Breastfeeding: Let’s start with the basics

  • You’ll need to feed your newborn baby a lot: 8-12 times in a 24-hour period.
  • The easiest way to tell if your baby is getting enough milk is to pay attention to the colour, texture and frequency of poops.
  • After delivery, the lactation hormone, prolactin is released that tells your breasts to make milk.
  • When your baby suckles, another hormone, oxytocin, makes the small muscles in your breast to contract which moves the milk through the milk ducts (let-down reflex) so you can breastfeed your baby.

 

Types of Breastmilk:

 There are 3 types of breastmilk, your breast milk changes by the week and each formulation is designed to meet your newborn’s precise needs:

  • At first, you’re producing a yellowy substance called colostrum – rich in nutrients and antibodies.
  • Transitional milk.Three to five days after birth, colostrum is replaced with transitional milk.
  • Mature milk.Usually between the tenth day and second week, mature milk finally comes in.

 

Breastfeeding: How do you do it?

Get a latch on – Your baby needs to firstly find and latch on to your nipple.

Get comfortable. Choose a chair or a glider with back, neck and shoulder support.

  • Line it up – Your baby should always be tummy to tummy with you.
  • Guide baby into place – Place your nipple around your baby’s lips. Baby’s chin and the tip of her nose should be on the breast.
  • Suckling and sucking are different – A suck-swallow-breathe pattern ensures that your baby is latched on and extracting milk from your breast.
  • Get help – A nipple shield can be an effective tool to give him something larger to aim for at first.
  • Break the seal. If you don’t get a good latch, try again. Put your finger into the corner of baby’s mouth and pull your breast out. Start the cycle until you get a seal with both the nipple and the areola covered.

 

Breastfeeding: A well-fed mama means a well-fed baby. 

You, and now you newborn, are what you eat, and following a healthy postpartum diet is key to breastfeeding success.

  • Drink up.Your body is working hard to make baby’s milk or breastfeeding milk, that’s why it may seem like you’re thirsty all the time. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to stave off dehydration and keep your milk flowing.
  • Eat a balanced diet.You’ll need three servings of protein, five servings of calcium, three servings of whole grains and five to six servings of fruits and vegetables daily (more vegetables than fruit).
  • Incorporate healthy fats.Load up on brain-building healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids found in low-mercury fish like salmon and sardines and DHA-enriched eggs.
  • Don’t skip your prenatal vitamin.Keep taking it until you’re completely done breastfeeding. You can also keep taking your DHA supplement from pregnancy.

 

Breastfeeding: Finding the right position

  • Laid-back breastfeeding.Lie back with your head, shoulders and neck supported. Place baby’s whole front on your whole front and let gravity do the work. Place baby’s cheek on your bare breast.
  • Cradle hold.Breastfeed baby while you’re cradling her in your lap with baby’s head resting in your elbow bend. Use pillows to elevate baby’s head to nipple level and cup your breast with the opposite hand.
  • Crossover hold.Hold baby’s head with the opposite hand from the breast that’s currently nursing. Your wrist should be behind baby’s shoulder blades, your thumb behind one ear, your fingers behind the other ear. Use your other hand to cup your breast.
  • Football hold.This position works really well if you’ve had a C-section. Use the hand on the side of the breast that’s nursing to lift baby’s head to nipple level, with her head facing toward you. Again, you can use pillows to help elevate baby.
  • Side-lying position.This is a helpful position in the middle of the night. Mom and baby face each other, both lying on their sides. Use pillows to make sure that baby is raised to nipple level. Use the hand that you’re not lying on to cup your breast.

You can also pump your breastmilk (breast pumping) in advance and keep it aside to feed your baby later. This is done using a device called a breast pump.

 

Breastfeeding: Should not be painful

Look out for the following problems while breastfeeding –

  • Mastitis – When germs from the baby’s mouth enter a milk duct through cracks in the nipple causing infection of the breast.
  • Blocked milk ducts – A painful spot on your breast that’s red and irritated. Keep breastfeeding so that your flow will eventually break through the blockage.
  • Sore or cracked nipples – Lanolin cream applied after each nursing session can help. But more importantly, adjust your breastfeeding position and make sure baby has a good latch.

 

What are the benefits of breastfeeding?

The benefits of breastfeeding are multifold making it the preferred option over breast pumping.

Breast milk provides ideal nutrition for infants, with an almost perfect mix of vitamins, protein, and fat – everything your baby needs to grow. It’s also more easily digested than infant formula.

Breast milk contains antibodies that help your baby fight off viruses and bacteria. Breastfeeding also lowers your baby’s risk of developing asthma or allergies. Babies who are only breastfed for the first 6 months, without any formula, have fewer ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and bouts of diarrhea and hence have fewer trips to the doctor.

Some studies have shown that breastfed children have higher IQ scores in later childhood. What’s more, the physical closeness, skin-to-skin touching, and eye contact all help your baby bond with you and feel secure. Breastfed infants are also more likely to gain the right amount of weight as they grow, rather than becoming overweight.

 

Breastfeeding benefits the new mommy too!

Breastfeeding helps burn off those extra calories or baby weight. It stimulates the release of the hormone oxytocin, which helps your uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size and may also help in reducing uterine bleeding after birth.

Breastfeeding also lowers your risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It may lower your risk of osteoporosis, too. It also gives you regular time to relax and bond with your newborn.