Ovulation is an essential part of conceiving a baby, but for some women it happens rarely, if at all. With ovulation induction treatment at her London fertility clinic, female gynaecologist Miss Amanda Tozer has helped many couples realise their dreams of starting a family. Here are five frequently asked questions about the process. 1. How […]
Going through IVF is a notoriously stressful time. It is a period where hopes are precious, dreams feel precarious, relationships are tested – and, on top of that, the woman’s body has to cope with an influx of fertility drugs. It would be disingenuous to suggest that you can eliminate stress from the entire process, […]
Endometriosis is not a rare condition: it affects an estimated 176 million women worldwide. However, while decades of research have told us a great deal more about the disease and how to treat it, there still exist many misconceptions. Long-standing taboos about gynaecological health, ignorance of the facts, and the wide variety of symptoms all […]
The shortage of registered donors at the UK’s new national sperm bank has been much in the news recently. Without such a service, patients feel impelled to go either overseas or to unregistered, and potentially unsafe, providers. Egg donation is an altogether more complicated affair, but this field also has a very limited number of […]
Hot flushes, mood swings and a loss of libido – these are all commonly discussed menopausal symptoms. Less talked about are symptoms experienced in the vagina: dryness, itching and burning, pain during sex and general laxity. Many women try to ignore this discomfort, either through embarrassment, or because they imagine it is an inevitable – […]
Most women spend the first months of their pregnancy keeping their fingers crossed. That miscarriage is common in the first trimester is a well-known fact: around 10 to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, and 80% of these occur in the first 12 weeks. But knowing there is a chance of miscarriage does not […]
For women who ovulate irregularly, or do not have periods at all, ovulation induction can be an effective fertility treatment. If eggs are not released, or are only done so erratically, the chances of conception are low, so by stimulating the ovaries to produce in a predictable window, conception is made more possible. How does […]
The term ‘infertility’ can sound so final to couples desperately trying to start a family. It is defined as ‘a failure to conceive after regular unprotected sexual intercourse for one to two years’ – but there is still hope when that period passes: IVF. The good news is that assisted conception techniques are continually developing […]
While the average menstrual cycle is 28 days, many women have cycles that are several days shorter, or indeed a week longer. The length of a period varies from woman to woman, too: some bleed for seven days, some just for two. However, after puberty, most women will have settled into a cycle and are […]
Women who have gone through the menopause will tell you that they suffered a range of symptoms. Some were perhaps merely mild irritations, but others may have caused distress, especially when a previously happy sex life was affected. During the menopause, the ovaries produce less oestrogen to which the vulvo-vaginal tract reacts sensitively; this decline […]