Infertility

Surrogate Mothers

After months or even years of trying to fall pregnant, after crying buckets of tears and feeling a hopeless sense of desperation, you may believe that you’ll never have a baby. You convince yourself that you won’t hold your own child in your arms, because your body has failed you by not carrying a foetus to full term. There is hope. Surrogate mothers have been carrying other women’s children for years. They provide their bodies to women who cannot have babies of their own. Surrogate mothers grow and nurture the babies for 9 months and then hand them over to their parents. According to

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Sperm Donation

Visits to the sperm bank, conjure up images of tiny little cubicles with sleazy music, porn and red-faced men. It probably brings about feelings of immense embarrassment which is enough to make any man freeze and fail to produce a cup full of little swimmers. A lack of proper education about sperm donation means that few men are prepared to visit a facility and deposit that very precious specimen in the bank. What many don’t realise is just how crucial that sperm donation is to those couples who are struggling to fall pregnant. According to Medfem, 10 – 35 percent of all

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Invitro Fertilization

Help needed for falling pregnant When falling pregnant becomes a problem, you may decide to seek medical help. There are many facilities available in South Africa that can give you a boost in creating that precious baby. Artificial Insemination (AI) Artificial Insemination is an option when you have mild problems with ovulation, endometriosis or when your partner has a relatively mild problem with his sperm (i.e. a low sperm count or premature ejaculation) The procedure takes place, when the medical team injects your partner’s sperm into the cavity of your uterus. The ideal time for Artificial insemination to take place will be determined by doing

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Coping with Infertility

You’ve made love almost every day this month, last month and the month before. You’ve tried every trick, every potion and you’re still not pregnant. You’re devastated and feel that all hopes of having that precious baby have been dashed. You’re not alone, as one in ten women are infertile. Reports suggest 80 million people worldwide, struggle to have children. That doesn’t make it easier does it? Trying to fall pregnant and failing time and again can have a devastating effect on your self esteem and your relationship with your partner. You may find that you’re also shunning friends, who have several

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Endometriosis

The only really reliable way to confirm the condition is to perform a minor surgical procedure, called a laparoscopy. A small incision is made in the belly button and an instrument is then inserted to inspect the pelvic organs. Your doctor will actually be able to see whether or not you have Endometriosis and at what stage the disease is. If your doctor diagnosis Endometriosis, he can decide to cut the growths out, using a laser But often a woman would not want to have surgery, so what then? An experienced Gynaecologist should be able to recognise the symptoms, by asking the

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Egg Donations

As more and more women opt to have babies later in life, falling pregnant becomes more difficult. They may find that the quality of their eggs deteriorates with age and as such conceiving a baby becomes pretty much impossible. But it’s not only mature women who have problems with their eggs. Some may suffer from premature ovarian failure or chemotherapy, while others may have damaged their ovaries during previous surgeries. Some women may decide against using their own eggs, for fear of passing on certain genetic material to their babies. If a woman desperately wants a baby, but cannot use her own

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Ectopic Pregnancy

An ectopic pregnancy happens when the fertilized egg attaches itself in a place, other than the uterus. In most cases, ectopic pregnancies occur in the fallopian tubes. That’s why these pregnancies are often called “tubal pregnancies”. They can also take place in the cervix, ovary or abdomen. A baby cannot grow inside any of these areas as there’s no space for the foetus to develop normally. As the baby grows, it could eventually burst the organ housing it, causing the mother to bleed and endangering her life. What causes an ectopic pregnancy? According to the American Pregnancy Association, ectopic pregnancies are caused by

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Adoption

Adopting an orphaned baby has become the latest celebrity craze. Angelina Jolie is probably better known these days, as the mother of three adopted children, than for her role as the über sexy Lara Croft from the Tomb Raiders. Pop icon and sex bomb, Madonna has also joined the ranks of celeb moms who’ve travelled to remote countries and returned home with a new bundle to love and care for. For many ordinary couples though, adopting a child is not merely an act of kindness. It’s a decision they’ve had to make after years of heartbreak while struggling to fall pregnant

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