Embryo transfer is part of the In vitro fertilization (IVF) process, it involves transferring 1 or more embryos that have been grown for 3-6 days back into the uterus in hopes of pregnancy resulting.

The day of embryo transfer is a big day, it's the day you could potentially become pregnant! Especially if you've been through a long journey of trying to conceive and going through IVF, sometimes it can be nerve racking to go into the next procedure not knowing exactly what to expect. But I'm here to tell you, it's not that bad!

Especially if you've already gone through egg retrieval(s) or IUI(s), you'll find the embryo transfer procedure itself a breeze. But being that it's such a crucial day in the IVF process, there are a few things you can do to prepare for, stay comfortable during, and increase the odds of success for your embryo transfer.

FertilityJacqueline GabardyNovember 7, 2017ivf, implantation, embryo transfer

Egg Quality vs. Age: what you've been told is wrong

Women are born with ovaries full of all the eggs they'll ever have, unlike men who produce sperm non-stop for most of their lives. It's been the popular belief up until recently that women's eggs age as they do, and somewhere between the 35 and 45 they lose much of their viability. But, much to our surprise, recent research has actually proven much of that to be wrong!

Chromosomal abnormalities and poor egg quality are no longer a pre-determined diagnosis for women of "advanced maternal age." We know now that there is much to be done to improve how our hormones and ovaries function, and therefore produce healthy eggs, even over the age of 40!

FertilityJacqueline GabardyOctober 25, 2017ivf, infertility, egg quality, fertility, advanced maternal age

Foods for Implantation

Whether you're trying to conceive naturally or with Assisted Reproductive Technologies such as IVF or insemination, implantation is a crucial point in the conception process. Implantation happens when a developed embryo (at that point it's called a blastocyst) adheres to the wall of the uterus, usually 7-10 days after ovulation.

While implantation can happen all on its own without any support, many women who have had trouble conceiving want to do whatever they can to optimize their chances of getting pregnant. In fact, I get asked from my patients all the time, "what else can I do to encourage implantation?"

Of course moderate exercise, plenty of sleep, and stress management can help, but many of my patients who are trying to conceive already do that - so what else? Diet is another big factor that can effect conception. Let's take a look at all the foods that can help your little blastocyst lay down some roots.

Food + Nutrition, FertilityJacqueline GabardySeptember 25, 2017implantation, fertility, infertility, nutrition

Intro to Basal Body Temperature Charting

Women's hormones change so significantly during the course of their cycles that just by looking at graphs of daily temperatures you can see when ovulation occurs, if implantation has taken place, or when the period is about to start. It can even spot subtle signs of hormone imbalance, for example, if enough there's not enough progesterone being produced to sustain pregnancy.

Not just any temperature though, specifically our basal body temperature (BBT) is what must be measured to better understand what our hormones are doing. Basal refers to the bottom, in this case it's the lowest our temperature gets each day. For most people, that happens to be when you first wake up in the morning, after your body and metabolism have been resting several hours.

I wrote earlier about the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM,) which uses temperature charting as a major component of tracking the menstrual cycle and determining a woman's fertile window. Click the link above to learn more about FAM and if it's right for you.

The Connection between Acupuncture & IVF

Acupuncture is an ancient holistic medicine that creates balance in the body through gentle treatment with minimal side effects. In vitro fertilization (IVF) and other Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) are ultramodern medical techniques that manipulate conception with hormonal medications and surgical procedures.

One is aggressive and invasive, but very precise; while the other is holistic, calming, and nourishing. Much like Yin and Yang, these medicines are built on very very different foundations, but nonetheless compliment each other quite well. In fact, many Reproductive Endocrinologist (aka, fertility doctors) make room in their busy clinics for acupuncturists like me to treat patients at key points during the IVF process.

What is the Fertility Awareness Method?

If you're trying to conceive, or even if you're not but you don't use contraceptives such as birth control, it's super helpful to understand when you're most fertile and when you aren't. The goal of the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) is just that, to track your cycle and ovulation to best predict how fertile you are on any given day.

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