Posts Tagged ‘Improve Fertility’

Sofia Vergara revealed to Vogue Magazine that she is freezing her eggs. The actress, 40, has one son from a previous marriage, and is engaged to fiancé Nick Loeb, 37. Loeb doesn’t have children, which factored into Vergara’s decision to pursue egg freezing.

Experts highly recommend Egg Freezing as a way to preserve fertility. “Ms. Vergara’s choice to freeze her eggs is one I strongly support. I make it a point to educate my patients on the many benefits of egg freezing, ” said Dr. Tomer Singer, a Reproductive Endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Human Reproduction. “When considering fertility options, it is important to take into consideration the quality and quantity of eggs that can be harvested at a given age. Whether for the purposes of career or other reasons such as cancer or a family history of early menopause, egg freezing at an early age provides a woman the option of postponing childbearing until she is ready.  For those considering fertility preservation, having a frozen store of eggs provides a woman with a sense of security and promise.”

Vergara is one of thousands of women worldwide who are choosing to freeze their eggs to help reduce the pressure of their biological clock. Whether women are in Vergara’s situation, or have different reasons for considering egg freezing, such as plans to pursue their career before starting a family, or for medical reasons, egg freezing is an effective way to plan for the future. Frozen eggs are suspended in time, ready to be thawed, fertilized, and placed into the uterus where ideally a pregnancy will develop. By freezing their eggs, women are able to focus on the present without the stress and worry an uncertain future can bring.

To find out more about freezing your eggs, contact a fertility specialist at the Center for Human Reproduction.

By: Micheline Chu, MD

For decades, the Surgeon General has advised quitting smoking.  Beyond the well-publicized diseases and health risks caused by smoking and second-hand smoke, smoking contributes to fertility issues.  Cigarette smokers are known to be more likely to have several fertility issues as compared to non-smokers, regardless of which partner smokes.  Both female and male smokers have lower fertility levels, taking longer to conceive, and children of mothers who smoked have an increased risk of fertility issues as adults.

On the female side, ovarian reserve (egg quantity) and egg quality are compromised in women who smoke.  Smoking also reduces the chance of success with IVF, and smokers have increased rates of miscarriage with IVF pregnancies.

And on the male side, compared to non-smokers, smokers tend to have lower sperm counts, reduced amounts of semen, impaired motility of sperm, and a higher percentage of abnormally-shaped sperm.  Smoking can also affect the blood vessels that supply the penis, causing erection problems.

Besides the obvious health benefits of quitting smoking, quitting smoking will increase your ability to conceive and your likelihood of success with IVF.  It is thought to take at least three months for improvement to be maximized in relation to fertility after stopping smoking.

To help you get started…

Center for Tobacco Control (North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System)

(516) 466-1980

Fax: 516-466-1954

TobaccoCenter@nshs.edu

www.northshorelij.com/stopsmoking

New York State Smokers’ Quitline

1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487)

www.nysmokefree.com