Have you ever needed to take a pregnancy test, but you have not been sure how or when best to take one? Here we cover the basic science around pregnancy tests and dispel some myths surrounding them. Read on to find out more. Q: How do pregnancy tests work? There are two types of pregnancy …
So you have just found out that you are pregnant! So, what happens now? Once you know that you are pregnant, it is important you are able to get information and care in order to have a healthy pregnancy. Pregnancy (antenatal) care is mainly provided by a team of midwives and doctors both in your …
Every ten minutes, one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK. (1) October is breast cancer awareness month, where there is increased recognition, education and as a result diagnosis. The article will provide some information on the risks of getting breast cancer, key things to look out for when examining yourself and what …
What is AMH? We are born with a large (1-2 million) but finite amount of eggs. By the time of our first period, this decreases to half a million eggs. So, if a woman has 12 periods a year for 40 years (before menopause), and roughly one egg is released in each period, that means …
A low egg count, or diminished ovarian reserve, means that there is a low number of eggs in the ovaries. This is reflected by changes in hormone levels, for example, high Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and low Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH). A low egg count can also be detected on a blood test or ‘jelly scan’ …
You may be one of many women who track their cycles and know roughly when their next period is due, but do you know when you are ovulating? What is ovulation, and how do you know when it is happening? The basics Your menstrual cycle is divided into two stages: the follicular and the luteal …
The good news is, the NHS can fund 1 or 3 cycles of IVF, criteria dependent. The bad news is, 6 out of 10 IVF cycles in the UK are funded privately (1) and usage of the NHS for 1st cycles has been declining over time (2). Why is that? Well, NHS waiting times can …
Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects up to 1 in every 10 women in the UK. (1) Over 50% of women do not have symptoms, and even when women do it can take years to diagnose and treat due to the missing gaps in knowledge. Frustratingly, the name is misleading – as research advanced it’s …
If you have been reading up about fertility, or have been undergoing fertility treatment yourself, you may have come across the anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH). The AMH is an important hormone in the body that is related to fertility (1): It reflects the number of eggs present in the ovaries and Is useful to measure in …
About 1 in 7 couples in the UK have problems conceiving. (1) That’s 3.5 million people: over 3 times the population of Birmingham. Traditionally, infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after 1 year of trying. However, after 1 year of having regular, unprotected sex, 84 in 100 couples will conceive naturally; after 3 …
