Aurora-Georgia

11.06.2019

What is male infertility?

Reproduction (or making a baby) is a simple and natural experience for most couples. However, for some couples it is very difficult to conceive.

A man’s fertility generally relies on the quantity and quality of his sperm. If the number of sperm a man ejaculates is low or if the sperm are of a poor quality, it will be difficult, and sometimes impossible, for him to cause a pregnancy.

Male infertility is diagnosed when, after testing both partners, reproductive problems have been found in the male.

How common is male infertility?

Infertility is a widespread problem. For about one in five infertile couples the problem lies solely in the male partner.

It is estimated that one in 20 men has some kind of fertility problem with low numbers of sperm in his ejaculate. However, only about one in every 100 men has no sperm in his ejaculate.

What are the symptoms of male infertility?

In most cases, there are no obvious signs of infertility. Intercourse, erections and ejaculation will usually happen without difficulty. The quantity and appearance of the ejaculated semen generally appears normal to the naked eye.

Medical tests are needed to find out if a man is infertile.

Known causes of male infertility

Sperm production problems:

Chromosomal or genetic causes;
Undescended testes (failure of the testes to descend at birth);
Infections;
Torsion (twisting of the testis in scrotum);
Varicocele (varicose veins of the testes);
Medicines and chemicals;
Radiation damage;
Unknown cause.

Blockage of sperm transport:

Infections;
Prostate-related problems;
Absence of vas deferens;
Vasectomy.

Sexual problems (erection and ejaculation problems):

Retrograde and premature ejaculation;
Failure of ejaculation;
Erectile dysfunction;
Infrequent intercourse;
Spinal cord injury;
Prostate surgery;
Damage to nerves;
Some medicines.

Hormonal problems:

Pituitary tumours;
Congenital lack of LH/FSH (pituitary problem from birth);
Anabolic (androgenic) steroid abuse.

Sperm antibodies

Vasectomy;
Injury or infection in the epididymis;
Unknown cause.

10.06.2019

Surrogacy means something different to each person it touches. For Intended Parents, it is the chance to finally complete their family and realize their dreams of parenthood. For Surrogates, it is the chance of a lifetime to give selflessly to another family who needs them.

For both parties, surrogacy is an extraordinary journey and a deeply rewarding experience unlike any other.

Intended Parents have one thing in common: a strong desire to add to their families. For these couples, surrogacy makes this dream possible.
The advantages of surrogacy are clear to the hundreds of families who have been created in this special way. Here are just a few surrogacy benefits that Intended Parents enjoy:

Surrogacy allows infertile couples to become parents when they may not be able to have children otherwise.
Gestational surrogacy allows one or both parents to be biologically related to their child.
Surrogacy gives hopeful parents the opportunity to raise a child from birth.
Intended parents may face fewer restrictions with surrogacy than with adoption; those who cannot adopt due to agency restrictions on factors like age can still pursue surrogacy.
Surrogates have already carried other pregnancies and have a proven uterus, increasing their chances of successfully carrying a surrogate pregnancy.

This may make surrogacy more likely to be successful than fertility treatments for Intended Parents.

Surrogacy is often the answer to years of hard work and frustration for hopeful couples who have tried unsuccessfully to add to their families.

Surrogacy can be a physically and emotionally demanding experience, and it takes a special person to be a Surrogate for another family. However, the women who choose surrogacy agree that seeing a completed family at the end of their journey is the ultimate reward that makes it all worth it.

Are you interested in learning more about surrogacy or starting the process?
Contact us: ilona.ivanashvili@gmail.com or WhatsApp: + 995 599 55 8069

08.06.2019

Your body mass index (BMI) is your height to weight ratio, and is a useful way to determine whether a person is underweight, overweight or obese.

Your BMI is recorded on your pregnancy notes and is a useful measurement for pregnancy.

An underweight person has a BMI less than 18.5
A person of a healthy weight has a BMI 18.5 to 24.9
A mildly overweight person has a BMI 25 to 30
A moderately overweight person has a BMI 30 to 35
A seriously overweight person has a BMI over 35

Raised BMI and pregnancy

Research is showing that women who have a high BMI at the start of their pregnancy are at a higher risk of complications during their pregnancy and labour.

Diabetes

The risk of developing diabetes in pregnancy is related to your body size and your BMI. The higher the BMI, the greater the risk of developing diabetes. Women who weigh over 100kg (or have a BMI over 30) will be offered a special test for diabetes (oral glucose tolerance test) when they are 26 weeks pregnant.

High blood pressure

Women who have a high BMI are at a greater risk of developing high blood pressure. Your doctor will be assessing your health at each antenatal visit and will check your blood pressure regularly. Developing high blood pressure in pregnancy can lead to a more serious condition called pre-eclampsia.

Urinary tract infections

Some women with a high BMI may be more prone to urinary tract infections.

Blood clots

A raised BMI is linked to an increased risk of blood clots. This is especially true if you have had a blood clot before or a first degree relative has had one before they were 50 (mother, father, brother, sister or any other children).

Physicians need to be aggressively counseling women about the importance of starting pregnancy at a healthy weight.

In a recent analysis, it was found that obesity, increasingly common in pregnant women, raises the risks to pregnant woman and baby. Overweight and obese pregnant women are at higher risk of C-Section, and less likely to breastfeed, while their children are at higher risk of high birth weight and childhood obesity.

It is recommended that both pre-pregnancy weight and weight gain during pregnancy need to be controlled. Maternal obesity is a well-known risk factor for obesity and chronic disease in childhood and starting pregnancy at ideal body weight will have far reaching benefits.

The researchers offer the following recommendations:

Body mass index should be measured as part of vital signs at routine annual check-ups and all women of child bearing age should be counseled to achieve and maintain optimal BMI.
Preconception counseling programs should include education regarding the poor maternal and perinatal outcomes among the obese and overweight.
Women with high BMI planning a pregnancy should be counseled to participate in intensive nutrition programs aimed to achieve optimum BMI prior to conception.
For underweight women with a BMI of less than 19.8, a weight gain during pregnancy of 28-40 pounds is recommended.
For normal weight women with a BMI between 19.8 and 26 the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is 25-35 pounds.
For overweight women with a BMI between 26.1 and 29 the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is 15-25 pounds.
For obese women with a BMI greater than 29 the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is about 15 pounds.

14.04.2019

The first child of the gestational program, or full surrogate motherhood, when a surrogate mother bears an embryo of biological parents, was born in Ann Arbor (Michigan) in the USA in April 1986. The girl was conceived in vitro using sperm and egg biological parents. IVF was held at the Mount Sinai Cleveland Medical Center under the direction of Dr. Wolf Utian.

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Male infertility