You will find these interesting and important information:

1. Froozen Embryo Transfer ...

2. Ten years' pain, 15 IVF attempts, £ 64,000..... one MIRACLE

3. Want to get pregnant? Its better to be fat than thin! 

4. Chances of getting pregnant in your 30s and 40s.

5. Reflexology - can't put a foot wrong.

6. Invisable Pain of Infertility. 

7. Fat, pregnant or both?

8. Obesity might be the reason for your infertility 

The Invisible Pain of Infertility

Chances are, someone you're close to is struggling to get pregnant, but you may never know. REDBOOK's on a mission to end the shame and secrecy of infertility — and you're about to join it.

Infertility can be devastating, and it's time we openly acknowledged that. "You walk around with this feeling of a missing piece," says Paige Nolt, 29, in the video she posted for REDBOOK's "The Truth About Trying" campaign.

There's nothing the tabloids love more than a baby reveal. And lately, many of the celebs cradling adorable downy-haired infants are 40-somethings. We hear about their designer nurseries, the mini couture outfits, and how they chose their exotic names, but we rarely hear about the fertility issues they endured. Going by the statistics, some certainly did: By age 40, a woman has only a 5 percent chance of conceiving during each cycle. "Regardless of how well you take care of yourself, ovaries age at a constant rate, and there's nothing you can do to halt it. That clock ticks on," says Robert Gustofson, M.D., medical director of the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine in Denver. "By 45, the chance of having a child with your own eggs is 1 percent."

Along with celebs, millions of unfamous women keep their baby-making challenges under wraps. Everyone has the right to privacy, of course, but that secrecy has left so many women to cope alone, in pain, and often uninformed. "It's frustrating that our society is not more open about infertility," says Barbara Collura, executive director of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. "When women dealing with infertility can communicate with others in their situation, they get through it in a much better state of mind and also share needed information about their options." 

Those are some of the key reasons REDBOOK has joined forces with RESOLVE to launch "The Truth About Trying," an online video campaign to start an open conversation about infertility, which strikes one in eight women in the United States. The message of those speaking out: It's not always easy to get pregnant, and there's no shame in that. 

"It's crazy to me that this topic is still taboo," says participant Rosie Pope, 31, who talks about her battle to become a second-time mom — and her shock at all the denial out there — in her video. The star of Bravo's Pregnant in Heels says, "A lot of people who have gone through IVF and managed to have kids shove it under the rug and pretend it never happened. In Hollywood, you can talk about your drug addiction or divorce, but not infertility. It's a real disservice to women." 

Most of the fertility specialists and support-group leaders REDBOOK spoke with confirm that couples often conceal their fertility problems. Even when they find a community online, the exchanges are largely anonymous; in real life, they are typically silent. Indeed, in a survey of couples having difficulty conceiving, conducted by the pharmaceutical company Merck, 61 percent of respondents hid their infertility from family and friends. Nearly half didn't even tell their mothers. 

It's time for infertility to come out of the closet. In their "Truth About Trying" videos, women put names, faces, and voices to this disease (yes, it's a disease). They are raw, brave, helpful, and warm, and together they offer a powerful resource for you or a friend, sister, daughter — anyone coping with infertility.

What we're not saying (and hearing) 

The official definition of infertility: an inability to get or stay pregnant after a year of trying if you're under 35, or six months if you're older. Twelve percent of reproductive-age American women — about 7.3 million — are having trouble conceiving or carrying a baby to term, up from about 9 percent in 1988, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Some of that rise reflects the fact that more people are waiting longer to start families, and the older you are, the more likely it is that you'll have issues like early menopause or a risk of miscarriage. Some 7 to 10 percent of men are infertile; in about 20 percent of situations, both partners have problems. And anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of infertility is "unexplained," as in, there's no medical answer for why you're not pregnant, except that you're not. "I work out every day. I just did a triathlon. You think, If I'm healthy, this will happen," says Lori LeRoy, 39, of Indianapolis, who began trying to conceive naturally at 33. She went on to do in vitro fertilization (IVF), and now she and her husband are in the midst of adopting a little boy.

A quick refresher course: With IVF, egg and sperm meet in a petri dish, then embryos are placed in the uterus, helping the process along. While the procedure improves on the 20 percent chance of pregnancy women have when their fertility is at its peak, the success rates drop steeply with age. For women under 35, the odds of carrying a baby to term are 41 percent per IVF cycle. At 38, the chance of birth is 22 percent; at 41, 12 percent; and at 43, 5 percent — slender odds that don't come cheap, given that most couples pay for treatment out of pocket. "When we started getting the bills, I thought, If only I'd started sooner, I could've put the money toward my kids' college tuition," says Angelique Jones, 41, of Thorndale, PA, now pregnant with twins. 

Lori and Angelique are open about their experiences but acknowledge they were unusually forthcoming. One reason infertility is considered hush-hush is that it's wrapped up in sex, a subject Americans are notoriously squirmy about. "If you start discussing infertility, you have to talk about ovaries and semen and all kinds of things you don't usually discuss over dinner," says Paige Nolt, 29, of Charlottesville, VA, who's been trying to get pregnant for two years. "Just dealing with my own emotions was difficult enough, so I didn't talk about it at all."

Many women dread hearing what family and friends might say, which is why 43 percent of 549 people surveyed by RESOLVE stayed quiet. "I didn't want people putting pressure on me; I already felt like a failure," says Fran Meadows, 38, of Queens, NY. "I'd grin through baby showers, then cry my eyes out afterward." 

The keep-it-on-the-down-low mentality only perpetuates more secrecy, says Sharon Covington, director of psychological support services at Shady Grove Fertility Center in Washington, DC. "Women think there's something wrong with them while the rest of society has no problem getting pregnant." 

That sense of being defective can be even stronger among women of "advanced maternal age" — those over 35. "I felt I couldn't do this thing women are supposed to do," says Anna Maynard, 43, of Manassas, VA, who tried to conceive naturally for a year before opting for egg donation. "I thought maybe I shouldn't have moved around so much for jobs, and tried to meet someone earlier to settle down with. I was angry at myself for waiting too long and wasting my fertile years, and jealous of the young girl who had plenty of eggs while I was like a beggar at her door."

The benefits of opening up 

Paige Nolt suffered in silence for months. "I was overwhelmed by the loss of the family my husband and I envisioned," she says. "One day, coworkers were all cracking up about something that had happened in the office. They looked at me and I was the only one not laughing. I came home and told my husband I couldn't be a victim anymore, so I started an infertility support group." Paige also appears in a "Truth About Trying" video. "It's a hard issue to talk about, but it would have been so great if someone had told me early on, 'I know exactly what you're going through because I went through it too.'"

Women who put their infertility out there often find instant connections — and comfort. "I felt like I was alone," says 36-year-old Anika Palm, of Orlando, FL, in her video. "To my surprise, after I was open about it, people came to me and told me their experiences." When Keiko Zoll, 29, of Salem, MA, announced she was infertile on a Facebook update during National Infertility Awareness Week in the spring of 2009, "I immediately received emails from three friends admitting they were facing similar issues," she says. "We gave up our anonymity for something better: mutual understanding and hope."

More openness could also help families afford help. Only seven states require insurers to cover at least part of infertility treatment. "It's still beyond the means of most Americans," says Alice Domar, Ph.D., executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health at Boston IVF. "We need to create a lot of noise to get more coverage."

Speak out to support other women and yourself, says Carla Corbitt, 28, of Beaverton, OR. "I'm proud that I can look back on my journey to motherhood and know that not only did it strengthen my marriage and make me more resilient as an individual, but I was also able to give hope to others," she says in her video. "I wish I had sat down a long time ago and started the conversation. I'm just glad that I eventually realized that infertility is not my fault." 

The latest fertility breakthrough

Breast exam, pap smear, banking your eggs: A new fertility technology called vitrification could become standard medical procedure in coming years. It allows women to flash-freeze their eggs so they can implant them in their wombs years or even decades later. Unlike conventional slow-freezing, which often led to the formation of ice crystals in the eggs, this high-speed method greatly improves success rates. 

So, will women in their 20s or early 30s rush to put their eggs on ice? Not in the near future, thanks to the $10,000 to $15,000 price tag. And the procedure — which includes daily hormone shots for two weeks to stimulate egg production, followed by egg-retrieval surgery — isn't fail-safe: "Freezing a batch of eggs when you're 30 gives you a 60 percent chance of a baby," says Jamie Grifo, M.D., Ph.D., director of NYU Fertility Center's division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility. "That means there's a 40 percent chance you don't get pregnant." 

Costs should come down over time, and the odds may well improve. Ultimately, whether you bank your eggs as a hedge against potential infertility really depends on your life plans, says Erika B. Johnston-MacAnanny, M.D., assistant professor of reproductive medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. "I wouldn't offer this to every 20-year-old who walks into my office. But if a young woman has absolutely no intention of getting pregnant until she's 40, I'd be comfortable providing egg freezing. I'd want her to know her options."

    

Pregnant women need only increase their food intake by a relatively small amount rather than "eating for two"

By Bridget BenelamNutritionist with the British Nutrition Foundation

"I'm not fat, I'm pregnant!" Actually, some women may be both but there are currently no UK guidelines to help midwives and women define how much is too much when it comes to weight gain during pregnancy.

In this week's Scrubbing Up, Bridget Benelam from the British Nutrition Foundation says there needs to be clear advice on weight control for pregnant women.

Nearly half of women of childbearing age are overweight or obese in the UK and this means there are increasing numbers of obese pregnant women. But spotting those mothers whose bumps are due to fat as well as baby is difficult, not least because there are no UK guidelines on how much weight women should gain during pregnancy.

Pregnancy weight gain varies and depends on many things - including the weight of the baby, the amount of amniotic fluid and the mother's increased blood volume - as well as body fat. Some additional fat is stored during pregnancy to provide a reserve for breast feeding when the baby is born.

But excessive weight gain during pregnancy carries health risks for the mother and child. It also makes the delivery of the baby more difficult, with caesarean sections and forceps deliveries more common. All this puts a strain on an already stretched maternity service.

Despite the common idea that women need to "eat for two" when pregnant, there is actually only a small number of extra calories needed in pregnancy.

No extra calories are needed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy and only an extra 200kcal per day are required during the last 12 weeks, the equivalent of two small slices of bread.

In a survey of over 6,000 women carried out by the Royal College of Midwives and NetMums last year, 61% said their midwife did not have enough time to discuss their concerns about weight management and nutrition, meaning many women may embark on pregnancy without having discussed how to manage their weight at this important time.

And whilst there is a clear need for readily available advice, guidance is lacking.

Current recommendations in England from NICE (National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence ) do not address the issue of how much weight gain is healthy in pregnancy. Indeed, they flag up the need for UK-specific guidance.

These guidelines, issued in 2010, do say that women who are overweight or obese should be encouraged to lose weight before trying for a baby.

However, they say once a woman is pregnant, she should not be encouraged to diet to lose weight as this may harm the health of the growing baby and so women should follow a healthy diet and be physically active.

But what does this mean in practice?

In the US, guidelines go further.

The Institute of Medicine sets out what is a healthy weight gain - 25 to 35 pounds (11.5 to 16kg) during pregnancy for women at a normal weight for their height.

And it says overweight and obese women should gain less weight during pregnancy than lean women. For example, no more than 20 pounds (9kg) for the most obese.

Pregnancy is a window of opportunity where women are particularly interested in looking after their health and that of their growing baby.

Getting the right help and advice about weight control to pregnant women (and those planning a pregnancy) could help to reduce the risks to both mums and their babies, and also help mitigate the strain that obesity in pregnancy puts on the health service.

But midwives need support in delivering this advice on weight control, something they may never have been trained to provide. Arming them with clear guidance would be a good place to start.

Welcome to our new place!

NEWLIFE FERTILITY CENTER  moved to its new place:

Way 4429, Villa 2029 ,

near Rawasco. Al Azaiba, Muscat 

We are looking to welcome you soon! 

How are obesity and infertility related?

Recent findings show very clearly that fertility can be negatively affected by obesity. In women, early onset of obesity favors the development of menses irregularities, chronic low rate of ovulation and infertility in the adult age. Obesity in women can also increase risk of miscarriages and affect negatively the outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF and other modalities as well as pregnancy, when the body mass index exceeds 30 kg/m². The main factors implicated in the association may be insulin excess and insulin resistance. These adverse effects of obesity are specifically evident in women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). In men, obesity is associated with low testosterone levels. In massively obese individuals, reduced spermatogenesis associated with severe hypotestosteronemia (low testosterone levels in the blood) which may cause severe infertility difficulties in the male. Moreover, the frequency of erectile dysfunction increases with increasing body mass index and the incidence of obesity.  In summary, much more attention should be paid to the impact of obesity on fertility in both women and men. This appears to be particularly important for women before assisted reproductive technologies are attempted. Treatment of obesity may improve androgen imbalance and erectile dysfunction, the major causes of infertility in obese men, especially for those men in Middle East countries.

Do you feel that people in Oman and the Middle East in general are sufficiently educated on this link?

Obesity in the Middle East is a notable health issue. In 2005, the World Health Organization reported that 1.6 billion people were overweight Worldwide and 400 million were obese. It estimates that by the year 2015, 2.3 billion people will be overweight and 700 million will be obese. The Middle East, including the Arabian Peninsula, is no exception to the worldwide increase in obesity. Subsequently, some call this trend the New World Syndrome. The lifestyle changes associated with the discovery of oil and the subsequent increase in wealth is one contributing factor. Urbanization has occurred rapidly and has been accompanied by new technologies that promote sedentary lifestyles. Due to accessibility of private cars, television, and household appliances, the population as a whole is engaging in less physical activity. The rise in caloric and fat intake in a region where exercise is not a defining part of the culture has added to the overall increased percentages of overweight and obese populations. In addition, women are more likely to be overweight or obese due to cultural norms and perceptions of appropriate female behavior and occupations inside and outside of the home. Unfortunately people in Oman and the Middle East in general are not sufficiently educated on this link and an effort should be made of the consequences of obesity has on the overall reproductive health for both male and female.

Are there any other problems cause by obesity in the fertility process, ie passing on diseases and other illnesses onto newborns?

The most recent statistics on the general health of people are not encouraging.  For example, current assessments indicate that over 60% of Americans meet criteria for being either overweight or obese. Those statistics are beginning to appear in locations around the globe including the Middle East and possibly Oman. Excess weight initiates a cascade of health problems through related conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, joint degeneration, sleep apnea and most recently, obesity has been linked to cancer. 

In the USA, the results of a recent research study found that overweight  and obese people have medical bills up to $1500 greater a year than those not carrying excess weight. There is a domino effect associated with dramatic weight gain: People become more sedentary and less able to tolerate exercise. The heart has to work harder to supply oxygen-rich blood to the extra tissue. (extra work due to an increased body surface area). In some cases, the body becomes resistant to its own insulin, blood sugar levels begin to increase and Type II diabetes develops. In most cases, excess weight lends itself to increased blood cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. This process presents us with the beginning of cardiovascular disease.
Weight gain for most people, is the result of increased energy intake and decreased energy output. Translation: We eat too much and do not exercise enough. This is where knowing and doing collide. Exercising and being attentive to diet requires effort and long-term commitment. Our society demands” immediate gratification” with most things (Ex: Standing in front of a microwave and saying “hurry-up”). Seemingly, if it takes too long, requires too much effort, or is uncomfortable, we will opt not to do it. We also factor in, that if anything goes wrong with our health, there is an intervention or pill that will “fix us”. 

“If you are standing on the tracks and you see the train coming, common sense dictates that you get out of the way”. 

This same principle applies to a multitude of topics and very appropriately to the cascade of health problems that will accompany excess body weight and obesity. We know that excess weight leads to a domino effect of health issues. Interventions and medications do not fix things 100%.  The only true fix is to prevent it from happening.
In general, loss of general health has negative implications on sexual performance and diminished reproductive capacity. As to passing on diseases and other illnesses onto newborns, this has never been observed directly but indirectly by attempting to reproduce and raise a family using unhealthy modalities.

Is this a growing problem in Oman and out of infertility cases you deal with, how many of these are related to obesity?

As I mentioned previously, the Middle East, including the Arabian Peninsula and Oman, are no exception to the worldwide increase in obesity. The lifestyle changes associated with the discovery of oil and the subsequent increase in wealth is one contributing factor for the people of the Middle East and particularly those in Oman and the surrounding area. These adverse effects of obesity are specifically evident in women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). In men, obesity is associated with low testosterone levels. In massively obese individuals, reduced spermatogenesis associated with severe hypotestosteronemia (low testosterone levels in the blood) which may cause severe infertility difficulties in the male. Moreover, the frequency of erectile dysfunction increases with increasing body mass index and the incidence of obesity.
I have devoted more than 35 years studying and treating infertility in humans and I must admit that challenges are enormous for treatment of serious symptoms of infertility in countries around the Arabian Peninsula. In men for example, obesity, erectile dysfunction, spermatogenic deficiencies and similar type of problems seem to have reached epidemic proportions and they seem to be getting worse over time.  One of my plans for the future is to establish a prominent center similar to the Andrology Institute of Andrology for the Middle East to treat severe male infertility difficulties.  I challenge my friends in the Middle East to assist me with such plan.   

Which age group or sex is most susceptible to obesity-related infertility illnesses?

Obesity tends to have an impact on fertility in both women and men.  Obesity in women can also increase risk of miscarriages and affect negatively the outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF and other modalities as well as pregnancy, when the body mass index exceeds 30 kg/m. As I mentioned before, the main factors implicated in the association may be insulin excess and insulin resistance. These adverse effects of obesity are specifically evident in women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). In men, obesity is associated with low testosterone levels. In massively obese individuals, reduced spermatogenesis associated with severe low testosterone levels in the blood can cause severe infertility difficulties in the male. Moreover, the frequency of erectile dysfunction increases with increasing body mass index and the incidence of obesity.  In summary, much more attention should be paid to the impact of obesity on fertility in both women and men. This appears to be particularly important for women before assisted reproductive technologies are attempted. Treatment of obesity may improve androgen imbalance and erectile dysfunction, the major causes of infertility in obese men, especially in Middle East countries.

What can be done to tackle this problem and how does New Life work to tackle the issue?

The goal of any obesity treatment, like New Life and others is to achieve and maintain a healthier weight to reduce the patient’s risk of serious health problems and enhance their quality of life. An obese individual, male or female may need to work with a team of health professionals, including a nutritionist, dietitian, therapist or an obesity specialist, to help them understand and make changes in their eating and activity habits. All together, they can determine a healthy goal weight and how to achieve it for anyone suffering from obesity. Any one’s initial goal may be to lose 5 to 10 percent of their body weight within six months. General health brings about better reproductive performance, healthier sex life and better life styles.