So you want to have a baby. What should you eat? Many nutritional experts say follow the "fertility diet." The plan is based on research from the landmark Nurses' Health Study — one of the largest and most comprehensive studies on women's health — which informed 10 steps for improving fertility through changes in diet, weight and activity. This January, U.S. News and World Report, which evaluate ...

What causes the symptoms of PCOS? Most of the symptoms of PCOS are caused by higher-than-normal levels of certain hormones, called androgens. The ovaries produce hormones, which are chemicals that control functions in the body. One of the hormones that the ovaries make is estrogen—sometimes called the "female hormone" because women's bodies make more of it than men's bodies do. The ovaries also m ...

If you've had regular, unprotected sex for more than a year without conceiving (or six months if you're older than 35), see your doctor. About 65 percent of couples that get treatment for a fertility problem are eventually able to have a successful pregnancy, according to Resolve, the national infertility association. The success rates below are based on averages gathered from large groups of pat ...

Prevention Some types of infertility aren't preventable. But several strategies may increase your chances of pregnancy. Couples Have regular intercourse several times around the time of ovulation for the highest pregnancy rate. Intercourse beginning at least five days before and until a day after ovulation improves your chances of getting pregnant. Ovulation usually occurs in the middle of the cy ...

An embryo transfer is the last part of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process. During IVF, fertility medications are used to stimulate the ovaries into releasing healthy eggs. These eggs are then removed from a woman’s ovaries and fertilized in a lab. Once the fertilized eggs have multiplied, the embryos are transferred to the woman’s uterus. For a pregnancy to begin, the embryo must then att ...

Symptoms: The main symptom of infertility is the inability to get pregnant. A menstrual cycle that's too long (35 days or more), too short (less than 21 days), irregular or absent can mean that you're not ovulating. There may be no other outward signs or symptoms. Each of these factors is essential to become pregnant: You need to ovulate. To get pregnant, your ovaries must produce and release a ...

Surgery for improving fertility Ovarian drilling A surgical procedure that may increase ovulation in PCOS. It is a minimally invasive procedure where an incision is made in the abdomen under a general anaesthetic and via the laparoscope small holes are drilled in the surface of the ovary. Following ovarian drilling, ovulation is often restored for up to 6-12 months. As surgery is a more intensive ...