As a fertility doctor, I frequently evaluate the uterus to identify any issues that could be preventing pregnancy or contributing to pregnancy loss. One common uterine abnormality I encounter is a condition called a uterine septum. In this blog post, I'll explain what a uterine septum is, how it's diagnosed, and what can be done about it.

As a fertility doctor, I see patients with endometriosis on a daily basis. This inflammatory condition is one of the leading causes of infertility, affecting 25-50% of women struggling to conceive. Yet, it remains a widely misunderstood and underdiagnosed disease. I want to break down what endometriosis is, how it impacts fertility, and the various treatment options available. My goal is to empower you with the knowledge to advocate for your reproductive health, whether you are trying to conceive now or planning for the future.

Dr. Natalie Crawford explains that irregular periods can be caused by a variety of factors, including hormonal imbalances, uterine abnormalities, and issues with the brain's regulation of the menstrual cycle. Addressing irregular periods is crucial for overall reproductive health, as the menstrual cycle is a vital sign that provides important information about a woman's body.

As a board-certified fertility doctor, I've dedicated my career to empowering women with the knowledge and tools they need to understand their bodies. One of the most crucial aspects of this journey is unraveling the complexity of reproductive hormones and their profound impact on our overall health and well-being.

Dr. Natalie Crawford discusses the key steps for trying to conceive, emphasizing the importance of understanding your natural menstrual cycle, making lifestyle changes to support fertility, and seeking medical guidance when needed.

While birth control does not permanently impact fertility, long-term use of certain methods can temporarily affect ovulation and the uterine lining, so it's important to plan ahead when transitioning off birth control and trying to conceive.

Dr. Natalie Crawford explains the testing that can be done done after your first fertility visit including ovarian reserve, semen analysis, anatomical testing, genetic testing and more.

Dr. Natalie Crawford explains how to prepare and what to expect at your first fertility visit. She emphasizes the importance of finding the right fertility clinic and doctor, and stresses the need to provide complete medical information to ensure the best possible care.

Let's review just preparing for the hysteroscopy including more detail about what it is, what you should know, and the questions you should ask. Hysteroscopy is a surgical procedure. It is where a camera is placed through the cervix into the uterine cavity.

Hysteroscopy is a surgical procedure where a small camera is inserted through the cervix into the uterus to allow the doctor to visually examine the inside of the uterine cavity. It is used to diagnose and treat various uterine conditions that can impact fertility, such as polyps, fibroids, scar tissue, and uterine abnormalities. The goal of hysteroscopy is to optimize the uterine environment to improve the chances of successful embryo implantation and pregnancy. It is considered the gold standard for evaluating the inside of the uterus.

Preconception genetic carrier screening is a blood test, and we are checking to see if you are a carrier of a single gene disorder.

The basics of IVF and the protocol including the goals and how success is measured.

Dr. Natalie Crawford discusses the impact of uterine polyps on fertility treatments like IVF and natural conception. It suggests that removing polyps generally improves pregnancy rates, though timing during IVF cycles may not significantly affect outcomes. Despite this, the author recommends removing polyps before embryo transfer for safety and to maximize chances of success, citing a rare case of cancerous polyp as a cautionary example. Overall, the advice is to err on the side of removing polyps to optimize fertility treatment outcomes.

I am a believer everybody needs to be evaluated to see if they have a polyp, especially if you're doing IVF sometime before you do the embryo transfer. Believe it or not, this is not standard of care. There are definitely practices that I have gotten records from that just do not look. They do not take the time. And why not? I don't know, but it blows my mind.

A polyp is a projection of the endometrial glands and stroma. So think about it like the inside layer, that endometrium. Learn more about what polyps are, the symptoms, and how common they are.

So the first thing I want everybody to know when talking about the uterus is that developmentally, the uterus starts as two different buds inside the body. These buds elongate, fuse together, and the midline portion dissolves, leaving what we think of as the triangular shaped uterus. These buds compose the top one third of the vagina, the cervix, the uterus, and the fallopian tubes. I think this is important because you can have birth defects of your uterus, and understanding the uterine structure is really important to understand anything that can go wrong.

Reviewing what we are looking for in the semen analysis, next steps, and treatment options.

Every time I talk about male fertility and the semen analysis, I feel like there is a giant gap in knowledge. I will be discussing how sperm is made, male and female similarities, and low testosterone. In part 2 I will discuss what we are looking at with a semen analysis, and some things I want you to know about male factor.

Many of my patients come to me and never expect to have a conversation about donor eggs. This option, for most people, is something they never thought they’d have to discuss. I want to break down some of the barriers, talk about this honestly, and give you some things to consider. Most people going down this road are women of advanced maternal age or poor egg quality leading to failure to get pregnant.

It is so important for you to know what is going on with your body so you can understand what’s best for you. I see these medications misused often so I want you to understand this topic.