Fertility + Hormones + Health + Lifestyle 

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What To Do Before Trying To Get Pregnant

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.

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Understanding Egg Maturity and Protocols to Improve IVF Outcomes

Double board certified OBGYN and REI, Dr. Natalie Crawford, provides valuable insights into the importance of understanding egg maturity during in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. She emphasizes the need to evaluate and adjust IVF protocols to maximize the number of mature eggs retrieved, as this is a key determinant of IVF success. She outlines various suppression and stimulation techniques used in IVF, as well as the criteria for assessing egg maturity. By understanding these nuances, you can be better equipped to advocate for your fertility needs to optimize your IVF outcomes.

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Perimenopause, Low Ovarian Reserve, and Hormones

Dr. Natalie Crawford dives deep into ovarian failure, perimenopause, and hormones. We explore how ovarian function can cease at any age, even before puberty, and discuss the natural decline in ovarian reserve as women age. She highlights the significance of estrogen, its role in overall health, and how its decline impacts women during menopause. Dr. Crawford also covers essential tests like AMH and antral follicle count, providing insights into a woman's egg supply and reproductive potential.

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Birth Control and Future Fertility

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.

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Unexplained vs. Undiagnosed Infertility

Dr. Natalie Crawford discusses the topic of unexplained versus undiagnosed infertility. Unexplained infertility is an official diagnosis when the standard fertility tests do not reveal a clear cause for the infertility. Many cases of "unexplained" infertility may actually be due to underlying issues like low ovarian reserve, endometriosis, autoimmune disorders, or other factors that are difficult to diagnose. She emphasized the importance of advocating for thorough testing and not accepting the "unexplained" label without further investigation into the root causes. Even with an "unexplained" diagnosis, there are often ways to uncover and address the underlying factors impacting fertility.

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First Fertility Visit: The Next Steps

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.

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Ovarian Cysts: What Is A Functional Cyst? What Is Normal? When Is An Ovarian Cyst A Problem?

Double board certified OBGYN and REI, Dr. Natalie Crawford, discusses ovarian cysts. This topic comes up often when patients are getting an ultrasound, CT scan or any type of imaging. So often you are told that you have a cyst but there is no follow up. Watch this video to learn what ovarian cysts are, why do they occur, and when they are a problem.

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Your First Fertility Visit

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.

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Can You Get Pregnant at 40? What Are The Chances Of Getting Pregnant When You Are Older?

Double board certified OBGYN and REI, Dr. Natalie Crawford, responds to a comment received about getting pregnant at an older age. In this video Dr. Crawford breaks down a popular study called "Time To Conceive" which gives data on fecundability or your chance of getting pregnant each month as you get older. It's important to understand this data when it comes to planning your family.

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Hysteroscopy: How To Prepare and What To Expect

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.

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6 Endometriosis Symptoms and Warning Signs: How Do You Know If You Have Endometriosis?

Double board certified OBGYN and REI, Dr. Natalie Crawford, discusses the 6 warning signs you might have endometriosis. Endometriosis is common, but not diagnosed nearly enough, and the average time to diagnosis is 7-10 years. Watch this video to learn about the warning signs, risk factors, and things you should be aware of if you think you could have endometriosis.

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Embryo Transfer Protocols

Dr. Natalie Crawford discusses the various protocols and considerations surrounding embryo transfers in IVF treatment. She explains the key differences between fresh and frozen embryo transfers, the types of protocols, add ons, and what you should ask your doctor. Taking an active role in your fertility journey and asking questions and pushing for the approach that is best suited to their individual needs and goals is so important.

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Hysteroscopy: Common Findings

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.

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Top Warning Signs You May Have Infertility or Trouble Getting Pregnant

Double board certified OBGYN and REI, Dr. Natalie Crawford, answers the common question, "How will I know if I will have trouble getting pregnant?" You can test your fertility and know if something is wrong right now but it won’t guarantee you will get pregnant in the future. However, knowing the warning signs may help you make a different decision. This video will guide you and help you decide if you need to seek an evaluation sooner or do early intervention like egg or embryo freezing.

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IVF: How Many Eggs Do You Need To Get To A Normal Embryo?

Double board certified OBGYN and REI, Dr. Natalie Crawford, discusses the amount of eggs you need to get to a normal embryo. In this video, Dr. Crawford reviews a paper recently published in Fertility and Sterility called “The minimum number of mature oocytes needed to obtain at least one euploid blastocyst according to female age in IVF treatment cycles” So often no expectations are set so the assumption is that IVF is going to work. It’s important to have the data and know what it’s going to take for success and whether or not it’s worth it to you.

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