Services

#Infertility Counseling

Infertility is a medical condition that touches all aspects of your life. It may affect your relationship with others, your perspective on life, and how you feel about yourself. We also understand the social stigma attached with infertility which can have a serious emotional impact on your well-being. We recognize your needs and the aim of counselling at Goodnews Fertility Center is to explore, understand and resolve issues arising from infertility as well as treatment. We also guide you on ways to dealing with the problem more effectively.
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#Follicular Monitoring

Follicular tracking involves scanning the ovaries regularly during the menstrual cycle and observing the follicles as they increase in size. It is a series of tests & scans to help determine when the patient will ovulate, the number of mature eggs that will ovulate and to ensure that this is accomplished safely. When the follicles are mature, patients are advised to have timed intercourse or Intrauterine Insemination or proceed with egg collection in case of an In-Vitro Fertilization Cycle.
Generally, these scans will start around day 9 of the cycle and may continue until day 20.
A follicular study helps in ascertaining the size of any active follicles in the ovaries that can contain an egg and effectively predict ovulation so that fertilization can take place naturally. If pregnancy is to take place through a fertility treatment, the scan helps to determine the presence of follicles and the best time to extract an egg for fertilization.
Performed via an ultrasound, a follicular study examines the ovarian follicles and takes pictures of the internal organs which are further analysed. The doctor will be able to tell the approximate time when the egg will be released, and advise you accordingly. The tissues containing eggs and the thickness of the endometrial lining are studied to determine the period that the patient is likely to ovulate.

#Evaluation of Male Partner

Evaluation of the male in infertility has evolved into an organized, logical process beginning with thorough reproductive and medical history, physical examination, and semen analysis. Several aspects of a reproductive history are important in assessing a man’s fertility potential. Components of a medical history that are addressed are medical illnesses that affect infertility secondarily, such as diabetes mellitus, thyroid disorder, history of mumps, childhood trauma to private parts, upper respiratory tract disease, family history, injury caused due surgery (e.g. hernia repair, hydrocoele etc).
A complete physical examination should be done in addition to focused examination of the male reproductive tract.
The principle diagnostic test to determine the extent to which the male partner contributes to a couple’s infertility is semen analysis. Semen analysis determines the volume of the ejaculate and the sperm count, percentage motility, and the percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology according to strict criteria.
In some cases advanced evaluation is done through methods such as hormonal assessment, ultrasound, genetic analysis and biochemical testing.

#Evaluation of Female Partner

History and physical examination is done to check causes of infertility like ovulatory dysfunction, uterine abnormalities, tubal obstruction, peritoneal factors, or cervical factors. Investigations in terms of blood tests, Ovulation testing, Ovarian reserve testing, Other hormone testing, Imaging tests ultrasound, hysteroscopy, laparoscopy may be advised by doctor depending on your medical situation.

#Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

IUI is a fertility treatment that involves placing sperms inside a woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilization. The goal of IUI is to increase the number of sperms that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization. It is a less invasive and less expensive option compared to In Vitro fertilization.

Why is it done?

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Mild male factor infertility (subfertility)

Your partner’s semen analysis, one of the first steps in the medical assessment of infertility, may show below-average sperm concentration, weak movement (motility) of sperm, or abnormalities in sperm size and shape (morphology). IUI can overcome some of these problems because preparing sperm for the procedure helps separate highly motile, normal sperm from those of lower quality.

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Unexplained infertility

IUI is often performed as a first treatment for unexplained infertility along with ovulation-inducing medications.

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Endometriosis-related infertility

For infertility related to endometriosis, using medications to obtain a good-quality egg along with performing IUI is often the first treatment approach.
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Cervical factor infertility

Your cervix, at the lower end of the uterus, provides the opening between your vagina and uterus. Mucus produced by the cervix around the time of ovulation provides an ideal environment for sperm to travel from your vagina to the fallopian tubes. But, if your cervical mucus is too thick, it may impede the sperm’s journey. The cervix itself may also prevent sperm from reaching the egg. Scarring, such as that caused by a biopsy or other procedures, can cause the cervix to thicken. IUI bypasses your cervix, depositing sperm directly into your uterus and increasing the number of sperm available to meet the awaiting egg.

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Single Patent Tube

The fallopian tubes perform necessary functions such as egg pick-up, egg transport, fertilization, and embryo transport from the fallopian tube to the uterus. In cases where the fallopian tubes are blocked or damaged or not “patent” (open), can prevent the sperm and egg from uniting and fertilizing normally, or by preventing the normal transport of an embryo to the uterine cavity.
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Selected cases of PCOD

The specific cause of PCOS is still unknown, the condition results in hormonal imbalances that curtail or prevent ovulation—the body’s process of producing and releasing eggs from the ovary. Women experience limited follicular development (follicles are small sac-like structures within the ovaries, and each follicle contains an egg). With limited follicular development, egg development will not occur. Clinically, the limited egg development may result in irregular ovulation or a complete lack of ovulation (anovulation), which can persist for months or even years. This ovulatory dysfunction is what actually causes infertility in these women.

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Cases with Erectile Dysfunction

While ED doesn’t directly cause male infertility, they may have the same root causes and are often seen in conjunction with each other.

#In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a type of assisted reproductive technology (ART). It involves retrieving eggs from a woman’s ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm outside the body. This fertilized egg is known as an embryo. The embryo can then be frozen for storage or transferred to a woman’s uterus.

#Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

ICSI is an advanced form of IVF, wherein, a single sperm is injected directly into the cytoplasm of a single egg. There are several differences between classic IVF and ICSI. However, the steps to be followed before and after insemination are the same. ICSI needs only one sperm per oocyte, meanwhile, IVF needs between 50 and 100 thousand.
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How the IVF/ICSI Treatment Process Works ?

Step 1 : Ovarian Stimulation

You will be given fertility medications to stimulate your ovaries to produce mature eggs. Medications & certain injections may also be prescribed

Step 2 : Patient Monitoring

A transvaginal ultrasound will be used to examine your ovaries for follicular tracking, while blood samples are taken to check your hormone levels.

Step 3 : Maturing Eggs

A hormone injection of HCG is given two days prior to your egg collection to trigger your eggs to mature.

Step 4 : Egg Retrieval

A minor surgical procedure is used to retrieve your eggs. This takes approximately 30-minutes and involves drawing the eggs from the follicles using the help of ultrasound imaging and a special needle. It is a day care procedure under anesthesia.

Step 5 : Sperm Collection

Sperm from the male partner, is collected and prepared to obtain highly motile & energized sperm for fertilization.

Step 6 : Egg Fertilization

In a process called insemination, the sperm and extracted eggs are combined to encourage fertilization. In some cases, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be used. This is the process of injecting a single sperm directly into the egg to assist with fertilization. The fertilized eggs are cultured in the incubator under extremely controlled environment, to form embryos, the earliest sign of life.

Step 7 : Embryo Transfer

Three to five days after fertilization, one or two embryos are ready to be transferred to your uterus (or that of a pre-arranged surrogate) for implantation. In certain cases the embryos are frozen & transferred in the next cycle for better results.

Step 8 : Pregnancy Test

Approximately two-weeks after the embryo transfer, you will have a blood test to determine if you are pregnant. If your pregnancy test is positive, then you will have an ultrasound two weeks later. If your test is negative, then you can discuss options with us for the further course of action.
IVF & ICSI
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Are there any side effects or risks with IVF ?

Like most medical procedures, there is a potential risk — although this is quite small. The vast majority of side effects are minor and pass shortly after the procedure is done and additional hormone medications are stopped. Here’s an overview of the most common possible side effects:
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Right After the Procedure

  • In most cases, there is minimal discomfort with IVF, except for mild cramping. Other side effects may include:
  • Minimal vaginal bleeding
  • Mild bloating
  • Mild cramping
  • Breast tenderness
  • Constipation
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Common side effects from fertility medication

  • Mood swings
  • Hot flashes
  • Headaches
  • Abdominal bloating
  • Abdominal pain

#Gamete Cryopreservation

With changing trends towards late marriages, delaying child birth, professional commitments etc, egg freezing and sperm banking are effective methods for fertility preservation.

These methods maximize fertility potential per retrieval cycle, providing a repository for individual’s eggs/sperms/embryos that may not exist elsewhere. Thus reproductive potential is not limited to reproductive years, but available as one manifests the need.

#Third Party Reproduction

The third party reproduction options which are available are
  • Opting for an egg donor
  • Sperm donor
  • Embryo donation or adoption
  • Surrogacy