ML Interest Tag: get-pregnant

Tiny Birth Stories: Joyful Endings of IVF Success

by Danielle Rizzo

Our new series, Tiny Birth Stories, is aimed at sharing real-life stories from our readers to our readers. In just 100 words or less, we’re bringing you the raw, the funny and the heartwarming stories you’ve lived while bringing babies into the world. Here are five stories that will have you laughing, crying and nodding your head in solidarity. 

Interested in telling your birth story? Click here.

How Salt N’ Peppa helped me “push” him out by Jen T

After 7 years of “unexplained infertility” we finally had success with IVF. Due to preeclampsia I was induced at 37 weeks. Everything was going smoothly until the power went out in the hospital. During this time I started to feel nauseous and started throwing up and getting the shakes. Soon after, the power came back on and it was time to push. My baby’s heart rate was spiking so more nurses rushed in while the music I had playing coincidently started Salt N Peppa’s, Push It. This motivated me to get him out quick and that’s what we did.

The hardest 2 and a half years of my life by Joann C

After 15 months of silently struggling and a diagnosis of PCOS we reached out to a Fertility Specialist. We went through 3 medicated IUI’s before we moved onto IVF where we got pregnant on our 3rd round. Fast forward 8 months and I was admitted to the hospital and told I wouldn’t be leaving until I had my baby. After 30 hours of labor my doctor decided to perform a C-Section. At 28 years old and my first pregnancy I was scared and had zero time to prepare. This was happening! Our baby was born 15 minutes later and is now a happy, healthy toddler. It was the hardest 2.5 years of my life to get pregnant but if it comes down to having to go through every shot, medication, test and tear there’s no doubt in my mind that I would do it all again!

Success by the numbers by Amoreena A

Numbers can be cold but can also bring clarity. 2: babies I was carrying after IVF 25: weeks I was pregnant when Baby B’s water broke 31: days I was on hospital bed rest when Baby A’s foot protruded out of my body and caused an emergency c-section 78: days we spent in the NICU teaching these boys to eat 109: combined days we spent at the hospital while also caring for our 2-year old 2,836: days since my boys entered the world prematurely and I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world

IVF was meant to be for us by Tania A

“Ask me again in 5 years” – our standard answer from day 1of marriage. Seven years later it was a tired song, especially after TTC for two years. After multiple tests, ultrasounds, and shots pursuing IVF we were finally expecting! Our sweet baby made our hearts grow beyond measure, and her frozen brothers joined us less than 2years later. The pain of not being able to conceive naturally and the un-needed sensitivity to others’ critical opinion of IVF will always stay with us but our children are blessings that remind us our IVF was meant to be!

How we are now living our dream by Samantha M

Our story begins with a dream. My wife, Megan, and I always wanted children. We were married in 2007 after dating for 2 years. We started the process of trying to have children in 2013. We first interviewed different fertility doctors, got information from our insurance company on what would be covered and started looking for the best cryobank. With the support of family and friends we made our decision on all of the variables needed and started with intrauterine insemination, IUI. After tracking cycles, many doctors appointments and 2 IUI attempts, we were told our levels showed we were pregnant. Unfortunately, a few weeks later we miscarried what we had found out had been twins. Following that loss we had another 2 cycles and drove the miles that are the equivalent of driving from our home in NJ to CA. Finally we had our rainbow baby, our son Maxwell. Twenty two months later, after only one cycle of IUI, we celebrated the birth of our daughter, Matilda. Our children have been our biggest accomplishment.

Struggling to Get Pregnant? Your Progesterone Levels May Be to Blame

By Amy Beckley

Editor’s note: Any medical advice presented here is expressly the views of the writer and Red Tricycle cannot verify any claims made. Please consult with your healthcare provider about what works best for you.

When I started to suspect I had an ovulatory disorder that meant my progesterone levels weren’t rising properly after ovulation, I went to my doctor and asked for a supplement. Although he was reluctant, he prescribed it for me. A couple of cycles later, I was pregnant and gave birth to my beautiful daughter who is now 6. But after my experience, I discovered there was a significant lack of knowledge in women’s health surrounding low progesterone and supplementation. Many women and their doctors did not understand or believe in the power of progesterone.

Unfortunately, some misconceptions are still common today. Read on to understand more about progesterone, why it’s important, and two common misconceptions that could be preventing women from uncovering what could be an easy fix.   

Why Is Progesterone Important?  

Progesterone is the hormone released after ovulation. It is required to prepare the uterus to receive an embryo, should conception have occurred and is essential to have adequate levels of progesterone for a long enough period of time after ovulation for a successful pregnancy.

What is misunderstood, however, is that a common problem with ovulation typically manifests as progesterone deficiency. Many doctors question if low progesterone is a real diagnosis and whether or not adding progesterone supplements can actually help.

Misconception #1: Studies Show Progesterone Supplements Don’t Help Fix Problems with Ovulation.

When I asked my doctor for a progesterone supplement, he gave it to me—not because he thought it would work, but because taking the supplement wouldn’t harm me. This lack of faith in the effectiveness of progesterone supplements stems from a study conducted in 2016. This study followed 836 women. When a woman got a positive pregnancy test, half were given vaginal progesterone and the other half were given nothing. Live birth rates were only 2% higher in the progesterone supplement group. So, the study concluded that progesterone supplementation didn’t really help.

But this experiment was flawed. Basic biology tells us that progesterone is required to prepare the uterine lining for implantation—which is why it is released by the ovary right after ovulation. So, by the time a woman got a positive pregnancy test, the embryo had likely already implanted. Providing progesterone after confirmed pregnancy was almost “too late” since progesterone is critically needed to prepare the uterus for conception. This study was highly publicized when it was published, so the information spread widely to doctors and women.

In 2017, another study was published. In this experiment, women were given progesterone at the start of their luteal phase (3 days after ovulation) so that they were able to have high levels before implantation and getting a positive pregnancy test. The results of this study showed a 17% increase in live birth rates. 

In fact, there are many studies that show progesterone supplementation starting after ovulation increases live birth rates. So when supplementing, it’s important to mimic the time when the body would have released progesterone as well—which is right after ovulation, not after implantation has already occurred. 

Misconception #2: A Blood Test Is the Best & Only Way to Confirm Ovulation. 

If you suspect you have a lack of ovulation or suboptimal ovulation (i.e. a progesterone deficiency), your doctor may order a day-21 progesterone blood test. A day-21 blood test aims to measure progesterone at the point in your cycle when it should be the highest—seven days after ovulation (given ovulation occurs on day 14). However, there are a few reasons a blood test can fall short. 

First, a day-21 blood test assumes you ovulate on day 14 of your cycle. But, every cycle is different in length, so one woman may ovulate before or after day 14. When this happens, progesterone still should be high seven days after ovulation, but that may not necessarily occur exactly on the 21st day of your cycle. This means that you could get a negative result when in reality, your progesterone is fine. Additionally, a one point in time measurement doesn’t always show the full picture. In my case, progesterone levels would rise, then fall a bit too quickly to be considered “healthy”. I would get a positive day-21 test and doctors would think I was fine, but my progesterone levels weren’t actually adequate over time. 

Second, progesterone is secreted into the blood in pulses. Studies have shown that serum progesterone levels can fluctuate eight times in the course of a single day. So, progesterone can range from 3-30 ng/ml, depending on what time of day you draw blood. This makes it extremely difficult for doctors to know if the amount of serum progesterone in your blood draw is actually enough to support successful conception. At 8 a.m., your progesterone levels could look great, but at 4 p.m., they could be low. 

So, what does this all mean for you? 

The most important thing for you to do is stay informed and ask your doctor the right questions. The good news is that there are other ways to confirm successful ovulation at home so that you can understand this important piece of the fertility puzzle! 

After progesterone circulates through the blood, it is then passed into the liver where it is metabolized and secreted into urine as PdG (Pregnanediol Glucuronide). Studies have shown that PdG levels, first thing in morning urine show an average of the serum progesterone levels from the day before. Because PdG shows an average, this makes it a better way to measure the overall progesterone production after ovulation. Add to this, testing PdG through urine is non-invasive, it’s simple to track levels over several days, allowing for a more complete ovulation picture. 

Understanding the importance of progesterone and the most effective ways to test for it can empower you with valuable information and help your better advocate for yourself on your TTC journey.

I'm Amy Beckley. After my experiences with pregnancy loss and IVF I used my PhD in Pharmacology to create MFB Fertility, Inc. and invented the Proov test in my basement, which now allows women to confirm successful ovulation by tracking PdG in 5 minutes, at home. I want to empower women.

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When Your Expecting Plans Take an Unexpected Turn

By Dr. Wael Salem

There was a time just a few months ago, before our world knew anything about COVID-19, when you may have decided to start trying to have a baby. Or, maybe you fall into the 1 in 8 couples experiencing infertility and had gathered the courage to embark on your fertility journey. Either way, your initial excitement to start a pregnancy was then shaken by resounding uncertainty with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In mass, couples and individuals took to the Internet to ask, “What does the coronavirus do to my pregnancy?” Meanwhile, the news cycles were churning out what feels like an encyclopedic volume of medical literature. “No effect in pregnancy” turned into “Possible vertical transmission,” a few days later. In the midst of this never-ending news, women everywhere were scrolling and clicking endlessly to find an answer to, “Is it safe for me to get pregnant now?”

While it’s great to be informed about your pregnancy, it is an unfair burden for you as a patient and expecting mother to aggregate and distill all the new research being published. Furthermore, it’s very possible that it’s leading to increased stress, anxiety, and possibly even despair as you try to get pregnant. Ultimately, it’s our job as physicians to stay current and appropriately distill fact from fiction and theories from the simply unknown. The expert teams of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) have been working tirelessly to synthesize the relevant pregnancy and fertility data so that individuals aren’t left with that burden.

While we are still learning how COVID-19 affects pregnancy, what we know so far, on the whole, is reassuring. First, pregnant women do not appear to have more severe complications of COVID-19. The literature does not suggest a consistent transmission from an infected mother to her baby. Next, it’s too early to definitively say if there is any risk to the fetus if it were to become infected, but it does not appear to be the case.  Finally, no medical organization or society has recommended against initiating a pregnancy in and of itself. 

It’s known with near certainty that this pandemic is causing a lot of anxiety about getting pregnant. Controlling that anxiety, stress, and uncertainty is a part of your fertility journey in which you have a tremendous amount of power. To decompress, meditating for five minutes is a great way to start or end your day. Acupuncture and massage are excellent methods for stress reduction once they become available. If you continue to feel overwhelmed, talk with your doctor or mental health provider. At CCRM Fertility, we’ve developed a series of videos on CCRM TV that offer pregnancy preparedness education. We know this is a really difficult time for all, and our goal is to be a resource for patients.

Fortunately, those lifestyle habits that are beneficial for your pregnancy haven’t changed with COVID-19. For starters, take care of yourself. Get plenty of high-quality sleep. Focus on eating healthy, whole foods. Continue to exercise regularly. Avoid smoking and alcohol. Meanwhile, continue to follow all the usual precautions to avoid the coronavirus (including washing hands often, avoid touching your face, wear a mask in public, etc.). Finally, leave the unending ebbs and flows of news and talk to your healthcare provider. They have gladly done the research for you.

I am Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Board Eligible in Reproductive Endocrinology. Like all CCRM Fertility physicians, I believe in providing people who want a family with the very best chance to do so. My interests include fertility for cancer patients, PCOS, fertility preservation (egg freezing) and preimplantation genetic testing for hereditary genetic diseases. 

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Katie Lee Announces She’s Expecting Her First Child

by Jennifer Swartvagher

Congratulations, Katie Lee! On Wednesday, the Food Network Star announced on Instagram that she is expecting her first baby with husband, Ryan Biegel after a history with infertility. Lee, posted a photo of herself at a kitchen counter, holding up a heaping forkful of spaghetti with her shirt pulled up to reveal her baby bump. 

View this post on Instagram

Eating for two 🍝 Baby Biegel is on the way!

A post shared by Katie Lee (@katieleekitchen) on

“Eating for two 🍝 Baby Biegel is on the way!” she captioned the post.

In an Instagram post last April, the co-host of The Kitchen chronicled her struggles with infertility. She wrote, “I get multiple messages a day asking me if I’m pregnant or why I am not pregnant yet. I get comments saying I look like I’ve gained weight, so I must be pregnant. After one said that I looked ‘thick in the waist’ I finally responded that it’s not ok to comment on a woman’s body and you never know what someone is going through.” 

View this post on Instagram

I get multiple messages a day asking me if I’m pregnant or why I am not pregnant yet. I get comments saying I look like I’ve gained weight, so I must be pregnant. After one said that I looked “thick in the waist” I finally responded that it’s not ok to comment on a woman’s body and you never know what someone is going through. There is so much pressure on women to look a certain way and while most mean well with baby questions, it can be hurtful. Many of you sent me messages sharing your personal stories of fertility issues. You helped me, so now I want to share my story with you. When Ryan and I got married, our plan was to start a family right away. I couldn’t wait to get pregnant! I naively thought it would be easy. I’m a healthy woman, I eat a balanced diet, exercise, I don’t smoke. Ryan is the same. But reproductive health is an entirely different ballgame. We were trying, I had to have surgery to correct a problem, got an infection, then I was so run down I got shingles. My doctor advised us to try iVF. We just finished the intense process only to get zero healthy embryos. Not only is iVF physically exhausting, the emotional toll is unparalleled. We were filled with hope and excitement only to be crushed. It is really hard to put on a happy face. Fertility issues are supposed to be private so many of us are silently in pain. I hesitated to share this but I feel comfort when I hear others’ stories and I hope any of you in a similar situation know you are not alone. When people ask me when I’m getting pregnant, it hurts. It’s just a reminder that I’m not. When they say I look like I’ve gained weight, I have. I can’t exercise as much and the hormones have made me bloated. At church on Easter, the priest started his sermon with a story about a family struggling to have a baby and the happiness they are now experiencing that their prayers have been answered. He said it is a time of new beginnings. Tears streamed down my face. I know a family will happen for us, it is just going to be a different journey than we imagined. We will keep working towards it. Someday we will have our happy new beginning and I pray any of you experiencing the same will have yours too.

A post shared by Katie Lee (@katieleekitchen) on

 

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Katie Lee via Instagram

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Science Says 50 Is the New 40 (When It Comes to Safely Having Babies, That Is)

by Erica Loop

Fifty is the new 40 when it comes to advanced maternal age. At least, that’s what recent research from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) and Soroka University Medical Center may have found.

Women over 40 are having babies in greater numbers than ever before. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the birth rate for women 40 to 44 has risen since 1982. Jut look at recent celeb pregnancies and it’s clear that pregnancy isn’t just for 20-somethings. Actress Brigitte Nielsen had her fifth child at age 54, Rachel Weisz got pregnant at 48 and Janet Jackson had her first child at 50.

photo: Suhyeon Choi via Unsplash

Even though the data shows an upwards trend of women waiting to get pregnant, that doesn’t mean there aren’t risks associated with being of “advanced maternal age.”

When researchers looked at data from 242,711 deliveries at Soroka University Medical Center, they found something that most of us probably didn’t expect. While over 96 percent of the pregnancies in the study were in the under-40 set, complications between the 40- and 50-something mamas were fairly equal. That doesn’t mean the complication numbers were on par with their younger counterparts. Instead, the number of complications didn’t rise from 40-plus to 50-plus.

So what does this mean for you? If you’re nearing 50, it’s possible that you won’t experience an increased risk for complications in comparison to a woman who is 40. But there’s still risks associated with conceiving over ager 40. The researchers note that every pregnant woman over age 40 is high-risk and needs preventative medical treatment that comes along with it, from earlier blood glucose testing to blood pressure monitoring.

—Erica Loop

 

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Feel-Good Adoption Stories That Will Make Your Day

By Jennifer Landis

Who doesn’t love a good story about a child finding a loving home? Adoption is one method for growing your family, but it’s so much more than that. For orphaned or abandoned youth, it presents a chance to receive and benefit from consistent support and care.

Some of these tales involve children rescued from horrific conditions. Others simply warm your heart and restore your faith in humanity.

1. A Special Present Under the Tree

Ask many children what they want for Christmas, and they’ll tell you “a bike,” or “a videogame console.” But the three daughters of Courtney Solstad received an even better gift—an adopted baby brother! Solstad hid the secret from her three daughters. She met her children at the door and told them she had been out “shopping” for a very special gift the three of them could share. When she revealed their baby brother, Nathan, the trio squealed in delight and jumped for joy.

2. Adopting 26 Kids With Special Needs

It’s difficult for even one child with special needs to find a loving home. Imagine the heart Utah resident Christie Johnson has—she’s adopted 35 children in total, 26 with disabilities. After having two biological children, Johnson and her spouse decided to open their home to more.

Parents who adopt special needs children must meet additional requirements. They need to prove they have sufficient financial resources to pay for care. They have to open their homes for inspection and meet with adoption counselors to determine what types of children are the best fit. For Johnson, the child’s health didn’t matter—she welcomed them all.

3. An Incredible Journey Ends in Adoption

If you’ve ever struggled to conceive, you can imagine the angst Dennis and Carita Chen felt. They tried for nine years to get pregnant but decided to adopt when it became clear they had fertility issues. They felt overjoyed when an adoption attorney informed them she had a client wanting an Asian couple to adopt her child.

When the big day first came, the birth mother changed her mind, wanting someone from her own family to adopt the child. But that arrangement fell through and she asked the Chens to reconsider. The couple traveled from Texas to California, all the while aware plans could suddenly change again. But when they finally saw their new child Jacob, they wept with joy.

4. Seven Foster Children Find a Home

Jim and Katrina Baldwin knew the challenges of raising multiple children well. They had five of their own and seven grandchildren to boot, but with the house nearly empty, they felt it was time to welcome more children.

The couple started by taking in two foster children but soon started receiving calls regarding their five siblings. Once all seven siblings felt comfortable in their new place, the Baldwins couldn’t imagine separating them again. They adopted all their charges and now adore having a full house once more.

5. A Mission Trip Leads to a New Family Member

18-year-old Lexi Geiger went on a mission trip with her church to Uganda. While there, she met an orphaned girl named Ester in desperate need of a home. She posted the story on social media, where it was soon shared by an adoption advocate in search of potential families. She found nine. However, eight of the interested mothers backed out when they discovered the child had special needs.

Tammy Stonebrook stayed the course. She’s currently working with immigration officials to bring Ester and another child from the same orphanage home. Once she receives confirmation from U.S. Immigration, the three can begin family life together.

6. From CPS to Loving Home

Child Protective Services needs all the help the agency can get. Because the organization removes all children from an abusive home, siblings face the prospect of splitting up on top of the trauma they’ve already experienced. For one person though, she couldn’t imagine separating Moises, Angel, and Alex. She first took the brothers to McDonald’s where they talked about school. One month later, she brought the boys home to stay.

7. Over a Year in Foster Care Finally Ends

Imagine spending over a year in foster care. Little Elijah spent that time adrift with his siblings until a Houston-area mother saw his photograph. She welcomed Elijah home with open arms.

Fortunately, his siblings also found a home with family friends in the same community. Although they don’t all live together, they get to maintain their close connection.

8. From Russian Orphanage to an American Family

13-year-old Hannah began life as Anna Sinyaeva, born to an unknown father and an alcoholic mother in Russia. Her doctor suspected she suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome and labeled her as developmentally disabled. She could have lingered in an orphanage for life—but Mary and Bob Rocklein stepped in and adopted her at the age of three despite doctors’ concerns.

Although the couple later divorced, Hanna glided through the transition. She works hard in school, loves her siblings and enjoys a good adventure.

9. International Adoption Leads to Advocacy Against Trafficking

Many families like the Perkinses adopt children from overseas. The conversations surrounding international adoptions have evolved over time, however, with more concern expressed for the welfare of the children and birth parents. Now, international critics decry some adoptions, fearing the trauma both the child and birth mother endure.

Mitali Perkins understands this trauma, having adopted two brothers from India. In her thoughtful HuffPost essay, she reflects on this changing conversation and expresses her commitment to activism. She has a forthcoming novel dealing with the challenges these children face upon reaching adulthood and hopes to raise awareness of human trafficking issues.

Hopefully, these stories served as your daily refresher of faith in humanity. Whether you adopt or not, you can sleep a little more soundly knowing these children found the loving home all youth deserve.

Jennifer Landis is a mom, wife, freelance writer, and blogger. She enjoys long naps on the couch, sneaking spoonfuls of peanut butter when her kid's not looking, and binge watching Doctor Who while her kid's asleep.  She really does like her kid, though, she promises. Find her on Twitter @JenniferELandis.

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Non-Traditional Baby Making: 6 Potential Obstacles To Bear In Mind

By Dr Bethany Cook

When one imagines starting a family, it’s usually an intimate moment experienced by two people in love. However, for me and most other same-sex couples who want to have children (and even some hetero couples that are struggling), the experience is far less romantic and much more stressful. Starting a family is often the beginning of a long, emotional, and usually expensive endeavor.

Here are some potential obstacles for those who are embarking on a journey of non-traditional baby-making.

1. Learn to ignore outside opinions such as “Why can’t you guys just adopt?”  

The number of times people would say this statement to myself or partner when we discussed starting a family was…let’s just say 10 times too many. I’m adopted. I know it’s an option. Everyone will have their own personal reasons for wanting to create a baby. If someone says this to you just say “Thanks, I know.” If you feel comfortable or want to educate this person on why you want a biological child, share on. If you want to shut the conversation down add the words “I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

2. Finding resources and considering legal rights.

No matter how you do the math, two individuals of the same sex are currently unable to have a child that would contain 50% of the genes of both parents. As a result, couples need to seek out an egg donor, sperm donor and/or a surrogate to carry the baby. Each couple will have names for individuals whose DNA helped create or carry their baby. For instance, we say “donor dad” when referencing our children’s biological father. The “donor dad” can be friends or anonymous donors from online banks. Some of these online donors are “open donors” meaning when your child is 18 years old if your son/daughter wishes to lookup their biological “other,” they can.

As for the legal stuff, I suggest finding a lawyer (many offices provide free counseling to those who qualify). We chose to use an online donor who had already given up any legal rights to our children. Each state has slightly different laws regarding same-sex couples so do your due diligence and double-check. In my situation, my partner needed to adopt the children ASAP. If I had become incapacitated for any reason my partner would not have had any legal rights to our children (even though her name is on their birth certificates) and they could have been put into foster care. Yes, our system of government regarding the rights of non-traditional families needs to catch up.

3. IVF and IUI are expensive. 

Even with a top-of-the-line health insurance policy, getting pregnant via IVF/IUI is expensive. I just checked an online sperm bank and a single vial of sperm can cost up to $920! When I went the IUI path nearly 7 years ago it was routine to use two vials per attempt. Eggs and surrogates cost much more than sperm, then add into the mix all the additional medical visits for blood draws, ultrasounds, etc. You can see how the price can quickly skyrocket and require extra time away from work.

4. IVF/IUI medical visits add additional stress to your life and work balance.

Luckily I had an understanding boss and my work schedule was fairly flexible when I started the process of getting pregnant in a non-traditional fashion. For a female, it involves more visits and more hormones than for men. Not only did I take multiple pills a day, but I was also required to keep a detailed record of shots I injected on certain days around my navel during each IVF cycle. Thinking about how you will balance all of this before you start the process is a good idea. I’m definitely not trying to deter anyone! I just want to offer an eyes-wide-open realistic view.

5. Judgement.

When you’re trying to get pregnant in a non-traditional fashion it’s almost impossible to hide anything from the medical staff helping you. Since my partner and I live in a big city (Chicago) most of the staff we encountered were supportive of our efforts, and if they weren’t, I didn’t hear about it or sense it. Couples in small towns don’t always have access to LGBTQ friendly facilities. That adds a whole new level of stress to the process. Sometimes family isn’t supportive and that hurts too.

6. What’s Wrong With Me?

At some point or another, especially if you’re in a non-traditional relationship, you’ve asked yourself this question, I know I have. Like when I only had 10 good eggs to harvest during my first IVF egg retrieval (I had read reports of some women having 20+ eggs). Sometimes, when couples begin this process they discover that their bodies were just not designed to procreate even with medical intervention.  Finding out you’re unable to create a child can be a serious blow to one’s identity. Don’t beat yourself up. Focus your energy on accepting yourself unconditionally and shift lanes.

Getting pregnant with the help of medical intervention makes things less romantic, more sterile, and more stressful and expensive. It’s important to speak up for yourself and your needs. Make sure you do as much research as you can. Know you are not the only person doing this and you’re not alone. Find others in your community you can lean on for support and keep stress to a minimum.

Last but not least: try to have some fun. If it doesn’t work out for you I’m truly sorry. My partner and I were fine with adoption if we had found out I wasn’t physically able to create children. Luck, timing, and medicine were on our side. We have two healthy kids 19 months apart whom we love and cherish more than anything. It’s not easy, but it was worth it.

This post originally appeared on Mable and Moxie.

I am a 42-year-old biological mother of two young children in a same-sex relationship, a clinical psychologist with a specialty in neuropsychological assessment, a music therapist, a trainer of therapy dogs and ex-communicated Mormon from Indiana with a wicked sense of humor. 

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5 Pregnancy Apps Every Dad-to-Be Should Be Using

By Sarah Daren

Photo: Christen Noelle via Unsplash

These days, there are apps for just about everything—even pregnancy tips for men. While a pregnancy app specifically designed for people who can’t get pregnant might seem strange, these apps are actually very helpful for men who want to support their partners through the process of carrying a baby.

Here’s why you should download pregnancy apps if your partner is expecting a baby, plus recommended downloads to try out.

 

There’s a Lot to Think about during a Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be all over the map. Some moms feel great throughout their pregnancies and even get that mythical “glow.” Others suffer from near-constant morning sickness and find themselves uncomfortable during most of their pregnancy.

Expectant dads can use pregnancy apps to get advice and learn more about what their partner is going through. They’ll also help men prepare for the birth and support their partner through any health concerns that may come up during the pregnancy. These can include:

  • Depression and anxiety
  • Tokophobia (fear of giving birth, which affects over 20% of pregnant women)
  • Gestational diabetes
  • Hyperemesis gravidarum (severe, persistent morning sickness)
  • Preeclampsia
  • High blood pressure

There’s a lot to think about during pregnancy, and expectant dads can do their part by getting educated and being prepared to help out in any way they can. The following are five pregnancy apps that dads can use to make life a little easier for expectant moms.

1. DaddyUp

Known as “The dad’s field guide to pregnancy,” DaddyUp is designed to be a fun, informative tool for expectant dads. Besides the customizable preparations checklist, a journal to take down notes during the pregnancy, and a weekly progress report, the app offers dads “rugged” comparisons for the baby’s size at every stage (no more peach-sized babies!).

Dads can use DaddyUp to do their part and keep track of their pregnancy responsibilities in a fun, approachable way.

2. Quick Tips For New Dads

Feeling overwhelmed? Quick Tips for New Dads gets it. The app was created for new dads by the guys who have already been there and have wisdom and encouragement to share. The tips are bite-sized and easy to use, offering practical advice and ways to cope with the stress of being a new parent. Plus, you can post specific questions for other dads to answer!

3. BabySparks

Want to set your baby up for the best start possible? Of course, you do! With BabySparks, you can start learning about early learning and prepare for enrichment from day one. The app has a huge library of video activities for different developmental milestones that you can use to help your baby grow and thrive.

BabySparks adapts to your child’s unique needs, adapting based on their actual development and allowing you to track their progress. It’s a great program for bonding with your new baby while helping them achieve important milestones. The app is available in English and Spanish.

4. Who’s Your Daddy

Based on advice from midwives but written by and geared toward men who are trying to help their partners during pregnancy, Who’s Your Daddy takes the mystery out pregnancy. With funny, straightforward advice, the app guides fathers-to-be through the entire pregnancy, offering tips and updates.

5. Pregnant Dad

Pregnant Dad provides tips for each phase of pregnancy, even letting expectant dads know when it may be time to go shopping for larger bras. An appointment tracker, “survival” tips, and a birthday calculator are just some of the features Pregnant Dad offers. There are even built-in features for couples expecting twins!

Sharing the Responsibility

Today’s dads are more engaged than ever before. It’s a great time to be a father! Attention from both parents can help kids live happy, healthy lives. Since maternity and paternity leave can vary depending on a couple’s situation and more women today stay in the workforce after having children, it’s very important for both mothers and fathers to be involved in early childcare.

Sharing the responsibility and getting prepared for the birth signals your support and shows your partner that you care about her health and well-being. Pregnancy and parenthood is a shared responsibility—and seeking out knowledge via apps for expectant dads can help you prepare for your share of the responsibilities.

Sarah Daren has been a consultant for startups in industries including health and wellness, wearable technology, and education. She implements her health knowledge into every aspect of her life, including her position as a yoga instructor and raising her children. Sarah enjoys watching baseball and reading on the beach. 

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Are You Ovulating Sufficiently?

By Amy Beckley

 

Photo: pixabay 

Believe it or not, when it comes to trying to conceive there is a “sufficient” way to ovulate. You probably already know that ovulation is needed for pregnancy. After all, without an egg, it is impossible to get pregnant. But there’s a “right way” to ovulate? It may sound strange but making sure you are ovulating sufficiently is critical to increasing your chances of successfully conceiving.

 

What Is Sufficient Ovulation?

Sufficient ovulation is a phrase used to indicate the fact that a woman is not only ovulating, but she also has enough progesterone to support conception. Progesterone is the hormone released by the corpus luteum or empty follicle after the egg is released. Its presence confirms ovulation, as, without an empty follicle, the body won’t produce progesterone. Progesterone is critical to preparing the uterine lining, so it is ready to receive a pregnancy. Without enough progesterone, the embryo either cannot implant at all or implantation is insufficient to support it. So low progesterone can lead to lack of conception or miscarriage.

But when a woman both ovulates AND has sufficient progesterone to support conception, she is ovulating sufficiently—meaning that she not only has an egg present for fertilization, but she also has enough progesterone to support implantation should the egg be fertilized. To successfully conceive, it is critical that a woman has both an egg AND enough progesterone to support implantation of a fertilized egg.

 

Can I Tell If I’m Ovulating Sufficiently?

It’s not that difficult to figure out if you are ovulating sufficiently, which is great news! But since there are so many ovulation testing options—which can get confusing—it’s important to take a moment to explain the differences.

Predicting Ovulation: Predicting ovulation is very important because it helps couples trying to conceive find the fertile window and therefore better time intercourse. There are actually only 5-6 days each cycle when a woman is fertile so it’s really important to time intercourse correctly when trying to conceive. Methods include: Ovulation predictor kits (luteinizing hormone or LH tests), cervical mucus monitoring, or saliva ferning patterns

Confirming Ovulation: Although it may seem like you’re good to go if you’ve predicted ovulation, prediction does not always mean something will happen. For example, a weather forecaster may predict that a storm is coming (using sophisticated scientific tools, I might add), but we don’t know if the storm actually happened until we observe it. And we can probably all agree weather forecasts aren’t always accurate. As such, much like the weather, confirming ovulation is an important next step. Methods include:  Basal body temperature tracking, single progesterone test

Confirming Sufficient Ovulation: As we mentioned earlier, sufficient ovulation—meaning that a woman is ovulating AND has enough progesterone to support implantation—is critical when trying to conceive. While basal body temperature is great for confirming ovulation, it falls short of being able to confirm “sufficient ovulation.” That’s because basal body temperature looks for a slight spike in temperature – 0.5 – 1 degree Fahrenheit but the temperature spike does not correlate with the amount of progesterone present. So, getting a spike of 0.5-degrees does not necessarily mean you have low progesterone and getting a spike of 1-degree also does not mean you are good to go.

To confirm sufficient ovulation, it’s critical to ensure that progesterone levels are elevated to 10ng/ml in the blood—the level widely accepted as the minimum threshold to support conception—throughout the 3-4 day implantation window. This means it’s important to test progesterone multiple times during the luteal phase, or second half, of the cycle to make sure progesterone rises and stays elevated at a sufficient level such that conception can occur. Methods include: Multiple days of progesterone testing

When trying to conceive, making sure you are ovulating is good, but it may not be enough. Confirming sufficient ovulation can get you one step closer to ruling out what may be causing issues and to successfully conceiving. Testing progesterone can help you make sure you are ovulating properly and that you have enough progesterone to support conception!

Amy Beckley is the founder and CEO of Proov, the first at-home rapid response urine progesterone test, a hormone critical to fertility and general wellness. Proov was developed from Beckley’s personal infertility experience. Using her PhD in Pharmacology and passion for helping others, Proov empowers women with the knowledge to better understand their bodies.

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