Category: Support

Can I do anything to slow or prevent the aging of my eggs?

Today we are wrapping up this discussion on Diminished Ovarian Reserve. We hope you’ve learned a lot this week and that you are feeling more equipped to make some big decisions.
Can I do anything to slow or prevent the aging of my eggs?
Dr. D says, “In short, ovarian aging cannot be prevented, and the most powerful determinant in ovarian reserve and aging are your genetics. However, as with the rest of the organs in our body, the ovaries age slower when they are subjected to less stress. Healthy eating and exercise are the best place to start. Avoiding stressors, excessive alcohol, and environmental toxins, and minimizing lifestyle stressors are all good ways to maximize the potential of your ovaries. Antioxidants can also help slow this process and can be found in many dietary sources or supplemented in pill form. (e.g. CoQ10)
What if I’m not ready to have children until it is too late❓
For a woman who is planning to have children later in life, it might be wise to consider the freezing of some of her eggs while she is in her 20s or early 30s. …Cryopreservation of her eggs allows for better pregnancy that are consistent with the age of when the eggs were frozen rather than a patient’s current age.
▪️CONCLUSION▪️
No need to panic, but also don’t wait until it’s too late to listen to your biological clock. Several ways exist to test your ovarian reserve, and several interventions are available that may help if your reserve is diminished. Anticipate when you might plan for a family and consider freezing your eggs or embryos if you think you may be older and still desiring to have kids.
Lastly, don’t hesitate to call an infertility specialist to help you assess your situation! We are here to help!”
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Davenport, call us at 256-217-9613. You can also schedule an appointment on our website.
Thank you for joining us this week!💕
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How do I know if I have Diminished Ovarian Reserve?

How does a woman know if she has Diminished Ovarian Reserve❓
Dr. D says that if a woman who is less than 35 years old has regular menstrual cycles, she has no reason to be concerned about her ovarian reserve since it is more than likely adequate. However, around age 35 a woman’s level of concern about diminished ovarian reserve should certainly increase. Even though menstrual cycles remain normal, ovarian reserve is reaching its limits in these women. Several tests exist that will hint at how many and/or the quality of the eggs remaining. … Finally, an ultrasound can be performed to check the ‘antral follicle count’. This is a snapshot in time of the follicles that are next in the cue to grow and mature, but also hints at how many eggs remain.
What if I do have Diminished Ovarian Reserve❓
▪️You are already on your way to the most important step which is gaining an awareness that time is of the essence. If you are in a life position to have children, do it while you can!
▪️If you are 35 or over and have been trying to conceive unsuccessfully for 6 months or greater, it is prudent to allow for an infertility specialist to perform a thorough infertility work-up.
▪️An infertility specialist can also help you stimulate multiple eggs each cycle, which will act to increase your overall chances to conceive each cycle.
▪️IVF (in vitro fertilization) may be recommended to you in certain situations. This will give you the highest chances for pregnancy in the shortest amount of time and can also allow you to freeze embryos for future use while you still have eggs left.
▪️Your infertility specialist may recommend antioxidants and/or other supplements that have been shown to be possibly beneficial in certain patients with DOR.
Tomorrow we will be wrapping up this discussion. You’ll learn if anything can be done to slow or prevent the aging process of your eggs. We will also address the concern that some women have who are not ready to have children quite yet but may want them in the future.

Why is aging so important to the ovaries?

This week we’re covering an article about Diminished Ovarian Reserve that Dr. D wrote for Inside Medicine Magazine.
Today we’re addressing the topic: Why is aging so important to the ovaries❓
Let’s see what Dr. D has to say: “Age is an important factor when talking about fertility because it inversely correlates with a woman’s chances of conception and live birth. Even though the average woman’s reproductive window is quite broad, the overall chances of conceiving begins declining much more rapidly around age 34. In other words, the hill down towards infertility becomes steeper. But it’s important to recognize that it is indeed a hill, not a cliff. So what does that mean?
Most of the declining live birth rates as a woman ages are due to the aging of her eggs. Aging has several effects on the eggs, including a steadily diminishing number of eggs, decreasing egg health, and an overall increase in the number of eggs that are genetically abnormal when ovulated. This all translates into a decreased ability to get pregnant (decreased pregnancy rate), stay pregnant (increased miscarriage rate), and deliver a baby (decreased live birth rate).”
EGG QUANTITY
It may be a sobering fact that a woman who is of reproductive age loses a group of 15-20 eggs each day on average. In fact, by the time a woman is 30 years old, only 12% of her egg population that she had at birth remains. By the time she is 40, she has only 3% of this population remaining. As a result of declining egg quantity, many women will begin to have more frequent periods as their ovarian reserve begins to deplete. This can sometimes mean that an egg will ovulate prior to it being fully mature. It is also not uncommon to skip ovulation cycles as egg reserve becomes very depleted.
EGG QUALITY
Just as the rest of our organs suffer from ‘wear and tear’ as we age, the ovaries are no exception. In an ovary, each egg depends on a cluster of cells around it called the cumulus complex for nourishment. These cumulus cells allow the essential nutrients and hormones from a woman’s bloodstream to reach an egg. As a woman ages, this group of nourishing cells begins to become smaller and smaller, causing each remaining egg to be less healthy than in younger eggs.
Join us back here tomorrow to learn *How does a woman know if she has diminished ovarian reserve? and
*What if I do have diminished ovarian reserve?

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

“The biological clock. Every woman feels it to some degree.
For some women it is a soft whispering reminder that can be drowned out by life’s boisterous pace. Others may hit the ‘snooze’ button in hopes that the reminder doesn’t resurface too soon. Still for others it is like a deafening smoke alarm that may trigger panic. Regardless, it is a call that should be heard and understood in order for a woman to make a good decision regarding her plans for a family.”
~Dr. Brett Davenport, Inside Medicine Magazine.
Join us all this week right here on the #FINA blog as we hear from our very own Dr. D as he discusses everything you need to know about Diminished Ovarian Reserve. Invite a friend who may be interested in this info. This is certainly going to be valuable information for every woman to know!

One patient’s FINA story 💕

Here is one patient’s #FINA story…💕
 
“We came to FINA one year after trying to conceive with no luck. Dr. Davenport devised a plan for us and we started our journey. We had 3 failed IUIs and we moved on to IVF. Our first transfer ended up being a chemical pregnancy which was heartbreaking for us but we decided to immediately do another one.
 
The next transfer cycle we got pregnant with our beautiful baby girl who is 4 months old now. Dr. Davenport, Kendra, Abby, and Tarryn were so great during the whole process! Kendra also explained things so well and was so supportive.”
 
Thank you to this patient for sharing her story! We are so honored to have been part of this family’s journey.
 
#myFINAstory #HelpingFamiliesBuildFamilies

Endometriosis Awareness

Did you know that endometriosis affects about 176 million women (or 10%) worldwide? 24 to 50% of women who experience infertility have endometriosis.
 
This fertility health issue happens when cells or tissues similar to the tissues that form the uterine lining relocate and begin to grow outside the uterus. Endometriosis can grow in and on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowel, and other organs of the pelvic cavity.
 
It takes on average 7.5 years from when #endometriosis symptoms start to get a proper diagnosis.
 
This is why awareness is so important.💕
 
#EndometriosisAwareness #FINA #HelpingFamiliesBuildFamilies

“We were struggling with an unexplained infertility diagnosis…” #myFINAstory

“Can’t believe its my turn to write my FINA review. It is so evident that the Lord has blessed this practice. We were struggling with an unexplained infertility diagnosis for years prior to moving here and came to FINA feeling lost and hopeless.
 
After a few short months we received clear answers and started IVF. 8 short weeks later, we transferred our first embryo, and I am currently 17 weeks with our miracle baby girl. This office is the perfect balance of honesty and optimism, and I have never experienced this level of care from medical professionals. They are truly the best.
 
My biggest piece of advice is to not waste one more second to include FINA in your fertility journey, call them TODAY!”
 
Thank you so much to our patient for sharing her #FINAstory . We appreciate it so much and are so thrilled to be part of the journey!
 
#FINA #HelpingFamiliesBuildFamilies

“Success for us looks like…” #myFINAstory

“Success for us looks like 3 babies in less than 2 years. Dr. Davenport is honest and straightforward with cost, success rates and expectations. We can’t thank him and his team enough for helping us grow our family! Our experience has been and continues to be phenomenal.”
Thank you so much to our patient for sharing her FINA story! We are so honored to be part of the journey.❤

Do you have a FINA story to share?

We’d love to hear from you! Sharing your personal FINA experience can go such a long way when someone is deciding if they are ready to start their own fertility journey.

We would appreciate so much if you would share your story! You can share your story on Google, send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, or email us. Thank you for allowing us to be in your lives and for allowing us to serve you. 💕

#myFINAstory #FINA #HelpingFamiliesBuildFamilies