FertilitySmarts - Get Smart About Your Fertility

Featured Experts

Dr. Lora Shahine

Infertility and Miscarriage Specialist

Lora Shahine, MD, FACOG is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist currently practicing at Pacific NW Fertility and IVF Specialists in Seattle. Dr. Shahine is an accomplished author of many blogs and articles as well as three books.

Rebecca Matthews, PhD

Embryologist

Dr. Rebecca Matthews has a PhD in embryo implantation and currently works as an embryologist. Rebecca is passionate about her work and about educating and empowering people to take control of their own healthcare decisions. With this in mind, she has written an IVF guidebook to help patients understand the processes and options involved in fertility treatments. Her book, IVF: A Patient's Guide, can be found on Amazon.

Kelly Park

Contributor

Kelly Park is the founder and editor-in-chief of FertilitySmarts. She is passionate about fertility education and shining light on the many ways people can become parents. Kelly holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and a Master of Education degree in Educational Policy from the University of Alberta. She is a firm believer in the FertilitySmarts mission to help people get smart about their fertility.

Q&As

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“How long can sperm live in a woman's body after ejaculation?”

The lifespan of sperm inside a woman’s body depends on the sperm itself as well as the surrounding environmental factors.A healthy adult male releases around 60 to 100 million sperm in a single...

Answered by: Kelly Park
Contributor

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“Do ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) work for everyone?”

Before we get on to the question, let’s run through what ovulation is and what ovulation predictor kits are.What is Ovulation?The process by which one egg (or more) is released from your ovary...

Answered by: Kelly Park
Contributor

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“What are implantation symptoms?”

When an egg is fertilized by sperm, an embryo is produced. This embryo travels to the uterus where it burrows into the uterine wall where it will receive nourishment from blood and oxygen. This...

Answered by: Kelly Park
Contributor

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“Can you get pregnant from pre-ejaculatory fluid?”

Before we get on to the answer, let's first understand what pre-ejaculatory fluid is and what its function is.What is pre-ejaculatory fluid?Pre-ejaculatory fluid is also known as pre-ejaculate,...

Answered by: Kelly Park
Contributor

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“When does implantation occur?”

Implantation refers to the process where a fertilized egg becomes embedded in the uterine wall. This is considered to be the starting point of a pregnancy.To get a good understanding about the time...

Answered by: Kelly Park
Contributor

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“How long does Clomid (Clomiphene Citrate) stay in your system?”

Clomid remains in the body for a long period of time after taking the last dose. It takes five days for half of the drug to be eliminated. This is often referred to as the drug’s half-life or...

Answered by: Kelly Park
Contributor

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“What are the differences between Clomiphene (Clomid) and Letrozole (Femara)?”

Clomiphene (Clomid) and letrozole (Femara) are both medications that help induce ovulation. Clomiphene has been around longer and has been developed specifically for fertility treatment. Clomiphene...

Answered by: Kelly Park
Contributor

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“How long do I need to wait after my first IVF pregnancy to undergo another cycle?”

It is not unusual for a patient at her last obstetrics ultrasound visit to ask me when she can come back for another baby.My answer is to make this pregnancy and this baby your priority for at least...

Answered by: Dr. Candice O' Hern Perfetto

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“How many embryos should you transfer during an IVF cycle?”

Because of age-related changes in fertility, the number of embryos transferred is directly related to the age of the mother or egg donor. There is a balance to strike between achieving a pregnancy...

Answered by: Rebecca Matthews, PhD
Embryologist

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“How do you block pregnancy, baby and parenting ads on Facebook?”

Experiencing infertility or loss is hard enough without the reminders and triggers that seem to exist everywhere.If Facebook is pretty sure that you want to see endless parenting-related ads and...

Answered by: Kelly Park
Contributor

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“Does thyroid function affect fertility?”

Hormonal testing that is part of a typical fertility evaluation includes screening for thyroid dysfunction. Overactive or underactive thyroid function can lead to issues with fertility and increased...

Answered by: Dr. Lora Shahine
Infertility and Miscarriage Specialist

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“What exactly is unexplained infertility?”

These are my thoughts on the topic: There is still so much we need to learn about reproduction, and it can be so frustrating when all the testing is “normal,” but you are still not having...

Answered by: Dr. Lora Shahine
Infertility and Miscarriage Specialist

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“What can I expect from an HSG test?”

The Hysterosalpingogram or (HSG) is an essential tool for evaluating fertility. Hystero (uterus) salpingo (tube) gram (study) is a test to evaluate not only whether the fallopian tubes are blocked or...

Answered by: Dr. Lora Shahine
Infertility and Miscarriage Specialist

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“Will my embryos fall out?”

A common question asked is, “Will my embryos fall out?” The answer is no, they will not fall out.Perhaps you are thinking of textbook illustrations that show uterine cavities as big open...

Answered by: Rebecca Matthews, PhD
Embryologist

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“Why are embryos transferred at different times?”

Embryo transfer can be carried out on any day of development, although most clinics do so on either day 3 or day 5 of development. The primary benefit of growing the embryos in the lab as long as...

Answered by: Rebecca Matthews, PhD
Embryologist

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“How are embryos selected for transfer during an IVF cycle?”

The easy answer to this question: the best embryos are chosen!There are a number of factors that determine which embryos are deemed best. On any given day of culture, the embryos are expected to have...

Answered by: Rebecca Matthews, PhD
Embryologist

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“What are the pros and cons of a day 5 embryo transfer?”

Pros of a Day 5 Blastocyst TransferBy leaving the embryos in the lab until Day 5, the embryologist is better able to choose the better quality ones, which will provide a higher implantation rate...

Answered by: Rebecca Matthews, PhD
Embryologist

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“What are the causes of recurrent miscarriage?”

Recurrent miscarriage is one of the most frustrating problems that I see in my practice. The chance of a miscarriage in women less than age 30 is about 10%, but it goes up to about one in three or up...

Answered by: Dr. Mark Trolice
Infertility Specialist & Author

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“What is the difference between IUI and IVF?”

It's common for patients to be confused whenever I talk about IUI or IVF. These are the alphabet soup terms in the field of reproductive endocrinology. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is when a...

Answered by: Dr. Mark Trolice
Infertility Specialist & Author

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“Are frozen embryo transfer (FET) success rates higher than fresh transfers?”

It is quite common for patients to ask if a frozen embryo transfer (FET) is likely to be more successful than a fresh embryo transfer.In medical literature, studies have shown that frozen embryo...

Answered by: Dr. Mark Trolice
Infertility Specialist & Author

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