The surprising power of the pill

---

---

---

Women who have tried to conceive using in vitro fertilization (IVF) methods are painfully aware that timing is of the essence. There are cancelled vacations, too a number of sick days taken from work, and the necessity to plan everything around the therapy.

But thanks to a Tel Aviv University study, trying for a baby has just been made easier. In a surprising finding, scientists have discovered that the same pill used to prevent pregnancy can actually help a woman conceive.

Dr. Haim Pinkas MD, a senior doctor at the Rabin Medical Center and an academic staff member of Tel Aviv Universitys Sackler School of Medicine, and colleagues at the infertility center where he practices, have observed that a two-week intervention therapy using a standard low-dose birth control pill can help time egg harvesting, making the IVF process more convenient for both doctor and patient.

The study was done on 1,800 women at the Infertility and IVF Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva and appeared in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction & Genetics in January of this year.

All in the Timing
As per the American Fertility Association, more than 15% of American couples have difficulty conceiving a child. There are currently two types of treatment natural methods and assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF. In a number of cases, IVF offers the last hope to conceive a child.

Convenience is a factor that contributes to a womans general peace of mind and health. But from a clinicians point of view, the ability to time the IVF process is also crucial.

Dr. Pinkas explains, One of the main drawbacks in treating infertility is timing a womans body with the clinics schedule, so we can get as a number of mature eggs as possible. IVF clinics can be extremely busy. With a proven and safe method for timing when a woman can undergo treatment, there is a lot less stress placed on the physicians shoulders too.

Normally doctors start the IVF therapy from the moment a woman gets her period. But the use of birth control pills, for 10-14 days after a period, allows the therapy to be adjusted without compromising the ovarian response to stimulation, says Dr. Pinkas. This way, egg-harvesting can fall on a date mutually convenient to both the physician and patient.

Study Is Unique and Broad
This study is not the first to investigate the use of the pill in IVF, but it is the largest one performed so far. It is also unique in that it placed an emphasis on the impact of a patients age, her ovarian response, the characteristics of her cycle, and the final outcome a birth.

The bottom line is that the therapy gives a woman comfort without compromising her chances to conceive. Dr. Pinkas says, The IVF process can be very stressful. Adding to that stress is the timing issue. Women need to be able to get on with their lives. This therapy makes it possible.

And while old wives tales persist about days of the month when women can conceive, Dr. Pinkas says it is bunk. The timing of ovulation for different women is spaced out evenly throughout the year. We can schedule a womans ovulation with contraceptive pills, but not with the moon.


Posted by: Emily    Source