For some, conceiving a baby comes easily, for others the road to conception is a path with many twists and turns. If you have heard my story, then you know I was one of the people in the latter camp. I underwent fertility treatments, and though I am an OBGYN and professor of maternal-fetal medicine, the process was mentally and physically exhausting. What I have found, though, through my own experiences and my patients' experiences, is that no matter which road you travel in fertility, you will likely have many questions about fertility in general. After all, it is not a topic that’s covered extensively in high school or college, or even during visits with the ObGyn! There is only so much time we get in an actual physician’s office face-to-face.
We hope to find answers to our most pressing fertility questions. However, Google is not always reliable especially since you cannot vet the sources of information. Having information from reputable sources before and in the midst of your fertility journey can help tremendously. That’s why today I’m bringing you a Q&A I had with a highly reputable reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, Dr. Lucky Sekhon!
and more!
It might not surprise you to know that more people are having babies later in life. Childbearing has moved from primarily occurring in our 20s to having kids in our late 30s and early 40s. As a result, more people are having difficulty building their ideal families- by age 40, more than 50% of women have difficulty conceiving.
For example, conditions like PCOS and fibroids can also affect conception. At its core, PCOS is an endocrine system disorder, but the symptoms can vary widely for each individual. Uterine fibroids are benign (noncancerous) tumors of muscle tissue in the uterus. Both conditions can cause physical discomfort and also lead to difficulty conceiving. Thanks to the expertise of physicians like Dr. Sekhon and scientific advancements, several tools exist to help those trying to conceive. Dr. Sekhon is incredibly knowledgeable about these topics and I’m happy to have her back to share her expertise with the Babies After 35 community! This conversation is not only for those having trouble conceiving. In our Q&A we cover many of the questions that anyone considering pregnancy might be wondering!
To learn more from Dr. Lucky Sekhon visit her blog, The Lucky Egg, and follow her on Instagram.
For more great articles on fertility, check out these articles on Babies After 35:
IVF with Embryo Banking for Fertility Preservation
An MFM and REI Discuss Fertility and Pregnancy After 35
I hope these sources help answer some of your fertility questions! Be sure to share this with a friend who might be having the same questions as you.
Shannon M. Clark, MD, MMS is a double board certified ObGyn and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, and founder of Babies After 35. In her roles as a clinician, educator and researcher at UTMB-Galveston, she focuses on the care of people with maternal and/or fetal complications of pregnancy. Dr. Clark has taken a special interest in pregnancy after the age of 35, which according to age alone, is considered a high-risk pregnancy.
Follow Shannon on TikTok @tiktokbabydoc, Facebook @babiesafter35, and Instagram @babiesafter35.
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