Eating Disorders that Affect Fertility

Eating disorders are very common among young women and often enough, they are linked to issues of self-esteem and body image. Among the most common types of eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. Those suffering from anorexia stay away from eating so as to stay slim. Though the anorexic has an unhealthy weight, the person is bound to think she is not thin enough and that she needs to lose weight.

Anorexia and Fertility (Photo Courtesy: http://www.webhealthwatch.com)

The other type of eating disorder is bulimia, which is not about keeping away from food. It is quite the opposite; women with bulimia overeat and then purge themselves of the food by using laxatives excessively or vomiting. It is often difficult to detect bulimia because apparently one would think a person is eating well. The third type of eating disorder is to compulsively over eat. It is not the same as bulimia, because overeaters don’t purge. Over-eaters become obese thanks to their unhealthy eating habits and suffer from shame and guilt. 

 

Compulsively over Eat and Fertility (Photo Courtesy: http://www.stylecraze.com)

Fertility issues
All these disorders cause many health problems and affect a woman’s fertility. The hormonal balance gets upset and women suffering from eating disorders also have mental issues such as depression or anxiety. These problems can make it very difficult for women to conceive or to carry the pregnancy to term. Other issues such as polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS and a low libido are common among women with unhealthy eating habits. According to a study conducted by researchers from the University College London and King’s College London some years back, women with bulimia or anorexia have more problems relating to fertility, unplanned pregnancies than women with no history of eating disorders. Some of the fertility issues a woman with eating disorders may face include poor egg quality, irregular periods, amenorrhea and miscarriage. 

 

PCOS and Fertility (Photo Courtesy: http://pregnant.sg)

Get help soon

If you are a woman who is suffering from some form of eating disorder, you should get help before planning a pregnancy. If you get pregnant before your problem is resolved, your pregnancy may become a difficult one and affect both you and your baby’s health. Also, if you get pregnant while you have an eating disorder, you run the risk of suffering from gestational diabetes, postpartum depression, delivering a baby with a low birth weight, and preeclampsia among others. The latter is a condition where you could suffer from high BP, and protein in the urine.

 

Postpartum Depression due to Eating Disorders (Photo Courtesy: http://www.ahchealthenews.com)

If you live in Bangalore and find yourself suffering from any of these problems, you should see a specialist at once. There are many fertility clinics in Bangalore you could go to for the same. No matter which fertility treatment in Bangalore you opt for, it is important that you follow your doctor’s advice and co-operate with the expert to solve your problem. Eating disorders are most often the result of self-esteem problems, so you should realize that it is not just your body image that makes you who you are; your personality should shine through.

Assisted Reproductive Technology

When a woman does not become pregnant the natural way, she could choose to seek assistance by way of complex processes called assisted reproductive technology. There are many such procedures including IVF or in vitro fertilization, sperm or egg donation, apart from surrogacy or gestational carrying.

Assisted Reproductive Technology (Photo Courtesy: http://mediterranean-healthcare.com)

Because intrauterine insemination is all about placing sperm into the woman’s uterus to aid fertilization, and the treatment does not involve manipulating the eggs, it is not often considered an ART procedure.

One of the most commonly used methods of ART is in vitro fertilization. It is used when the fallopian tubes in a woman are blocked or when a man has low sperm count. The procedure involves treating a woman with drugs that boost egg production. Once the eggs are mature, they are taken out, and used for fertilization with a sperm in lab conditions. At the end of three or five days, the embryos are implanted into the uterus of the woman.

Intrafallopian transfer

Similar procedures involve gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The zygote transfer is similar to IVF, but the embryo is transferred not into the uterus but into the fallopian tube. When it comes to GIFT, the eggs and sperm are transferred into the woman’s fallopian tube to ensure fertilization occurs not in laboratory conditions but inside the woman’s body.

ICSI for sperm issues

Intracytopasmic sperm injection is a procedure used when there are serious problems with sperm production. Also, it is used among couples who are older or who have tried IVF and have not succeeded. When it comes to ICSI, a sperm is injected into a mature egg which is then transferred either to the fallopian tube or the uterus.

There are ART procedures that don’t involve use of the same couple’s eggs or sperm. Sometime’s donor eggs or sperm are used. This procedure is also used when one of the partners has a genetic condition which should not be passed on to the baby.

Donor egg or sperm

Surrogacy is also an option for women who don’t produce eggs or who produce poor-quality eggs. The surrogate is willing to become pregnant with the help of the man’s sperm and her own egg. The surrogate has to give up the baby post-delivery. Women who have no uterus but have ovaries could use a gestational carrier. Here, the woman’s own egg is used, fertilized by her male partner’s sperm and then placed inside the uterus of the carrier.

If you considering any of these options, you should visit an advanced fertility centre Bangalore is home to, for a consultation first. Also, you would first need to tell your doctor how long you have tried to conceive naturally and your medical and reproductive history. Success rates vary from couple to couple and there is no rule that all ART procedures succeed. Similarly, a procedure that fails in one couple could succeed in another. Your doctor will suggest the most well suited among advanced fertility treatments in Bangalore for you.