Only 1 in 3 women who are trying to conceive between the ages of 40 and 44 will be successful and this number declines dramatically with each addition year of age. In addition, even if pregnancy occurs, the chance of a miscarriage increase significantly as a woman enters her mid to late forties and may reach as high as 2 out of 3 pregnancies. Likewise, the chance of success with advanced fertility treatments is low. A recent report from a large IVF center found only 2 successful pregnancies out of 150 IVF attempts in women who were 44 or 45 years of age. Although the number of women who attempted an IVF cycle beyond 45 years of age was small, no successful pregnancies occurred in women 46 years of age or older. Fortunately, IVF with a donor eggs gives women an outstanding chance to achieve and carry a pregnancy regardless of their age (up to 50 or 55) or ovarian function. Many couples also opt to pursue adoption as a means to become parents.

Difficulty in getting pregnant can add tremendous stress to a couple’s already hectic life. In addition, traditional methods of ovulation detection may compound the problem by being inaccurate or only giving a couple 12 to 24 hours notice prior to ovulation. The OVWATCH reduces the stress of having to “drop everything” and rush home for intercourse by giving most women 4 to 5 days’ notice before ovulation. While the egg can only live in the female reproductive tract for a day before conception is no longer possible, sperm remain alive and can achieve a pregnancy for up to 7 days. Identification of this fertile window and the impending ovulation several days in advance, gives couples the luxury of a “long weekend of opportunities” or several days to have sexual relations. In essence, the pressure is off. Finally, the increased opportunity for pregnancy may result in 66% more pregnancies in just 6 months compared to other methods of ovulation prediction.

The history of an ectopic pregnancy has no direct impact on the function of the ovary or the ability of OVWATCH to accurately identify the fertile window. However, timing of sexual relations and optimizing one’s fertility may be even more crucial when one fallopian tube is not functioning. In fact, an ectopic pregnancy implies that the microscopic function of the fallopian tubes is not normal allowing the pregnancy to continue abnormally in the fallopian tube instead of being transported to the uterine cavity. In addition, often when one tubes has been damage or removed, the other tube is not normal. Even if the remaining tube is open or patent, the damage due to infection or scar tissue may prevent normal function of the microscopic fingers within the fallopian tube that transport a fertilized egg or embryo to the uterine cavity. Therefore, women who have had an ectopic are at increased risk of another ectopic pregnancy in the same tube or on the other side. These women may also find it more difficult to conceive. In many cases more aggressive treatment with fertility medications or in some cases, IVF may be required. In addition, after pregnancy occurs close follow up with a woman’s healthcare provider is important to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. Finally, if either fallopian tube is filled with fluid (hydrosalpinx), the fluid may have a detrimental impact on a pregnancy and many experts recommend removal of that tube prior to IVF.

Numerous studies have indicated that fertility can be optimized and the time to conception shortened with correct timing of sexual relations. In general, if a woman has a 28-day cycle, ovulation will occur 14 days after the start of her menses. However, menstrual cycles may vary from one individual to the next so it is beneficial for each woman to determine her own fertility window. The fertility window is the 4 to 5 days before and the day of ovulation. Sperm can remain in the female reproductive tract for several days and pregnancy can occur even if ovulation is several days after intercourse. However, the chances of pregnancy are slim if the sperm arrive even just one day after ovulation. Traditional methods of fertility testing (temperature charting or urine testing) rely on the surge in hormones (LH and/or estradiol) and may only give short notice of the impending ovulation or false positive results in some cases. In addition, some women have chronically elevated levels of LH associated with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and the urine testing may give false positive results. The OVWATCH senses fluctuations in the salts (chloride) found in a woman’s sweat that occurs prior to ovulation. In addition, the entire fertility window (4 – 5 days preceding ovulation) is identified in almost 6 times more women than the older methods, thermometers or pee sticks. The longer window of opportunity reduces the stress of many couples and can increase the pregnancy rate by two-thirds over just 6 months.

Uterine fibroids have no direct impact on the ability of the OVWATCH to accurate identify a woman’s fertility window by detecting the approaching ovulation well in advance. None the less, fibroids are a common finding in women seeking care for infertility as up to 40% of reproductive age women have uterine fibroids. However, the relationship between fibroids and fertility is unclear because almost 10% of pregnant woman have fibroids. In general, women with infertility or recurrent miscarriage should undergo an evaluation to determine the size and location of the fibroids. Any distortion of the uterine cavity may warrant removal of the fibroids. In addition, some authors recommend removal of fibroids that are very large or increase the uterine size to that of a 12-week pregnancy regardless of the location of the fibroid. Medical or hormone therapy to shrink fibroids has not been shown to enhance fertility and has traditionally been reserved to treat symptoms or prepare for surgery. After appropriate treatment for uterine fibroids, optimal timing of sexual relations with the OVWATCH can shorten the time to conception and reduce the stress of many couples by identifying a much longer fertility window than urine sticks or the thermometer.

The presence of a cyst would have not direct impact on the OVWATCH’s ability to identify a woman’s fertile window. However, if the cysts are associated with irregular cycles and no ovulation, the OVWATCH would correctly report “not fertile”. Many type of fluid collections or cyst can be found in the ovary. Throughout a woman’s reproductive life, cyst may occur as a result of ovulation and may be more commonly seen in women who do not ovulate regularly. It is important to note that the ovary normally contains fluid filled spaces called follicles that contain the eggs. The follicles grow as an egg nears maturity and reaches 20 – 30 mm before the egg is released. In a nature cycle only one follicle and egg reaches maturity in most cases. However, following the use of fertility medication many follicles and eggs may reach maturity. In addition, the use of fertility medications dramatically increases the chance that a woman will have residual cyst on ultrasound These functional cyst are rarely of concern. The chances that an ovarian cyst is cancer depends on the appearance of the cyst (simple fluid collection are less a concern than ones that contain both fluid and abnormal tissue) and the age of the woman with ovarian cyst or masses in postmenopausal women being of the greatest concern. Endometriosis may also cause a woman to have “cyst” on her ovary and may decrease a woman’s fertility indirectly or by damaging the fallopian tubes. Small cysts are common and may not impact regular ovulation or a woman’s reproductive health in general. However, large or suspicious cyst warrant close follow up by a women’s healthcare specialist.

Infrequent sexual relations can obviously impact the potential for pregnancy each month. However, the timing of intercourse may be even more crucial. Pregnancy can occur with intercourse up to 5 or 6 days before ovulation but is highly unlikely if sexual relations are late by even just one day. The sperm must be present in the fallopian tube at or before the ovulation or the arrival of the egg. The egg can only survive for 12 – 24 hours without fertilization. Mature sperm can survive in a woman’s reproductive tract for up to 7 days and pregnancy may occur even if intercourse occurs 6 days prior to ovulation. However, conception is unlikely if sperm arrive just one day after ovulation. The OVWATCH is an FDA approved means to accurate predict the entire fertility window. Studies indicate that the OVWATCH is up to 6 times more likely to identify a 4 or 5 day fertility window when compared to older methods using urine hormone or temperature changes. This longer window of opportunity reduces the stress of many couples and can increase the pregnancy rate by two-thirds over just 6 months.

Sexual position does not have a significant impact on the chances of conceiving. The anatomy of the upper vagina and changes that occur during sexual relations allow for pooling of the seminal fluid at the open the uterus, the cervix. Although a large amount of the ejaculate or seminal fluid is lost out of the vagina immediately after coitus, millions of motile sperm successfully enter the cervix and reach the upper reproductive tract in just a few minutes. However, timing is of the essence and the sperm must be present in the fallopian tube at or before the ovulation or the arrival of the egg. The egg can only survive for 12 – 24 hours without fertilization. Mature sperm can survive in a woman’s reproductive tract for up to 7 days and pregnancy may occur even if intercourse occurs 6 days prior to ovulation. However, conception is unlikely if sperm arrive just one day after ovulation. The OVWATCH is far superior to traditional methods of ovulation prediction in detecting the maximum fertility window.

A normal semen analysis would include 2 – 5 mL of fluid, 20 million sperm per ml, 50 % of the sperm being motile and 50% having normal appearance. Many fertility specialists also use very strict criteria for “normal” sperm shape and a reasonable analysis would include just over 1 in 10 sperm meeting the strict criteria for normal shape. The production of sperm continues throughout the majority of a man’s life but prolonged exposure to high temperature such as in a hot tub or the use of anabolic steroids, marijuana, tobacco, or excess alcohol to name a few, dramatically reduces both the quality and quantity of the sperm.

Artificial or intrauterine inseminations (IUI) are commonly performed to overcome borderline or low sperm counts or quality. An IUI with a frozen or banked sperm sample may be required in men who have undergo radiation or chemotherapy and choose to freeze healthy sperm before initiating treatment. In addition, women with no identifiable cause for their difficulty conceiving or unexplained infertility often benefit from an IUI. Couples that have severe male infertility with little or no normal sperm, may choose to do an IUI with donor sperm. Donor sperm can be obtained from several reputable companies with the assistance of a women’s healthcare provider. The procedure most often involves stimulating a woman’s ovaries with fertility medications to optimize the timing of the IUI and increase the chances that 1 or 2 eggs will be released. Insemination are also done after natural cycles but the chance of a successful pregnancy is less. The IUI may be timed with ultrasound monitoring of the growth or size of the ovarian follicles. In addition, the OVWATCH is an excellent means to correctly time the insemination. The fact is that the OVWATCH predicts the approaching ovulation far sooner than traditional methods of urine testing or temperature monitoring, allows for greater flexibility in scheduling the procedure.

Women who are considering pregnancy should be taking a prenatal vitamin that contains at least 400 mcg or 0.4 mg of folic acid. In addition to a healthy diet and maintenance of proper weight, metformin is commonly used to enhance fertility for women who suffer from PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS is characterized by infrequent or irregular menstrual cycles, difficulty getting pregnant and evidence of an imbalance between female and male hormones such as excess hair growth, oily skin or acne. This condition gets its name from the many small cyst or fluid collection that can be seen in the ovary on ultrasound. These cyst or follicles contain eggs that stopped their development and were not been released. In addition, many women with PCOS suffer from obesity and high insulin levels or the inability to efficiently process carbohydrates (sweets, white bread, fried foods, etc). Weight loss and exercise can dramatically improve the overall health and reproductive function of women with PCOS. As mentioned above, many PCOS patients also respond well to diabetes medications. Recent evidence indicates that metformin improves the chances of a successful pregnancy regardless or a woman’s weight or blood level of glucose and insulin. It is also important to note that in most cases women who appear to have PCOS should be tested for other hormonal abnormalities such as thyroid, pituitary or adrenal dysfunction. If the symptoms of excess male hormones appear suddenly and progress rapidly, testing for a hormone-producing tumor should be considered.

If a woman has irregular menses, she should seek treatment by a women’s healthcare provider. If the menses are regular but a woman is unsure if she is ovulating, the OVWATCH is an excellence means to determine the presence of absence of ovulation. Again, if no evidence of ovulation is detected, proper testing and treatment by a specialist is crucial. Once treatment has begun, the OVWATCH may be used to monitor response and enhance success by identifying the optimum time for sexual relations or artificial insemination.