A little bit about parasites in IVF

Both doctors and patients preparing for an IVF attempt are always very much concerned about "what they can possibly do to increase the probability of pregnancy occurrence in a cycle". In this case, we are not talking about purely medical issues such as a patient's preparation for a cycle, the choice of a protocol and medication, management in the post-transfer period… These are a doctor's concern! It would be interesting to discuss other things. Receiving patients on a daily basis, I'm always interested in what they are ready to do so that, as they think, to radically improve the prognosis of treatment. There are a great number of options! Some will expose their bodies to various animals: leeches or bees, showing obsessive determination in so doing. Others will undergo barotherapy daily or go through a few courses of plasmapheresis to "cleanse" their organism before pregnancy. Still others favour acupuncture or homeopathic medicines. Anti-age drugs are also very popular. There are some believing in the magical effect of immunoglobulin therapy and immunization with the husband's lymphocytes. This list of wonders can go on and on and on. Not wanting to belittle the benefits of some of the above-mentioned methods, we still sometimes really want to stop our patients from infusing, injecting, shoving inside everything somebody has heard about somewhere and shared the Knowledge.

When you are fighting the unwillingness of your organism to be impregnated, it is very important to know your enemy, i.e. to determine the primary cause of the non-occurrence of pregnancy. If a doctor finds it, he/she can pave the way for achieving the aim more effectively. Of no less value is the ability to convey the major idea of treatment to the patient. Here is where we often have much trouble. And sadly realize that apart from the primary therapy, a patient has prescribed herself a multitude of other procedures. Sometimes they go to utterly ridiculous lengths: after a consultation, a patient hurries to a pressure chamber, then applies leeches; and in the evening she is having an acupuncture session or a vitamin drip. Next day the cycle repeats. This goes on infinitely.

I like the expression "Reproduction is just a whim for our organism", i.e. our body doesn't really need ovaries to survive. It is more interested in maintaining a healthy heart, liver, brain, kidneys et cetera. Whereas the ovaries do not participate in the everyday survival. They work properly when the organism has the resources for it. When is it then? When a woman has a good night's sleep, eats properly, exercises with pleasure and does not work 10 hours a day. Do you know many such people? I don't know any… Giving unrealistic recommendations to sleep, rest and not to work is dull. But reducing the unnecessary workload is within our power. Which is why we really want to recommend women who are planning a pregnancy or who are fighting for it that they make themselves a present of having a good sleep, leisurely drinking a cup of "unhealthy" coffee, stopping themselves from going to medical institutions and going instead to a fitness club and enjoying themselves there, meeting a friend in the evening (no talking about pregnancy!) or going to the theatre with the husband; and going to sleep at the right time (there should be no sitting in front of the computer on that day). I bet that after such "procedures" your ovaries will be revitalized and a fertility specialist will utter the sacramental "WOW!!!" at a US examination!