Understanding The Basic Workup Done For Infertility

Infertility is defines as the failure to conceive after 1 year of unprotected intercourse in women under 35 years of age and after six months in women 35 or older
The workup for infertility begins with the clinical history and examination.

The ability of a couple to become pregnant depends on normal fertility in both the male and female partners and so both must be evaluated.
EVALUATION OF INFERTILITY IN WOMEN
Although a variety of tests are available for evaluating female infertility, it may not be necessary to have all of these tests. Doctors usually begin with a medical history, a thorough physical examination, and some preliminary tests.

Medical History :
A woman's past health and medical history may provide some clues about the cause of infertility. Following questions are usually asked during the history:

• Age at which menses started.
• The duration of menstrual cycle and if its regular or not.
• Any pain during periods / intercourse
• Frequency of sexual intercourse
• any history of illness /surgeries in the past
• Any medications which the patient might be taking.
• Any children from previous relationships (if any)

Examination:

A physical examination usually includes a general examination, with special attention to any signs of hormone deficiency or signs of other conditions that might impair fertility. The points that are noticed include:

• Pallor for anemia
• Acne, excessive facial hair
• Breast development
• Pelvic examination for any masses. 

Workup:

After a detailed clinical history and examination , doctor may need some basic investigations to find out the cause for infertility. These tests are explained below: 

1. Blood test for hormones: FSH, LH, estradiol, prolactin & AMH are done on day 1-3 of the menstrual cycle. 

FSH- Follicle stimulating hormone is one of the most important hormones in the normal menstural cycle. It helps in producing mature eggs by stimulating the ovaries. If the ovaries are not working and the eggs are not developing, the body response is to increases FSH production.

LH- Luteinizing hormone, again an important hormone that helps an egg to grow and be released once mature. 

The time when the egg is released from the ovary it is called ovulation. Ovulation can be tracked by urine testing strips which detect a rise in LH at the time of ovulation. 

Estradiol-is tested to check the quantity and quality of egg production. 

Prolactin- hormone is normally responsible to produce milk for breast feeding.This hormone naturally prevents conception by inhibiting ovulation in breast feeding mothers. If abnormally high without a woman breast feeding it may lead to irregular menstrual cycles and lack of ovulation. 

AMH- a recent test introduced to check ovarian reserve. If low means the woman is approaching menopause and chances to conceive are low. 

Understanding Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome  (PCOS)  is a problem in which a woman's hormones are out of balance. It can cause problems with the periods and make it difficult to get pregnant.

Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts on their ovaries. That is why it is called polycystic ovary syndrome. The cysts are not harmful but lead to hormone imbalances.

The exact cause of polycystic ovary syndrome is unknown but doctors believe that hormonal imbalances and genetics play a role. Women are more likely to develop PCOS if their mother or sister also has the condition.

Risk factors for having PCOS are being overweight and not doing enough physical exercise.

Symptoms Of PCOS

Some of the symptoms of PCOS include:

 -Irregular menstrual cycle. Women with PCOS may miss periods or have fewer periods (fewer than eight in a year). Or, their periods may come every 21 days or more often. Some women with PCOS stop having menstrual periods.

 -Too much hair on the face, chin, or parts of the body where men usually have hair. This is called "hirsutism."

 -Acne on the face, chest, and upper back

 -Thinning hair or hair loss on the scalp.

 -Weight gain or difficulty losing weight

 -Darkening of skin, particularly along neck creases, in the groin, and underneath breasts

-  Difficulty in conceiving .

A Common Question: Can I get pregnant if i have PCOS?

Home Made Turmeric Face Mask- Get Rid of Acne, Dark circles And Eczema

Benefits of Turmeric Face Mask: Face masks are applied to a cleaned and dried skin and left for a few minutes until it completely dries and then it is rinsed off. Getting face masks at beauty salons is expensive and time consuming.

Every one of us wants a fresh glowing skin, free form acne, dark circles and eczema. 

Turmeric is an all-natural skincare ingredient that can be applied topically for glowing and a health  skin. Surprisingly, this excellent spice that we use for cooking curries can be used as a skin-brightening face mask.

Not only does this spice have amazing healing properties but it’s also a great beauty product. Turns out.  Indian brides have long used turmeric as a head-to-toe body scrub and face mask to brighten skin before their weddings.

Turmeric contains a photochemical called curcumin, which can benefit the body, both inside and out.

Turmeric mask works for acne and eczema. It reduces inflammation and redness, and promotes skin healing. Due to turmeric’s antioxidant properties, it has been used for skin rejuvenation. It helps softening lines and wrinkles, giving the face a more youthful appearance. It is also effective with rosacea – a chronic skin condition that is characterized by redness and pimples. It eases the redness and treats this disease.

The turmeric basic face mask is easy to make and acts as a moisturizer, exfoliator and reduces redness. It brightens the skin and makes it look fresh and clean.

You can also make your own face masks using ingredients found at home. Home facial masks are often better for you know exactly what ingredients go into them.

Common ingredients that work well for home facial masks are turmeric, honey, avocado, eggs, yoghurt and milk.The advantage of home facial masks is that you can try various combinations of ingredients before settling on one that suits your skin the best. This can be done without wasting a lot of money on commercial masks.

Preparation before applying the turmeric mask: Wash your face with running water and remove all makeup. If your hair is long, tie it up at the back. Wear a T-shirt you are not too attached to, in case it gets stained.

Natural Ways to Fix Common Hair Problems

We all want healthy beautiful hair. Here are a few common hair problems and the natural ways to fix them.

1. Dry, Brittle Hair: 

The Cause: Excessive blow drying, chemical coloring agents, and the wrong kind of conditioner are the common culprits. Hormonal balances may be to blame , especially if you are menopausal or perimenopausal. Less common causes include: thyroid disease or autoimmune diseases. These can cause dryness and breakage of hair. Lack of proper hydration impacts hair leaving it parched and brittle. 

The Fix: Once you have ruled out possible medical causes, focus on moisturizing with super-emollient shampoos and conditioners: look for those with biotin, a B vitamin that increases the elasticity of the hair cortex to keep brittle hair from breaking. ( you can take biotin supplements too). Use a deep conditioner or hair repair formula weekly. Avoid excessively steamy showers and heat drying, both of which can strip oil from scalp and dehydrate hair, 

2. Dull Hair:

The Cause: Most often it is because of build up of hair product, spray, mousse or even conditioner that coat the hair shaft over time , causing dull hair. Chlorine from swimming pools and even in tap water can also cause dull hair. 

The Fix: Use a clarifying shapoo once a week to remove hair product buildup. Rinse hair weekly in apple cider vinegar. Keep hair locks well conditioned to promote shine and look for a conditioner that specifically focuses on luster. Plant oil serums can also bring glow back to dull hair. 

3. Frizzies: 

The Cause: In winter, cold dry air and indoor heating lead to a lack of humidity in the air leaving hair dull and frizzy and causes flyaway locks. If you have curly hair, your problem will be compounded in summer, when excess humidity in the air can make curls unmanageable. Lack of dietary fat can also lead to year round frizzies.

The Fix:  Tame frizzy, flyaway hair by spritzing your hair brush with hair spray. Combat damage and dryness with leave in conditioner. Skip brushing and use a wide toothed comb to style hair instead. Increase healthy fats in your diet .

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Hormonal Imbalance In Woman

Introduction:
Hormones are chemical messengers in our body that help in normal physiology of our brain, heart, bones, muscles and reproductive organs. The body functions best when all theses different hormones are balanced, Any sort of hormonal imbalances leads to various disorders depending on the type of hormone that is either abnormally high or low.
Female hormones have a major role in the life of a woman beginning as early as from puberty until menopause. At all the different stages of life, female hormones need to be balances or otherwise may lead to various problems including abnormal menstrual cycles, absence of periods, heavy periods, infertility, mood swings, premenstrual syndrome, hot flashes, disturbance in healthy sexual life etc.
In short we can say female hormonal health is not only limited to menstrual cycles and menopause but instead it is something that determines her life long well being.

Causes Of Hormonal Imbalances; In general hormones may be imbalanced due to:

• Stress
• Inadequate sleep
• Aging
• Taking synthetic hormones
• Long term use of birth control pills or injectable contraceptives containing hormones. 
• Lack of physical exercise.
• Use of artificial and synthetic food products.
• Use of certain artificial cosmetic products. 

The Major Components Of Female Endocrine System:

• Ovaries; which are the female sex organs.
• Pituitary gland: which helps control all the endocrine organs in the body.
• Hypothlamus; regulates the secretion of hormones in the pituitary gland.
•  Thyroid gland; mainly controls body metabolism but has a major role in female sexual functions as well.
• Adrenal glands.

Female Hormones: include

1. Estrogen which is secreted by the ovaries during the first half of the menstrual cycle.

2. Progesterone which is secreted in the second half of the menstrual cycle from the ovaries.

3. FSH ( the follicle stimulation hormone) is secreted from the pituitary gland and stimulated the ovaries to produce follicles one of which gets large enough to release a mature egg in the mid cycle. 

4. LH ( Leutenizing hormone) secreted from the pituitary gland and helps release a mature egg and promotes ovulation. 

5. Prolactin promotes lactation during breast feeding. 

6. Oxytocin leads to uterine contractions during labor and child birth.

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Supplications For Infertile Couples.

Infertility is a problem that is very heartbreaking but Islam is a complete way of life. It guides us to have trust in Almighty Allah and pray to Him. There is no disease that has no cure and the Holy Quran has verses that helps us to believe that Allah can bless infertile couples with children at even a very old age and that there is nothing impossible for Allah.
The story of prophet Zakariya is clearly explained in Holy Quran. He was taking care of Mariam (peace be upon her) when every time he entered her chamber to see her , he found her supplied with sustenance. He asked her where it comes from and she answered that it is from Allah, for Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills. At that time Prophet Zakariya prayed to Almighty Allah saying:

O My Lord Grant me from You a good offspring, for You are hearer of all prayers. 

(Surah Al-Imran Chapter 3 verse 38.)

 Allah answered His prayer and gave him the glad tidings of being blessed by a son who will be named Yahya, and he will be pious and be a prophet.
The same story is repeated in Surah Mariam Chapter 19 verses 2- 9 ,

(This is) a recital of the Mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariyya. Behold he cried to his Lord in secret, praying: O my Lord! Infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head does glisten with grey, but never am I unblessed O my Lord, in my prayer to You. Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me, but my wife is barren, so give me an heir as from Yourself- (one that) will (truly) represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob and make him , O my Lord, one with whom You are well pleased. (his prayer was answered) : O Zakariya! We give you good news of a son, his name shall be yahya, on none by that name have We conferred distinction before. He said, o my Lord1 how shall I have a son , when my wife is barren and I have grown quite dcrepit from old age?. He(Allah) said: So (it will be): your Lord says: That is easy for Me , i did indeed create you before , when you had been nothing. 

Again In surah Ambiya chapter 21 verse 89-90 it is mentioned:

And  (remember) Zakariya, when he cried to his Lord: O my Lord! leave me not without offspring, though You are the best of inheritors. So We listened to him and we granted him Yahya, we cured his wife's (barrenness) for him. 

Also Prophet Ibrahim was granted children at a old age . It is mention in Surah ibrahim chapter 14 verse 39 where prophet Ibrahim says:

Islamic Teaching Regarding Good Care For Parents

Islam is a complete way of life. The teachings of Islam put a great emphasis on good behavior and taking care for parents. There are numerous verses in the Holy Quran that mention to be kind to the parents and to be obedient to them after belief in Allah. Muslims are advised to be good to their parents and take care of them on a daily basis especially when they are old and unable to look after themselves. Also It is advised by Islam to be good and kind to the parents whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims.
Allah says in the Holy Quran chapter 17 verse 23:

Thy Lord has decreed that ye worship none but Him and ye be kind to your parents.

A similar message is repeated in Chapter 31 verse 14:

And We have enjoined on men (to be good) to his parents, in travail upon travail did his mother bear him and in years two was his weaning (hear the command) , show gratitude to Me and to thy parents, to Me is the final destination 

Another verse shows how much important it is for people to be respectful towards their parents and to honor them and not to speak harsh with them. Allah says in the Holy Quran chapter 17 verse 23:

And Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him , and that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. 

Further it is told to make supplication for the parents and it is described as follows in chapter 17 verse 14 as:

My Lord Bestow upon them (parents) Your mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.

A similar message of being kind to parents is repeated in Chapter 46 verse 15 where Allah says:

We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents, In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. 

Counselling For Infertile Couples

Introduction:
A diagnosis of infertility is emotionally a very distressing event. Infertility has been a source of sadness and despair since very early times. People normally assume and expect that they will be able to have children and start a family whenever they choose, but when a couple starts experiencing problem with that then it begins to create anxiety and if after medical workup a diagnosis of infertility is made then it leads to feelings of hopelessness and grief.

Definition Of Infertility: By definition infertility is a difficulty in conceiving despite having regular unprotected sex. There is no defined cutoff period after which a medical professional may determine a couple to be infertile but statistics show that normally if a couple is trying to conceive naturally more than 3 years with no success is less than 25%.

Infertility Statistics: 

• About 6% of married women age 15-44 years in United states are unable to get pregnant after one year of unprotected sex.
• According to NHS statistics about 1 in 6 couples experience difficulties when trying to conceive which means that around 3,500,000 people are affected by this condition in UK.
• A study done in year 2006-1007 and published in Oxford journal concludes that internationally there is a 9% prevalence of infertility among which 56% of couples seek medical care. 

Common Emotions Felt When Infertility Is Diagnosed: 

• Women may feel angry on the fact that she is not being able to get pregnant. 
• She may be jealous of other pregnant women or friends who can get pregnant easily.
• Feelings of guilt.
• A women may have feelings of inadequacy, perceiving her body as dysfunctional. 
• There may be a significant strain on the relationship of the couple.
• Females usually feel isolated from her social circle and society.
• Women may put everything else in their lives on hold and will try to put all the energy, time and what ever needed to get pregnant. 
• Many women delay making changes in their carrier, to the current housing situation just thinking that it is better to wait until the baby arrives.
• For some women there goes a cycle of hopefulness until the period arrives that leads to feelings of severe disappointment and depression. 
• In case if infertility is due to male factor, the men may feel that his masculinity is challenged
• Many men try to keep their infertility a secret that leads to isolation. . 
• Couples may feel difficulty with scheduled intercourse.
• Some may start using alcohol or drugs.

Effect on the Relationship Between the couple: 

Infertility puts a great strain on the relationship between the couple especially if a problem lies with one of them. 

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Misconception About Islam #1 Woman Rights

One of the common misconception about Islam is that it oppresses woman and do not give her the proper rights. Instead in Islam both man and woman are equal in front of God in terms of receiving the rewards and accountability of their action. The only action that distinguishes people in the sight of God is the piety in the hearts.
The Holy Quran mentions Chapter 49 verse 13
    Verily the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most God conscious. 
The oppression of woman by islam and muslims which is usually publicized is not because of the teaching of islam instead these are the effects of culture and local customs and traditions.  Violence against woman and forcing them against their wills is not allowed in Islam.
Allah, the Creator our Lord, has assigned different responsibilities for both the genders and according to true islamic teachings based on the Holy Quran and Sahih hadith woman should be given utmost respect and honor and they are given rights for the choice of the spouse, inheritance, getting education, divorce etc.
Oppression and abuse of woman is actually a global issue and not confined only to muslims. the worldwide statistics shows that abuse of woman is no more in muslims than among non-muslims.

1. Why Islam allows a Man to marry more than one wife?
The Holy Quran mentions in chapter 4 verse 3,
      Marry woman of your choice, two or three or four, but if you fear that you shall not be able to             deal justly with them , then marry only one. 
The point to be noted here is that Quran clearly mentions that if one cannot be just among the wives he should marry only one. Also Quran has given the upper limit of four wives while before the Quran was revealed people could marry as many wives as they wanted and not all of them were treated equally.
The religious scripture Bible unlike Quran has not mentioned about any limits of marrying woman instead it has mentioned Prophet Abraham having 3 wives, and Prophet Solomen having hundreds of wives. In earlier times Christians used to marry as many wives as they wanted it was just a few years ago that the Church as put a restriction and allowing to marry only one wife.
In Islam getting married to more than wife wife up to four is only an exception and not a rule. Instead it is preferable to marry only one since it is difficult for a man to give equal and just rights to all his wives. It cannot be said that a muslim who has more than one wife is a better muslim that the one who has only one wife.
The concept behind the permission of having more than one wives is that Islam wants to safeguard the rights of every woman.

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Violence Against Woman In Christianic World

Introduction: The status of women in the society is neither a new issue nor it has ever been settled. This issue has been discussed by people since centuries and the most of them who are raising their voice are the one from the western world. They are in the control of the media and show that the third world countries and mainly the Muslims subjugate the women and deprive them of their rights.
The actual thing is totally different. The Western talk of women's freedom is in real a disguised form of deprivation of her honor and using her as a mere tool to seek pleasure.

USA has one of the highest rates of Rape:
USA is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries in the world. but it has the highest rate of rape. The majority of its population are the Christians. and the statistics mentioned here are also conducted by themselves.

Different Statistics:
1. According to FBI report in year 1990, every day 1756 cases of rape were committed in USA.
2. Over 22 million women are raped in USA in their life time  ( Survey National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010  )
3. 18.3 % of woman survive a completed or attempted rape in United states. Of them 12.3% were younger than age 12 years ( Survey National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010 ) 
4. One out of every five American women have been a victim of an attempted or complete rape during her life time ( The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010 )
5.In United states 83% of girls in schools grade 8 through 11 have experienced some sort of sexual harassment in public school ( Data taken from national representative study American association of University women 2001) 
6. According to a survey conducted in Australia in year 2006 The personal safety survey(2006) nearly two third (57%) of Australian women reports experiencing at least one incident of either physical or sexual violence by a man in her life time. 
7 According to an article published in Houston chronicle in October 2014 , central American countries are among the nations with highest rate of women killed per 100,000 female population from year 2004-2009. 

 It is really surprising as people who themselves are actually speaking about the women rights have the highest rates of abuse and violence against women.This Christian world tries to create misconceptions and hide their own truth. 
Instead Islam is the only way of life that protects the women rights and let them live an honorable, respectable and protected life. 

More US Hispanic Women Convert to Islam

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