Since 2020, fans have been admiring Paris Hilton’s love story. After many failed relationships and engagements, the world star finally found her soulmate in successful businessman Carter Reum. The couple married in November 2021 and held a lavish ceremony in a private Los Angeles estate. Two years later, Hilton and Reum stunned fans with their first child, Phoenix, and 9 months later, they welcomed their daughter, London.  However, not everyone knows that the star spouses overcame many challenges to give birth to their long-awaited children. Paris had unsuccessful IVF attempts and even r ..read more

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a woman’s body’s reaction to an excess of hormones that stimulate the development of eggs. This pathological condition occurs when the injected and natural FSH and LH hormones are too high in total. It leads to the formation of an excessive number of follicles and causes ovarian swelling and aches. How do I identify OHSS, prevent hyperstimulation, and what are its symptoms? These questions are burning for egg donors and women preparing for IVF. Today, we will overview its symptoms, causes, and risks, and discover the frequency of the syndrome. Ovari ..read more

Mini IVF is in vitro fertilization with a reduced protocol. We also call it ‘gentle’, ‘mild’, ‘micro’, or low-stimulation IVF because it involves using small doses of medications to grow and retrieve eggs. Consequently, it decreases hormonal side effects and minimizes the risk of hyperstimulation.  Unlike the conventional program, mild IVF is primarily based on an oral medication instead of hormonal injections. This way, the patient receives fewer eggs than in the traditional method, however, it does not affect their quality. Mini IVF has a gentle effect and is optimal when the standard p ..read more

An IVF diet is a food program that provides the nutrients necessary for your fertility and successful conception. It affects hormone production, sperm and egg quality, and other fertility-related processes. That is why a well-selected meal helps prepare the body for IVF and increases the chances of pregnancy.  Let’s examine why a fertility diet is crucial, what foods to eat, and what products to avoid. In the article, you will also find an IVF meal plan.  Reasons to Follow a Healthy Regimen during Simulation IVF and pregnancy are a significant strain on a woman’s body. During this p ..read more

IVF couriers are companies that provide safe transportation of frozen reproductive material such as embryos, sperm, and oocytes anywhere in the world. They use special medical containers, dewars, to keep the extremely low temperature of -196 °C.  Cryo shipping raises many questions for some people looking for donors abroad or preparing for the IVF program. Let’s understand how IVF courier works, the conditions for successful delivery, and how much the service costs.  Features of Freezing Sperm, Embryos, and Oocytes Each biomaterial has unique characteristics. While sperm is an unpre ..read more

Implantation bleeding is quite common and occurs in 25% of pregnant women. Around 10-14 days after natural conception or IVF embryo transfer, the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining and causes scanty bloody spotting or light bleeding. Women experience this discharge 4 to 2 days before expected menstruation. It usually does not require medical treatment and gives positive signs about a successful pregnancy.  However, some women could have concerns about the reasons, intensity, amount, and risks that the bleeding could have on the pregnancy. Let’s find out why it happens, which s ..read more

Fertility experts strongly rely on an IVF follicle growth chart to evaluate their maturity and consistent size increase and make sure that ovarian stimulation is successful. They measure dominant follicle size during ultrasound checks and compare them to the reference values. In this article, we will explain what size the follicles should be on each day of the female menstrual cycle’s follicular phase before egg retrieval. Introduction Most people don’t know that ovarian follicles are so important for fertility. However, follicles are one of the most integral components of a woman’s reproducti ..read more

FET protocol (aka Cryoprotocol) is the transfer of embryos that were frozen in the previous cycle to the uterus. FET protocol, or IVF cryopreservation, is a vital procedure in assisted reproductive technology that involves freezing embryos from a previous cycle for future use. It can be performed in natural and hormone-prepared cycles, depending on the patient’s specific circumstances. Sunshine fertility experts have consulted reproductive specialists to tell you more about how the FET protocol works, how to prepare for FET, how frozen embryo transfer differs from the same procedure with fres ..read more

Talking about the cervix we have to understand anatomy and math. The normal cervical length for most women is about 4-5 centimeters. A short cervix is anything less than that. Doctors measure it by ultrasound and define a сervical canal as short if its length is less than 4 cm before the 36th pregnancy week. In this article, we will explain, how its size influences fertility and pregnancy, look through its symptoms and causes, and read stories of real women with this condition. What Is a Cervix and Short Cervix in Particular? What Is a Short Cervix? Causes of Short Cervix Symptoms of short ce ..read more

Embryo grading is a visual assessment technique carried out by an embryologist which helps choose the best embryos for further transfer within an IVF program.  During IVF embryologists evaluate and classify embryos every day based on specific criteria and create an embryo grading chart. It takes 6 days (0-6) and is usually done twice – on days 3 and 5. The retrieval day is considered a day zero. Right after the retrieval, they collect oocytes and this is where the processes can differ for traditional IVF where oocytes meet sperm in a petri dish, and ICSI, where washed sperm is injected i ..read more