Dr. Juliet Skinner, Medical Director at Barbados Fertility Centre blogs about Endometriosis Endometriosis is a common condition, affecting over 7 million women in the USA. It is a common cause of pelvic pain, and unfortunately a medical condition which is associated with huge implications for fertility. While clinically diverse, it is generally progressive and over time significantly reduces...

We are a team of women working with couples but in particular other women to deliver on their dreams of starting (or expanding) a family. Women have achieved a lot but there is sill a long way to go. We will continue today and every day  to provide the best treatment options for women suffering with infertility. We will continue to   give voice to the disease (on our social platforms) which...

The Endometrial Receptivity Array Test (ERA)  is a method of assessing when the endometrium is most receptive, in order to give a personalised embryo transfer. The receptivity of the endometrium is a crucial factor in determining the success of IVF treatment. The endometrium is the tissue lining the uterus, which gets thicker during the cycle until it reaches the optimum thickness for...

Tubal ligation, also known as “having one’s tubes tied,” is a permanent form of birth control done using either one of two methods.  A mini laparotomy or laparoscopy. A mini laparotomy involves making a small incision in the abdomen and locating the fallopian tubes, which conduct the eggs from the ovaries to the uterus. After the tubes are found and drawn outside the body...

If you are considering IVF you need to be certain that you are choosing the best fertility centre available. You should consider: A clinic’s published success rates; Its experience in fertility treatments; and The quality of its service. Location, environment, counselling and support are other factors to be considered. One important question you need to ask: “Is the facility...

It’s here. We’ve reached the end! Training is complete and race day is on Saturday. Today I did my last training run and a thought hit me from an article I scanned the other day. The world is split into “runners and non-runners”. That comment made me laugh out loud. Can the cloth really be cut into two? Those of us on the fertility journey I believe would say YES. Sometimes it feels like the...

If you are trying to get pregnant, here are a few questions you should ask your doctor on your next visit. 1. Could lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol, or stress be affecting my fertility?2. Could my job or my partner’s job be contributing to our problems? 3. Are there any non-medical approaches, such as relaxation or meditation techniques, that could improve my chances of...

The BFC team made a recent trip to Baltimore to attend the American Society of Reproductive Medicine annual general meeting. At our clinic we are passionate about staying on top of our medical field. These events also give us the opportunity, as the years have gone by, to confirm that what we do, not only works, but that we also stand out as a best practice clinic. On a professional level it...

“Why are you doing this?” My friend asked me that question this morning when I told her that I totally bombed this weekend’s run. That question has had me pondering all day to the point where I totally scrapped what I was going to type for this blog and gave some real thought to the questions. EXACTLY why am I running 21 kilometers?! About ten weeks ago when I decided sign up for a half...

Our team of experts at the Life Wellness Centre are always saying that to ensure you have a positive outcome during your fertility treatment, you need to reduce your stress levels. When you live in a continuous state of high stress, your reproductive organs don’t receive the energy and nutrients they need to function optimally, particularly as we mature. Optimising your fertility and...

Have you ever started something in your life that is somewhat terrifying and a few weeks in you think to yourself what have I done?! I am sure many of you who are on a fertility journey can identify with this feeling and thought. To take what we call our “normal life” and throw it into the unknown can be downright scary and uncomfortable. This fear in many cases holds us back from taking a...

While there are no guarantees that unprotected sex will lead to pregnancy, what we do know is that frequency plays an important role in increasing your chances. A study involving 221 “presumably fertile couples” found that couples who have sex daily, or every other day, have a better chance of conceiving than those who limit intercourse to once per week. The Practice Committee of...