Who Stole My Fertility ?

by Dr Agilan Arjunan, Fertility Specialist & Gynaecologist, KL Fertility Centre (Malaysia)

According to medical history, in the periods of Hippocrates in 460-375 BC , fibroid was known as ‘uterine stone’. The first surgery for fibroid was done for the American President Abraham Lincoln’s cousin in 1809. The term fibroid was introduced in 1860.

Many women had been diagnosed with uterine fibroid. For some the fibroid is not medically important but for some women, fibroid can cause infertility.

What is uterine fibroid?

A woman’s womb or uterus is made up of muscles known as ‘myometrium’ . This ‘myometrium’ is composed of many strands of muscle fibres.

Fibroids arise from genetic alteration in a single muscle fibre. This causes the muscles to overgrow and form a fibroid. Circulating female hormone called oestrogen can cause growth of the fibroid.

However, fibroids can also grow in low oestrogen environment , possibly due to conversion of male hormone called androgens into oestrogen. Yes, females have male hormones too!

The problem with fibroid is , it can be a silent killer. Woman may have fibroids without ever knowing about it! This is because not all the fibroids cause symptoms. Whether the fibroid causes a problem depends on the size and location of the fibroid.

Why Am I Not Getting Pregnant Again ?

by Dr Agilan Arjunan, Fertility Specialist, KL Fertility Centre ( Malaysia)

Mrs M walked into the clinic with her beautiful daughter Maya, aged 5 . She is a happily married woman and conceived Maya within their first 6 months of marriage. Her pregnancy was well and Maya was delivered via a caesarean delivery.

The obvious question popped up in my mind, “ How can I help you ?”

“ Well one ain’t enough and we have been trying for a second child for the past one and a half years. I just don’t understand why i am not getting pregnant. I got pregnant with Maya easily. Surely we are not suffering from infertility. But why it is not happening again ?”

She is just one out of many women who find it difficult to believe that they are struggling for a second child or what is medically known as secondary subfertility.

What leads to secondary subfertility ? Let’s find out why.

Laparoscopy: Keyhole Surgery

by Dr Agilan Arjunan, Fertility Specialist, KL Fertility Centre (Malaysia)

“Best Things In Life Are Free” is a well known proverb and sometimes it may not be easy to grasp its meaning entirely. Well, as a gynaecologist and fertility specialist, I do see many woman and couples and become part of their journey to fulfil their dreams.

I feel “The Best Things In Life Are Small” and the best part of it , it comes in 3D .

Majority of women in their lifetime would have undergone a surgery. Whether a minor or a major surgery, it is still a nightmare to go through it. By the age of 60 , 1 in every 3 women would have undergone a hysterectomy ( surgery to remove the womb) for various reasons.

Traditionally, gynaecological surgeries ( surgeries involving female’s reproductive organs) , are associated with big skin incisions, painful recovery and longer time to get back to norm. Longer recovery means loss of quality time with family, personal or professional. For some, it means loss of income.

Gynaecological surgeries has evolved so much that the traditional phrase ‘big skin incisions, painful and slow recovery’ have now become ‘small holes, nearly painless and out -of-hospital the next day’ .

It’s called Laparoscopic surgery or keyhole surgery. Do you know that laparoscopic surgery has been reported since 1930s’, but yet many women do not know about this ?