Tag Archives: Daysy Blog

Can Basal Body Temperature Be An Early Indicator Of Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is one of the commonest reasons for major gynecological survey among African-American women. Also, Black women are more likely to die from endometrial cancer than women from other racial or ethnic groups.

Below is an interview with Prof Renner, MD, who is deputy director of the Gynecological Hospital of the University Medical Center Erlangen, scientific and clinical head of the University Endometriosis Center Frankonia as well as head of the Gynecological University Cancer Center Frankonia.  He is also president of the European Endometriosis League (EEL).

His area of expertise is endometriosis, a chronic pelvic disease affecting 10 % of the world’s female population, yet often undetected even by medical professionals.  During Daysy’s interview, Prof Renner reveals how to detect, treat and prevent endometriosis.

Prof Renner is heading Daysy’s clinical study into endometriosis. The aim is to determine whether basal body temperature can be an early indicator of endometriosis.

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Here is Daysy’s interview with Prof Renner.

Prof Renner, endometriosis is a very common, however often undetected disease in women. What are the typical symptoms of endometriosis?

Prof Renner: A typical symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain occurring during or shortly before menstruation. During disease persistence, pelvic pain may also occur at any other point during the female cycle. Depending on the location of the disease, pain during sexual intercourse, urination or bowel movement may be experienced. In addition, some patients experience infertility.

What do you advise women who notice these symptoms? What are the types of diagnosis and where are these offered?

First I advise women to actively address their gynecologist. Unfortunately, experience tells us that menstrual pains are often not taken seriously. They are still considered “normal”, even among gynecologists. Statements like “Don’t make such a fuss” or “All women experience this type of pain” sadly do not happen only on rare occasions. In such cases, a change of gynecologist, or finding a specialist on her own is all that a patient can do. These specialists can be found, for instance, in specialized endometriosis centers. Contact information can be found here.

Is it known why some women develop endometriosis?

No, it is not. This is one of the mysteries of this disease. There are some theories, of which some are older than 100 years, but none of them has been proven. The most popular theory is the transplantation theory, which is based on retrograde menstruation, i.e. bleeding through the fallopian tubes and into the peritoneal cavity. Endometrium that enters the peritoneal cavity this way can implant and show the typical signs of endometriosis. However, since most women bleed into the peritoneal cavity during menstruation, albeit to different extent, other factors must exist that foster the development of endometriosis in only some of these women. Evidence in favor of this theory is the ability to induce endometriosis in mice by injection of menstrual blood. Opposing this theory is the fact that even women lacking their uterus are affected by endometriosis.

Another theory is based on the assumption that cells of the peritoneal cavity re-differentiate due to some external factors, i.e. from healthy peritoneum into typical endometriosis cells. This phenomenon is called “metaplasia”, hence “metaplasia theory”.

What does the diagnosis “endometriosis” mean for women planning to have children?

In most cases, a randomly discovered endometriosis is no reason to panic. Most women with endometriosis become pregnant without experiencing any problems. However, the rate of patients with endometriosis is elevated in sterility collectives (sterile patients), which is pointing towards the disease having a potential effect on pregnancy rate.

Are there any treatments? If so, what are the chances of cure for each of the treatment options?

There are medication-based and surgery-based treatment options. Medicinal treatment options include pain relief medication as well as hormonal therapies such as oral contraceptives, progesterone, intrauterine devices (IUD) or menopause therapy (GnRH analogs). Some of these therapies are not approved for the treatment of endometriosis and have various side effects, or contraindications.

Especially in the case of strong pain, medicinal therapies should not be “experimented” with for too long, instead the initial diagnosis should be quickly confirmed by surgery. During this (in most cases) minimally invasive procedure called laparoscopy, the lesion should be removed. In case of relapse, the decision for medication- or surgery-based treatment has to be made for each patient individually.

Is it possible to prevent endometriosis through a balanced diet?

No, there is no evidence for that. A balanced diet may, similar to doing sports, improve the condition. Especially weight reduction has been shown to have positive effects. Nevertheless, it is not at all proven that nutrition can be directly responsible for endometriosis.

Are there any other ways to prevent endometriosis?

No, unfortunately not. In this context, however, it is important that the level of suffering in these patients is often very high over years, until, eventually, the diagnosis is made. Although prevention is not possible, it seems rational to raise awareness, in order to decrease the time interval until start of adequate treatment.

Learn more about Daysy’s clinical study.

When Is A Woman Most Fertile? Get The Timing RIGHT – Daysy Blog

What might maximize your chances in getting pregnant, besides of course being in optimal health? Well, sex obviously! Or, if we are getting technical, intercourse at the exact right time. This article will serve as a guide to women everywhere wanting to learn more about their ovulation cycle.

When Are You Most Fertile?

The best time to try to conceive a baby is during the ‘fertile window’ of a woman’s menstrual cycle; this is different for most women. When we say ‘fertile window,’ we are talking about the days in a woman’s cycle where she is the most fertile and pregnancy is possible. Technically speaking, you can only get pregnant during the five days before ovulation all the way through to the day that you ovulate.

These six days are what’s considered your ‘fertile window’ in your menstrual cycle. The fertile window mirrors the lifespan of sperm (5 days) and the lifespan of an ovum (24 hours). To put this into perspective, if a woman has sex six or more days before she ovulates, she has almost zero chance of getting pregnant.

However, having sex five days before ovulation increases chances to 10%. This increases steadily, the probability of pregnancy rising until two days before and including the day she ovulates. Once this period ends, the probability of a woman conceiving declines precipitously—12 to 24 hours after she has ovulated, a woman can no longer get pregnant during that cycle.

But…When Does Ovulation Occur?

You can, at the very least, take some of the guess work out of determining when you are most fertile by following these steps:

  1. Start Tracking Your Periods On A Calendar

Do you know if your cycle is regular? How many days elapse between periods? This crucial information is a must-know before you move any further. If you aren’t sure, you can find out by:

  • On the first day you get your period, mark your calendar. Count every day until your next period arrives. (Beginning at day one again.)
  • Do this for three to four months to get an accurate measure of both the length and regularity of your menstrual cycle. On average, a menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, but this can range from 23 to 35 days in length. Cycles can also vary in length from month to month.
  1. Calculate The Days That You Ovulate

The big secret to successfully getting pregnant is to have sex during that small window of time in the ovulation cycle when an egg is released from one of your ovaries and moves into the fallopian tube. Sounds complicated and daunting, right? Let’s break this down and make it a little easier:

  • If you determined from Step 1 that your cycles are regular, you can determine ovulation by doing simple math—in the average menstrual cycle, a woman will ovulate 14 days before she begins menstruating. So, day 14 of a 28 day cycle. Subtract 14 days from the length of your cycle, you’ll get an idea of when you ovulate every month.
  • If you determined from Step 1 that you have an irregular cycle or would just like a more accurate picture of your fertile window and ovulation you can pinpoint it more accurately by:
  • Tracking your temperature. One tip off that ovulation has occurred is that your resting body temperature (the basal body temperature) increases slightly. By using a fertility computer like Daysy, you can detect this thermal shift of sorts by taking your temperature every morning when you wake up. Daysy will help you chart your cycles and will help you see the patterns that will predict your ovulation with a 99.3% accuracy—most women have temperature spikes of about a half of a degree 24-48 hours after ovulation.
  1. Get Down! It’s Time to Have Sex (At the Right Time!)

Once you’ve gotten a clear picture of your ovulation cycle, it’s time to get down to business! Many people misunderstand this part of getting pregnant—if you have intercourse once you’ve ovulated, you may be too late. It’s best to have sex every day or every other day starting at about five days before you ovulate. Even though sperm can live as long as three to five days inside of a woman’s body, an egg’s lifespan is about 12-24 hours. By having intercourse before you ovulate, the day of ovulation, and the day after, you maximize your chances of getting pregnant.

Don’t worry about having frequent sex—it won’t deplete the man’s sperm supply. Healthy testes constantly generate fresh sperm, so daily sex shouldn’t pose a problem.

Take this time to enjoy your partner and the experience that you’re sharing together! You’re making a baby, have fun!

Courtesey of the Daysy Blog