Author name: Alease Daniel

Alease Barnes is an accomplished Embryologist, educator and content creator. After obtaining her Bachelor's degree in Genetics from North Carolina State University, she has established herself as a skilled embryologist in the field of reproductive medicine. In addition to her hands-on work in the IVF lab, Alease is a passionate educator and content creator, leveraging her extensive knowledge to educate and advocate for fertility awareness. With a strong presence on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, she has amassed a significant following and actively strives to empower individuals on their infertility journey by dispelling misinformation and providing support.

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Trying to get Pregnant

Understanding Your Body: 6 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms.

When you are first pregnant there can be a lot of emotional ups and downs as you begin to notice early pregnancy symptoms, becoming a game of ‘period or pregnancy.’ Getting the results that yes, you are pregnant is such an amazing feeling, especially if you have been trying to conceive. Symptom spotting or feeling anxiety about how your body is reacting to pregnancy can create negative emotions surrounding early pregnancy. Let’s talk more about the symptoms you may experience when you are 6 weeks pregnant to help ease the burden and worry about what happens after your positive results. Missed Period Missing a period can be an unclear sign for anyone who has an irregular cycle, but for most, missing a period is the most obvious symptom of pregnancy. Some people experience some slight bleeding after implantation, aptly called implantation bleeding. Implantation bleeding could be mistaken for a light period, but it should be apparent that it is different from what you see during a regular cycle.  Nausea Books, movies, TV, social media all showcase the hallmark symptom of pregnancy, nausea. Due to the rapid rise in hormones, you can feel mild to severe nausea resulting in decreased appetite and vomiting. Often, you’ll feel increased nausea with hunger or fullness or around strong scents.   Nausea can last from a few weeks, months, or for the entire pregnancy. Severe nausea during the pregnancy is diagnosed as hyperemesis gravidarum, characterized by extreme nausea, and can be treated medically.  Nausea doesn’t typically appear until 5 or 6 weeks of pregnancy and the lack of nausea does not indicate abnormalities in your pregnancy.  Metallic Taste Unusual metallic taste in your mouth is a very weird symptom, but it happens. Having this taste in your mouth happens between meals and can be a very early symptom of pregnancy. Due to its subjective nature, this symptom can be difficult to assess. Breast/Chest Tenderness Like other symptoms, the increased hormones lead to physical pain and breast or chest tenderness. Showing up closer to 6 weeks into pregnancy, this symptom is unmistakable and uncomfortable to put it mildly. Most pregnant people experience this symptom, so be on the lookout for a sore chest.  Breast/Chest Swelling Speaking of the chest, you may notice an increase in size in the first few weeks of pregnancy and continue to grow. By the end of pregnancy, you can see an increase in a cup size or two. Exhaustion Being tired is an understatement in the first trimester. You may find yourself napping throughout the first trimester of pregnancy. Even at 6 weeks of pregnancy you may see this symptom. Bloating Leaving you in the ballpark of too-soon-for-maternity clothes but I-can’t-fit-these-jeans. Similar to bloating during the menstrual cycle, it can feel uncomfortable to button the top button, but in this case as your uterus accommodates the growing fetus you’ll need to switch over to looser and larger clothing.  If you find yourself symptom spotting or searching for 6 weeks pregnant symptoms, you may want to grab an over-the-counter pregnancy test or go to a healthcare office to have a pregnancy test performed. This will help give much needed answers about symptoms you may be experiencing.  Every pregnancy is unique, you may experience all or none of these symptoms at six weeks of pregnancy or have different symptoms all together. Your best guide for your medical and pregnancy needs will always be your personal healthcare team. Be sure to talk with your healthcare partner for any concerns or questions you may have about your pregnancy.  Whew after reading all of these symptoms I need a nap, a snack, and sweatpants. Go take a deep breath and congratulations on your new or soon to be pregnancy!

Fertility Treatment

IUI Explained: Enhancing Your Fertility Journey

Did you know that IVF is not the only option for fertility treatment? While IVF is the most well known, procedures like IUI are more affordable and a less invasive option. So what is IUI? Let’s break it down.  IUI stands for intrauterine insemination and is a type of artificial insemination. IUI involves timing ovulation with an insemination of washed sperm placed directly into the uterus. This is often coupled with stimulation and ovulation medication.  The Process While IUI’s don’t have to be done using stimulation medication, they often are. This allows for the best chance of pregnancy. After your standard diagnostic testing including HSG, Day 3 labs, Ultrasound and a Semen Analysis, your physician may recommend medications like Clomid, Letrozole, hCG, and FSH. These medications stimulate your ovaries to produce more than the typical one follicle, as well as work with your body to force ovulation. These medications can be beneficial for patients that have ovulation dysfunction.  On day 2 or 3 of your period is when you will typically start these medications. Every couple days you will come into the clinic to get a scan to see how your follicles are growing. Your follicles hold eggs and as the follicle grows, the egg inside matures. Since we can’t see the eggs on ultrasound, we use the follicle size as an indication of the maturity of the egg inside. Once the follicles reach a mature size, you take a trigger shot to tell your body it’s time to release the egg!  Now it’s time to talk sperm. Since the insemination is timed, we know exactly when we need to process the sperm. The goal is to have the sperm ready and waiting for the egg when it’s released. This means that the insemination will happen before we think the egg will be released. Luckily, sperm can live in the reproductive tract for days!  After the sample is collected, it is washed in the lab. This process allows us to separate the sperm from the rest of the ejaculate. Ejaculate contains seminal fluid, round cells, immature sperm, bacteria and more. Washing the sperm is essential to concentrate the sample and remove all of those extra things that can make it harder for the sperm to swim. Washing is also needed to eliminate any cramping during the insemination.  Once the sample is ready, it is drawn up in a long catheter. That catheter is then moved through the cervix and placed in the uterus via ultrasound. Then, all the little swimmers are injected directly into the uterus in hopes that they meet the egg, fertilize and create a pregnancy.  When is IUI a good fit? Always talk to your doctor about what is best for you given your medical history, but here are some of the times IUI may be a good fit:  While IUI is a go to option, note, it doesn’t have as high success rates as other methods including INVOcell and IVF. Success rates vary by patient but most clinics see a success rate of 10-20%. 

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