Bicornuate uterus, what is it and what are the causes?

A bicornuate uterus, also known as a heart-shaped womb, is a congenital condition in which the two sides of the uterus do not join completely during foetal development. It results in a girl being born with a womb partially divided into two parts which are not completely separate and have a common cervix. This results...

Is an ovarian follicle a cyst?

  Each ovary contains a variable number of ovarian follicles, and every one of those follicles contains one immature egg, or oocyte. Among all the follicles with oocytes growing inside, only one or maybe two will grow and develop completely, maturing and being released as an egg during the process called ovulation. Although an ovarian...

What is implantation bleeding?

  What is the magic moment when a pregnancy truly begins? How do we know that a new life is about to develop and grow? Many of us assume it is the moment when a female egg is met by a male sperm and fertilisation takes place. But this is not quite accurate, nor is...

Pilates vs Yoga: What is the best sport for pregnancy?

Exercise during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do, along with a healthy diet, to give yourself the best chance of a trouble-free pregnancy and birth. Sports for pregnant women You can see more about different exercises in our article about exercise while preparing for pregnancy. But in this IVI blog article,...

World ovarian cancer day: we continue the fight

  World Ovarian Cancer Day is the 8th of May. In 2013, a group of ovarian cancer advocacy organizations around the world came together to establish the day with a focus of raising awareness and solidarity in the continuing fight. Raising awareness is vital. Currently, around 300,00 women worldwide are diagnosed every year and overall...

Endometriosis: when your period paralyses your life

  Endometriosis affects 10% of women and some of them are unaware of it Its symptoms include painful periods that become incapacitating on a day-to-day basis: missing school, being off work… It is a chronic disease, there is no cure, but its effects can be alleviated  We know that we are in troubled times. Suddenly...