Lyme Disease – Do you need to worry?

A recent post by Dr. Beth Hartog on Fertility Authority talks about something we don't think of often here on the Gulf Coast: Lyme disease. In the post, Dr. Hartog describes a fertility patient who finds a tick after a hike in the woods and is worried about lyme disease.

Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease that impacts multiple systems in the body. Its cause is infection by a bacterium spread via deer ticks. Humans and other animals are susceptible to lyme disease if bitten by a deer tick. The disease can result in long-term symptoms which can become severe if untreated. Fortunately, treatment with antibiotics upon early detection almost results in a cure. You can find out more about Lyme disease at the American Lyme Disease Foundation website.

What does Lyme disease have to to with infertility or getting pregnant?

As Dr. Hartog explains, treatment of the disease during pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant can be tricky. Some of the medications typically used for Lyme disease are contraindicated – unsafe – during pregnancy.

Lyme disease has spread predominantly from the northeast U.S. and into the Midwest. So do we Texans need to worry about Lyme disease? Not really, according to this prevalence map from the American Lyme Disease Foundation. But there are other tick-borne diseases that are less well-known, some of which are discussed on the Foundation's website. And of course, if you travel to areas of high prevalence and spend time outdoors, you could be at increased risk for Lyme disease. Like some of our staff at Houston Fertility Center, you may find yourself wandering in the beautiful woods just north of the city, and ticks are definitely a possibility.

To prevent contact with or to deal with removing ticks, the Foundation site offers very helpful and specific tips. 

Summertime Blues Or Time To Get Pregnant?

Summer on the Gulf Coast can be tough on the psyche! First, there's the heat, which adds up to physical discomfort (and a lot of bad hair days!) and your year's highest electric bills. Then, there's the feeling that everything has slowed to a crawl (might be that sweltering heat!) – and that could feel like a burden or a relief. Many of my patients have chosen summer as their go-to time for getting pregnant, for all of these reasons.

photo: Tracy Morris

If your plan to get pregnant includes the use of assisted reproduction, you can also plan for the process to take up your time in ways that are different from the “old fashioned” path to pregnancy. Even if you're not seeing a fertility specialist because of infertility, the various kinds of techniques – from the simplest to the most complex – require at least a little bit of time and attention before and after the actual “conception event”.

And that “lazy hazy feeling” of summer could be just what some women need to boost their body's natural fertility. I know you've heard “Just relax!” and feel yourself do exactly the opposite! No, just relaxing is not the key to pregnancy, especially for a lot of women with particular infertility-causing disorders. But it is true that your body's so-important endocrine system functions best when you're not feeling keyed up, tense, and on-the-go. When your hormones are flowing in the right order and level, your chances at getting pregnant are boosted with and without fertility treatment.

So for a lot of people, taking summer vacation time to get pregnant makes the most sense.

And for those who are feeling the brunt of the electric bills right now, Houston Fertility Center always offer summer discounts on several fertility services.

When you add up the possibilities – with treatment discounts and a little more downtime on your hands – it could be that a Spring-time baby is in your future.