Family Planning

More women are turning to IUDs, or intrauterine devices, for longer-term contraception that is both effective and convenient, yet are sometimes surprised when they still see bleeding or spotting monthly. After an IUD is inserted, it is normal to have some breakthrough bleeding over the next few days and weeks.

Suffering through one miscarriage can be devastating. Multiple or recurrent miscarriages, defined as the loss of two or three consecutive pregnancies, can challenge even the strongest and most optimistic women and couples. While the causes of miscarriage are not always clear, challenges such as uterine issues, hormonal imbalances, cervical weakness, and blood-clotting issues or infections can often be addressed. The heartening news is that most women who have a miscarriage will go on to have a healthy pregnancy.

Save the date! We are so excited for the new year at Clinic Sofia, and particularly eager to announce a couple of events we have in store with TeamWomenMN in 2018.

f you’ve struggled with infertility, you know it is not especially fun or funny. However, when one Clinic Sofia patient found herself laughing about certain aspects of her own experience, she sought to create a community to share some of the more humorous aspects to what she and others endure on their path to parenthood. Lisa Tuttle recently founded a nonprofit and website called Farcical Fertility—a place where couples can come to “laugh instead of cry” and share their own experiences or read others’ stories. The site also accepts donations, which will be used to provide fertility grants that will be given to help relieve the financial burden of infertility treatments for couples in need.

The 33rd Annual Midwest Infertility and Adoption Family Building Summit, a daylong event with speakers, information and resources to help those struggling to get pregnant, took place Nov. 17. Clinic Sofia’s Dr. David Clay had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion, “Infertility 101,” as well as a couple of TV interviews leading up to the event.

The signs of endometriosis, where the uterine lining begins to grow outside the uterus, can include painful menstruation, low back pain, discomfort during intercourse, fatigue and gastrointestinal issues – all of which can be mistaken for other issues such as fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease or irritable bowel syndrome.