Archive for November, 2009
Friday, November 27th, 2009
Endometriosis, a condition where the endometrium spreads beyond where it is typically found in a woman’s body, affects over 5 million females throughout America and Canada. For some people, the result is mild irritation; for others, it’s severe pain. And for many, it’s infertility.
In fact, many women do not realize they have endometriosis until they have difficulty conceiving naturally. It’s when they are seeking treatment for their reproductive concerns that their endometriosis is discovered.
So how can you tell if you might have endometriosis? Although the only way to know for sure is via examination by a medical professional, you may be at risk if you:
- Have a mother with endometriosis. (The condition can be passed down generation to generation.)
- Have periods that last longer than 8 days.
- Have periods that occur more frequently than once every 27 days.
- Experience pelvic pain during periods, during sex, during urination (while menstruation is occurring) and/or during bowel movements (while menstruation is occurring).
- Are dealing with infertility.
If you think you might have endometriosis, it’s important to get checked. And if you are having difficulty getting pregnant naturally, you’ll want to rule out endometriosis as a possible contributor.
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Tags: 5 Million, Bowel Movements, Canada, Contributor, Endometriosis, Endometrium, Fall Newsletter, Females, Generation To Generation, Infertility, Menstruation, Mild Irritation, Miracles, Pelvic Pain, Periods, Reproductive Concerns, Risk, Severe Pain, Urination
Posted in Endometriosis | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
A sobering statistic has just been released from WebMD: One in four teenage females has a sexually transmitted disease.
Though it’s not news that girls are sexually active at a young age, especially in American and European societies, what is news is how an STD can affect them down the road.
Although STDs are usually not fatal (though they absolutely can pave the way for fatal infections and complications), they can lead to long-term problems, including infertility. That means a decision to have sex (or oral sex) which is made when a girl is in her teens could have serious repercussions decades later.
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Tags: Decades, Fall Newsletter, Fatal Infections, Girl Teens, Infertility, Miracles, Miracles Happen, oral sex, Repercussions, Rsi, Sex Oral, Sexually Transmitted Disease, Statistic, Std, Teen Girls, Teenage Females, WebMD
Posted in STDs | No Comments »
Friday, November 20th, 2009
The hit show “Brothers and Sisters” is tackling the topics of surrogacy and egg donation head-on this season.
Characters Kevin and Scotty, a gay couple looking to have a child together, will go through what storyline officials are calling the “ups and downs” of surrogacy. Though the pair has already chosen a surrogate, they have yet to begin the process of finding an egg donor.
It will be fascinating to see the way the drama unfolds throughout the coming months. And it will be equally interesting to evaluate how true-to-life the script’s representation of surrogacy and egg donation is.
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Tags: Brothers And Sisters, Egg Donation, Egg Donor, Egg Head, Fall Newsletter, Gay Child, Gay Couple, Miracles, Rsi, surrogacy, Surrogate, True To Life, Tv Show, Ups, ups and downs
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Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
What you don’t know about can hurt you, especially when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like chlamydia.
According to the CDC, chlamydia is on the rise in the United States (1.2 million new cases were reported in 2008.) Unfortunately, it is often symptomless. In fact, many women have no clue they are infected until they try to conceive and discover that a case of untreated chlamydia has left them with fertility problems.
How can you know if you might have been infected with chlamydia? Though a screening is your only way of finding out for certain, you may be at risk if…
- Your mother had chlamydia. (The infection can be passed to a baby through vaginal childbirth.)
- You’ve had any sex partners who could have been infected with chlamydia. (The more there have been, the greater the possibility.)
- You were sexually active as a teen.
- You have had oral or anal sex with someone who could have been infected with chlamydia.
Even if you believe there isn’t any way that your partners (male or female) could have had chlamydia, ask your doctor for a screening to rule it out if you’re trying to have a child.
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Tags: Anal Sex, Ask Doctor, Cdc, Chlamydia, Chlamydia And Infertility, Clue, Discover, Diseases, Fall Newsletter, Fertility Problems, Infertility, Miracles, oral sex, Risk, Sex Partners, sexually transmitted diseases, STDs, Transmitted Diseases, Untreated Chlamydia, Vaginal Childbirth
Posted in STDs | No Comments »
Saturday, November 14th, 2009
If you’re a man who’s experiencing infertility issues, you might want to drop the bottled water habit or at least switch to drinking only from BPA-free bottles.
BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical often used in the manufacture of plastic bottles. When people are exposed to high levels of BPA, they may suffer from a host of medical problems, including infertility. This appears to especially be true in the area of male infertility.
Of course, if you can’t be certain whether or not your bottled water has been contaminated with BPA, it may be wise to go the old-fashioned route: Buy a BPA-free container and enjoy a cool sip of tap water as your drink of choice.
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Tags: Bisphenol A, Bottled Water, Bpa Free Bottles, Fall Newsletter, Free Container, Habit, Infertility, Infertility Issues, Male Infertility, Medical Problems, Miracles, Plastic Bottles, Plastic People, Sip, Tap Water
Posted in Male Infertility | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
November is Diabetes Awareness Month, so in recognition of this fact, we’d like to bring to you some facts and figures regarding the ways that fertility may be affected by diabetes.
- Women with diabetes (Type 1 or 2) tend to experience menopause a little earlier than women without diabetes.
- Some women with Type 2 diabetes have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a contributor to infertility.
- Some physicians and researchers are concerned that men with diabetes may have damaged DNA in their sperm. Studies are being conducted to provide further information on this topic, although initial research supports the hypothesis.
- Women with diabetes may have more difficulty becoming (and remaining) pregnant. Miscarriages among women with diabetes (even diabetes that is well-controlled) are a common occurrence (as high as 30-60% among women in the first trimester.)
- A recent study discovered that, among men with Type 2 diabetes, there was about half the amount of testosterone in their bloodstreams than in similarly-aged men with Type 1 diabetes.
- There is a link between diabetes and being overweight. Consequently, men and women who had diabetes but who made an effort to stay in shape improved their chances of conceiving naturally.
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Tags: Being Overweight, Contributor, Diabetes, Diabetes 2, Diabetes Awareness Month, Diabetes Type 1, Fall Newsletter, Fertility, First Trimester, Hypothesis, Infertility, Initial Research, Menopause, Miracles, Miscarriages, Occurrence, Testosterone, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, Type Diabetes
Posted in Diabetes | 1 Comment »
Friday, November 6th, 2009
It’s always interesting when a famous individual speaks out on a topic related to fertility, as it offers us an opportunity to have a dialogue.
This week, Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex in the City”) talked candidly about surrogacy. (She and husband Matthew Broderick became parents in June thanks to the help of a surrogate who gave birth to the couple’s twins.)
We recommend that you look over the article because it contains some very honest thoughts on the topic of surrogacy. It also dispels the myth that Parker was somehow looking to a surrogate to avoid changing her body shape (as would occur in a natural pregnancy.)
If, after you read the piece, you’re still filled with more questions than answers, feel free to contact our offices for a consultation. That way, you can learn more about how surrogacy might work in your situation.
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Tags: Body Shape, Consultation, Dialogue, Fall Newsletter, Fertility, Honest Thoughts, Husband Matthew, Matthew Broderick, Miracles, Myth, Natural Pregnancy, Parents, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex In The City, Surrogate, Twins
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Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
Home fertility tests. What could be simpler? Like over-the-counter pregnancy tests, they can give you all the information you need to know how to maximize your fertility, right? Unfortunately, the reality isn’t so cut and dry for most couples. And those who rely solely on home fertility tests to help them navigate their issues with infertility may simply be wasting their dollars.
As physicians who specialize in reproductive health will tell you, infertility isn’t a one-size-fits-all concern. What helps one woman conceive might do nothing for another. And therein lies the problem with at-home fertility kits.
Because these fertility kits measure only one area involved in fertility — ovulation — they cannot provide the necessary personalization you deserve. After all, they’ve been designed with an “average” consumer who simply needs to understand when she’s ovulating in order to conceive in mind… and that might not describe your case.
This isn’t to say that you can’t try a home fertility test; in fact, you can do whatever you desire. But know that if you haven’t been able to naturally conceive within 6-12 months after ceasing all birth control, it’s a good idea to shift gears and head to a fertility specialist for a one-on-one examination.
(There’s a good article on the About.com site regarding at-home fertility tests, in case you’d like to further educate yourself. Otherwise, consider these kits as potential tools but don’t waste time and money on them if you haven’t been able to get pregnant. It’s much better — and financially prudent – to head to a physician instead.)
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Tags: 12 Months, Birth Control, Couples, Fall Newsletter, fertility specialist, Fertility Tests, Gears, home fertility kit, Home Fertility Test, Infertility, Miracles, Ovulation, Peace Of Mind, Personalization, Physicians, Potential Tools, Pregnancy Tests, Reproductive Health, Time And Money, Waste Time
Posted in female infertility | No Comments »
