Archive for January, 2010
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
Research has proven that stress plays a critical role in the success of any fertility treatment, especially IVF. But how can you relax when all you can think about is whether or not you’ll be able to conceive?
If you’re having difficulty calming your mind and your body, try these tips to de-stress before and during your IVF treatments:
- Lay off (or significantly reduce) your intake of caffeine. It might “wake you up”, but it can also make you agitated.
- Get a good night’s sleep. Rest is one of the most beneficial “gifts” you can give yourself.
- Take up a relaxing hobby. Some individuals like to scrapbook, others like to knit. Some cook, some read, some write… the list goes on and on. Do whatever calms you and allows you to focus your energies in a positive direction.
- Learn to meditate. You don’t have to be spiritually-inclined to embrace the powers of meditation.
- Try yoga pre-IVF. Yoga, when performed correctly, can prep your body, heart and soul.
- Eat healthfully. If you’re investing in IVF, yo u must invest in your nutrition, too.
- Stay away from toxic people. Though this can be easier said than done, whenever you have the choice, choose to avoid persons who want to bring you down.
What methods have you used to de-stress during your fertility treatments? We’d like to know!
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Tags: Calming Your Mind, Fertility Treatment, Fertility Treatments, IVF treatments, Meditation, nutrition, Sleep, Stress, Toxic People, Yoga
Posted in IVF treatments | No Comments »
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
If you’re dealing with fertility issues, you might want to consider evaluating the “health” of your home and work environment.
A recent report from the Environmental Health Perspectives journal cautioned that, during a study, women who experienced infertility often exhibited higher-than-normal concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in their bodies.
According to the U.S.’s EPA website, PBDEs can be found in furniture foam flame retardants (pentaBDE), TV cabinet plastics, consumer electronics, drapery/upholstery back coatings and even the plastics in appliances and personal computers.
Though it’s not feasible to eliminate PBDEs from your home entirely, it may be something to consider as you look to increase your chances of becoming pregnant.
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Tags: Appliances, Consumer Electronics, Drapery, Environmental Health Perspectives, Environmental Health Perspectives Journal, Epa Website, Fertility Issues, Flame Retardants, Furniture, Household Items, Infertility, Miracles, Personal Computers, Plastics, Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, Rsi, Study Women, Tv Cabinet, Upholstery, Work Environment
Posted in Environmental Factors | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
It’s been all around the Intrawebs and media sites have gobbled up the headline: Women Gets Pregnant Using iPhone!
To be sure, it’s a great “hook”. But when you actually read the report, you’ll discover that what she did was download an app that helped her chart her ovulation. It’s actually not anything new — women have been using this method of natural fertility awareness for centuries. However, it may give false hope to some individuals.
To be sure, there is nothing wrong with measuring your temperature or charting your menstrual periods to determine your most “fertile” points of the month. But there may be hidden factors to infertility that cannot be addressed or uncovered when using this method:
- The fertility issue may not be on the woman’s part. Up to 40% of couples experiencing infertility discover that the male – not the female — is the one with the fertility concerns.
- The woman may not be ovulating or ovulating regularly despite the occurrence of menses. This means that although she is having a period, she’s not really fertile or may be only fertile a small percentage of the time.
- The woman may have other medical problems of which she’s unaware. Without a complete examination including tests, the source of the couple’s fertility problems may not be apparent if they only use a natural form of charting fertility.
Our recommendation? If, after using a non-medical method to chart fertility (like the i-Phone app) you are unable to get pregnant within 6 months, it’s time to see a reproductive science specialist. That way, you’ll be wasting no time.
By the same token, we congratulate the couple for achieving their goal!
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Tags: cell phone, Centuries, Complete Examination, False Hope, Fertility Issue, Fertility Problems, Hidden Factors, Hook, Infertility, Iphone, Medical Method, Medical Problems, Menstrual Periods, Miracles, Natural Fertility Awareness, Occurrence, Ovulation, Pregnant, Reproductive Science, Science Specialist, Token
Posted in In the News | No Comments »
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
It’s kind of ironic — plenty of couples struggling with fertility issues hesitate to get any help with their fertility concerns.
Their fears come in a number of different varieties. Below are four of the most common reasons for not contacting a reproductive health specialist:
- Knowing means having to address. For some people, the reality of knowing what’s wrong will mean they’ll have to address those facts… and that can be tough for certain personality types.
- A worry about cost. The media has made it seem as if all fertility treatments are expensive; however, this isn’t the case. There are many avenues to conception that are extremely economical. It all depends on your particular situation.
- Fear of retribution from a partner. Women and men who are struggling with infertility may have a fear that a partner will be accusatory of it’s discovered that they are the “source” of the problem. While this is not always a founded fear, if you are in a relationship where you are too scared of your partner to uncover the truth, you would be wise to undergo a serious amount of couples counseling to work on your partnership before embarking on a journey to have children.
- Confusion about how to start. Luckily, this is an easy solution — simply pick up the phone and contact a reputable clinic like RSI. It’s really that straightforward.
Don’t allow the unknown to keep you from addressing your fertility concerns. Remember that it’s always better to have all the facts than to languish in the dark.
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Tags: Avenues, Confusion, Couples, Easy Solution, Fears, Fertility Issues, Fertility Treatments, Health Specialist, Infertility, Journey, Miracles Happen, Partnership, Personality Types, Relationship, Reproductive Health, Retribution, Rsi, Truth, Women And Men, Worry
Posted in Infertility | 1 Comment »
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
There’s nothing wrong with working up a good sweat, eating healthy foods and taking care of your body. But sometimes too much of a good thing can lead to fertility issues.
If you’re a recreational athlete who has whittled her body fat down too far, you may be compromising your ability to conceive naturally. Typically when a woman’s body fat percentage dips below approximately 18% (some sources go a little lower), periods typically cease or become highly irregular due to dropping estrogen levels. And that, in turn, leads to fertility problems.
Though this doesn’t mean that you have to drastically change your exercise regimen, it may mean that you have to be more conscious of the types of foods you’re eating, especially if your body fat percentage is very low. Even adding 100 calories per day and cutting back your intense exercise by an hour or more a week could make a significant difference over time.*
* As always, it’s important to check with your family physician and/or reproductive science specialist before altering your routine.
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Tags: Back Exercise, Body Fat Percentage, Calories Per Day, Dips, Eating Healthy Foods, Estrogen Levels, Exercise Regimen, Family Physician, Fertility Issues, Fertility Problems, Intense Exercise, Lead, Miracles, Periods, Recreational Athlete, Reproductive Science, Science Specialist, Sweat, Woman Body, Workout
Posted in Health and Nutrition | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Rosie O’Donnell’s HBO special entitled “A Family Is a Family Is a Family” is coming to HBO on Sunday, January 31st. As the title implies, the documentary discusses the many different types of families throughout the world.
This touches upon something that we see quite a bit in our industry; namely, a diversity of couples and individuals who want to raise a child. That’s why we don’t differentiate between the desires of single mothers, gay couples or any other family groups. We know that families come in all shapes and sizes and we celebrate that at RSI.
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Tags: Desires, Diversity, Documentary, Family Groups, Family Is A Family, Gay Couples, Hbo, Hbo Family, Many Different Types, Miracles, Rosie O Donnell, Shapes And Sizes, Single Mothers, Types Of Families
Posted in Diversity | No Comments »
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
Recently a woman in the United Kingdom who is 59 years old (some sources say 60 years old) went through IVF to conceive a child. The egg (from a donor, as she’s post-menopausal) was fertilized using her partner’s sperm.
As you might imagine, her story has created quite a stir internationally. Some people feel she’s too old to give birth, while others feel it’s a personal decision and age shouldn’t matter if you’re healthy and financially stable.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject.
In your opinion, how old is too old to undergo fertility treatments?
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Tags: 59 Years, Egg Donor, Fertility Treatments, IVF, Love, Miracles, Personal Decision, Post Menopausal, Rsi, United Kingdom, Woman
Posted in Fertility Issues In the News | No Comments »
Friday, January 15th, 2010
Have you hesitated to consider investigating fertility treatments because you’re worried about the potential cost? Then you’re not alone. Many individuals and couples assume they “can’t afford it” and decide not to pursue their dreams of having a child.
Fortunately, there are numerous ways to pay for fertility treatments that won’t render you penniless. Consider these methods that others have successfully tried:
- Buy special infertility insurance. There are some insurance companies that now offer insurance packages for fertility treatments. In fact, yours might have an option that you don’t know about.
- Don’t start with the most expensive treatment. When considering fertility treatments, don’t assume you’ll need the most costly treatment. Ask your doctor for choices.
- See if your fertility treatments are tax deductible. Check with your accountant and see if you can deduct fertility treatment costs off your taxes. This can be a great help.
- Take out a special loan for fertility treatments. There are loans available to individuals and couples who intend to undergo fertility procedures. This can help tremendously if you qualify.
- Ask for help from family members. Though you probably don’t want to rely too heavily on your family, if you have a close-knit relationship with your parents and they’ve offered assistance, you might want to consider taking it.
- Talk with your reproductive science specialist’s office about payment options and alternatives. At a clinic like RSI, we often handle inquiries about payment options and we’re happy to explain the different routes people have taken. You never know until you ask.
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Tags: Accountant, Choices, Couples, Dreams, Family Members, Fertility Procedures, Fertility Treatment, Fertility Treatments, Infertility, Infertility Insurance, Inquiries, Insurance Companies, Insurance Packages, Loans, Miracles, Payment Options, Reproductive Science, Rsi, Science Specialist, Special Loan
Posted in Financial Issues | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Egg donation is a very personal choice many individuals and couples make when seeking assistance in conceiving a child. Because every egg donor program varies from clinic to clinic, it’s important to make certain that yours gives you the most options.
What are some of the options you’ll want to investigate? Consider these, for starters:
- Diversified Egg Donor Listing. You deserve as many options as you need, so it’s critical to pick an egg donor program that offers you choices such as the ethnic diversity of the egg donor (including African-American, Jewish heritage, etc.)
- Experienced Medical Team. Believe it or not, all reproductive science specialists are not quite as “specialized” as you might think. Thus, it’s critical to find a team that has plenty of expertise in this area.
- Young Egg Donors. Many clinics will allow donors up to 35+; at RSI, we consider age 32 the “cap” for our egg donors.
- Extensive Egg Donor Profiles. You should be able to find out quite a bit about your egg donor at your reproductive science clinic. If you feel you’re not getting enough information, it’s probably an indication that you’re at the wrong place.
- No Waiting List. Better clinics have no egg donor waiting list. That means you have fewer delays in reaching your goal of a healthy baby.
- Couples/Individuals Choose Egg Donor. You should be able to choose the egg donor you prefer, and RSI supports that wish. However, it’s important to note that some clinics will want to choose for you.
- Competitive Price. As always, you need to work with a reproductive science specialist who understands that fertility treatments should be priced competitively.
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Tags: American Heritage, American Jewish, Cap, Choices, conceiving a child, Couples, Couples Seeking, Donor Egg, Donor Profiles, Egg Donation, Egg Donor Program, Egg Donors, Ethnic Diversity, Fertility Treatments, Jewish Heritage, Medical Team, Miracles, Reproductive Science, Rsi, Science Specialist, Science Specialists, Starters, Waiting List
Posted in Egg Donation | 1 Comment »
Saturday, January 9th, 2010
For many individuals and couples going through infertility issues and the stressors often associated with fertility treatments, the answer is clear — join a support group. Whether it’s online or in person, this kind of community often becomes a “safe haven” of sorts for men and women dealing with infertility matters.
However, that doesn’t mean that a support group — OR that every support group — is going to fit the bill for you. If you’re not sure if you want to join a group, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you feel comfortable talking about your (or a partner’s) infertility matters or — even if you don’t discuss your own personal issues — hearing about others’ fertility concerns? If the answer is “no”, a support group might be extremely uncomfortable for you. However, you may find one-on-one therapy to be valuable.
- Are you willing to devote time to a support group? Maybe a support group sounds great theoretically, but you honestly know that you’ll spend a fraction of the time you should on attending meetings, whether in person or virtually. Though that isn’t a definite reason not to join, it may hinder your experiences as a support group member.
- Are you willing to allow yourself to be open to a group setting? Some people simply do not wish to be around those they do not know while discussing their personal issues. Of course, if you can bring a trusted friend or family member with you to your group, you may be able to alleviate some of those worries.
Remember that regardless of whether or not you’re currently ready for an infertility support group, you can always change your mind in the future. After all, it’s your experience to share… or not.
RSI… helping miracles happen.
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Tags: Couples, Definite Reason, Experiences, Family Member, Fertility Concerns, Fertility Treatments, Fraction, Group Member, Infertility, Infertility Issues, Infertility Support Group, Men And Women, Miracles, People, Personal Issues, Safe Haven, Sorts, Sounds, Stressors, Worries
Posted in Support | 1 Comment »
