Archive for March, 2010
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
Gonorrhea is the most widespread and common of STDs… which makes it a huge risk for couples looking to have children now or down the road. It’s long been known that it can affect fertility; consequently, more fertility specialists are checking their patients for the medical condition.
Unfortunately, gonorrhea has few symptoms. In fact, many men and women have no idea they have the STD until years have passed. Thus, it can “silently” affect individuals for quite a while before being uncovered.
If you’re experiencing infertility and your physician hasn’t recommended you get checked for gonorrhea, it’s a good idea to ask if you could possibly have the disease. It’s spread through any kind of sexual contact, so if one or both members of the couple have had other partners, it’s worth finding out if gonorrhea could be to blame for infertility.
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Tags: Couples, Fertility Specialists, Gonorrhea, Infertility, Medical Condition, Men And Women, Risk, Sexual Contact, STDs
Posted in STDs | No Comments »
Friday, March 26th, 2010
If you’ve been surfing the Internet recently, you may have noticed that plenty of bloggers are extolling the fertility-boosting virtues of Mediterranean diets for females who want to become pregnant.
These types of diets, typically including plenty of veggies, oils low in saturated fats (such as olive oil) and fish seem to be working well for women post fertility treatment procedures.
However, it’s important to realize a few facts:
- This data is preliminary. It hasn’t been studied very long and needs to be considered for a longer period of time.
- The data reflects the experiences of 161 Netherlands-based couples. There is no way of knowing the histories of the couples and how those histories could have affected the outcome of the study.
- Although a high percentage of the Mediterranean diet- eating women became pregnant, it’s difficult to say what the determining factor was.
In the end, it’s best to look at fertility treatment from a number of different angles.
A Mediterranean diet is extremely healthy, so there’s nothing wrong with following it before, during and after fertility procedures. Just make certain you don’t put all your hopes on the amount of salmon you’re eating. Solving fertility issues is much more complicated than following a certain food regimen.
(With that being said, if the findings motivate you to get healthier for YOU, it’s a great way to kickstart a healthier lifestyle!)
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Tags: Couples, Diet Healthy, Diet Link, Females, Fertility Issues, Fertility Procedures, Fertility Treatment, Fish, Food Regimen, Histories, Mediterranean Diet, Mediterranean Diets, Olive Oil, Salmon, Saturated Fats
Posted in Health and Nutrition | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Infertility can be physically uncomfortable, especially if it’s associated with conditions like endometriosis and PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). But it can be equally painful in a psychological way.
Below, we’ll look at some of the common causes of psychological pain as it is related to infertility as well as how to combat that pain.
Common Causes of Emotional Discomfort Regarding Infertility
- Feeling “guilty”.
- Being pressured to “just relax”.
- Being around people who are able to easily conceive.
- Being asked about having a child.
- Being treated differently by a spouse or loved one.
- Dealing with financial concerns about fertility treatments.
- Handling the loss of miscarriages.
Ways to Deal with Infertility from a Psychological Perspective
- Talk to a therapist or counselor about your problems.
- Join a support group of other women/men in similar situations.
- Don’t define your life by your ability to naturally conceive.
- Only talk about your infertility when YOU want to talk about it.
- Look into options as far as fertility treatments are concerned.
- Take antidepressants (if indicated by a physician.)
- Eat right and exercise regularly.
- Treat yourself well and not as a “victim”.
- Write about your experiences in a personal journal (or even an anonymous blog.)
- Read other women and men’s experiences with infertility.
Don’t ignore your feelings or they will well up and spill over. Instead, acknowledge your emotional responses to infertility and do everything in your power to manage those responses.
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Tags: Antidepressants, Counselor, Emotional Discomfort, Emotional Responses, Endometriosis, Experiences, Feelings, Fertility Treatments, Financial Concerns, Infertility, Miscarriages, Pcos Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Personal Journal, Psychological Pain, Psychological Perspective, Psychological Way, Support Group, Women And Men, Women Men
Posted in Infertility, Stress | No Comments »
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Courtney Cox Arquette gave birth to her daughter, Coco, in 2004 thanks to help she received from IVF treatments.
Now, Cox Arquette has announced that she’s ready to have another child and would be willing to again undergo IVF to achieve her goals of a larger family.
Cox Arquette is 45, and as our last post on Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross notes, a woman in her mid-40s may not have the eggs necessary for IVF to succeed. In that case, egg donation is often considered. (Or, in the case of Sarah Jessica Parker, surrogacy.)
We wish Cox Arquette and her family much success regardless of which way they decide to go with this personal issue.
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Tags: Coco, Courtney Cox Arquette, Cox Family, Desperate Housewives, Egg Donation, Eggs, Housewives Star, IVF treatments, Marcia Cross, Mid 40s, Personal Issue, Sarah Jessica Parker, Woman
Posted in Hollywood and Stars, IVF treatments, Television | 1 Comment »
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
Recent news outlets have picked up what many people didn’t realize — Marcia Cross, starlet of Desperate Housewives, did not conceive her twins in 2007 via IVF. Instead, she chose to treat her fertility issues by using an egg donor.
Cross, like many post-40 women, did not have enough (if any) viable eggs of her own to even consider IVF. Thus, she and her husband, stockbroker Tom Mahoney, turned to egg donation.
Stories like this emphasize just how many different choices there are for couples of all ages who struggle with infertility. If you’re interested in learning more about choosing (or becoming) an egg donor, visit our site today.
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Tags: Becoming An Egg Donor, Couples, Desperate Housewives, Donor Egg, Egg Donation, Fertility Issues, Infertility, IVF, Marcia Cross, Recent News, Stockbroker, Tom Mahoney, Twins, Viable Eggs
Posted in Egg Donation | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
In the not-so-distant future, twice-weekly injections of a hormone could help women struggling with infertility have children without resorting to more invasive fertility treatments.
Recently, physicians in the UK experimented by giving infertile women shots containing the hormone “kisspeptin”. Shots were given twice a week and, in some cases, helped the women conceive within two months.
According to the physicians, the women they treated reported no side effects.
Although this is definitely a promising possibility for many women who have fertility issues, it’s not a solution for females whose infertility is not caused by a hormone imbalance. In those cases, kisspeptin would have little to no effect on infertility.
The role of kisspeptin shots in fertility treatments is scheduled for further study. We’ll bring you more as statistical data become available!
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Tags: Females, Fertility Issues, Fertility Treatments, Hormone Imbalance, infertile women, Infertility, Physicians, Statistical Data, Women Issues
Posted in In the News | No Comments »
Monday, March 15th, 2010
In a move that has shocked many people around the world, United Kingdom based fertility specialists are raffling off a human egg as part of a “first prize”.
To be completely fair, there isn’t exactly one particular ”egg” that’s being raffled off. Instead, the winning female will be able to select a donor egg type based on her desires (e.g., the donor’s profession, appearance, ethnicity) and, in the bargain, receive a free round of IVF.
Still, it’s raising eyebrows and causing many discussions about the ethics (but not the legality, since it is legal due to the way the promotion has been handled) behind the “egg raffle”.
We’d like to hear your opinion on the matter:
- Do you believe this is outrageous or simply a unique way of getting more couples to consider IVF as an option to have a child?
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Tags: Couples, Donor Egg, Ethics, Ethnicity, Fertility Specialists, Human Egg, IVF, Profession, United Kingdom
Posted in Fertility Issues In the News | No Comments »
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
As part of our newest series, Fertility Info 101, we’re offering information about PCOS.
PCOS Defined:
PCOS stands for “polycystic ovary syndrome”. Women with PCOS have issues with their hormones and tend to grow benign cysts on their ovaries, ultimately causing problems with menstruation. As a result, PCOS can create issues with fertility.
How Many Women Have PCOS?
Statistics on PCOS vary, since some women do not get treatment. However, out of every 100 females, around 6-7 are likely to have or develop PCOS.
What Are Common PCOS Signs and Symptoms?
Some of the more common signs and/or symptoms of PCOS include:
- Unexplained weight gain.
- Acne.
- Repeat miscarriages.
- Extra facial and body hair.
- High cholesterol.
- Stroke.
- Diabetes.
- Irregular menstruation.
- Problems becoming pregnant.
How is PCOS Treated?
PCOS is treated through a mixture of home remedies (exercise, eating right, controlling weight) and, sometimes, hormone-balancing medications.
Can a Women with PCOS Get Pregnant?
Women with PCOS can and do get pregnant. However, it is important that they be a) diagnosed and b) under the care of a specialist throughout their journey to conceive.
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Tags: Acne, Benign Cysts, Body Hair, Cholesterol, Females, Fertility, High Cholesterol, Hormones, medications, Menstruation Problems, Miscarriages, Ovaries, Ovary, Ovary Syndrome, Pcos, Pregnant Women, Unexplained Weight Gain
Posted in Fertility Info 101 | No Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2010
5 Fertility Myths – Debunked!
Myth #1: If I’ve had one child naturally, I can easily have another.
Actually, numerous women experience “secondary infertility” every year, which is infertility after the female has already had a child.
Myth #2: Infertility is mainly a woman’s issue.
Not true. Men and women have an equal chance of being infertile.
Myth #3: Fertility treatments are always expensive.
There are many fertility treatments that are quite economical and may even be covered partially by insurance.
Myth #4: IVF is the only fertility treatment.
Though IVF does get a lot of press, there are plenty of other ways to successfully treat infertility.
Myth #5: No one can really tell why men and women are infertile.
Certainly, there are cases when infertility baffles even the most knowledgeable reproductive health specialists. But in the majority of cases, the cause of infertility can be uncovered.
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Tags: Fertility Treatment, Fertility Treatments, Infertility, Insurance, IVF, Men And Women, Myths, Reproductive Health Specialists, Secondary Infertility
Posted in Myths & Misconceptions | 1 Comment »
