Archive for September, 2010
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
Melatonin, the compound that is found in the body and has been shown to help regulate sleep rhythms as well as increase some people’s resistance to conditions such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), may be a boon for women going through IVF treatments.
In fact, a presentation of a study at the World Congress of Fertility and Sterility strongly proved that females who were given doses of melatonin during IVF treatments were shown to double their chances at pregnancy.
The scientists who initiated the study feel that because melatonin is an oxidizer, it may help to mitigate damage to eggs that have been harmed. During their IVF treatmentstudy at Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, researchers discovered that women who were given melatonin more than doubled their chances of having an egg fertilized through the IVF process.
More research will be done, of course, but the findings could open the doors for stronger success rates among females undergoing IVF treatments.
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Tags: Boon, Egg, Eggs, Females, Fertility And Sterility, IVF treatment, IVF treatments, Melatonin, Miracles, Oxidizer, Pregnancy, Resistance, Rhythms, School Of Medicine, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Success Rates, Sunny Skies, University Graduate School, World Congress, Yamaguchi University
Posted in IVF treatments | No Comments »
Friday, September 24th, 2010
Call it “fertility tourism” or “reproductive tourism” if you like… but don’t take it lightly. That moniker might make traveling to a foreign country for fertility treatments sound chic, but the results can be anything but.
Recently, clinics around the world (especially those in Europe, the Middle East and North America) have been raising flags of concern over the increase in individuals and couples who are willing to travel great distances to get fertility treatments.
Some go because they think they’ll save money; some go because they are deemed too old to get fertility treatments in their country of origin; some travel because they are denied access to get fertility treatments in their homelands; and some simply want to work with physicians who won’t ask the tough questions that need to be asked. Whatever their reasons, it’s becoming a bigger and bigger concern.
The problem isn’t that people are exercising their freedom to go wherever they choose; that’s perfectly acceptable. The conundrum is that they are doing it for the wrong reasons. And they’re putting their health — and the health of any child(ren) conceived through fertility treatments they get abroad — at potential risk.
It’s important to always weigh your options when it comes to choosing a fertility treatment provider and not take any aspect of the journey lightly. If you’re tempted to go overseas, you may simply need to get a second, third or even fourth opinion at home.
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Tags: Conundrum, Country Of Origin, Couples, Distances, Fertility Treatment, Fertility Treatments, Flags, Freedom, health, Homelands, Journey, Middle East, Miracles, Moniker, North America, Physicians, Tough Questions, Tourism, Treatment Provider, Vacations
Posted in Fertility Issues In the News | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
In the latest issue of Red Magazine (out of the UK for Americans unfamiliar with the publication), a survey revealed that women seeking fertility treatments (specifically IVF) would willingly spend up to £15,000 out of pocket for the procedure.
The IVF survey was conducted by the magazine and took into consideration the answers of around 2,000 females between the ages of 30 and 45. A substantial 10% of respondents noted that they would even spend up to £50,000 to have a child.
Translated to U.S. dollars, £15,000 equals about $23,497.30; £50,000 equals around $78,324.40.
So the question for you is… how much would you be willing to spend on IVF treatment? (Your answer can be in pounds, Euros, dollars, whatever the currency you use…)
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Tags: Currency, Euros Dollars, Females, Fertility Treatments, IVF treatment, Miracles, Respondents, Rsi, Survey
Posted in IVF treatments | No Comments »
Friday, September 17th, 2010
September has officially been named PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) awareness month, and as we’ve mentioned here before, PCOS can be a huge factor for women trying to conceive.
In a nutshell, PCOS negatively affects ovulation, causing it to occur very infrequently or not at all. Consequently, women who have PCOS may experience infertility… even if they’ve already had prior children without resorting to fertility treatments. (This type of PCOS-driven secondary fertility isn’t uncommon, though it often surprises couples.)
Fortunately, PCOScan be detected and there are numerous medications available to help women “jump start” their ovulation. Though they certainly don’t work for everyone, they are worth trying if the opportunity to conceive a child without other fertility treatments is desired.
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Tags: Awareness Month, Couples, Driven, Fertility Awareness, Fertility Treatments, Infertility, Miracles, Nutshell, Ovulation, Pcos, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Surprises, Syndrome Awareness
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Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
As we’ve written about before at our blog, chlamydia can be one of the contributors to infertility or fertility issues. A very common STD with nasty long-term side effects, chlamydia is difficult to pinpoint unless men or women get tested.
This is why the Swedish have announced “Chlamydia Mondays”, a new PR program that’s a bit “out there” (it features outlandish cartoons to get the point across) but which the government hopes will resonate with the 4-per-hour-adults who are contracting chlamydia in the country.
So how do you know if you have chlamydia? Many people have no clue they’re carrying the disease, as it masks itself well. So if you’ve been having trouble getting pregnant and your physician has ruled out other possibilities but hasn’t tested you or your partner for chlamydia, it’s worth a look.
If nothing else, you’ll know if you are putting your partner at risk and you’ll also be able to get healthier.
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Tags: Adults, blog, Cartoons, Chlamydia, Clue, Fertility Issues, Hasn, Infertility, Many People, Miracles, Partner, Possibilities, Pr Program, Risk, Rsi, Sweden
Posted in Sex, STDs | No Comments »
Friday, September 10th, 2010
If you’re a male and you and your partner are having trouble conceiving a child naturally, the blame may lay with one of your habits — smoking.
As a recent WebMD article notes:
What appears to be happening is that smoking-damaged sperm lose much of their ability to fight off destructive oxygen molecules — free radicals — in the seminal fluid. Interestingly, in addition to making spermcells more sensitive to oxidative stress, smoking itself increases the concentration of free radicals in the seminal fluid.
The upshot of this finding is that the damage to sperm appears to be temporary. This means if a male quits smoking, within several months he can, for all intents and purposes, reverse the fertility issues caused by smoking.
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Tags: conceiving a child, Concentration, Fertility Issues, free radicals, Intents And Purposes, Miracles, oxidative stress, Oxygen Molecules, Quit Smoking, Rsi, Seminal Fluid, Sperm Cells, Upshot, Webmd Article
Posted in Male Infertility | 1 Comment »
Monday, September 6th, 2010
For many couples, the question isn’t whether to start fertility treatments. It’s when to stop. And that can be a very difficulty decision to make.
Stopping fertility treatments means going back to trying to conceive naturally or simply not trying to conceive at all. It’s a choice fraught with emotion and uncertainty.
If you’re not sure whether it’s time to consider ending your fertility treatments, consider doing the following:
- Talk with your fertility specialist about your concerns. This will help alleviate any fears and enable you to get answers. Your fertility specialist should have a good understanding of your personal situation and will be in a position to help you “talk it out”.
- Stop thinking of ceasing fertility treatments as “losing”. This isn’t a game. It isn’t a win-lose proposition. Having a child carries with it a lot of factors, many of which you cannot control. Accept that as fact.
- Try to determine a “stopping point” date. Giving a deadline will assist you in making the decision to stop fertility treatments by taking much of the anxiety out of the choice.
Again, this isn’t simple… but it may be something you have to consider. So if you’re approaching that point, you need to plan ahead as much as you can.
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Tags: anxiety, Control, Couples, Emotion, Fears, fertility specialist, Fertility Treatments, Game, Good Understanding, Miracles, Personal Situation, Rsi, Uncertainty
Posted in Fertility Treatments | No Comments »
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
It may seem shocking to some people, but there are plenty of surrogacy “scams” on the web. These are perpetrated by con artists who prey on the desire of individuals and couples to have a child of their own.
But it’s easy to see why so many people turn to the Internet when they begin to seriously consider surrogacy; after all, we turn to the Internet for practically everything in this day and age. But it’s critical that if you’re seeking a surrogate, you not fall for the scammers.
As fertility specialists, we’re very, very cautious when it comes to surrogacy. We select our surrogates as you would want us to — with the welfare of the child above all else. Our surrogate candidates are thoroughly vetted using guidelines in accordance with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. And if couples or individuals bring potential surrogates to us, we still go through a very rigorous process to make sure everyone involved is ready for this step.
By all means do your information-gathering with your computer. But if it comes time to seriously discuss surrogacy, please do so with a fertility specialist. It’s the safest route to take.
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Tags: American Society For Reproductive Medicine, Con Artists, Couples, Desire, fertility specialist, Fertility Specialists, Information Gathering, Medicine, Miracles, Scammers, Scams, Surrogates, Welfare
Posted in surrogacy | No Comments »
