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Posts Tagged ‘Fertility Treatments’
Friday, August 6th, 2010
Way back when, the term “fertility treatment” wasn’t in vogue.
Instead, children born via assisted reproductive technologies were often referred to in the media (and conversation) as “test tube babies.” Fast forward 30 years and infertility has become a household word (though a still misunderstood concept on many fronts, something this blog is dedicated to remedying through information.)
This past week, a momentous occurrence took place when the first American “test tube” baby, Elizabeth Carr (b. 1981), became a mom on Thursday, August 5.
Though Carr did not use any kind of fertility treatments to conceive (always the first question she seems to be asked!), her coming “full circle” emphasizes that reproductive health has grown to be mainstream in only a generation or two. Not only is this exciting from a social perspective, but it’s fascinating from a medical one as well.
We wish Carr the best as she begins her life as a mommy… and we thank her for continuing to share her world with everyone.
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Tags: American Baby, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Baby Mom, blog, Fast Forward, Fertility Treatment, Fertility Treatments, Household Word, Infertility, Mainstream, Medical One, Miracles, Mommy, Occurrence, Reproductive Health, Social Perspective, Test Tube Babies, Test Tube Baby, Vogue
Posted in In the News | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
 Since the first “test tube baby” (a child named Louise Brown) was born in England in 1978, more than 3 million children have come into the world thanks to fertility treatments… and more are likely to become part of our society as reproductive health science procedures become even more refined.
There’s little doubt that fertility treatments have radically changed the way women and men feel about themselves, their relationships and their lives. Whereas before there was little hope for someone who couldn’t conceive, now there is a decent chance that, if nothing else, an answer can be found to his, her or their issue.
This type of paradigm shift in the way we think about conception and birth is powerful. It’s also stressful on some levels, as the decision to embark upon fertility treatments is a very personal journey that takes a lot of soul-searching.
Fortunately, the next generation (and the generation after that and so on) will likely experience less of the stigma of seeking fertility treatments than do some modern individuals and couples. As more education and information becomes available, the realities and understanding of procedures like IVF and egg donation will no doubt become less mysterious and more commonplace.
In the meantime, we feel privileged to be a part of the industry that’s brought happiness to so many people throughout the world for the past 30+ years.
RSI… helping miracles happen.
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Tags: Decent Chance, Egg Donation, Fertility Treatments, First Test Tube Baby, Happiness, Health Science, IVF, Little Hope, Louise Brown, Miracles, Next Generation, No Doubt, Paradigm Shift, Personal Journey, Realities, Reproductive Health, Stigma, Test Tube Baby, Women And Men, World Thanks
Posted in In the News | No Comments »
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
If you’re experiencing infertility, you’re likely to get a lot of advice. And sooner or later the topic is going to turn to diet. But can what you eat really improve the chances of your fertility treatments working?
All signs point to “yes” as the answer to that question.
Consider these points:
- If you currently follow a diet that’s deficient in certain vitamins and you make a point of incorporating those missing elements into your food plan, you’ll be naturally healthier. Therefore, you’ll be straining your body less from an internal perspective.
- If you are seriously overweight or obese, starting a structured eating plan can indeed improve your fertility treatment results, mainly because your weight will be in a healthy range for your height, age, etc. As long as you don’t go on a “crash diet” or start losing too much weight, you’ll have a better chance with whatever fertility treatments you try.
- A lot of people — men and women — who struggle with infertility experience mood swings. A healthier diet can assist in alleviating or minimizing the “ups and downs”.
Again, there’s no way to tell if an alteration in what you eat will mean a child; however, it’s unlikely to hurt and can only make you feel and look healthier than ever. And that’s not such a bad thing!
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Tags: Alteration, Better Chance, Crash Diet, Elements, Fertility Treatment, Fertility Treatments, Food Plan, Infertility, Infertility Experience, Internal Perspective, Lot, Men And Women, Miracles, Mood Swings, Signs, Ups, ups and downs, Vitamins
Posted in Health and Nutrition | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
What’s new in infertilitynews around the inter-webs? Check out one item that’s been stealing headlines for the past week:
Quebec to Pay for IVF Treatments
The Canadian province of Quebec has passed a law that goes into effect later this summer and gives couples the option of getting government funded assistance to pay for their fertility treatments.
The law states that Quebec will pay for three rounds of fertility treatments for Quebec citizens. It’s estimated that up to 10,000 Quebec couples are eligible to take advantage of this government funded program.
In America, fertility treatments are not covered by insurance plans; however, many fertility clinics try to keep their rates as reasonable as possible to help individuals and couples achieve their dreams of having children.
At RSI, we understand the importance of this kind of financial responsiveness and always aim to provide the most valuable service at a competitive rate. We will continue to offer the most cost-effective, safe and proven methods for our patients.
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Tags: Aim, Citizens, Couples, Dreams, Fertility Clinics, fertility rates, Fertility Treatments, Having Children, Headlines, Infertility, Infertility News, IVF treatments, Law States, Miracles, Province Of Quebec, Province Quebec, Quebec Government, Responsiveness, Rsi, Valuable Service
Posted in In the News | 1 Comment »
Friday, July 9th, 2010
As we’ve blogged about before, Celine Dion recently announced that she was pregnant with twins after undergoing six rounds of IVF treatment.
A few days ago, 19-weeks pregnant Dion announced the gender of her twins, and it’s baby blue all the way! Two boys will be joining the family (mom, dad and 9-year-old big brother who was also conceived after fertility treatments) at the end of the year.
Reportedly, Dion is thrilled with the outcome of her IVF journey, which she has admitted in the past hasn’t been simple.
A Little Bit of Info about IVF…
IVFstands for in vitro fertilization, a medical process whereby a human egg (ova) is fertilized by a human sperm outside the womb. The fertilized egg is then transferred to the womb of the mother (or, in cases where a woman cannot carry a child to term because of complications, an approved surrogate.)
The rate of success during IVF varies widely depending on a number of factors, including the age of the mother, the ability of the reproductive health specialist, the health of the parents, etc. However, thanks to medical improvements, live birth rates continue to increase around the world.
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Tags: Baby Blue, Big Brother, Birth Rates, Celine Dion, Family Mom, Fertility Treatments, Few Days, Hasn, Health Specialist, Human Egg, Human Sperm, IVF treatment, Little Bit, Miracles, Mom Dad, Reproductive Health, Surrogate, Two Boys, Vitro Fertilization, womb
Posted in Hollywood and Stars, IVF treatments | No Comments »
Monday, July 5th, 2010
Women in Great Britain who are over 40 years old may soon be eligible to receive three cycles of IVF treatments under the country’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) rules.
Currently, women must be under 40 years of age to receive national healthcare funding for up to three cycles of IVF treatment. However, many couples feel this practice is basically age discrimination and should be banned. They also feel it’s unfair for women and their partners to be forced to travel abroad to receive fertility treatments.
On the opposite side of the argument, opponents feel that age 40 is a good cutoff point, as it’s typically seen as a time when IVF becomes much less effective for most females.
In addition to the over-40 IVF debate, those in Great Britain are reviewing motions to make the country’s health policies related to IVF treatments fair for lesbian and heterosexual couples as well as those who already have children.
Changes to the laws aren’t actually anticipated until 2012. However, many fertility specialists in the UK feel this is a good first step for the country’s population.
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Tags: Age Discrimination, British Women, Clinical Excellence, Cutoff Point, Females, Fertility Specialists, Fertility Treatments, Great Britain, Health Policies, Healthcare Funding, Heterosexual Couples, IVF treatments, Lesbian, Miracles, Motions, National Healthcare, National Institute For Health, Opponents, Population, Travel
Posted in Fertility Treatments | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
If you’re a woman who is either seriously overweight OR underweight, you may want to get your diet in check before moving forward with fertility treatments.
Weight plays a definite factor in how well a woman’s body will respond to all types of fertility treatments, from Clomid to IVF. So it’s important to prepare if you predict that fertility treatments will be in your future.
How can you make sure your weight is in line? BMI is often used by physicians as a measure of how appropriate your weight is based on your height. While it’s not always perfect (if you have a lot of muscle mass or are unusually short or tall, the results can be skewed), it’s a good starting point.
Another measure can be just how you look and feel. Most people in the obese and underweight categories are aware that their bodies are out of proportion from where they should be. In this case, a diet and exercise regimen may be warranted.
As with all lifestyle change programs, it’s a good idea to talk with your family doctor first. Explain to him or her that you’re going to be considering fertility treatments and that you want your weight to be in your favor, not against you. Then, you can proceed as he or she suggests.
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Tags: Bmi, Clomid, Diet And Exercise, Diet Exercise, Exercise Regimen, Family Doctor, Fertility Treatments, Good Starting Point, Lifestyle Change Programs, Lot, Miracles, Moving, Muscle Mass, Obese, People, Physicians, Plays, Proportion, Woman Body, Woman S Body
Posted in Weight Gain and Loss | No Comments »
Monday, June 28th, 2010
If you’re a woman in Ohio and you’ve just signed on with an employer, you might want to hesitate before starting IVF treatments. That’s because the Ohio Supreme Court ruled last week (in a 5-1 vote) that employers are within their rights to fire a relatively newly hired female who becomes pregnant.
Though many would sound the alarm that this ruling is discriminatory, the Court decided that it’s up to a company to figure out if maternity leave (or leave for pregnancy-related concerns) constitutes a firing.
From the Court’s point of view, if an employee is generally not allowed to take an extended leave of absence (as would occur with a pregnancy) until a certain time has passed (say, a year), then the pregnant employee could be terminated.
It’s a strange conundrum. On the one hand, the Court’s ruling could be seen as protecting the interests of employers. On the other hand, it gives women who want to become pregnant a reason to pause before seeking fertility treatments and medical attention for infertility lest they become jobless.
We’d love to know your thoughts on the matter… Both employees and employers are encouraged to chime in.
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Tags: Chime, Conundrum, Court Decided That, Fertility Treatments, Infertility, IVF treatments, Lead, Leave Of Absence, Love Thoughts, Maternity, Medical Attention, Miracles, Ohio Supreme Court, Point Of View, Pregnancy, Pregnant Employee, Reason, Supreme Court Rules, Vote, Woman
Posted in Employment, In the News | No Comments »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
From India comes word that a 66-year-old woman who was previously childless has given birth to triplets. Because of her advanced age, she used IVF treatments in order to reach her dream of becoming a mother.
Though there are well-wishers from around the world who send nothing but good thoughts her way, there are others who believe having a child (not to mention triplets) at 66 has serious ethical concerns. This is compounded by the fact that a 72-year-old who gave birth to her first child about a year-and-a-half ago at age 70 is now dying.
At RSI, we spend a great deal of time analyzing all aspects of any woman or couple’s physical, psychological and emotional states before proceeding with IVF treatments. In our experience, there is definitely a fine line between when fertility treatments are warranted and when the time has passed for such measures.
This is one of the reasons we encourage women and men dealing with infertility (or what they believe to be infertility) to connect with us sooner rather than later. We’ll give sound advice not dictated by intentions to get media attention… and we’ll always be straightforward with recommendations. It’s what we do as ethical physicians in the reproductive health science field.
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Tags: Becoming A Mother, Emotional States, Ethical Concerns, Fertility Treatments, Good Thoughts, Health Science, Infertility, IVF treatments, Measures, Media Attention, Miracles, Mom, Old Woman, Physicians, Reproductive Health, Science Field, Sound Advice, Triplets, Well Wishers, Women And Men
Posted in In the News | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
It’s a terrific use of technology — iPhone users can now monitor their fertility treatments.
Though not being used widely right now, Australian scientists plan to have couples (and/or patients) monitor their IVF treatmentsusing their iPhones and/or Blackberries. This will enable the Australian fertility specialists to help the patients make sure they are keeping up with their injections, scans, blood tests, etc.
The original trial of this program was tried by 17 persons undergoing fertility treatments and was met with positive feedback.
No doubt it will soon be used in the United States as well, though likely on a somewhat limited basis at first.
It gives even more credence to the notion that “there’s an app for that”!
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Tags: Australian Scientists, Blood Tests, Couples, Credence, Fertility Specialists, Fertility Treatments, Iphone, Iphones, IVF treatments, Met, Miracles, No Doubt, Notion, Positive Feedback, Rsi, United States
Posted in Technology | No Comments »
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