Posts Tagged ‘Miracles’
Friday, November 5th, 2010
The rich and famous aren’t any less likely to need fertility treatments than everyday individuals and couples. That’s one of the reasons that it comes as no surprise to learn that Rod Stewart and his wife spent over two years investing in IVF treatments to conceive.
In August, the couple (Stewart is married to Penny Lancaster) announced that they were pregnant; however, what the world didn’t realize is that it took so long for them to have a child together.
Stewart, 65, and Lancaster, 39, have begun to discuss their IVF treatmentjourney publicly, including the struggles they experienced in their relationship while trying to have a baby. As Stewart has said, it was an “emotional rollercoaster” ride the couple endured as they waited.
Stewart and Lancaster went through three rounds of IVF treatments before hearing the good news. Though that sounds like many, various sources indicate that the average number of IVF treatment cycles needed before conception hovers closer to four.
As with all couples who have taken the fertility walk together, we wish Stewart and Lancaster all the happiness in the world.
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If you or someone you care about is interested in learning more about IVF treatments, please contact RSI. Our team is more than happy to help you as you investigate the best fertility treatment course(s) for your situation.
Tags: Couples, Fertility Treatment, Fertility Treatments, Happiness, Investing, IVF treatment, IVF treatments, Journey, Miracles, Penny Lancaster, Relationship, Rod Stewart, Rollercoaster Ride, Rsi, Surprise, Treatment Cycles, Trying To Have A Baby
Posted in Hollywood and Stars | No Comments »
Friday, October 29th, 2010
In California, fertility specialists are trying out a new method of checking embryos’ development and potential in order to increase the odds of long-term success via IVF treatment.
Using specialized time-lapse photography, the fertility specialists were able to examine the rate of cell divisions in embryos. Using the photos, they could determine which embryos would survive for six days with an impressive success rate of 90%.
The California fertility specialists‘ findings were reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology and will no doubt be a source of many new developments over the coming months and years. (As an aside, the study examined the development of 242 embryos, an acceptable number from which to gather information.)
Though this technique of gauging IVF treatment success is still in its “infancy”, it holds promising possibilities, as it may have the potential to double the odds of conceiving for infertile individuals and couples. It also holds the key to limiting the number of multiple births because the strongest embryos can be chosen before implantation.
Tags: Acceptable Number, Cell Divisions, Fertility Specialists, Implantation, Impressive Success, Infancy, IVF treatment, Journal Nature Biotechnology, Miracles, Multiple Births, New Developments, No Doubt, Odds, Promising Possibilities, Screening Technique, Six Days, Success Rate, Term Success, Time Lapse Photography, Treatment Success
Posted in IVF treatments | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
Robert Edwards, a British physiologist, is often called the “father” of IVF (aka, “test tube babies”, a term that has gone out of vogue though is still remembered by many.) To honor his achievements that have allowed so many couples and individuals to become mothers and fathers, he was recently given a special award – the Nobel Prize for Medicine.
Edwards began working on IVF in the 50s and continued to hone it throughout his career despite huge controversies surrounding the treatment. Today, IVF has become a standard procedure in fertility clinicsaround the world from Australia to Hong Kong.
Upon giving Edwards his Nobel Prize, the Nobel Prize committee noted that:
“His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a medical condition afflicting a large proportion of humanity including more than 10 percent of all couples worldwide…”
The first baby born via IVFwas the UK’s Louise Brown, whose date of birth is July, 1978. Ironically, in 2006, Brown gave birth herself, though she didn’t use fertility drugs or processes.
Tags: 50s, Controversies, Couples, Date Of Birth, Fertility Clinics, Fertility Drugs, Hong Kong, Infertility, IVF, Louise Brown, Medical Condition, Miracles, Mothers And Fathers, Nobel Prize Committee, Nobel Prize For Medicine, Physiologist, Proportion, Robert Edwards, Test Tube Babies, Vogue
Posted in In the News, IVF treatments | No Comments »
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
In news that pleasantly surprised fertility specialists around the globe and heartened would-be parents, an embryo that had been frozen for 20 years was used to fertilize a 42-year-old woman who could not conceive naturally. (The two-decade old embryo was from an unrelated donor.) The woman is a resident of the United States and gave birth in May to a healthy boy.
The news item raises some interesting questions, including how long an embryo can stay viable while frozen. Some fertility doctors speculate that 20 years isn’t even close to the length of time that’s potentially possible. One recent study even estimated that the passage of 40 years wouldn’t be a problem if the embryo had been stored correctly.
This gives great hope to women who decide to freeze their eggs at an early age if they know they are going to undergo a procedure such as radiation or chemotherapy which can rob them of their fertility. Using a surrogate, if necessary, they can use their own frozen embryos to create new life.
Tags: Chemotherapy, Decade, Eggs, embryo, Fertility Doctors, Fertility Specialists, Frozen Embryos, Globe, Interesting Questions, Length Of Time, Miracles, News Item, Old Woman, Parents, radiation, Surrogate, United States, Unrelated Donor
Posted in Egg Donation, In the News | No Comments »
Friday, October 15th, 2010
It’s official. Neil Patrick Harris and his partner, David Burtka, are now the proud parents of twins — a boy and a girl.
Like many gay couples, the men had to choose a non-traditional route to have a child together. Preferring to use at least one of the couple’s DNA, Harris and Burtka chose the route of surrogacy.
Surrogacy is a process used by both heterosexual and homosexual partners and individuals in order to have a child. A surrogate mother carries the child to term and then the baby is given to the parents.
If you’re contemplating going the surrogacy route, it’s critical to choose a clinic that has a great deal of experience in the process. There are plenty of elements to the experience that would be difficult — if not practically impossible — to handle on one’s own. And that begins with finding the right surrogate.
Our congratulations go out to Harris and Burtka and all the other moms and dads who have become parents through surrogacy.
RSI… helping miracles happen.
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Tags: Boy And A Girl, Boy Girl, David Burtka, Dna, Elements, Gay Couples, Homosexual Partners, Miracles, Moms And Dads, Neil Patrick Harris, Parents Of Twins, Partner David, Proud Parents, Rsi, Surrogate Mother
Posted in surrogacy | No Comments »
Monday, October 4th, 2010
If you undergo IVF treatments, there are many suggestions you’re likely to hear: rest well, eat healthily, keep stress to a minimum… but until now, no one has likely told you to head to Starbucks.
According to researchers who have been studying a side effect that about a third of women get from IVFtreatments, that cup o’ joe may be the ticket.
The complication that’s being studied is a result of ovary over-stimulation. The technical name for the condition is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and symptoms run from mild (e.g., bloating, abdominal pain) to severe (e.g., life-threatening blood clots).
To counteract the development of the condition, British researchers have been doing tests with caffeine. And lo and behold — caffeine seems to have a neutralizing effect upon the body when it comes to ovary over-stimulation.
So what does this mean for you?
Although the findings are preliminary, they at least suggest that you may not have to give up your morning java break during IVF. And that’s music to the ears of coffee lovers everywhere.
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Tags: Abdominal Pain, Blood Clots, British Researchers, Coffee Cup, Coffee Lovers, Ears, IVF treatments, Miracles, Music, Ohss, Ovary, Rsi, Starbucks, Stress, Success
Posted in In the News, IVF treatments | No Comments »
Friday, October 1st, 2010
If you’re trying to get pregnant and undergoing fertility treatments, here’s another reason to stop smoking — a new study has found a link suggesting that pregnant women who smoke may be affecting the fertility of their babies, especially male children.
The German study, published in an early September edition of “Human Reproduction” (a medical journal), used 37-68 day old embryos to evaluate the development of the testes. The study found a significant correlation between mothers who smoked and a reduction in the normal number of reproductive cells and somatic cells in their offspring.
Although more evidence needs to be collected regarding this matter, it’s important that all women who are trying to conceive stop smoking. Not only is it better for a child’s health and development, but it’s also better for the mommy.
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Tags: Babies, Correlation, Early September, Embryos, Fertility Treatments, German Study, Health And Development, Human Reproduction, Medical Journal, Miracles, Mommy, Offspring, Pregnant Women, Reason To Stop Smoking, Reproductive Cells, Somatic Cells, Testes, Trying To Conceive, Trying To Get Pregnant
Posted in Male Infertility | No Comments »
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
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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 »
