HRT could have triggered pregnancy in world's oldest mum

Dawn Brook, this year now 69

When Dawn Brooke became the world's oldest natural mother at 59 it left doctors with a mystery to solve.
How was it possible for the British housewife, who was well beyond the average age for the menopause of 51 and was not having any fertility treatment, to produce the egg that allowed her to conceive?
Now the Daily Mail can reveal that Mrs Brooke, who gave birth to a healthy son, Harry, was on hormone replacement therapy when she conceived.
This, the experts believe, may have led to the astonishing pregnancy and birth in 1997 - which the family kept secret for a decade.
HRT is normally taken after a woman has gone through the menopause and is unable to conceive.
However, fertility doctors believe in rare cases it is possible that the hormones in the medication can cause the ovaries to release a few last eggs.
There have been a number of previous cases of women, who had already gone through an early menopause, falling pregnant while on HRT.
A family friend said: "She had upped her dose before a romantic weekend away when she thinks she became pregnant with Harry.
"She wasn't on any fertility treatment or IVF but she was on HRT at the time and they think it might have been the thing that caused the pregnancy."
The world's oldest mum, Dawn Brooke, in 1980
Dr Geeta Nargund, head of reproductive medicine at St George's Hospital, London, said: "There are rare cases of spontaneous ovulation for women on HRT.
"In the past we've seen it happen with women who have gone through early
menopause. There's a very small chance of that happening.
"It's possible for ovulation to continue on and off around the age of menopause but not once a woman is completely postmenopausal."
Mrs Brooke married Harry's father, Raymond Brooke, now 74, at their £1million home in Guernsey in the summer of 1997.
A few weeks later she gave birth by caesarean at the island's Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
Mrs Brooke was desperate to keep her record a secret.
A friend said: "She was completely shocked when she realised that she was the world's oldest natural mother and didn't want anyone knowing about it.
"She looks very young for her age and so most people were probably unaware that she was 59 when she gave birth."
Even the couple's close friends did not know.
John Trowbridge and his wife, Jean, who are Harry's godparents and who were also witnesses at the Brookes' wedding, were not told.
Mr Trowbridge said: "We never knew Dawn's age and they never mentioned anything about her being the world's oldest natural mother to us. It's a big surprise."
Details of the record finally emerged last month when the family spoke of their happiness at
having a son so late in life.
They told how Harry was an exceptionally bright boy who excels at maths.
Like many 10-year-olds, he is also a fan of Harry Potter.
London-born Mrs Brooke has a daughter, Lisa Loftus-Otway, 39, who lives in Austin, Texas, and son Nick Otway, 33, from a previous marriage.
Her mother, Gladys Chivers, lives in a nursing home in Sussex and turns 101 next week.
Mr Brooke was born in Yorkshire and worked in computers in California for 25-years before settling in the Channel Islands.
He has two adult daughters from his first marriage. They live in the U.S.
Doctors say it is extremely rare for a woman to have children once past their mid 50s - and it is very unusual for a woman over 54 to be ovulating.
The world record for the oldest non-IVF births was held by Ruth Kistler who, at 57, had a daughter in Los Angeles in 1956.
The British record for the oldest birth without fertility treatment was set by Kathleen Campbell of Kimberley, Nottinghamshire.
She was 55 when her son Joby was born in 1987.
The world's oldest mother is Carmela Bousada who gave birth last December, seven days before her 67th birthday, after she lied to doctors about her age to undergo IVF treatment.
Patricia Rashbrook, 62, became Britain's oldest mother last July when she gave birth to a boy conceived through IVF.

Laparoscopic Excision Surgery For Endometriosis Frees Patients From Chronic Pain And Complications

padma lakshmi

Almost 10 million American women of childbearing age are affected by chronic pelvic pain, gastrointestinal and urinary tract difficulties and infertility due to endometriosis, a strange condition, in which cells normally forming the lining of the uterus (endometrium) start colonizing other organs and tissues beyond the uterus. This year's annual meeting of gynecologic laparoscopic surgeons explores endometriosis from both the patient's and the physician's perspective in a Keynote session (8:00 to 10:00 AM Tuesday, November 8) at the 40th AAGL Global Congress of Minimally Invasive Gynecology that takes place from November 6 to 11, at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, FL. Keynote speaker and women's health advocate Padma Lakshmi, an international supermodel and TV show host, who co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America to encourage research to help other women to avoid her ordeal, declares: "Endometriosis is one of the most treatable, but least treated of women's health problems. Like me, many women suffer debilitating pain and other symptoms for as long as a decade before receiving an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment." Many women suffer silently or use painkillers, sometimes for years. Because pelvic pain can have many different causes, including appendicitis, bowel obstruction, ovarian cysts, pelvic inflammatory disease, diverticulitis, ectopic pregnancy, fibroids, IBS and many others, correct treatment can often be delayed further, as endometriosis is sometimes not immediately diagnosed. For example, in women with endometriosis on the intestines, symptoms may prompt a physician to suggest GI tests, which will not reveal the true problem. Lakshmi continues saying: "If a woman wants to have children, it's critical to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. Endometriosis is one of the top three causes of infertility. Many women are delaying childbearing into their 30s and even 40s these days, but if you have had untreated endometriosis for many years, it may be too late. And that is a real tragedy." The currently most effective treatment is laparoscopic excision surgery as alternative medical therapies for endometriosis are extremely limited. Although the cause of endometriosis is unknown, researchers suspect a strong genetic component, as daughters of women suffering from the condition have a seven times higher risk of developing the disease themselves. During the AAGL meeting, members will present research on abnormal expression of Homeobox (HOX) genes (2:45 PM, Tuesday, November 8) in both the uterine lining and in the lesions of women with endometriosis. Homeobox genes play a major part in cancer and infertility. A better understanding of these genes could explain how and why endometriosis develops.

source: medicalnewstoday

WAYS TO INCREASE FERTILITY

• Sex Frequency
  Many women baby-dance (have sex) everyday hoping to conceive. Believe it or not, it is NOT recommended.
  This will affect your partner's quantity of semen.
  *It is best to have sex every other day or the 3rd day.


• Sex Positions
  Though it has not been proven by scientific fact, missionary position is the best sex position when TTC. If your uterus is uterus or tilted, it may help to lie on your stomach with hips propped up by pillows for at least 15 minutes after sex.


• Sperm-Friendly
  Avoid douching, scented tampons, or vaginal sprays.
  It increases the chance of getting a vaginal infection, and it makes the uterus sperm-UNfriendly. A specially formulated personal lubricant like PRESEED can provide a more sperm friendly environment.

The Secret To Conceiving Successfully

There's one important fact that many women who are trying to conceive fail to take note of.
By knowing this fact, you could increase your chance of conceiving by as much as 50%.

Babydance or have sex a few days before your ovulation happens

Here's the reason why:

*Sperm can survive for several days in the vagina.

Therefore when an egg is released during ovulation and the sperm is already there, you are more likely to get pregnant easily!

Is Female Orgasm Important To Get Pregnant?

Whether or not female orgasm can help you get pregnant is unclear. Obviously, you can get pregnant without female orgasm. It happens all the time. But could female orgasm improve your chances for conception?

Answer:

Researchers have wondered about the purpose of female orgasm in humans for quite some time, with some theorizing it's just for fun and others saying it definitely helps a woman get pregnant.

If female orgasm can help you conceive, how might it work? And should you "go for the gold" during babymaking sex?

What the Research Says on Female Orgasm and Getting Pregnant

There are two main hypothesis on how female orgasm may help with getting pregnant. One is known as the "poleaxe" hypothesis. This says that the purpose of orgasm in women is to make them feel relaxed and sleepy, so they will lie down after sex. By lying down, this may help the sperm reach their destination more easily.

It isn't clear whether or not lying down after sex can help you get pregnant. In one study that specifically studied orgasm and sperm retention, researchers found that just lying down did not seem to improve sperm retention.

On the other hand, a study of IUI treatment found that women who remained horizontal after insemination were more likely to conceive.

The other theory of how female orgasm may help with pregnancy achievement is called the "upsuck" theory. This hypothesis is that the contractions of the uterus help "suck up" the semen that gets deposited in the vagina, near the cervix. The orgasm then helps to move the sperm through the uterus and fallopian tubes.

One study actually measured the amount of semen "flowback" (how much semen leaked out after sex), and found that when female orgasm occurred a minute or less before male ejaculation, sperm retention was greater. They also found that this retention was higher when the woman had an orgasm up to 45 minutes after male ejaculation.

This study also found that a lack of orgasm or female orgasm that took place more than a minute before male ejaculation led to lower sperm retention.

This study did not, however, look at pregnancy rates. If pregnancy rates are higher with female orgasm, it's unclear by how much.

Achieving Female Orgasm During Babymaking Sex

So, after reading this, perhaps you're thinking you'd like to "go for the gold" during babymaking sex. There are plenty of good reasons to have an orgasm, of course. Orgasm is fun, pleasurable, and an excellent stress buster.

However, if your desire for orgasm is completely wrapped up in your desire to get pregnant, you may find yourself feeling pressured. Feeling pressured may then lead to you having difficulty achieving orgasm, adding frustration to your babymaking sex.

The best way to improve your chances of orgasm during sex? To just enjoy your intimate time with your partner. No goals, no pressured-orgasms, no guilt. Just passionate, loving sex. If you have an orgasm, great. And if not, that's OK, too.

Encouraging Results For Rocking The Cradle After 45

Career women who put babies on hold until after 40, or even 45, will be reassured by new research from Tel Aviv University. Even though there are associated risks for babies when postponing child-bearing, the neonates can overcome them, says Prof. Yariv Yogev of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and the Hospital for Women at Rabin Medical Center.
Working as a clinician in Israel, a country that supports in vitro fertilization (IVF) in older women, Prof. Yogev and his colleagues investigated the outcomes for mothers of 45 or more and their children. They personally assessed adverse health risks so they could more effectively advise future patients of any foreseeable dangers. "I'd been an attending physician in a delivery ward to a woman over 60 who had twins. I wanted to know if it's ethical to treat older women like this - I wanted to know if it's safe for both mother and child," Prof. Yogev explains.
In a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Prof. Yogev reports on evidence collected on more than 200 births in older women. Included in the study were 177 women over the age of 45 and 20 above the age of 50.
A natural center of older moms
There are more complications in pregnancies for older women, Prof. Yogev explains, but the risks are considerably lessened in a good birthing center. Most older women, he says, will deliver a healthy child, and the majority of complications that arise in women over 40 are health risks such as gestational diabetes or preeclampsia. For the most part these risks do not affect the newborn after three days have passed.
Frequent IVF cycles are covered by the social health insurance system in Israel, which provided Prof. Yogev with extensive data on pregnancy outcomes. Also, he says, a growing number of women past 50, when Israel's coverage stops, are opting to fly abroad for insemination by an egg donor.
While Prof. Yogev does not encourage waiting later than 40 to start having children naturally - the rates of female fertility drop considerably after this point - the results show that would-be mothers can still give birth to healthy babies even if mom is 45 or even 50.
Blessings and risks: The hard numbers
The complications that mothers over 40 can expect include a 300% greater chance for gestational diabetes and high blood pressure during their pregnancies. Older women also have higher rates of preterm births and placenta previa, a condition in which the placenta blocks the opening to the birth canal. Prof. Yogev's study found that nine percent of older moms had high blood pressure, which affects only 3% of younger mothers. And an advanced age shortened the pregnancy to less than 37 weeks, compared to the normal 40 week gestation period. Severe bleeding after birth, and metabolic problems in the newborns were additional risk factors found in greater rates among older moms.
After 50, the risks and complications in women became more severe. But the babies themselves, Prof. Yogev says, overcame the risks in the short term.
The study was conducted on women at Rabin Medical Center in Israel, where Prof. Yogev is a practicing gynaecologist/obstetrician.

source: medicalnewstoday.com

Prevent OHSS During IVF Treatments

A common side effect of ovarian stimulating drugs given during a normal IVF treatment is Ovarian HyperStimulation Syndrome or OHSS. This condition annually affects more than 40,000 women who are undergoing IVF treatments. While in many cases this syndrome is mild, causing only bloating, weight gain, or abdominal pain, in some cases OHSS can be life threatening leading to serious blood clots, kidney damage or ovarian damage. A new study out of England now says that in order to minimize the risk of OHSS, women should drink a strong cup of coffee with every IVF cycle as caffeine just may help to prevent the onset of OHSS.
SOURCE: sharedjourney.com

More Healthy Women Freeze Eggs To Delay Childbearing

As more women delay childbearing until their 30s and 40s, a growing number are freezing their eggs in a process known as oocyte cryopreservation, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The process is most commonly used by women undergoing medical treatments that could affect fertility. However, the procedure is now being marketed as an option for healthy women who want to delay having children.
Nicole Noyes, co-director of the Oocyte Cryopreservation Program at the New York University Fertility Center, said that women lose much of their natural fertility between ages 35 and 40 and that the quality of their eggs decreases with age, which can increase their chances of miscarrying.The two- to three-week oocytpe cryopreservation process involves taking fertility medications that mature multiple eggs in the ovaries. Those eggs are then extracted, gently dehydrated and stored in liquid nitrogen. When the woman wants to become pregnant, the eggs are thawed, fertilized and transferred to the uterus as embryos.The American Society for Reproductive Medicine says that the process is "experimental" and warns that healthy women should not use it as a way to defer reproductive aging until there is more "proven scientific information" on it.Glenn Schattman, associate professor of reproductive medicine at Cornell University's Weil Medical College and co-author of the ASRM guidelines, said that about 50% of fertility clinics offer egg freezing.
There is no national registry to track how many pregnancies derived from previously frozen eggs, but according to a 2009 study, 936 infants have been born from frozen eggs throughout the world without any increased rate of birth defects.According to Noyes, the freezing process costs about $9,500 with some private clinics charging an addition $1,000 to $3,000. The thaw cycle costs between $3,500 and $5,000 (Deardoff, Chicago Tribune, 4/2).