tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58063148343176572212024-03-13T02:59:07.652-07:00BABY FERTILEProviding info on the options available for achieving conception & on some very special babies...Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-8024846569723720612018-05-08T16:17:00.002-07:002018-05-08T16:17:35.409-07:00Fertility Fest 2018 in London<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieq7q8AGSuJbEpYTSyRoL08PpJKAdAwiM1nsduiCq_CxjPGV7dt-sT2vI0sOvM3NZ8g3hqMTibLHsOVfLna-Ai4wd7McfglLWqzabN0G-DvyNuMzxSCuidB4Zc-THLJTf-XL4g9b-gBn1/s1600/fertility+fest+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="605" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieq7q8AGSuJbEpYTSyRoL08PpJKAdAwiM1nsduiCq_CxjPGV7dt-sT2vI0sOvM3NZ8g3hqMTibLHsOVfLna-Ai4wd7McfglLWqzabN0G-DvyNuMzxSCuidB4Zc-THLJTf-XL4g9b-gBn1/s320/fertility+fest+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #212121; font-size: 14.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0cm;">F<a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/topic/fertility"><span style="color: #f70a9a; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">ertility</span></a> Fest,
running at the Bush <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/topic/theatre"><span style="color: #7a35ef; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Theatre</span></a> from
May 8-13, is the first arts festival in the world entirely dedicated to
fertility, infertility, modern families and the science of making babies.</span><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 14.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #212121; font-size: 14.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0cm;">Through
performances, debate and discussion, it brings art and science together to
improve people’s understanding of human fertility, as well as the emotional
gamut felt by those struggling to conceive.</span><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 14.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #212121; font-size: 14.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can buy a day
ticket to experience a range of events with a community of people, or attend
one of the free events on offer. No topic will go undiscussed, from male
infertility to queer families, and there will also be film screenings and
artworks on display.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-87775156567575356282018-05-01T00:33:00.000-07:002019-10-14T07:37:07.041-07:00IVF to fix male infertility 'infringes human rights of women' argue scientists • <script async="" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6991246409826765" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #d10a11; text-transform: uppercase;">W</span><span style="color: #333333;">omen are unfairly paying the price for men's
falling fertility, scientists have warned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333;">Mens sperm counts have reduced by more than 50 per
cent worldwide since the 1970s with chemicals in the environment, </span><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/11/21/air-pollution-may-cause-infertility-significant-number-couples/"><span style="border: 1pt none; color: #222222; padding: 0cm;">pollution</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">, steroids,
protein shakes, and even tight underwear all blamed for the downturn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But a widely used form of IVF which involves
injecting a sperm directly into an egg, before implanting it into the mother,
is now being used regularly to ‘bypass’ male infertility.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333;">Scientists warned that the treatment infringes ‘the
basic human rights and dignity of women’ because they are forced to undergo
invasive procedures to harvest their eggs and then implant an embryo, even
though they themselves are not </span><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/spermageddon-human-race-could-infertile-50-years/"><span style="border: 1pt none; color: #222222; padding: 0cm;">infertile</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since its introduction in 1992, use of the ICSI
(intracytoplasmic sperm injection)has soared and in 2014 it accounted for more
than half of all assisted fertility treatments in the UK.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333;">Professor Richard Sharpe, from the</span><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/centre-reproductive-health"><span style="border: 1pt none; color: #222222; padding: 0cm;"> Medical
Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">, said ICSI was a crude method of by-passing a
problem instead of treating it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Speaking at a news briefing in London he said:
"The treatments, and they're quite invasive, are to the female partner.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"So the female is having to bear the burden of
the male's sub-fertility."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333;">Women suffer in
'silent dignity' claim the authors </span><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In a new article in the journal Human Reproduction,
Prof Sharpe added: “In a world in which we claim to be addressing the
inequalities between men and women, this is a stand-out example of the
infringement of basic human rights and dignity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Maybe women undergoing treatment during ICSI
can begin to apply pressure at the point of delivery of (their) treatment,
asking 'why can't you treat him rather than me?"'<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Prof Sharpe also warned that there was still no
good term data on the long-term health impact of ICSI on the children it
produced. Reports have shown that sperm counts of young men conceived through
the treatment are half of those conceived naturally.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Prof Sharpe added: "We still don't know what
causes most cases of male infertility and so of course we don't have the tools
to correct it, because we don't understand it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"The flip side of that coin is that we can't
induce infertility for contraceptive purposes. We haven't developed a new
effective acceptable (male) contraceptive since the condom."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Apart from its dependency on high levels of
testosterone, the mechanism of sperm production remained a "big black
box", said Prof Sharpe.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"We should know how that works," he said.
"We still don't."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Similarly, the reason for falling sperm counts,
which had dropped by 50 per cent in the UK between 1973 and 2011, largely
remained a mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The scientists called for a "detailed road
map" for male infertility research aimed at highlighting key unanswered
questions and delivering necessary funding.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-33675325691518961972016-08-13T05:28:00.000-07:002016-08-15T11:55:29.143-07:00Potentially exciting information for women with PCOS who dream of having children biologically<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTrzno34Pmsqk9wDwl9zZQvlQlyUZgwjC_FP0x1fN-tz8FWiwxI7kgz1kN0AkOAPvlYM77Y1ASNKKf9jMPw7XZY2ZsbetcUbnHovAxiLZklf4jw7EGoMoG_E9YwXjdceR4ScWflMCwqIj/s1600/pregnant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKTrzno34Pmsqk9wDwl9zZQvlQlyUZgwjC_FP0x1fN-tz8FWiwxI7kgz1kN0AkOAPvlYM77Y1ASNKKf9jMPw7XZY2ZsbetcUbnHovAxiLZklf4jw7EGoMoG_E9YwXjdceR4ScWflMCwqIj/s320/pregnant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://hellogiggles.com/pcos-womens-disease/"><span style="color: #ec4e52;">Polycystic Ovary Syndrome</span></a>
(PCOS) is a gynaecological disorder that affects an estimated <a href="http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/polycystic-ovary-syndrome.html"><span style="color: #ec4e52;">5
million</span></a> women in the United States. Some of the symptoms of PCOS are
ovarian cysts and highly irregular periods, which lead to infertility in a
lot of the women who deal with this disorder.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "lato"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Women who take advantage of advanced
fertility treatments, like </span><a href="http://hellogiggles.com/need-to-know-ivf/"><span style="color: #ec4e52; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">IVF</span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">,
often still struggle to conceive — a heartbreaking side effect of PCOS.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "lato"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Researchers looked at 1,5000 women who suffer
from infertility and PCOS, and found that those who received IVF treatment
</span><a href="http://www.health.com/news/frozen-embryos-may-boost-pregnancy-odds-some-women"><span style="color: #ec4e52; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">were
more likely to conceive</span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> if frozen embryos were implanted, instead of fresh
embryos. <b>49 percent of women who used frozen embryos were able to conceive
on the first try, compared to 42 percent of women who used fresh embryos.</b>
Findings also showed that those who used frozen embryos <b>had less
miscarriages.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
<h2 align="left" style="margin: 0.83em 0cm 4.5pt; text-align: left;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #231f20; font-family: "lato"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite these optimistic findings, the researchers still warn us about
specific complications related to frozen embryos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "lato"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication
that leads to high blood pressure, was more common in women who used frozen
embryos. And tragically, five newborns from the frozen embryo group died, while
all newborns from the fresh embryo group survived.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #444444; font-family: "lato"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dr. Christos Coutifaris of
University of Pennsylvania wrote an editorial in the research, and mentioned
that this research alone may not be “significant enough” to encourage women to
only use frozen embryos. Dr. Coutifaris mentioned that a 42 percent pregnancy
rate is still great news, and that<strong><span style="font-family: "lato"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> “In selected cases, especially for women who [have
<a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ovarian-hyperstimulation-syndrome-ohss/basics/definition/con-20033777"><span style="color: #ec4e52;">Ovarian
Hyperstimulation Syndrome</span></a> as a result of PCOS], the approach to freeze all
the embryos is prudent.”</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #231f20; font-family: "lato"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The researchers also stated that more research would have to be done on
women who do not have PCOS in order to clarify the findings. Still, this could
lead to easier pregnancies for millions of women.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<!-- SimpleReach Analytics Plugin Version: 0.0.3 --></span></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-64526810604316837562016-07-20T16:38:00.001-07:002016-07-20T16:42:22.664-07:00Menopause reversal restores periods and produces fertile eggs<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3M3998DZ4qyEVaiShdBCkx_6zUtDtrxc7YZY9sxHMYlI4ozL3nDhj3Dg5Ks5kZw38MwMsX_wznZNARZSnyCZTaxUVGqeHiWuB1CidSXH5PeNap7-X_c8D7ZU1LrMzil6VbcX6BTtr8Cm/s1600/Never+too+old%253B+Peter+Dazely%253BGetty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3M3998DZ4qyEVaiShdBCkx_6zUtDtrxc7YZY9sxHMYlI4ozL3nDhj3Dg5Ks5kZw38MwMsX_wznZNARZSnyCZTaxUVGqeHiWuB1CidSXH5PeNap7-X_c8D7ZU1LrMzil6VbcX6BTtr8Cm/s320/Never+too+old%253B+Peter+Dazely%253BGetty.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never too old?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Women who
have already passed through the menopause may be able to have children
following a blood treatment usually used to heal wounds</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">MENOPAUSE
need not be the end of fertility. A team claims to have found a way to
rejuvenate post-menopausal ovaries, enabling them to release fertile eggs, <i>New
Scientist</i> can reveal.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">The team says
its technique has restarted periods in menopausal women, including one who had
not menstruated in five years. If the results hold up to wider scrutiny, the
technique may boost declining fertility in older women, allow women with early
menopause to get pregnant, and help stave off the detrimental health effects of
menopause.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">“It offers a
window of hope that menopausal women will be able to get pregnant using their
own genetic material,” says Konstantinos Sfakianoudis, a gynaecologist at the
Greek fertility clinic Genesis Athens.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">“It is
potentially quite exciting,” says Roger Sturmey at Hull York Medical School in
the UK. “But it also opens up ethical questions over what the upper age limit
of mothers should be.”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Women are
thought to be born with all their eggs. Between puberty and the menopause, this
number steadily dwindles, with fertility thought to peak in the early 20s.
Around the age of 50, which is when menopause normally occurs, the ovaries stop
releasing eggs – but most women are already largely infertile by this point, as
ovulation becomes more infrequent in the run-up. The menopause comes
all-too-soon for many women, says Sfakianoudis.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">The age of
motherhood is creeping up, and more women are having children in their 40s than
ever before. But as more women delay pregnancy, many find themselves struggling
to get pregnant. Women who hope to conceive later in life are increasingly
turning to IVF and egg freezing, but neither are a reliable back-up option .</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">The menopause
also comes early – before the age of 40 – for around 1 per cent of women,
either because of a medical condition or certain cancer treatments, for
example.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">“It offers
hope that menopausal women will be able to get pregnant using their own genetic
material“</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">To turn back
the fertility clock for women who have experienced early menopause,
Sfakianoudis and his colleagues have turned to a blood treatment that is used
to help wounds heal faster.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Platelet-rich
plasma (PRP) is made by centrifuging a sample of a person’s blood to isolate
growth factors – molecules that trigger the growth of tissue and blood vessels.
It is widely used to speed the repair of damaged bones and muscles, although
its effectiveness is unclear.. The treatment may work by stimulating tissue
regeneration. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Sfakianoudis’s
team has found that PRP also seems to rejuvenate older ovaries, and presented
some of their results at the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "pt serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.eshre2016.eu/"><span style="color: #179cce; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; text-decoration: none;">European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> annual meeting in
Helsinki, Finland, this month. When they injected PRP into the ovaries of
menopausal women, they say it restarted their menstrual cycles, and enabled
them to collect and fertilise the eggs that were released.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">“I had a
patient whose menopause had established five years ago, at the age of 40,” says
Sfakianoudis. Six months after the team injected PRP into her ovaries, she
experienced her first period since menopause.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Sfakianoudis’s
team has since been able to collect three eggs from this woman. The researchers
say they have successfully fertilised two using her husband’s sperm. These
embryos are now on ice – the team is waiting until there are at least three
before implanting some in her uterus.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">The team
isn’t sure how this technique works, but it may be that the PRP stimulates stem
cells. Some research suggests a small number of stem cells continue making new
eggs throughout a woman’s life, but we don’t know much about these yet. It’s
possible that growth factors encourage such stem cells to regenerate tissue and
produce ovulation hormones. “It’s biologically plausible,” says Sturmey.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Fertilised eggs</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Sfakianoudis’s
team says it has given PRP in this way to around 30 women between the ages of
46 and 49, all of whom want to have children. The researchers say they have
managed to isolate and fertilise eggs from most of them.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">“It seems to
work in about two-thirds of cases,” says Sfakianoudis. “We see changes in
biochemical patterns, a restoration of menses, and egg recruitment and
fertilisation.” His team has yet to implant any embryos in post-menopausal
women, but hopes to do so in the coming months.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">PRP has
already been helpful for pregnancy in another group of women, says
Sfakianoudis. Around 10 per cent of women who seek fertility treatment at his
clinic have a uterus that embryos find difficult to attach to – whether due to
cysts, scarring from miscarriages or having a thin uterine lining. “They are
the most difficult to treat,” says Sfakianoudis.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">But after
injecting PRP into the uteruses of six women who had had multiple miscarriages
and failed IVF attempts, three became pregnant through IVF. “They are now in
their second trimester,” says Sfakianoudis.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Fertility
aside, the technique could also be desirable for women who aren’t trying to
conceive. The hormonal changes that trigger menopause can also make the heart,
skin and bones more vulnerable to ageing and disease, while hot flushes can be
very unpleasant. Many women are reluctant to take hormone replacement therapy
to reduce these because of its link with breast cancer. Rejuvenating the
ovaries with PRP could provide an alternative way to boost the supply of
youthful hormones, delaying menopause symptoms.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">However,
Sfakianoudis’s team hasn’t yet published any of its findings. “We need larger
studies before we can know for sure how effective the treatment is,” says
Sfakianoudis.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; display: none; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">“One woman had been in menopause for 5 years.
Six months after treatment, she had a period“</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Some have
raised concerns about the safety and efficacy of the procedure, saying the team
should have tested the approach in animals first. “This experiment would not
have been allowed to take place in the UK,” says Sturmey. “The researchers need
to do some more work to make sure that the resulting eggs are OK,” saysAdam
Balen <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "pt serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://britishfertilitysociety.org.uk/"><span style="color: #179cce; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; text-decoration: none;">British Fertility Society</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">To know if
the technique really does improve fertility, the team will also need to carry
out randomised trials, in which a control group isn’t given PRP.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "pt serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.guysandstthomasprivatehealthcare.co.uk/units/assisted-conception/meet-the-team/dr-virginia-bolton-ma-phd-consultant-embryologist/"><span style="color: #179cce; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; text-decoration: none;">Virginia Bolton</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">, an embryologist at Guy’s
and St Thomas’ Hospital in London, is also sceptical. “It is dangerous to get
excited about something before you have sufficient evidence it works,” she
says. New techniques often find their way into the fertility clinic without
strong evidence, thanks to huge demand from people who are often willing to
spend their life savings to have a child, she says.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">If the
technique does hold up under further investigation, it could raise ethical
questions over the upper age limits of pregnancy – and whether there should be
any. “I lay awake last night turning this over in my mind,” says Sturmey.
“Where would the line be drawn?”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Health issues
like gestational diabetes, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "pt serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2088033-embryo-protein-may-warn-before-miscarriage-and-pre-eclampsia/"><span style="color: #179cce; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; text-decoration: none;">pre-eclampsia and miscarriage</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> are all more common in
older women. “It would require a big debate,” says Sturmey.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;">SOURCE: NEW SCIENTIST</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-62324878531406293122016-07-14T11:02:00.000-07:002016-07-14T11:02:15.238-07:00Edinburgh baby born from frozen ovary in UK first<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDP4OlqwMzAMqswu7ui8cC58uxVOAiGXkDT9vEGQj3SyNju2umXLtRbseb0thaEC661QyxDDi_BaXlxkpNXVl9d_kUgyZonh4fV_szvj-BrqhRsMHsSAvGEhop8pUe07GzgDfokYAfPcik/s1600/_90384420_rm-cryostoragetank2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDP4OlqwMzAMqswu7ui8cC58uxVOAiGXkDT9vEGQj3SyNju2umXLtRbseb0thaEC661QyxDDi_BaXlxkpNXVl9d_kUgyZonh4fV_szvj-BrqhRsMHsSAvGEhop8pUe07GzgDfokYAfPcik/s320/_90384420_rm-cryostoragetank2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">A cancer patient
from Edinburgh has become the first UK woman to give birth following a
transplant of her frozen ovary tissue.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The mother
conceived naturally and gave birth to a baby boy two weeks ago.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Edinburgh
University scientists are freezing tissue from the reproductive organs of boys
and girls as young as one, which can be re-implanted once they reach adulthood.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The 33-year-old
mother had a section of her ovary removed 11 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">She wishes to
remain anonymous.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><script type="text/javascript"><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="5">
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</font></script><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Following her chemotherapy, doctors re-implanted the tissue last year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Researchers said
the new service was open to NHS patients.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="color: #1e1e1e; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">'Astonished
and overjoyed'<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The new mother
said: "That the re-implanted tissue took so quickly, came as a really
wonderful surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"I'm
incredibly appreciative of my oncologist's foresight in sending me for the
consultation with the fertility team.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">"I had one
small surgical procedure before I began my second round of chemotherapy and
now, 10 years on, my husband and I have been able to have a family."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">She added:
"We never thought it would be possible and we are just astonished and
overjoyed. We are extremely grateful to all the people involved in this
process.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"When
you're going through cancer treatment it can be hard to think about the future,
but I do think this will offer hope to others that they could one day have a
family."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="color: #1e1e1e; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">'Real
hope'<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Prof. Richard
Anderson, of Edinburgh University, said: "The storage of ovarian tissue to
allow restoration of fertility after cancer treatment in girls and young women
was pioneered in Edinburgh over 20 years ago, and it is wonderful to see it
come to fruition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><strong>"This gives
real hope to girls and young women facing treatment that may cause them to
become infertile, and shows how some medical advances can take a long time to
show their benefits."<o:p></o:p></strong></em></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The research has
been funded by the Wellcome Trust, Children with Cancer, the European Union and
the Medical Research Council.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It has involved
close collaboration with the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-4942891189671774942016-02-12T18:09:00.000-08:002016-02-12T18:09:19.705-08:00Scientists reveal simple way of boosting fertility in women - and you need to be outdoors to get it<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_suAyQiuQNsVaQ_DB9nbo8W_5yfnAvnt34bA4Qfkxa7DhYO4CXwWGJEfJEd-ujrmWjI48JDJTcSvNoc7R0rcEw6ZAxKigP-njZXANfckC1HtozdWOQNi1RGxtaQ1lKLYZ4QB-EpVvEYkT/s1600/Weather-hottest-day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_suAyQiuQNsVaQ_DB9nbo8W_5yfnAvnt34bA4Qfkxa7DhYO4CXwWGJEfJEd-ujrmWjI48JDJTcSvNoc7R0rcEw6ZAxKigP-njZXANfckC1HtozdWOQNi1RGxtaQ1lKLYZ4QB-EpVvEYkT/s320/Weather-hottest-day.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">soaking up the sun</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Getting
plenty of vitamin D could help </span><a data-action="fertility" data-content-type="section-topic" data-track="false" data-type="inline" data-word-count="2" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/fertility"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">boost fertility</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in women, say experts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vitamin
D – aka the ‘sunshine vitamin’ – is produced in the skin after exposure to
sunlight and can also be found in some foods.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And
now scientists from the </span><a data-action="university-of-edinburgh" data-content-type="section-topic" data-track="false" data-type="inline" data-word-count="3" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/university-of-edinburgh"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">University of Edinburgh</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> have
found a link between vitamin D and ‘reproductive success’. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Their
findings come from monitoring a flock of sheep on a remote Scottish island.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But
they’re confident the results will be mirrored in other mammals – most
importantly humans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Health
and wellbeing expert Jonathan Evans, founder of world-leading supplements firm
MANFLU, says the evidence could prove life-changing for many couples
desperately trying for a baby.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<figure class="inline-image clearfix " style="margin: 1em 40px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.6pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Findings: Experts reached their
conclusions after monitoring a flock of sheep <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
</figure><div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He
said: “We’ve long known that vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and teeth
in humans, and it has been linked to other health benefits.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“When
we created our new MANFLU Soup A Hero product we enhanced it with 13 select
vitamins and minerals for immune support, to reduce tiredness and support
energy release.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"We
of course included vitamin D as people can be deficient at this time of year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“And
now this piece of research offers another reason to ensure you’re getting
enough, either through plenty of time outdoors or through the right foods, such
as our vitamin D enriched ’Soup a Hero’ chicken soup.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dr
Richard Mellanby, Head of Small Animal Medicine at Edinburgh University's Royal
School of Veterinary Studies, says the wild sheep they surveyed on the island
of St Kilda were measured for concentrations of a marker linked to vitamin D in
the blood.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sheep
with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood at the end of the summer went on
to have more lambs in the following spring.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
research has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.6pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hope: Health expert Jonathan
Evans says the findings are great news for couples trying to conceive <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dr
Mellanby says: "Our study is the first to link vitamin D status and
reproductive success in </span><a data-action="animals" data-content-type="section-topic" data-track="false" data-type="inline" data-word-count="3" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/animals"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a wild animal</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> population. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Low
levels of vitamin D appear to dampen the immune response and make the body
almost attack itself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“And
what we have shown for the first time in wild animals is that vitamin D is
linked with important life history events, like giving birth.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
research has also been welcomed by fertility campaigners.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Susan
Seenan, chief executive of the Infertility Network UK, said: “What is important
to remember when trying to conceive is to try to stay as healthy as possible
overall: eating a balanced diet, getting enough exercise and taking care of
your emotional health.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Recent
studies suggesting a link between sunshine/vitamin D and improved fertility are
interesting; couples may want to consider boosting their sunshine exposure.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "PT Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
news comes after a separate study, by Dr Emad Al-Dujaili, of Queen Margaret
University, Edinburgh, found that boosting vitamin D intake can raise energy
levels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<figure class="inline-image clearfix "><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></figure></div>
Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-40248161881334399182015-02-03T22:40:00.003-08:002015-02-03T22:40:41.577-08:00Woman Born Without Womb Has Twins
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsmAxmPokcSIRnBVUdo_m_f1k-LOpZ-WYRWvSZzzPbgw_aIPevLKoFEQ-huvslA_FKjuslkWBETbUWB0RHZPG12_xMt-YEukXRD0OHEAYxMN0DLTNf2oRdGGBuMxMNLiyOYMjKnrP0yGp/s1600/hayley's%2Btwins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsmAxmPokcSIRnBVUdo_m_f1k-LOpZ-WYRWvSZzzPbgw_aIPevLKoFEQ-huvslA_FKjuslkWBETbUWB0RHZPG12_xMt-YEukXRD0OHEAYxMN0DLTNf2oRdGGBuMxMNLiyOYMjKnrP0yGp/s1600/hayley's%2Btwins.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Hayley's twins</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 3pt 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A London woman
born with no womb has undergone a near-miraculous medical process and given
birth to healthy twin girls. Hayley Haynes, 28, was devastated at 19 to learn
she had no Fallopian tubes, ovaries, or womb, thanks to a condition known as
androgen insensitivity syndrome. "When they told me I had no womb I was so
confused I felt sick," she says. "My biggest fear was never having
children. Suddenly a huge piece of my life was missing." She confided in
only one person that she was "genetically male": a guy named Sam who
comforted her through the process. Later, Sam became her boyfriend and then her
husband. "She told me no man would want her," Sam reveals; "I
told her that any man worth having would."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Hayley found new
hope in 2007 when a specialist discovered a tiny womb in her body that earlier
scans had overlooked. So she took hormone tablets designed to right her
estrogen and progesterone levels, ease her osteoporosis, and enable her womb to
grow. It all worked, but only gave her the option of in vitro fertilization.
Using Sam's sperm and an anonymous egg donor, the couple spent nearly $16,000 on
an IVF treatment that harvested 13 eggs, only two of which were viable.
Amazingly, <em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">both</span></em> took. After a healthy pregnancy, she gave birth
naturally two weeks early, on Christmas Eve, to non-identical twins Avery and
Darcey. "It’s not just our wallets that are empty," Hayley says.
"We are emotionally exhausted. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat for one
cuddle with my girls." <b><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-59140617639202194832014-12-09T15:24:00.000-08:002014-12-09T15:24:21.881-08:00Eating a balanced portion of protein-rich foods such as red meat, seafood and nuts could improve fertility in women<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Research at the University of Adelaide identified a link
between a natural antioxidant called 'selenium' found in high-protein foods,
and healthy ovarian follicles responsible for egg production in women.</span></em> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">PHD student Melanie Ceko, who made the discovery in a joint
research project, said selenium has been known to have many health benefits,
but it has never been linked to women's fertility. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"We've known for some time that selenium is
important to men's fertility, but until now no-one has researched how this
element could be involved in healthy reproduction in women," Ceko said. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Initial research conducted at the Australian Synchrotron
pinpointed the exact place selenium is located in the ovary, then turned their
attention to the selenoprotein known as GPX1. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"It was there that we noticed the element selenium
plays an important role. GPX1 is quite heavily influenced by your dietary
intake of selenium so if you weren't eating enough selenium in your food it's
quite likely that your GPX1 levels would drop down," Ceko said. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"It could mean that follicle which would otherwise
go on to release an egg is missing out on that essential protein formation that
it needs there." <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">While selenium deficiency is not usually a problem in
Western diets people who avoid certain food groups or eat food mainly grown on
selenium-deficient soils are most at risk. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ceko warns however that further research is needed to
better understand how selenium levels can be optimised for women trying to
conceive. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Too much selenium can also be toxic, so it isn't
just a case of taking multiple supplements," she said. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Written by Cathryn Kempe<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-55206847542170164062014-02-02T15:05:00.007-08:002019-10-13T14:18:56.602-07:00Laughing, Clowns Can Help Fertility Treatments Succeed<script data-ad-client="ca-pub-6991246409826765" async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l0YbPj0iaX9A9iZbC2jnXfFGZt0wg1e45iEqh7Sr8GcTCgWamRfxag5thvA8l1v9K8ukQtrthaauERx96PvD6BkH6Pa0MUcDsBigqYRbvPZeHg6_Uckk9-0_sHx25j3mN3BrsjrT74pM/s1600/clown+pix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l0YbPj0iaX9A9iZbC2jnXfFGZt0wg1e45iEqh7Sr8GcTCgWamRfxag5thvA8l1v9K8ukQtrthaauERx96PvD6BkH6Pa0MUcDsBigqYRbvPZeHg6_Uckk9-0_sHx25j3mN3BrsjrT74pM/s1600/clown+pix.jpg"></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><em><span style="color: #674ea7;">According to one
study by researchers from Tel Aviv’s Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, laughing can
improve the chances of becoming pregnant via IVF. In the study, over 100 women
watched a clown while undergoing the procedure, while a separate sample of 100
women having the same treatment didn’t. Of those who were visited by the clown,
36 percent became pregnant, compared to only 20 percent of the other sample.</span></em></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It sounds like a hackneyed phrase, but it’s true: Laughter is the
best medicine. After all, scientists have discovered that laughing can act as a
natural form of pain relief, protect you against heart attacks, and even help
regulate your blood sugar levels. In short, turn that frown upside down or else
your body will fall apart.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">However, if one piece of research from Israel is to be believed
(and there’s no reason that it shouldn’t), laughing can also increase your
chances of becoming pregnant via in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.
Conducted at Tel Aviv’s Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, 100 women undergoing IVF
treatment were visited by a trick-performing clown, a surefire way to get
people who aren’t coulrophobics laughing. In order to provide a reliable way of
measuring the effects, a further 100 women underwent the procedure, only
without the clown in the room.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The results were pretty impressive. Of the 100 women who were
visited by the clown, 36 percent became pregnant. Of the clown-less sample,
only 20.2 percent were successfully impregnated. Most importantly, these
results still stand when factors such as age, type of infertility, and the
number of embryos implanted were taken into account.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The researcher responsible for the study, Dr. Shevach Friedler,
explained that this outcome indicates that the success of IVF is somehow
affected by stress. As the patients were focusing on the clown and their
no-doubt hilarious antics, they were laughing, and so weren’t freaking
themselves out over the procedure they were undergoing. As one participant
explained, “He walked in and as much as I felt pain everything just faded. He
really relieved all the pressure and it was very useful for me.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, will squeaky noses and juggling balls become part of the
future medical kit for delivering IVF? Maybe it’ll start in Israel. Their
prestigious University of Haifa recently started offering a serious degree in
“medical clowning” which—alongside nursing, developmental psychology, and
physical medicine—offers classes in improvisational comedy, juggling, and the
history of clowning. One thing is certain though: That frat house must be the
funniest place on campus.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-47620321163117743732012-10-30T10:07:00.001-07:002012-10-30T10:07:32.787-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgq5uGoqtHbQfKFMR-0b4eiiaefO3jdzHlBZ4nw5LFmCdnXGKPNMWIQrToQl3tIRwg-Chb-Uj9lyGBQYQHZY69SZKzl1T80MR6NCkeFA7-UPscOc9M2P_Bwln4ROKCtJSr23f_k3Zhi2H/s1600/Brandi+%2526+Shelton+Koskie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgq5uGoqtHbQfKFMR-0b4eiiaefO3jdzHlBZ4nw5LFmCdnXGKPNMWIQrToQl3tIRwg-Chb-Uj9lyGBQYQHZY69SZKzl1T80MR6NCkeFA7-UPscOc9M2P_Bwln4ROKCtJSr23f_k3Zhi2H/s1600/Brandi+%2526+Shelton+Koskie.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Six years ago,
Brandi and Shelton Koskie walked out of an infertility clinic just after
learning that they couldn't get pregnant naturally but could pay $20,000 for
in-vitro fertilization, which wasn't covered by their insurance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As they walked
across the parking lot, Brandi Koskie started talking about a plan: Build a
website, call it </span><span style="color: #336699; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">BabyOrBust.com</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, and
ask visitors for $1 donations toward IVF.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"By the time
we got to the car, it was a done decision," Shelton said. "My wife is
one of those people. She comes up with crazy ideas and executes them really
well."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Soon, they were
being invited to appear on national television and radio shows and raised
$7,500 in small donations from all over the world. Through investing and saving
money on their own, they reached their $20,000 goal within two years, and had a
daughter named Paisley on their first IVF attempt. She's a toddler now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"People look
in all crazy ways to cover their infertility treatments," said Ken Mosesian
executive director of the </span><span style="color: #336699; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">American Fertility Association</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">,
a non-profit group.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since health
insurance doesn't cover IVF in most states, couples have to come up with new,
aggressive ways to raise money -- and fast, because the more time passes, the
less likely a couple is to conceive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates
that 6.7 million women between the ages of 15 and 45 have fertility issues,
which is about 10.9 percent of them. However, only 15 states have laws that
require insurance companies to cover infertility treatments, and seven of them
specifically exclude IVF, according to the </span><span style="color: #336699; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">National
Infertility Association</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Bab<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">ara Collura,
the president and CEO of the National Infertility Association, said the hunt
for IVF funds has changed drastically in recent years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Five years ago,
many couples might take out second mortgages on their homes and go into debt to
pay for IVF, said Mosesian's colleague, Patricia Mendell, a member of the AFA
board of directors. Back then, Collura's organization would hold workshops on
how hopeful parents could refinance their homes or get personal loans to pay
for IVF.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But new economic
realities make that much harder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Think about
how difficult it is now to get credit cards," Collura said. "A lot of
things that people could access cash with are either gone or very, very
different now."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead, people are
turning to social media to ask their friends, families and strangers for money,
either by building a website or just using a Facebook page. One couple even put
a valuable Barry Sanders football card for sale </span><span style="color: #336699; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">on eBay</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
last week to pay for IVF.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The positive aspect
of this is that people are talking about infertility more than ever before,
Collura said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That includes the
Koskies, who have been open about Shelton Koskie's birth defect, which prevents
his sperm cells from getting to his semen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"For him, the
biggest part was not only that we had become a male factor infertility [case],
but that his crazy wife wanted to talk about it on the Internet," Brandi
Koskie said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But he trusted her,
he said. They also made BabyOrBust.com about infertility in general, with a
whole section about IVF. Now, Brandi and Shelton get one or two letters a day
from couples struggling to pay for IVF treatments.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The most
interesting one she's heard about: a San Francisco couple that </span><span style="color: #336699; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">hosted a
political-campaign-style dinner</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, charging guests they invited on
Facebook and Twitter $35 a plate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Things could get
easier for parents struggling to pay for IVF, however. A bill called the</span><span style="color: #336699; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Family
Act of 2011</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is making its way through Congress, and it would offer a
tax credit to help couples with out-of-pocket costs. Until then, would-be
parents will have to keep thinking up new ideas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 16.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
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</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-9571269927710467192012-01-24T02:13:00.000-08:002012-01-24T02:24:01.484-08:00HRT could have triggered pregnancy in world's oldest mum<em><span style="font-size:78%;color:#3333ff;">Dawn Brook, this <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5nw0FnCQiEwV1gnc1qo7Bmtu1ScCzQcJoNGDBIxlcU-svHx9rLGNYKbuyjGYFk1jT2griqiIRkaYlx_OdiUxZqP29X4THdKXU4v5HBnI4oLNuOlSxBj6GICXRW9qLJI3bMaiM9XR60gt/s1600/Dawn+Brook%252C+this+year+now+69.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 219px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701140225927244994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5nw0FnCQiEwV1gnc1qo7Bmtu1ScCzQcJoNGDBIxlcU-svHx9rLGNYKbuyjGYFk1jT2griqiIRkaYlx_OdiUxZqP29X4THdKXU4v5HBnI4oLNuOlSxBj6GICXRW9qLJI3bMaiM9XR60gt/s320/Dawn+Brook%252C+this+year+now+69.jpg" /></a>year now 69<br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span></em><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">When Dawn Brooke became the world's oldest natural mother at 59 it left doctors with a mystery to solve.<br />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?<br />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.<br />This, the experts believe, may have led to the astonishing pregnancy and birth in 1997 - which the family kept secret for a decade.<br />HRT is normally taken after a woman has gone through the menopause and is unable to conceive.<br />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.<br />There have been a number of previous cases of women, who had already gone through an early menopause, falling pregnant while on HRT.<br />A family friend said: "She had upped her dose before a romantic weekend away when she thinks she became pregnant with Harry.<br />"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."<br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color:#3366ff;">The world's oldest mum, Dawn Brooke, in 1980</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-8Fosy10r66QQZ4lUBW0VmA86EABAlhETtjVnjD1EmcSH6s-dPPvSxFX9zPEu3S07Su89ygAjCB5-mDnS51pNhBDDDtJ7yqttRqoRQM2SsvL-VVOHyfIrao_8zZrgkcrMW0xrufz_4U1/s1600/The+world%2527s+oldest+mom%252C+Dawn+Brook+in+1980.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 252px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701141475711572994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-8Fosy10r66QQZ4lUBW0VmA86EABAlhETtjVnjD1EmcSH6s-dPPvSxFX9zPEu3S07Su89ygAjCB5-mDnS51pNhBDDDtJ7yqttRqoRQM2SsvL-VVOHyfIrao_8zZrgkcrMW0xrufz_4U1/s320/The+world%2527s+oldest+mom%252C+Dawn+Brook+in+1980.jpg" /></a> </span></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">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.<br />"In the past we've seen it happen with women who have gone through early<br />menopause. There's a very small chance of that happening.<br />"It's possible for ovulation to continue on and off around the age of menopause but not once a woman is completely postmenopausal."<br />Mrs Brooke married Harry's father, Raymond Brooke, now 74, at their £1million home in Guernsey in the summer of 1997.<br />A few weeks later she gave birth by caesarean at the island's Princess Elizabeth Hospital.<br />Mrs Brooke was desperate to keep her record a secret.<br />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.<br />"She looks very young for her age and so most people were probably unaware that she was 59 when she gave birth."<br />Even the couple's close friends did not know.<br />John Trowbridge and his wife, Jean, who are Harry's godparents and who were also witnesses at the Brookes' wedding, were not told.<br />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."<br />Details of the record finally emerged last month when the family spoke of their happiness at<br />having a son so late in life.<br />They told how Harry was an exceptionally bright boy who excels at maths.<br />Like many 10-year-olds, he is also a fan of Harry Potter.<br />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.<br />Her mother, Gladys Chivers, lives in a nursing home in Sussex and turns 101 next week.<br />Mr Brooke was born in Yorkshire and worked in computers in California for 25-years before settling in the Channel Islands.<br />He has two adult daughters from his first marriage. They live in the U.S.<br />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.<br />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.<br />The British record for the oldest birth without fertility treatment was set by Kathleen Campbell of Kimberley, Nottinghamshire.<br />She was 55 when her son Joby was born in 1987.<br />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.<br />Patricia Rashbrook, 62, became Britain's oldest mother last July when she gave birth to a boy conceived through IVF. </span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-32708783621920591552011-11-23T05:23:00.000-08:002011-11-23T05:30:55.459-08:00Laparoscopic Excision Surgery For Endometriosis Frees Patients From Chronic Pain And Complications<em><span style="color:#33ff33;">padma lakshmi</span></em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsLBWC_5GD5-zwxTryCml2vQnvJClfy_bcHspuU6ZuCQF5rzwF9QPaIe2h-GwOcamq6OzXj_e7q_7EDiElPBJB9Io5ypY3LeKYlzFBGJfeAKLQPlG3HJNPFAvnD7uW1Pj5lYPXna-HcMV/s1600/Padma+Lakshmi.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678182472011010146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsLBWC_5GD5-zwxTryCml2vQnvJClfy_bcHspuU6ZuCQF5rzwF9QPaIe2h-GwOcamq6OzXj_e7q_7EDiElPBJB9Io5ypY3LeKYlzFBGJfeAKLQPlG3HJNPFAvnD7uW1Pj5lYPXna-HcMV/s320/Padma+Lakshmi.bmp" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Almost 10 million American women of childbearing age are affected by chronic pelvic pain, gastrointestinal and urinary tract difficulties and </span><a title="What Is Infertility? What Causes Infertility? How Is Infertility Treated?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165748.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">infertility</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> due to </span><a title="What Is Endometriosis? What Causes Endometriosis?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149109.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">endometriosis</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, 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 </span><a title="What Is Appendicitis? What Causes Appendicitis?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/158806.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">appendicitis</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, bowel obstruction, </span><a title="What Is An Ovarian Cyst? What Causes Ovarian Cysts?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179031.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">ovarian cysts</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, </span><a title="What Is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease? What Causes Pelvic Inflammatory Disease?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/177923.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">pelvic inflammatory disease</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, </span><a title="What Is Diverticulitis? What Is Diverticular Disease?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152995.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">diverticulitis</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, ectopic pregnancy, </span><a title="What Are Fibroids? What Are The Treatments For Fibroids?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151405.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">fibroids</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, 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 </span><a title="What is Cancer?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/cancer-oncology/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">cancer</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> and infertility. A better understanding of these genes could explain how and why endometriosis develops. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"><strong>source: medicalnewstoday</strong></span></div>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-68166136931724501372011-05-07T09:14:00.000-07:002011-05-07T09:28:49.332-07:00WAYS TO INCREASE FERTILITY<ul type="disc"><br /><li style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#ff9966;">Sex Frequency </span></span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Many women baby-dance (have sex) everyday hoping to conceive. Believe it or not, it is NOT recommended.<br />This will affect your partner's quantity of semen.<br />*It is best to have sex every other day or the 3rd day. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li><br /><li style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#ff9966;">Sex Positions</span></span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">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 <strong><em>on your stomach</em></strong> with hips propped up by pillows for at least 15 minutes after sex.</span></span></span></li><br /><li style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#ff9966;">Sperm-Friendly</span></span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Avoid douching, scented tampons, or vaginal sprays.<br />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.</span></span></span></li></ul><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#cc66cc;">The Secret To Conceiving Successfully <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></b></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">There's one important fact that many women who are trying to conceive fail to take note of.<br />By knowing this fact, you could increase your chance of conceiving by as much as 50%. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#cc66cc;">Babydance or have sex a few days before your ovulation happens <o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Here's the reason why:</span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">*Sperm can survive for several days in the vagina. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Therefore when an egg is released during ovulation and the sperm is already there, you are more likely to get pregnant easily! <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-7028880639024639552011-02-05T13:39:00.000-08:002011-02-05T13:48:18.963-08:00Is Female Orgasm Important To Get Pregnant?<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-: 153font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;color:#3366ff;" lang="EN" >Answer: </span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-: 153font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">If female orgasm can help you conceive, how might it work? And should you "go for the gold" during babymaking sex?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white; mso-outline-level: 4" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-: 153font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">What the Research Says on Female Orgasm and Getting Pregnant<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">On the other hand, a study of IUI treatment found that women who remained horizontal after insemination were more likely to conceive. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">This study did not, however, look at pregnancy rates. If pregnancy rates are higher with female orgasm, it's unclear by how much.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white; mso-outline-level: 4" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-: 153font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">Achieving Female Orgasm During Babymaking Sex<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0.25in 0in 10pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:14;" lang="EN" ><span style="color:#3366ff;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%;font-size:14;" ><o:p><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#3366ff;"></span></o:p></span></p>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-86024750836684598672010-12-26T07:50:00.000-08:002010-12-26T08:05:08.414-08:00Encouraging Results For Rocking The Cradle After 45<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; mso-ansi-language: ENfont-size:10;color:#333333;" lang="EN" ><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">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.<br />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.<br />In a study published in the<i> American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology,</i> 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.<br /><span style="color:#339999;"><b>A natural center of older moms</b><br /></span>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 </span><a title="What is Diabetes?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/diabetes/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#0000cc;">diabetes</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> or preeclampsia. For the most part these risks do not affect the newborn after three days have passed.<br />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.<br />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.<br /><span style="color:#339999;"><b>Blessings and risks: The hard numbers</b><br /></span>The complications that mothers over 40 can expect include a 300% greater chance for gestational diabetes and </span><a title="What Is High Blood Pressure? What Causes High Blood Pressure?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159283.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#0000cc;">high blood pressure</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> 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.<br />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.<br />The study was conducted on women at Rabin Medical Center in Israel, where Prof. Yogev is a practicing gynaecologist/obstetrician.</span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#333333;"><strong>source: medicalnewstoday.com</strong></span></p>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-80788863450660686472010-10-26T17:02:00.000-07:002010-10-28T03:35:56.227-07:00Prevent OHSS During IVF Treatments<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">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.<br />SOURCE: sharedjourney.com</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-59540986636882805022010-06-19T08:52:00.000-07:002010-06-19T08:54:11.734-07:00More Healthy Women Freeze Eggs To Delay Childbearing<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">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 </span><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-health-egg-harvesting-story,0,2396531.story" target="_new"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Chicago Tribune</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> reports. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">T</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">he 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.<br />Nicole Noyes, co-director of the </span><a href="http://www.nyufertilitycenter.org/egg_freezing" target="_new"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Oocyte Cryopreservation Program</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> at the </span><a href="http://www.nyufertilitycenter.org/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">New York University Fertility Center</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, 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 </span><a href="http://www.asrm.org/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">American Society for Reproductive Medicine</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> 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 </span><a href="http://www.med.cornell.edu/" target="_new"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Weil Medical College</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> and co-author of the ASRM guidelines, said that about 50% of fertility clinics offer egg freezing.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">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).</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-19609914602111226272010-03-12T02:20:00.001-08:002010-03-12T02:22:49.966-08:00Strong Period Pain and Excess Weight in Childhood Increases Risk of Endometriosis, Study Finds<h1 style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" id="headline" class="story"><span style="font-size:130%;">scientists have identified a new link between strong period pain experienced in adolescence and early adulthood and the risk of endometriosis.</span></h1><span style="font-size:130%;">Researchers from QIMR's Gynaecological Cancer Laboratory have found having strong period pain often at an early age doubles a woman's risk of developing endometriosis.</span> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The study also found that girls starting their menstrual cycle after 14 years old had a significantly decreased risk of endometriosis.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Researchers analysed information from more than 500 Australian women -- making this one of the largest studies of its kind. Information about early menstrual characteristics in women with moderate to severe endometriosis was compared to data from women who had not been diagnosed with endometriosis.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">"Although the relationship between menstrual characteristics and endometriosis has been studied extensively, most research has focused on the recent menstrual cycle characteristics of women with the disease. Our research is one of the first studies to look at the factors contributing to the development of endometriosis long before symptoms and diagnosis occur," said Dr Christina Nagle from QIMR.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">In a related study last year, Dr Nagle and her team found that being overweight at 10 years of age also doubles the risk of developing endometriosis in later life.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">"Our research aims to better understand the signs and symptoms before the disease develops and to help identify women at higher risk. Early intervention will result in better health outcomes for women with this condition."</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">To date, there is no known cause or cure for endometriosis, which affects 10% of women, causing severe pain and reduced fertility, in many cases. Disease symptoms can be managed through pain medication, hormone treatment or surgery, or a combination of each.</span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-46008589406077159242010-01-12T15:17:00.000-08:002010-01-12T15:28:33.939-08:00Signs of Ovulation<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#996633;">Ways to Detect Signs of Ovulation<br /></span></strong><span style="font-size:78%;">By Rachel Gurevich</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Signs of ovulation aren’t difficult to notice, once you know what to look for. Some signs of ovulation help warn you that ovulation is approaching, allowing you to time sex for pregnancy. Other signs of ovulation let you know that ovulation has passed. While there are many methods below, don’t think that you should use them all.<br /><br /><br />As ovulation approaches, your </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilityglossary/g/cervicalmucus.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">cervical mucus</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> changes in amount and consistency. When you’re not ovulating, cervical mucus may appear sticky or creamy, or may be entirely absent. As ovulation approaches, cervical mucus become more abundant, takes on a watery to raw-egg-white-like consistency, and stretches up to an inch or more between your fingers.<br />Pros:<br />· 100% free.<br />· Considered to be one of the most accurate indicators for timing sex for pregnancy.<br />· Get to know your body better.<br />Cons:<br />· Some people are grossed out by the idea.<br />· Not a definite sign. You can have fertile cervical mucus, and not ovulate. (Common in women with </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/causesofinfertility/a/polycystic_pcos.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">PCOS</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">.)<br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilitytreatments/a/clomid101.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Clomid</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> or </span><a href="http://adam.about.com/reports/Allergic-rhinitis.htm#adamHeading_12"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">antihistamines</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> may dry up your cervical mucus, which may make detection difficult.<br />More about ovulation and cervical mucus:<br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/a/cervicalmucus.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">How to Check Your Cervical Mucus</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilityglossary/g/hostilemucus.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">What Is Hostile Cervical Mucus?</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/researchandstudies/qt/ovulationsex.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#cc33cc;">Sign of Ovulation #2 – Increased Sexual Desire</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Turns out nature does know what it’s doing (sometimes, anyway.) Research has shown what many of us already notice: Women experience an increase in sexual desire when they are most fertile. This is a couple days before you ovulate, which is the right time to have sex if you want to get pregnant.<br />Pros:<br />· Doesn’t require any know-how. Just being in tune with your feelings.<br />· Worse comes to worse, if you have sex and you weren’t about to ovulate, you still (hopefully) had a nice time with your partner. Nothing lost!<br />Cons:<br />· The stress of trying to conceive can squash sexual feelings. Also, depression or anxiety, common in couples </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/copingwithinfertility/a/copestress.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">coping with infertility</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, can lower sexual desire.<br />· It’s not a definite sign of ovulation. You may notice an increase in sexual desire at any time in your cycle, including right before your period, or even after watching a great Johnny Depp or Pierce Brosnan movie. (Or maybe that’s just me.)<br />More on ovulation and sex:<br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/researchandstudies/qt/ovulationsex.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">In the Mood? You May Be Ovulating!</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/f/whengetpregnant.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Are You Timing Sex Right for Pregnancy?</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/f/how_often_sex.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">How Often Should You Have Sex To Get Pregnant?</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/ss/howtoBBTchart.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#cc33cc;"><strong>Sign of Ovulation #3 – Body Basal Temperature Changes</strong></span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Body basal temperature charting is perhaps the most popular method of tracking ovulation among women trying to get pregnant. Your </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilityglossary/g/bodybasaltemp.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">body basal temperature</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> will rise by a few tenths of a degree, and stay elevated, after ovulation. This rise in temperature is caused by the hormone </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilityglossary/g/progesterone.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">progesterone</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, which increases immediate after ovulation. By charting your body basal temperature, you can detect this increase in temperature.<br />Pros:<br />· If your temperature rises, you can be almost positive that you ovulated.<br />· It’s low cost, and almost free (except for the purchase of a thermometer, which you probably already have).<br />· May help your doctor make a </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilitytesting/a/infertilitydx.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">diagnosis</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">.<br />Cons:<br />· Won’t warn you that ovulation is coming, but only confirm that it has passed.<br />· If your sleep patterns are unusually erratic, or you work the nightshift, body basal temperature charting will probably not work for you.<br />· Some women feel overwhelmed by taking their temperature every morning. Also, worrying about every little fluctuation in temperature can make some women more anxious than they already are. It can easily become a bit of an obsession.<br />More on body basal temperature charting and ovulation:<br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/ss/howtoBBTchart.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Step-by-Step Instructions on Charting Your Body Basal Temperature</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/ht/howtotakeBBT.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">How to Take Your Body Basal Temperature</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/tp/bbt_body_basal_temperature.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Everything You Need to Know About BBT Charting</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/ht/cervixovulation.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#cc33cc;"><strong>Sign of Ovulation #4 – Changes in Cervical Position</strong></span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Just as your cervical mucus changes as ovulation approaches, your cervical position also goes through changes. When you’re most fertile, your cervix will be higher, softer, and more open.<br />Pros:<br />· It’s free.<br />· Get to know your body better.<br />· May help you figure out if you’re ovulating, even when your cervical mucus is drier from Clomid or antihistamines.<br />Cons:<br />· Takes practice to get a feel (no pun intended) for the differences.<br />· Some people are grossed out by the idea.<br />· Not a definite sign of ovulation. Like with cervical mucus, you can have fertile cervical signs but not actually ovulate.<br />More on cervical position:<br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/ht/cervixovulation.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">How to Check Your Cervical Position</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilityglossary/g/cervix.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Where Is Your Cervix?</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/copingwithinfertility/f/feelingpregnant.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#cc33cc;"><strong>Sign of Ovulation #5 -- Breast Tenderness</strong></span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Some women experience tenderness in their breasts just before or after ovulation. This is related to the hormones rushing in your body, getting ready for the potential of pregnancy. For me personally, the last confirmation I have that ovulation has occurred is breast tenderness.<br />Pros:<br />· It’s free.<br />· Helps you get to know your body better.<br />Cons:<br />· It’s by no means an accurate indicator of ovulation.<br />· Breast tenderness may come before or after ovulation, as well as right before menstruation and as a side effect of some </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilitytreatments/a/fertility_drugs.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">fertility drugs</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">.<br />· Getting too obsessed about how tender your breasts feel can lead obsessing over imaginary pregnancy symptoms.<br />More on imaginary pregnancy symptoms:<br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/copingwithinfertility/f/feelingpregnant.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Feeling Pregnant? All About Imaginary Pregnancy Symptoms</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/copingwithinfertility/a/two_week_wait.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Two Week Wait Survival Tips</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />· </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/qt/pregnancy_signs.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Early Pregnancy Signs</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />Another common way of detecting ovulation is with an ovulation predictor test kit. Ovulation predictor kits, sometimes referred to as OPK tests, require you to either pee on a test stick, or dip a special paper into a cup of collected urine, once a day for a week before you expect to ovulate. There are two lines on the test strip. Whenever the test line is darker than the control line, the test has detected an </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilityglossary/g/lh.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">LH</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> surge. (This is the exact same hormone that causes </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/a/cervicalmucus.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">fertile cervical mucus</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">.)<br />Pros:<br />· If </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/ss/howtoBBTchart.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">body basal temperature (BBT) charting</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> is not an option, an ovulation predictor kit can be used. Also, if cervical mucus is dried up from medications, OPK tests can help.<br />· As opposed to BBT charting, you ideally only need to bother with the tests for a week before you expect to ovulate.<br />· When BBT charting gives unusual or confusing results, some women use ovulation predictor kits as an additional confirmation of ovulation.<br />Cons:<br />· Expensive compared to other methods of ovulation detection. An ovulation predictor test kit for one cycle costs anywhere from $10 – 20 dollars. Over a year, that can add up.<br />· Determining when the test line is darker than the control line isn’t always easy.<br />· You can miss the LH surge and never see a darker line. For example, if you test Monday morning, and your LH surged Monday afternoon, by Tuesday morning, when you test again, it may be over already. (Some women test more than once a day for this reason – raising the cost.)<br />· If you ovulate irregularly, you may need more than one kit per cycle.<br />· Not a definite sign. You can have positive OPK results, and not ovulate. You can also have more than one LH surge detected per cycle, but only the last of those surges correlates to possible ovulation. (Common in women with </span><a href="http://infertility.about.com/od/infertilityglossary/g/pcos.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">PCOS</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">.)</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-60875989990466895522009-11-21T01:12:00.000-08:002009-11-21T01:16:19.570-08:00HIGH FIBRE INTAKE MAY INTERFERE WITH OVULATION<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w5tgFFhClVg8skA-9bJeI9SZ3DtWMMKVV_n6Bb3-3CjPhOv6ApNUu-nr-CxtV6xl6meKJkhKHWnNhFZnjWE7uAORHIjCjC1yjJjLvVUyES2t9FC6YseBZKRiwPqD0s3BGiKxiJ1aVGch/s1600/high+fibre+photo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406483071927039938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 192px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 128px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w5tgFFhClVg8skA-9bJeI9SZ3DtWMMKVV_n6Bb3-3CjPhOv6ApNUu-nr-CxtV6xl6meKJkhKHWnNhFZnjWE7uAORHIjCjC1yjJjLvVUyES2t9FC6YseBZKRiwPqD0s3BGiKxiJ1aVGch/s200/high+fibre+photo.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#339999;">Women who get the recommended amount of fiber in their diets may have lower estrogen levels and ovulate less often than women who eat less fiber, a new study suggests.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />Researchers found that among 250 women ages 18 to 44, those who reported eating the recommended amounts of fiber had the lowest blood levels of estrogen and other reproductive hormones.<br />Higher fiber intake, particularly from fruit, was also linked to a higher risk of having anovulatory menstrual cycles -- where the ovaries fail to release an egg.<br />The findings, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, do not mean that eating fiber-rich foods is a bad thing.<br />High-fiber diets are associated with numerous health benefits, including lower risks of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and breast cancer. Experts generally recommend that adults get 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day, depending on their calorie intake.<br />However, the current results do "call into question" whether those recommendations are best for women who are trying to become pregnant, write the researchers, led by Audrey J. Gaskins of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Rockville, Maryland.<br />Anovulation can have various causes, including excessive exercise, having either too little or too much body fat, thyroid gland dysfunction and polycystic ovarian syndrome -- a hormone disorder that is a common cause of infertility.<br />Women who are not ovulating regularly often have irregular menstrual periods or none at all. However, some women do continue to have periods.<br />All of the women in the current study were healthy and having regular menstrual periods. Still, those who reported the highest fiber intake -- 22 grams per day or more, in line with general recommendations -- were more likely to have at least one anovulatory cycle over two months. The researchers gauged anovulation by measuring the women's reproductive-hormone levels over two menstrual periods.<br />Of the total menstrual cycles in this group, 22 percent were anovulatory, compared with 7 percent among women with lower fiber intakes.<br />When the researchers accounted for other factors that could affect ovulation -- including body weight, race, exercise levels and calorie intake -- high fiber intake itself was linked to a roughly 10-times higher risk of anovulation.<br />Looking at specific sources of fiber, the researchers also found that fiber from fruit, specifically, was most clearly associated with anovulation.<br />The results do not prove that fiber, per se, disrupts some women's ovulation. However, it is biologically plausible, Gaskins and her colleagues point out.<br />High-fiber diets, they explain, decrease activity in certain intestinal enzymes, leading to less estrogen reabsorption in the colon. Fiber can also cause more estrogen to be excreted from the body in feces.<br />In line with that, the researchers found that women with the highest fiber intakes generally had the lowest estrogen levels over the course of their menstrual periods. They also had lower levels of other reproductive hormones, including progesterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone.<br />The findings, according to Gaskins and her colleagues, raise the possibility that women who are trying to conceive should lower their fiber intake. However, they write, more studies are needed before any recommendations can be made.SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2009.</span></div>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-53496971819443704802009-08-03T14:28:00.000-07:002009-08-03T14:34:04.947-07:00Increased sex daily can help couples get pregnant - according to new study<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />Most couples using fertility procedures to help them become pregnant have followed the belief that abstaining from sex prior to ovulation cycle can help increase sperm count and the chances of becoming pregnant. A new study from Australia presented to the 25th annual European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Amsterdam, supports that quality is better than quantity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Dr. David Greening took 118 men with high levels of DNA sperm damage and had them sexually relieve themselves at least once daily for seven days. The results supported his hypothesis that men who increase sexual activity have decreased levels of DNA damage in their sperm. The decreased damage was in amazing 81% of the men. The belief is that the sperm has less time to get damaged in the body before being released.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">The question is how this news can affect a couple’s relationship. The study suggests that couples should have sex for at least a week before the ovulation date. At first thought this sounds great. But as a person dives into the psychology of a couple dealing with fertility treatments the news may not be as jovial as one thought.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">The stress a couple is already facing in this relationship can become compounded with the added layer of responsibility. The prescription to have sex seven days before ovulation date takes away the romance and connection a couple generally feels in intimacy. Frankly speaking it can become a chore and further stress the couple out. In worse case scenarios this stress can cause performance anxiety.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">While there is still some work to be done in seeing how this can affect a woman getting pregnant; the study has merit and value in the fertility world. But understanding should come into play regarding the stress levels and the effects this can have on an already strained relationship.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Some suggestions to help reduce stress would be:<br />• Meditation is always a good way to reduce stress. You can use different meditative techniques which include yoga and tai chi.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">• Keep a journal and write positive thoughts, affirmations, and what you are thankful for.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">*Laughter is the best medicine; this statement rings true in regards to relieving stress. Laugh with your partner and make life easier on both of you.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> • Exercise is a great stress reliever. Some people like to exercise in a gym, exercise in the great outdoors or even participate in extreme sports. Find what works for you and let your mind focus on something other than the pressures of getting pregnant.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">• Communication is a great stress reliever. Many people bottle their emotions, feelings, and thoughts up inside themselves and allow these components to build on top of each other. Learning to effectively communicate with your partner can make the relationship better and also reduce stress.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">The thing to focus on is that for couples struggling to get pregnant and spending thousands of dollars on fertility treatments this is really great news. This suggested treatment is fun and free. There is still more research but in my estimation fertility treatments are moving in the right direction. Back to good old nature.<br /><strong><span style="font-size:78%;">SOURCE: examiner.com</span></strong></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-17414933762509867402009-06-27T10:32:00.000-07:002009-06-27T10:49:33.096-07:00INTERESTING PIECE BELOW!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"><em>Hi friends, thanks for stopping by my blog and thanks too for considering it worthwhile enough to add to your favourites lists! You’ve probably noticed some interesting titles scrolling by on the news widget but I’d like to share Pamela Madsen’s piece (Our Vaginas, Ourselves) if you haven't read it already. It’s quite interesting and I’m ‘capturing’ it for you before it disappears into archives. -Omo Franca.</em></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-59585663184936687102009-06-27T09:33:00.000-07:002009-06-27T10:31:11.018-07:00OUR VAGINAS, OURSELVES<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">So...sometimes I feel like I am a little late to enter "The Conversation". But that has never stopped me before! After all, I really just discovered Daphne Merkin </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">after reading her cover story on depression in The New York Times,</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> "A Journey Through Darkness" </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> a few weeks ago, Daphne is a fearless writer who has written on many controversial topics in her own voice and through her own eyes. Daphne puts it out there and invites controversy. Bravo. I love fearless.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />After I read the piece in The Times online - my eyes stumbled on to several related links - other writings by Merkin. And these writings have been talked about for several years in the online commentary that I recently found. But I just have to weigh in...of course I do!First there was the piece that ran in The New Yorker on sensual spanking ("Unlikely Obsession"),</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> which apparently raised a few eyebrows and no doubt a few skirts - and then there was another controversial piece that ran in The New York Times, called</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> "Our Vaginas, Ourselves,"- where Merkin talks about the new world of, shall we call it, "The Cosmetic Vagina" and female self-loathing.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />Merkin talks about the world of Brazilian waxes, hymen reattachment, labia reshaping and shortening and what it says about how we view our female genitals. I celebrate the fact that she writes it all - through her eyes - and that the NY Times publishes it. But Merkin misses the mark when she says,<br />"Truth be told, I always considered myself lucky to have escaped coming-of-age at the height of the consciousness-raising era, when anatomical self-examination took on the aspect of a collective ritual. Those were the days when women felt obliged to convene in sisterly circles with mirrors and flashlights the better to study their bodies, themselves. Never having been one to enjoy group activities of any sort, the thought of becoming more closely acquainted with my private parts in a public setting seems potentially traumatizing rather than liberating or, God knows, celebratory".<br /><br />Actually, that is the problem. The problem is that most women do not know what female genitalia past the pubic mound looks like. And if we as women don't know our bodies and have a healthy self-image, how are we supposed to have sexual pleasure and a healthy relationship with our own bodies? It is through the not seeing and the not knowing where women often self-destruct as sexual beings.<br /><br />Women don't grow up like young boys, stealing glances in the locker room to see what is going on with other same-sex bodies. We have no idea of the diversity of the vagina and we can't even agree on what to call female genitalia,</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> a subject that gets most sexologists screaming that "the vagina is the birth canal" and not a good descriptor of a woman's sex organs.<br />Perhaps if women could see more of other women's inner sexual landscapes - if it was alright for women to look - we women would get it that each vulva is a unique work of art. Instead, the only pictures of female genitals that most women see are the air brushed and clipped versions in the journals of Playboy.<br />Women don't get to see images of real women.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />For Merkin to celebrate the fact that she missed the age of the brave pioneering women who came together to explore the great unknown - mirror and flashlight in hand - is truly a disservice to those that came before her. The fact is that there are still rare opportunities, and few books outside of medical manuals that give women the opportunity to see the diversity of vulvas celebrated. If they did, Dr. David Matlock's </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">practice of "Vaginal Rejuvenation" wouldn't be so popular. </span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />There is a part of me that hates myself for criticizing Merkin at all. Look, she is out there and she is at least sparking the conversation in very reputable publications about female sexuality in a way that is real and in the first person. That takes courage. And for her reward, she gets to not only take it on the chin for her bravery by "sexual conservatives," but also by well-known outspoken sex activists like</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> Susie Bright and Dr. Betty Dobson, </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">for example, in this excellent and scathing commentary, </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susie-bright/daphne-merkin-needs-to-ge_b_13732.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">"Daphne Merkin Needs to get Spanked Again."</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />But it is the fact that I can take her on that is so wonderful! Daphne is a big girl, and she is putting it out there. I suspect she can take care of herself. And she is doing a service to all of us by taking this conversation, whether you agree with her or not, into publications like The New Yorker and The New York Times so that there is a public discourse on issues that are never talked about.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />This morning, as I was researching this blog, I came upon </span><a href="http://howtomakeafamily.typepad.com/babymaking/2009/06/how-to-have-babymaking-sex.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">"How to Have Baby Making Sex"</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> on one of my favorite fertility blogs, </span><a href="http://howtomakeafamily.typepad.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">"How to Make a Family" </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">. At first I was all excited! A fertility blog other than mine was talking about sex! But in a nano second, I became incensed by the introductory language of the piece, and I quote:<br />"If getting pregnant hasn't been so easy for you, maybe you're not doing "it" right." Doing it right? It almost didn't matter what came next in the blog - the shadow of a past insult and shame came flooding back in an instant. It didn't matter if the off-hand remark which was made with too many beers in hand happened over 23 years ago.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />It was the only time my husband ever became inflamed over our infertility experience with a family member. It was when his brother asked him if "we were doing it right." My mild- mannered husband stood up and punched his brother in the jaw. To this day, I have never seen my husband raise a hand to anyone before or since!<br /><br />Why begin a conception sex tip piece with a knock to our sexual self esteem? It is insulting. And it's why many men don't want to see a reproductive specialist - because they are worried that they will be told that they are not doing it right.<br />Look, it's hard enough already for couples who are living through "conception sex." Do they need to have that particular myth reinforced that perhaps they are not doing it right?<br />And what does any of this have to do with Daphne Merkin and "My Vaginas, Ourselves"?<br /><br />Well, Daphne has taken it on the chin for what may be seen as taking hidden issues to the main stream, and here is How to Make a Famiy taking a stab at sexuality and conception. And instead of giving them snaps for being a fertility blog uttering the word "sex," I am stomping around my apartment.<br /><br />So, we don't all agree, but at least we are starting to talk about sex in a new and open way. Right? Even the fertility blogs.<br />I wonder who I am provoking this morning?<br /><br />Pamela Madsen is one of the nation's most outspoken and recognized fertility and sex educators. </span><a href="http://www.thefertilityadvocate/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">The Fertility Advocate</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, Ms. Madsen's Blog has become the must-read for all members of the fertility and sexuality community, with hundreds jacking into Ms. Madsen's funny, insightful and provocative posts every day. Ms. Madsen is The founder of The America Fertility Association and works with East Coast Fertility </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">as the Director of Public Education. Ms. Madsen is reaching out to women - and men — to integrate all aspects of the reproductive continuum from sexuality, infertility prevention, protection and treatment into the general health care of all women.</span><br /></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-39405506554464287792009-06-24T04:13:00.003-07:002009-06-24T04:43:41.702-07:00EAT TO BOOST FERTILITY!<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#33ccff;"><strong><em>Having trouble getting pregnant? Experts now believe that following the right diet could be the single most important factor for successful conception. </em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />A Spanish study recently found that men could boost their sperm counts by eating less red meat and fatty food, and more fruit and veg.<br /><br />Meanwhile, research at Harvard University also found that women who made dietary changes reduced their risk of infertility by as much as 80%.<br />“The food choices you and your partner make can have a major effect on improving fertility,” agrees fertility expert Dr Zita West, whose client list includes actresses Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett and Davina McCall.<br /><br /><strong>Here are the foods you – and your partner – need to eat... </strong><br />How to do it:<br />The first step to better fertility is to ensure you have a balanced diet and don’t cut out any major food groups. “Make sure you both get adequate protein from lean meat and fish, essential fats from fish, nuts and seeds, wholemeal carbohydrates and lots fruit and veg,” says Zita.<br />Once you have the basics right you can then add the specific superfoods that researchers have found can boost egg and sperm production. But be patient: you will both need to stick to a diet plan for at least three months before you will know if it has had any effect.<br /><br />Here’s what you should be eating...<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33ccff;">For him<br /></span>Oily fish.</strong>This is the best source of essential fatty acids (EFAs), omega-3 and omega-6 oils – all of which are vital for sperm development. They also enhance sperm quality and mobility.* Eat: Salmon, mackerel and sardines are all types of oily fish. Men should eat between one and four portions a week.<br /><strong>Oysters.</strong>A great source of zinc, which is needed to make the outer layer and tail of the sperm. Nutritionists believe just 15mg a day can help repair sperm that have been damaged by chemicals absorbed from the environment.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33ccff;">* Eat:</span></strong> If you can’t stomach or afford oysters, you’ll find plenty of zinc in beans, nuts, seeds and eggs.<br /><br /><strong>Garlic.</strong>This is a great source of selenium, an antioxidant, which helps maintain strong healthy sperm.* Eat: Add chopped garlic to stir-fries, pasta sauces and curries. Garlic breath may not be very romantic but it can be easily neutralised by chewing a little parsley afterwards.<br /> <br /><strong>Spinach.</strong>This and other leafy greens are rich in folate, which improves sperm production. A study by the University of California found men with high intakes of this nutrient had up to 30% healthier sperm.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#3366ff;">* Eat:</span></strong> Steam spinach lightly with garlic and chilli or eat it raw in a healthy salad.<br /><br /><strong>Avocados.</strong>A rich source of vitamin E, which improves the quality of sperm. Avocados are also an excellent way to absorb unsaturated fats, which are crucial for healthy hormone function.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33ccff;">* Eat:</span></strong> Make your own guacamole as a dip for carrot sticks. Scoop flesh out of a couple of avocados and mash it up, adding a little garlic and lemon juice.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">For her</span></strong><br /><strong>Full-fat dairy. </strong>A fertility study by Harvard University found women who eat at least one serving of full-fat dairy a day reduce their risk of infertility by more than a quarter. It’s thought that the fat in dairy helps improve ovarian function.<br /><br /><strong>* Eat:</strong> Consider changing low-fat dairy foods for full-fat while you are in the process of trying for a baby. A glass of milk a day is plenty.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Water. </span></strong>If you don’t drink enough water the reproductive system will lose out as the body ensures that the most vital organs receive the water that they need first.Water is needed for plump egg follicles and a strong blood supply to the womb lining. If you’re dehydrated, your cervical fluid (the stuff that helps the sperm find the egg) also becomes sluggish.<br /><br /><strong>* Drink:</strong> Aim to have about eight glasses per day. Try mixing water with fruit juice or a squirt of lemon to liven it up.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Orange fruit and vegetables.</span></strong> Peaches, apricots, carrots and mangoes all contain beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A and which helps to produce the female sex hormones important for ovulation.<br /><br /><strong>* Eat:</strong> Start the day with a mango and peach smoothie, and have a bag of chopped carrots to snack on at work.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Chicken.</span></strong>Getting enough protein is vital for egg production. Meat is the best source of protein but go for chicken rather than red meat – as it is much lower in fat.<br /><br /><strong>* Eat:</strong> Women need about 45g of protein a day but don’t have more than this. As Zita West warns: “High-protein diets aren’t good in the lead-up to pregnancy, as there’s evidence that ammonia, a by-product of excessive protein, may interfere with embryo implantation.”<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Oily fish, nuts and seeds.</span></strong>These are all extremely rich in essential fatty acids, which are crucial for healthy ovulation. According to Zita, eight out of 10 women are currently deficient in EFAs.<br /><br /><strong>* Eat:</strong> You need to eat about 30g of nuts and seeds a day – enjoy them as a snack, sprinkle them on your cereal or mix into a healthy salad. Also try to eat about 300g – or roughly two portions – of oily fish a week.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">SOURCE: MIRROR.CO.UK</span></span><br /></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806314834317657221.post-80366861664424940562009-05-27T08:23:00.000-07:002009-05-27T08:26:54.571-07:00Healthy eating can help perk up fertility<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">IT IS estimated that one in seven couples have trouble conceiving despite regularly having unprotected sex.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />But the number of couples who are classed as infertile in the UK remains relatively low.<br /><br />There are a number of conditions, which can cause infertility, although in just under a third of cases the cause is unknown.<br /><br />However there are a number of factors which, while not causing infertility, can affect men and women’s chances of conceiving.<br />Being overweight, or obese, for example, reduces both male and female fertility. In women, it can affect ovulation.<br />Being underweight can also impact on fertility, particularly for women, who will not ovulate if they are severely underweight.<br /><br /><strong>Smoking</strong> not only affects a person’s general and long-term health, it can also affect fertility and stress can reduce sexual desire, reducing the frequency of sexual intercourse. Severe stress may also affect female ovulation and can limit sperm production.<br /><br /><strong>Nutrition</strong> – what people are eating – also has an impact on fertility. Many of us will be aware of the importance of folic acid for women trying to conceive, or that zinc is good for healthy sperm, but the role of nutrition in fertility goes beyond this.<br /><br />While there are no specific foods or beverages that will definitely make anyone more fertile, a person’s overall nutrition has a subtle, but powerful effect on all of the body’s systems, including the reproductive system.<br /><br />Kay Clarke, a nutritional therapist at the Natural Health and Fertility Clinic, in Cardiff, said: “Nutrition is very important for the reproductive organs not least because they are often at the bottom of the list in terms of the body’s needs.<br />“Nutritionally people seem to be unaware of the basics.<br />“The nutritional status of a person is an individual thing, which we need to assess but there are some general points, including eating five to nine portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day.<br />“They are full of vitamin C which helps in the production of eggs and sperm. The oils – omega three, six and nine – are also important because they have an anti-inflammatory reaction on the body and help to balance reproductive hormones.<br />“But if you are eating a lot of saturated fats, such as butter, cheese, and fatty meats these foods have an inflammatory effect in the body and therefore the action of the good oils is diminished.<br />“It is important that you get a balance of good oils over the bad fats. Couples who are trying to conceive should limit saturated fats to just part of one meal a day.”<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">SOURCE: walesonline.co.uk</span></span><br /></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0