Touched by the Stork - Fertility Information

Triplets aren't a common occurrence at most hospitals. They are particularly rare at Morris Hospital which just experienced the birth of their first set of triplets to be born there in the past forty-plus years. The triplets were born last week after a mother in her late thirties experienced fertility treatment success with in vitro fertilization.

The triplets are an interesting set - there are two identical twins and another one who is not identical. The mother was able to carry the birth through 35 weeks which is uncommon for multiple pregnancies of three or more babies. Considering the emotions behind the use of in vitro and the rarity of multiple births at this hospital, it was quite an exciting event for everyone.

Learn more about this infertility treatment success story here.

Question of the Day: How do you feel about a hospital getting so excited about the birth of in vitro babies?

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There has been a medical advance made recently in the world of infertility medicine and its causing a renewal of old concerns about society seeking to create "designer babies". The advance is that scientists have successfully altered the genetics of a human embryo for the first time in history. The backlash is that a large number of people are seeking to stop this advance from moving forward as a result of fears that this will cause people to want to design their own babies in a specific way.

"But an author of the study says the work was focused on stem cells. He notes that the researchers used an abnormal embryo that could never have developed into a baby anyway ... Colleagues did the work with an embryo that had extra chromosomes, making it nonviable." (source)

People with concerns say that the point isn't so much what the researchers have already done but what the potential is for this type of medical procedure to develop. Others say that the progress it could offer to other researchers exploring stem cell research and infertility medicine are invaluable.

Question of the Day: Is it wrong to genetically modify the human embryo if it leads to advances in fertility treatment?

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We have reported in the past on the fact that Dancing with the Stars celebrity Marissa Jaret Winokur is expecting a child this year. Because she can not carry her own baby, she is using a surrogate to assist her and her husband with bringing a child to their family. The child, which is biologically hers, is due to arrive in the world on July 15th. However, Winokur seems to be a little bit anxious because she has recently said that she "knows" this baby is going to arrive earlier than scheduled.

That brings up an interesting question about the intuition of mothers who are having children through surrogates. A mom's instinct is strong but is it strong enough to give the mother intuitive feelings even when her baby is being carried by another woman? It will be interesting to watch as July approaches whether Winkour is correct in her belief that the baby is going to be an early bird. If so, it could suggest that women's intuition can transcend the womb.

Question of the Day: Do you think a mom's intuition is strong enough to allow her to make accurate predictions about a baby who is being carried by a surrogate?

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Couples around the world have struggled for many years with issues of infertility. When they are heterosexual couples, the response from others tends to be sympathetic. When they are homosexual couples, people may not be as kind. The view tends to be that gay couples choose to be in relationships that prevent them from naturally having children. However, as anyone close a homosexual person knows, being gay isn't usually a choice and the issues surrounding having children with their partners are just as difficult for these couples as they are for heterosexual couples with infertility issues.

Australia has traditionally not been very helpful in equalizing the treatment of fertility issues between heterosexual and homosexual couples. However there is a surrogacy ban in Queensland which is under review; if lifted, it could be a huge step forward for fertility issues facing homosexual couples in the region.

The surrogacy ban as it currently stands bans the act of altruistic pregnancy (woman choosing to have children for others without benefit of financial gain). This applies to any couple that is interested in making use of that type of surrogacy agreement. However, it may be most beneficial to gay male couples on a budget who have few other options for raising a child together. As surrogacy gains popularity around the globe, it may be time for Australia to rethink its position on this issue.

Question of the Day: What is the purpose of an altruistic surrogacy ban and who does it serve today?

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Typically when we talk about fertility news, we are talking about the medical advances that have been made to assist women with infertility problems to have children. However, there are certainly cases in which the infertility problem is due to problems with the fertility of the male half of the relationship.

According to a recent news article published by Adoption.com, there are some things that men can do to reduce the likelihood that they'll contribute to the infertility problem if it is caused by natural (as opposed to medical) sources. Those things include:

- Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins. Using all-organic products and making sure that you live in a low-pollution area can help to reduce infertility that is caused by toxins.

- Get off that bicycle seat. They say that bicycling regularly for long periods of time, particularly while wearing standard bike shorts, is harmful to the sperm.

- Move to a cool-weather location where it rains a lot. Studies have shown that men have higher sperm counts and healthier sperm when they are living amidst weather that is cool and wet.

Is it true that these choices can reduce male infertility? Perhaps; it certainly wouldn't hurt to try them out. If they fail, you can always work with a fertility specialist that is knowledgeable in treating male infertility issues.

Question of the Day: Do you think that these methods of reducing male infertility are likely to be successful for the average person?

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Most women who go to an infertility doctor are able to find some cause for the reason that they are having difficult conceiving a child. In some cases, the woman has waited too long to have children. In other cases, the woman has a genetic issue which has caused the problem. But for some women, the reason remains a mystery. It turns out that one of the causes of unexplained infertility might be a common weed killer that the woman has used in her gardening.

"The herbicide atrazine is the second most widely used weedkiller in the U.S., applied to corn and sorghum fields throughout the Midwest and also spread on suburban lawns and gardens. It was banned in Europe after studies linked the chemical to endocrine disruptions in fish and amphibians." (source)

A study at the University of California San Francisco shows that the infertility concerns which prompted Europe to ban the weedkiller may be rooted in reality. The study showed that women with infertility who had used this product had an amplified gene in the body which may be caused by the weed killer and could be the cause of infertility.

Additional research will need to be done to determine the true link between this product and infertility. However, it's an area for women with fertility concerns to keep an eye on. Choosing organic products and keeping away from this weed killer might not be a bad idea until additional information is available.

Question of the Day: Have you ever considered making the switch to all-organic products in order to decrease your likelihood of developing fertility problems?

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One of the biggest areas of interest in the world of fertility medicine today is the advances that are being made which allow women to work with their doctors to predict the natural life of their fertility. Headway is being made in the ability to do egg count testing which will allow a doctor to get a basic idea of what a woman's fertility is like and when it is likely to decline. This means that women in their twenties and thirties could potentially know what their "deadline" is to naturally conceive children.

A recent article about this testing points out a really important fact which is that this is a new method of approaching fertility. In the past, we have always defined age-based infertility from the point of the future, looking back. In other words, we have said, "okay, this woman has stopped menstruating and has been going through menopause for siz to twelve months so now she is likely infertile". This new blood testing allows us to look at fertility from the present into the future. We can now say, " you have approximately this much time before your fertility will decline". This shift changes the way that fertility medicine will be approached from here on out.

Question of the Day: Would you alter your family and career plans if a blood test showed that your fertility was likely to decline in your thirties?

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Although there are many different causes of infertility, one of the ones that we hear the most about is the choice to delay childbearing into the later years. This is a tough one because it not only comes with all of the traditional emotional ups and down as other forms of infertility but also causes the couple involved to feel as though the situation is their fault. The weight of that issue could potentially get heavier since a doctor is urging the parents of adult children to encourage their kids not to delay their childbearing years.

The trend has been to delay getting married into later years and therefore to push off the date of starting a family. This trend is due to a number of factors including a desire for prolonged higher education, interest in pursuing career paths and the need to develop a steady two-income home before having children. Unfortunately, there are negative trends associated with this including a higher incidence of infertility and the financial and emotional problems that come along with that.

It is because of these negatives that Dr. Alan Singer has urged parents of adult children to plead the case with their kids that it's a mistake to put off childbearing. And he says that parents should help by providing financial support to young adults who are seeking to start a family but don't realistically have the funds to do so. It's an interesting approach to dealing with the problem of infertility but is it one that really makes sense?

Question of the Day: Should parents take such a hands-on role in the fertility issues of their adult children?

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Dealing with issues of infertility is never easy. It doesn't matter what the reason is that you can't conceive naturally - be it because of disease, age, or your lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, some infertility treatment doctors have trouble recognizing that the emotional ups and downs of infertility are the same no matter what the cause. At least, that seems to be the case with a situation in Florida in which a woman was refused infertility treatments because of her sexuality.

The woman is a lesbian who obviously can't conceive naturally since she doesn't have a male partner. She worked with doctors to get fertility treatments but was denied. The doctors eventually admitted that they were refusing her the treatments specifically because she is a lesbian. She had already undergone nearly one year of treatments before this admission was made.

The woman has sued and the court is currently hearing the case in California. Learn more here.

Question of the Day: Should infertility treament doctors be able to decide that someone's lifestyle choices bar them from getting IVF?

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A new brochure put out by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to raise awareness about issues of depression points out the fact that women are twice as likely than men to experience depression at some time during their lives. It also notes that there are many women-specific causes of depression which help to make this fact true. One of those factors is infertility.

There are differences between unique populations of women in terms of who is more likely to suffer from depression. However, it remains true that women are twice as likely as men to be depressed regardless of their specific demographics. That points to the fact that women's issues are likely a major cause in depression.

Infertility can be a source of depression in many ways. It can make a woman feel like a failure in her role as a wife. It can be a source of stress which can exacerbate depression. And treatment for it can cause hormonal fluctuations which can unintentionally result in depression.

Because depression is such a serious issue, it's something that you should keep an eye out for in your own life. Speak to your fertility treatment doctor if you find that it's something which is causing problems for you.

Question of the Day: What other factors cause women to be more at risk of depression than their male counterparts?

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