Touched by the Stork - Fertility Information

January 1st. That's the date on the calendar and that means that it's the start of a New Year. But it's also the start of something else - a month devoted to celebrating the love that you have for yourself. That's right - January is Love Yourself Month.

Now, now, don't get all up in arms. Don't start saying that you aren't into those "silly holidays" that Hallmarkers use to get you to buy unnecessary gifts. And don't even begin to say that you don't have the time or energy to celebrate any more holidays. Loving yourself isn't something that's silly or something that takes too much time or money. It's something that you should be doing anyway.

The problem for many women who are suffering from infertility is that they're so focused on their families that they forget to love themselves. Yes, you take good care of your health, but it's mostly for the baby. Yes, you try to spark some romance with your partner, but it's mostly in the name of conception. You forget to do the little things that are really just about you.

Take some time this month that's about celebrating your own self, as an individual instead of as a set of reproductive abilities and flaws. You can still make it to your in vitro fertilization treatments and put dinner on the table for your household. But remember to take walks in the park, naps in the afternoon and time to just be who you are.

Question of the Day: What are five things you can do to celebrate Love Yourself Month?

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Yes, Christmas is over. But there are still a few stories floating in about Christmas experiences that were really special. And the creme de la creme of those stories deserve some recognition even though the holidays are technically over. One of those stories is the case of a couple who just welcomed twin babies into their family as a result of surrogacy. The reason that the story is so special is because the surrogate mom is the woman's aunt.

The couple had been trying for three years to get pregnant but could not conceive. They endured the common problems associated with infertility such as miscarriages. Ultimately, they decided that they were done with infertility treatments and would consider moving forward with adoption instead. But that's when the woman's aunt came to the rescue. The forty-something-year-old woman volunteered to be a surrogate for her twenty-something niece.

“I was shocked when she told me,” Melissa said. “That is a lot to put yourself through and I was shocked that someone would want to do that for me. I never would have asked anyone to do this, but she and I have always been really close (and) I trusted her to carry my babies.” (source)

Despite the wonder involved in it, the couple had hesitations at first. For one thing, the mother had to mourn the fact that she wouldn't be the one to bring the babies into this world. But once they had dealt with the emotions and gotten the information, they decided that this was the way to go. And right around Christmas, the aunt went into labor with the twins that she was carrying.

Question of the Day: Would you carry a baby for someone in your family if you could?

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Previews of a new movie about infertility are beginning to hit the headlines. Baby Mama isn't going to be released until April but people are already starting to talk about what they think of the potential for the film.

From the looks of the plot synopsis, the story starts off as one that many women with infertility can relate to. The main character waits until a little late in life to get pregnant (not too late, 37) and learns when she decides to try for a baby that she's probably not going to be able to do so. She considers her options for dealing with infertility and ultimately selects surrogacy as the answer.

That's where the plot diverges from real life in order to be interesting to viewers. The "working girl" surrogate ends up without a place to live and ends up having to move in with the mom-to-be. This causes what are probably predictable conflicts between child-raising plans. And there's likely to be a happy ending when the newfound friends resolve their conflicts.

The movie may or may not be good. We'll have to wait until April to find out. But it's nice to see that infertility is making its way into mainstream movies such as this one.

Question of the Day: What other movies do you know of that touch on the issue of infertility?

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The media almost always concentrates on the female side of infertility treatments. That makes sense, of course. When talking about in vitro fertilization and difficulty with conceiving, we're basically talking about a woman getting pregnant. The issue may or may not have to do with the man who may or may not be in her life ... but she's the focus.

This is not that kind of story.

This is the story of two men and the family that they have started together as a result of their experiences in working with an infertility doctor. The Cincinnatti Post reports on a gay couple who have just had a baby through the use of a surrogate.

So which one of them is the biological dad? They don't know. The surrogate's eggs were fertilized with the sperm from both men so that they can truly feel like equal parents in the relationship. Right now they're probably just feeling equally exhausted - after all, they've got a newborn to raise!

Question of the Day: If you were in the same type of relationship, would you consider the dual-sperm-donor option in having a baby?

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Have you spent a significant amount of time researching your infertility treatment options? If so, you might think that you know the information about your choices inside and out. You could probably explain the whole process of in vitro fertilization to someone who had never heard of it before. You have probably already thought about alternatives to conception such as surrogacy and adoption. But there are a myriad of procedures out there that don't get talked about too often, so don't start thinking that you know everything quite yet.

Some of the procedures that aren't as common are the ones that are associated with male reproductive health problems. One of those is miscroscopic testicular sperm extraction. This relatively rare procedure is available for men who have difficulty producing moving sperm. It has only come about in approxiamtely the last decade as doctors have begun to realize that moving sperm is not necessarily required for successful conception.

The process, which was detailed recently in a news report over at SanLuisObispo.com, involves the doctor opening up the male's testicles and searching for tubules where sperm may be hiding. These are extracted microscopically and sent over to the in vitro fertilization lab where the additional steps towards conception can be taken. Although not done often, this has been successful for a number of couples.

Question of the Day: Is this a procedure that you would consider?

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When you go to speak with a fertility treatment doctor about your options for getting pregnant, you are going to get a whole lot of information. You are also going to get a lot of advice. Although most of this is going to be about the types of treatment options that you have for trying to conceive, some of it is also going to be about your health. That's because what is good for your health is good for the health of any babies that you might eventually carry in your body.

Likewise, what's bad for you is bad for your baby. That's why pregnant women stop smoking and drinking, of course. And it's also why women should be a healthy weight when they get pregnant. A new study confirms this latter fact by showing that women who are overweight or obese at the time of conception are significantly more likely to have obese children than their normal-weight counterparts.

There is a lot to think about when you start going to a fertility treatment doctor. You're going to be making decisions about medications and health care providers and all sorts of other things. But you shouldn't be so focused on the conception that you forget about the importance of the pregnancy itself. Keep yourself healthy - and fit - in order to have the best luck with your treatments.

Question of the Day: Of how much importance is your weight in comparison with other fertility concerns?

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Many women find that when they are undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments, they hardly ever think about anything else. Treating infertility is something which requires education, time and a commitment. However, it doesn't have to be the be-all-and-end-all to your life. You are able to have other interests and activities in your life while undergoing the treatments. In fact, a well-rounded life will make you a more relaxed person and probably better suited to the whole ordeal of coping with your infertility problems.

It's true that you're going to spend a significant chunk of your time dealing with the infertility issue. You will have to take the time to not only go to your IVF appointments but to do the research necessary to make sure that you understand what IVF is all about. You're going to be talking a lot with your partner about the pregnancy situation. And you're probably going to find yourself regularly seeking out information about your options as well as friendships with people who understand what you're going through. That's healthy.

What's not healthy is putting the rest of your life on hold while you deal with infertility. You should continue to read books and blogs that are about things (other than fertility) which interest you. You should continue seeing friends that you've had for a long time and make sure to talk about things other than the baby situation. And you should continue working or pursuing hobbies that keep you engaged in life. (One success story of a woman who has done this can be found here.)

We all want to have a well-rounded mom; it might be the best thing that you can give your future baby.

Question of the Day: Have you found your interest in things slipping away as you focus on fertility?

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Do you know what the source of your infertility is? For about one fifth of women who are having trouble conceiving, the problem lies with ovulation. A lack of ovulation - or a complete absence of it - reduces the ability to get pregnant. Women with this problem who go to a fertility doctor will often find that the recommended solution is to take fertility drugs.

While fertility drugs can be useful in treating this problem, there are also things that you can do at home to regulate ovulation and increase your chances of getting pregnant. The most important of these is to change your diet. A recent study found that making five diet and lifestyle changes can increase the likelihood of pregnancy by up to eight percent.

This makes sense when the cause is an ovulation problem which is essentially a problem with hormones. Altering your diet has the potential to alter your hormones. This attacks the root of the problem and makes conception more of a possibility. Of course, you should ask a doctor about whether or not this diet makes sense for you.

Question of the Day: What diet changes have you made since you began trying to conceive?

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This Sunday is January 13th. If you stay abreast of interesting holidays, then you know that this means that it's the annual Make Your Dream Come True Day. If you're not on top of these holidays, this year is a good year to start getting to know this one.

Make Your Dream Come True Day is a day for honoring your right to take steps towards achieving your dreams. The goal of the day is to get people to make movements in the direction of achieving their life goals. You can learn more about the holiday here.

If your dream is to have a baby and you've been having trouble conceiving, it might be time to take that next step. In honor of the holiday, give yourself permission to contact a fertility treatment doctor to discuss your options. This could be the first day of your family's future!

Question of the Day: What else will you do to celebrate this holiday?

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There is a new book out for kids which helps them to better understand the process of adoption. The book was written by an adoptive mother who wanted to find reading material that would assist her adopted son in understanding the process by which he came into her life. She found that there wasn't a book out there that she thought was suitable. The logical conclusion she came to was that she would write one.

The book is told from the perspective of an adopted child. This serves the purpose of providing a character that kids can relate to when reading the book. The author and the co-author who worked on the book with her are considering writing a similar book tackling the topic of surrogacy. A book about being born through surrrogacy written for children from the perspective of a surrogate child would certainly be something unique on the market.

Surrogate parents interested in this should be aware, however, that there is a faith-based thread to the book. While this shouldn't turn anyone off, it's important to note because there is such a division in the fertility community about how faith and science can go together.

Question of the Day: Would a book like this about surrogacy or IVF interest you as a parent?

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PlanetOut reports that there has been a steady rise in the number of gay couples that are turning to in vitro fertilization as an option for building their families. A portion of this increase is believed to be caused by the legalization of same-sex marriages in the state of Massachusetts. However, even couples who are not legally married are able to use IVF to add children to their families.

The report explains that it's easier and less expensive for female couples to use IVF since one of them can be the parent that carries the baby. However, gay male couples can use IVF and surrogacy to successfully add children to their partnership.

PlanetOut provides information for couples in this situation to assist them in understanding guardianship and adoption rules. Essentially, the non-biological parent should petition for second parent guardianship in states that allow it. Your fertility doctor should be able to provide you with additional information about the legal issues in your state.

Question of the Day: Do you believe that gay marriage laws and IVF rates among gay couples are linked?

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Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon is a Haitian actress best known for her roles on NYPD Blue and The Jamie Foxx Show. (And some know her for her Playboy cover, shown above.) She's also a woman who has suffered the ups and down of infertility problems for the last five years. And more than that, she's a woman who has overcome them and has just recently given birth to twins!

Over the course of the last five years, Garcelle and her husband experienced three miscarriages. In addition, they went through two failed experiences with in vitro fertilization. The process was exhausting but it brought the couple closer together and they continued working with a fertility doctor until Garcelle got pregnant.

As could be expected, the pregnancy wasn't easy. In fact, the twins were born early through C-section. But they are healthy and the family is doing well.

Celebrity Baby Blog has more information here and here.

Question of the Day: What do you think Garcelle will do with her career now that she's a mom?

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There are a wide range of different books available to you for reading about infertility. Most of the time, you'll want to go with the newest books on the market because they are the ones with the most up-to-date information about what your infertility choices are. However, it's sometimes good to go back to old favorites and read what they have to say.

If you're in the market for a slightly older book about infertility, you might want to pick up a copy of Richard Paulson's Rewinding Your Biological Clock: Motherhood Late in Life - Options, Issues and Emotions. (See it on Amazon here.) Although some of the medical information may not be cutting-edge, it takes a good look at some of the deep emotional issues affecting older women who are undergoing infertility treatments.

The author continues to work in the field today. He is the chief of a reproductive health department at USC. He recently leant his expertise on the issue to ABC News to provide answers about infertility questions to their readers. You can learn more about the issue from him here.

Question of the Day: What is the most helpful book you've ever read about infertility?

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Marcia Cross, the star of Desperate Housewives, has gained a lot of attention in the last couple of years because of her openness about her fertility issues. About a year ago, she gave birth to twins after successful use of in vitro fertilization treatments. She's thrilled with how well it worked for her but in a recent interview warned that if you can have kids when you're younger and avoid IVF, you should.

She explains that IVF isn't easy. And it isn't cheap. And she says that if you can choose to have children at a younger age, you should avoid the cost and pain of the procedure and do things the natural way. She points out that many middle-aged women (especially in Hollywood) are in denial about their real age and that being honest with themselves about it is sometimes a better way to go.

Of course, there are many different reasons why women have problems with fertility. As Cross has demonstrated, IVF can be a great way to resolve those problems and to start your family. But she just wants women to know that the process isn't simple.

Question of the Day: What would be your biggest reason for waiting until later in life to have kids?

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There is a woman in Britian who has spent a lifetime making babies for other women to raise. 43-year-old Jill Hawkins has spent the past sixteen years of her life earning an income from being a surrogate mother. She is currently pregnant for the eighth time in a case which is controversial because she is believed to have mental health problems which could be related to a lifetime spent giving away the children she carried.

Surrogacy is a wonderful option for parents who are struggling with infertility issues. When in vitro fertilization is unsuccessful, or when other factors are present which make it a less-than-appealing choice, surrogacy can bring a child into the homes of couples that aren't able to conceive themselves. However, it's not something which is easy for the couple or for the woman carrying the baby.

It is unlikely that you will find someone in America who has been a surrogate more than once. However you should be comfortable speaking openly with your doctor and with the surrogate that you select to make sure that she is doing the procedure for the right reasons, whether it's her first time or not. You want to make sure that you're all making the difficult process as easy for each other as you can.

Question of the Day: Would you use a surrogate who had already been through the process once before?

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There aren't too many celebrities out there who have used in vitro fertilization to get pregnant but there are a handful that we hear about every now and then. Rumor has it that Hugh Hefner might be added to that list.

GlossLip reports that Hugh Hefner and one of his Girl Next Door girlfriends, Holly Madison were spotted in the waiting room of a gynecologist who specializes in using IVF to assist women in conceiving. Reportedly getting pregnant is Holly's idea, not Hef's, but both halves of the couple seem to think that bringing a new Hefner into the world is a smashing idea.

Hefner is over the age of eighty so it might take some work from a qualified doctor to get his genes out of his jeans but the couple seems set on making it happen.

Question of the Day: Do you think that a new Hef is a good idea?

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One of the things that's important to know when you're trying to resolve issues of infertility is what the woman's egg supply is. At the beginning of this year, a new technology called Repromedix Plan Ahead was released to provide exactly this information.

From their press release:

Repromedix Plan Ahead is "a new blood test that provides an assessment of a woman's egg supply by combining multiple factors including the measurement of ovary-related hormones AMH, Inhibin B, and FSH with innovative and proprietary technology."

Essentially, this allows women to compare their egg supply with that of the average for a woman of their age to better assess their options for treating infertility.

The new technology is already starting to be used in doctor's offices across the nation.

Question of the Day: What reasons might you have to know your egg supply numbers?

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There is a bill being amended in the state of Georgia which has the potential to affect many women's lives. Although it is primarily directed at women interested in getting abortions in the state, it could reduce the possibility for all different types of reproductive choice. It could even make in vitro fertilization illegal throughout Georgia.

The bill, officially known as House Resolution 536 - or HR536) is called The Human Life Amendment. It is specifically designed to outlaw abortion in the state, a move which many considered to be contrary to the free rights of women established years ago in landbreaking cases that legalized abortion.

Even more frightening than its intended purpose is the fact that it could have broad ramification which will impact all women who are considering alternative methods of conception and birth. In other words, it reduces choices for women who are pregnant or who are interested in getting pregnant.

Learn more here.

Question of the Day: Would you take action against a bill amendment such as this one?

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Scientists have discovered that field mice have an infertility problem which they have evolved to naturally resolve using a system that is very similar to the in vitro fertilization that is used on humans today. Additional findings by the scientists suggest that there may be solutions other than in vitro fertilization for treating fertility problems that are caused by the male partner.

Essentially, what scientists found was that field mice had developed an interesting evolutionary solution to a problem they had been facing. They eliminate a particular immune system protein in order to fertilize eggs more quickly so that they can outpace their field mice competitors in the race to populate their communities. It has been discovered that a similar thing may happen in adult men although the reason for it happening is different.

The natural solution that field mice found is strikingly similar to IVF in humans. However, the hope of scientists is that by better understanding the process as it happens in field mice, they will be able to develop additional solutions for human males with infertility problems caused by a lack of this same protein.

Question of the Day: Do you feel that looking to animals is a step forward or back in resolving infertility?

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The Press & Sun Bulletin recently ran an interesting article profiling two different women who achieved successful pregnancies with the assistance of fertility drugs. The women were different, their stories were different and their success was different. However, both women came to the same conclusion: fertility drugs work.

"Both Smyk and Wolfer say they advise any couple trying unsuccessfully to have children to try fertility treatments. "The science is out there to do it," said Wolfer, 40. "It can work." Both women say they don't regret all the shots, the countless trips to the doctor's office and the long wait to become a mother." (source)

The two women both had trouble conceiving naturally. They tried the various options available to them and both ended up with fertility injections. Both women got pregnant. One of them had prematurely born twins which required special care at the time of birth. However, both women were pleased with the families that resulted from their fertility treatments.

Question of the Day: What fears do you face about fertility injections?

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The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is poised to become a major leader in infertility research. That is because they have just received approval from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for funding to support a new infertility research center.

Like other centers of its kind, The Center for Reproduction and Infertility Research will be focused on finding new ways to improve human reproductive health. Through research taking place at the new location, scientists and medical professionals hope to gain new insight into fertility issues and to provide new solutions to those who need them.

One of the main things that is going to initially happen at this new center is that a multidisciplinary team of researchers will be joining forces. They will be working towrads a goal of understanding maternal-fetal communication in the early stages of pregnancy and identifying causes of infertility related to endometriosis. With experts from different areas of the school's educational team coming together, the center should be able to provide a wealth of information to these women.

Question of the Day: What projects would you like to see the new center take on in the future?

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Women who have been treated for cancer are often concerned about fertility issues. A new report shows that women treated for a specific kind of cancer can successfully and safely use in vitro fertilization to get pregnant after treatment.

The report looked at women who had be "conservatively treated for for well differentiated endometrial carcinoma". It found that proper treatment as well as proper post-treatment follow up with a fertility doctor could make it possible to safely conceive a child using IVF. The fertility rates for these patients were the same as those for the general population using IVF.

The key seems to lie in communication with both the cancer doctor and the fertility doctor. It is important to treat the cancer as conservatively as possible with a mind towards "fertility preservation". It is also important to consult a fertility doctor as early in the process as possible to work out the details of using IVF after this type of treatment.

Question of the Day: What infertility treatment options would you consider when facing a cancer diagnosis?

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One of the concerns that women with infertility have is that their babies are sometimes at greater risk of contracting certain diseases. With the help of a good doctor, this can be mitigated. However, it's always hopeful for these women to hear about advances in medicine that can treat such diseases in the womb.

One such medical advance has come out of research being done at the University of Queensland. This research has initiated the possibility of treating certain disorders, such as brittle bones, while the baby is still in the womb. In utero stem cell treatment.

"Dr Yolande Harley of charity Action Medical Research, which funded the project, said: "Professor Fisk's work is a real breakthrough. It suggests that if stem cells could be successfully transplanted before a baby with OI is even born, it could mean a significant improvement in the child's health and quality of life." (source)

This type of treatment won't be available for some time. It's going to have to go through rounds of testing before it will be perfected and approved for use. But it points to the direction that we are going with treating problems occurring with babies before they are even born.

Question of the Day: What genetic diseases do you fear most for your own children?

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