Touched by the Stork - Fertility Information
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Friday, May 15, 2009
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Fertility Patch
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We've all heard for the birth control patch and nicotine patch, but the
newest patch on the market is currently in clinical trials and it is the
fertility patch. The patch delivers hormones every 90 minutes via
electrical impulses.
NBC affiliate in Cleveland said, "Now University Hospitals is enrolling
women in a clinical trial testing a fertility patch that uses electrical
stimulation to help get the hormone in the body. Dr. James Liu is Chair of
UH's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He says in people of child
bearing age, the brain releases GNRH, or gonadotrophin, a hormone that
stimulates the ovaries or testes. The Lutrepatch mimics the way the brain
releases the hormone."
Doctors and researchers say the benefit of the patch is that it does not
overstimulate the eggs and ovaries much like fertility shots. It rather
implements and deploys the same amount of hormones as our brains do
naturally. This may make wave for a new form of fertility treatments if
approved and further tested.
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
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IVF Blunder
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After a possible machine malfunction at least 5 embryos have died at a
Sydney based In Vitro Fertilization clinic. Such instances can cause much
pain and grief for infertile couples who's hopes of child-bearing were with
IVF. Generally the governing fertility bodies claim to only see a handful of
machine errors adversly affecting embryos each year. So thankfully the
situation is not very commonplace, however must be rectified or prevented
from now on.
News.com.au said, "Patients at the Sydney IVF Canberra
clinic said were told yesterday that an incubator "broke down",
leaving many embryos dead and dashing the hopes of couples. Kylie de Boer,
general manager of Sydney IVF, said all machines will be re-checked for any
problems in the wake of the "traumatic event". "The loss of an embryo is a
huge disappointment for any couple and Sydney IVF has expressed its
sympathies to all involved," Dr de Boer said"
The clinic has offered replacement trials and treatments after the
malfunction, so the couples hoping to concieve will have a proper and fair
chance yet again.
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Monday, May 11, 2009
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Fertility Grant in Kansas
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Wichita State University has received it's largest grant because of a
scientist at the college. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has
awarded researcher George Bousfield $6.6 million in funding for fertility
research. The NIH is a government agency that grants and awards funding for
people and clinics conducting and supporting ground-breaking or long lasting
medical research.
ABC affiliate in Kansas said that according to the Wichita Eagle, "Bousfield
won the grant while working for the past 10 years on human fertility. The
university says he discovered a variation in a human fertility hormone that
no one knew about before. And he believes the hormone variation acts in a
way that might unlock secrets about human reproduction, and how to enhance
it."
Fertility, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and infertility treatments have been
making headlines for research, controversy and now funding in recent
months.
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Friday, May 08, 2009
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Gender Relations with IVF
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At the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians &
Gynecologists in Chicago, researchers presented findings about ethnicity and
In Vitro Fertilization treatments. The research team took note of
ethnicities ranging from African-Americans, Asians and Hispanic women.
However, the research noted there were no differences between Asian, white and
Hispanic backgrounds with relation to success in treatments. The
investigation primarily highlighted the differences between fertility in
black and white women.
Reuters Health said, "According to the investigators' report, they found
that "compared to white women, black women were more likely to have a failed
cycle prior to embryo transfer, less likely to achieve a pregnancy, and less
likely to have a live birth."
Hopefully with more time and research physicians will be able to better
diagnose and treat such problems in fertility.
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Thursday, May 07, 2009
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Male Contraceptive the New Birth Control Pill?
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A monthly jab of testosterone is being tested as the new contraceptive for
men. Some doctors say this may take over the role of the female birth
control pill and even condoms (for purposes of pregnancy not sexually
transmitted diseases).
BBC News said, "Lead researcher Dr Yi-Qun Gu, from the National Research
Institute for Family Planning in Beijing, China, said: "For couples who
cannot, or prefer not to use only female-orientated contraception, options
have been limited to vasectomy, condom and withdrawal. "Our study shows a
male hormonal contraceptive regimen may be a potential, novel and workable
alternative."
More testing and studies are required before making any commercial use of
the product. But this research brings into play the notion of male
fertility. For years women have been in the forefront of all contraception,
insemination and infertility treatments and research, so this validates the
fact that male fertility is in the limelight.
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Thursday, May 07, 2009
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Older Mothers and Fertility
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Researchers in the US are saying that older mothers may live longer because
the same genes that are said to prolong lifespan also prolong female
fertility. The study however is still preliminary and researchers are
urging people not to think that women will live longer because of this.
After all fertility and lifespan are still considerably and heavily based on
genetics and family history.
United Press International reported on the study saying, "Lead author Ken R.
Smith of the University of Utah says the study found women who gave birth at
age 45 or older were 14 percent to 17 percent less likely to die during any
year after age 50 than women who did not deliver a child after age 40."
Also it was noted in the research that the genes of this women for lifespan
must be really strong, because of these women's brothers and siblings lived
longer as well. Bringing more validity to the fact that much of this is
based on environmental factors and genetics.
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Thursday, May 07, 2009
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Free Fertility Treatments Offered for Mothers Day
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In light of Mother's Day a Pittsburgh based fertility clinic is giving away
free In Vitro Fertilization treatment to infertile couples. The treatment is
said to cost roughly $12,000 and the giveaway will cover all the costs for
recognition of Mother's Day.
Pittsburgh Live reported saying, "I can't think of a better way to
commemorate Mother's Day than to hold this giveaway," Dr. Judith Albert,
co-founder and medical director of the center, said in a news release. "I
hope our efforts will help a woman achieve her dream of becoming a mother."
Entrants must be struggling with infertility for over a year, be between the
ages of 21 and 42 and have basic medical insurance."
For many infertile couples budgeting fertility treatments is the biggest
factor impeding their progress of parenthood and natural conception.
Giveaways like this not only aid such couples during a negative financial
climate, but also promote awareness for infertility treatments and the
plight of going through them.
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Thursday, May 07, 2009
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Fertility Seminar
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A free fertility seminar will be held in Jacksonville, Florida to shed light
on available treatments for infertile couples. Over the past year In Vitro
Fertilization, surrogacy and egg donation have been in the limelight of the
news media, highlighting controversies and problems in the industry. So this
seminar is a great way for couples struggling to conceive to learn about the
positives of infertility treatments.
Jacksonville News said, "Educating people interested in such treatments -
and the importance of seeking help early - is the idea behind the third
annual Fertility Awareness Seminar scheduled for Saturday in Jacksonville.
The center and three other Jacksonville-based clinics - Assisted Fertility
Program, Brown Fertility Associates and the Florida Institute for
Reproductive Medicine - are the sponsors of the event, which is free and
open to the public."
The event will also have a drawing for four free IVF cycles to the winners.
The session will focus on helping couples who are feeling the economic
crunch, and are looking to have their fertility treatments covered by
insurance. Fertility treatments may incite drastic lifestyle changes for
couples, so the seminar will also discuss how to deal with such transitions.
Hopefully with such sessions sparking up in different parts of the states,
more people will be educated on how to successfully conceive and do so
without damaging their budgets and lifestyle.
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Thursday, April 30, 2009
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Sex and the City Star Surrogacy
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Sarah Jessica Parker the beloved Carrie Bradshaw, and her hubby Mathew
Broderick are said to be expecting twins via surrogacy. The couple
conceived their 1st child naturally and successfully; however the last few
years they have been unsuccessful in attempts at natural conception. It was
not reported why they turned to surrogacy, but the couple seem to be
thrilled at the prospect of their two new additions.
Entertainment Weekly released the couple's statement, "In a statement, their
reps announced, and "Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are happily
anticipating the birth of their twin daughters later this summer with the
generous help of a surrogate. The entire family is overjoyed."
Surrogacy has been a popular tactic for many years, however with the recent
economic downturn many women have been offering to be surrogates for
infertile couples to make some extra money. Similarly egg and sperm
donations have been ever-increasing as well.
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Thursday, April 30, 2009
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Male Infertility
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More often than not the predominant topic regarding fertility is based
around women and womens fertility treatments. According to some reports
male infertility is neglected and not often reported on researched in
comparison to its female counterparts. Often fertility experts examine the
male, but generally the female is the person constantly checked on to see if
any shifts have been made to the patients health.
BBC News said, "Around one in six couples experience fertility problems at
some point in their lives and seek advice from a doctor. Tests show that
between 30% to 50% of problems are with the male partner. During any one
year, millions of men throughout the world struggle to father children, and
many more may not be aware of a fertility problem because they have not yet
decided to start a family. Others may realise there is a problem and simply
give up trying."
In some countries like Denmark it is said that 25% of men witness
infertility issues. So clearly fertility clincs and physicians need to be
aware and educating the public worldwide to alleviate such problems.
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