Fertility Notes- a fertility blog with all the news your womb can use

May 21st, 2008

Navigating the Cold of Cryopreservation and What to Do with “Extra” Embryos

I don’t know if you remember, but a few months ago I wrote about donating embryos and what a tricky, tricky topic this can be: for those in search of embryos looking to “adopt” as well as those who may have embryos available after their fertility treatments.

What are the options available? What are the questions you really need to ask yourself? What are the logistics of donating embryos to research? To another couple? Can one just keep paying the cryopreservation fee indefinitely to avoid making a decision?

I don’t have the answers to these questions, but Dawn Davenport at www.findingyourchild.com is facilitating a three-part podcast (May 21, May 29, June 4) that brings experts together to start the discussion. The first pod cast will take place today from noon-1 p.m. EST.

Have a look at this amazing line up. If you’d like to submit your own questions to the panels, you can forward them to dawn@findingyourchild.com.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
12-1 p.m. EST
Introduction: The options, the ethical and legal Issues involved (Part 1):

Anne Drapkin Lyerly, M.D., M.A.
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and
Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities, and History of Medicine,
Duke Universityand lead author of latest research on preferences for embryo disposition

Nanette Elster
Genetic and Reproductive Health Attorney
Director of Health Law Institute, DePaul University College of Law

Michael J. Tucker, Ph.D., H.C.L.D., F.I. Biol.
Scientific Director, Georgia Reproductive Specialists
Scientific Director, Shady Grove Reproductive Science Center

Wednesday May 28, 2008
12-1 p.m. EST
Donating Embryos to Another Infertile Couple (Part 2):

Jeffrey Keenan, M.D.
Medical Director, Southeastern Fertility Clinic
Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of Tennessee College of Medicine
Medical Director of the National Embryo Donation Center

Ruth F. Claiborne
Claiborne, Outman & Surmay, Atlanta, GA
Attorney specializing in Reproductive Technology and Adoption Law

Deborah Bohn
IVF patient and embryo donor

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
12-1 p.m. EST
Donating Embryos to Research (Part 3):

Dr. Marie Csete, M.D., PhD
Chief Scientific Officer, California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)

Shehua Shen, M.D., ELD (ABB), TS (ABB)
Assistant Adjunct Professor, UCSF
Director, UCSF Embryology Laboratory

Judith F. Daar
Professor of Law, Whittier Law School,
Professor of Medicine, University of California Irvine College of Medicine
Author of Reproductive Technologies and the Law

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May 19th, 2008

Fertility in History - Happy Anniversary (to the Head of) Anne Boleyn

Ah Anne, I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. Probably because this show is currently the reason I look forward to the ends of my weekends, my Sunday nights.

Today is a memorable day for you, Lady Anne. After a brief marriage and far too many miscarriages and missed chances to provide your husband a male heir, your long, elegant neck was relieved of its head. Accusations of adultery, incest, even witchcraft were the official causes of your demise. But we both know the real reason, don’t we?

Would you have been dethroned so quickly had your womb cooperated? Would things be different had you had access to the few tricks up our doctors’ sleeves that we now employ? A little Clomid here, some estrogen there. Oh Anne, would history be different save your losses? Your sorrow? Yes, your sorrow, because every mother grieves, even those fearing for their own existence.

Although it sometimes feels like we are alone as we struggle through our own issues with fertility, Queen Anne, I hope that you forgive us. I can’t think of any other era in history where infertility and pregnancy loss took such a center stage. Your husband’s quest for a male child and subsequent actions to try to gain one made it so. Not even bashful sixth grade history teachers in Catholic School could get around talking about miscarriage. They were forced to explain to pre-pubescent students that sometimes, no matter how hard we try, a baby simply won’t be born alive. Because those lost babies changed history.

I wonder, dear Anne, would the Reformation ever have happened if your predecessor weren’t as unlucky in childbirth as you?

I winced at recent episodes where you were chastised, then blamed, then accused for your pregnancies not being carried to term. (yes, yes, I know. It’s a TV show….) But dammit. The feelings are real and you, Anne, and your predicament, held a very real place in history.

So, here’s to you, Queen Anne, for raising this little’ girl’s awareness way back when. I wish some of those lessons were still just history.

Image credit

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May 19th, 2008

Does Estrogen Enhance Your Physical Appearance?

For the last week or so, my husband has been commenting almost daily on how pretty I look, how my skin glows, how fresh and young I look. What’s the deal?

To my knowledge, there’s no reason for him to sweet talk me, no major fight to make up, no major purchase or splurge to reckon for.

Since he’s noticed, I’ve taken notice too. And my skin does look better, I do look younger. Hmmmm…..I haven’t changed my routine. I’ve recently switched to some Burt’s Bees natural products for my hair, but that wouldn’t explain the rest of it. The only major difference is that my estrogen intake has been gradually increasing as I prepare for some more fertility tests in a few weeks. I am now taking 6 mg a day and sporting 2 lovely estrogen patches in various places on my torso.

Could it be that estrogen makes us prettier? It might.

An article in the Sept/Oct 2007 issue of Psychology Today highlighted a study which interviewed female dancers at a gentleman’s club and found that,

Dancers made about $70 an hour during their peak period of fertility, versus about $35 while menstruating and $50 in between. Miller links the wage fluctuations to changes in body odor, waist-to-hip ratio, and facial features.

Add to that this recent article from BBC News:

Recordings of women taken at different points in their menstrual cycle were played to people of both sexes. New Scientist magazine reports that the voices rated as most attractive belonged to women at peak fertility. The study suggests sex hormones can alter the workings of the voice box, but the change may be too subtle to pick up in many situations.

Sexier voice, fresher face - maybe this daily hormonal cocktail isn’t so bad after all.  Gosh, I almost hate to see it end.

Joking. Joking. I’m joking.

But it is nice to have a bit of a silver lining amidst the pill bottles and prescriptions.

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May 18th, 2008

Stop by the Women’s Health Expo in Time for National Women’s Health Week

You have one more day to celebrate National Women’s Health Week.

Don’t feel like leaving the house today? Just stop by the Women’s Health Expo at Revolution Health. It’s kind of like an online health fair. Even better, Revolution Health will make a donation to an organization every time you click on its booth. Lots of good resources to choose from here - my first stops were the Society for Women’s Health Research and The Wellness Community.

Educate yourself, learn about exercise, nutrition and wellness and find some nurturing (our goals for May, remember?) all right here.

Who will you visit first?

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May 17th, 2008

Homework from My Acupuncturist – Stimulating Points for Fertility

Check out my new gear.

No, no, not the earrings. The earbuds. Those lovely little patches that contain magnets, perfectly placed to stimulate points in my ears that are related to fertility.

That’s my homework assignment.  Given to me by my acupuncturist last week.

24 pulses on each point. 4-6 times a day. In fact, these instructions on eHow may as well have been written by her (I don’t think they were).

Can acupressure assist your fertility? It can, if there aren’t other physical barriers to conception. By that I mean, let’s take me for example.  Since I don’t have any functioning ovaries, I am not expecting a miracle “oops, I’m pregnant” moment any time soon just because I am  and diligently doing my acupressure homework. I am, however, using acupressure and acupuncture to try to increase the flow of Qi and decrease the amount of toxic substances flowing through my body. We are also trying to increase my endometrial lining and get my body ready to hold on to any embryos that are placed in its care.

How? According to HolisticOnline.com,

Pressure applied to specific points on the hands and feet can help stimulate the ovaries, uterus, and adrenal, pituitary, thyroid, and parathyroid glands to balance hormone production. According to five element theory of Oriental Medicine, infertility is influenced by the water element (Bladder and Kidney meridians) and the earth element (spleen and stomach meridians).

Focus upon building up the kidneys, to increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy. Give yourself a kidney rub daily and add black beans (a kidney builder) to your diet.

Acupressure points that are important during the preconception period are:

• Kidney 3
• Spleen 3
• Large Intestine 11
• Triple Warmer 7
• Conception Vessel 3

Doing acupressure at home also makes me feel a little more pro-active, more empowered, than just taking pills at the prescribed times. And any chance I can get to put my body back under my control, I’ll take it.

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May 16th, 2008

The Fabbest Five Posts from Fertility Notes (so far)

I’d like to think that every post at Fertility Notes is fascinating, scintillating, thought-provoking…but this week, the Health and Wellness channel has asked us to pick our top five. So here are mine - a combination of my favorite, your favorite, most commented, most viewed:

1. Breaking News: Teens Can Get Pregnant After Having Sex - Thank you, Miss Jamie Lynn Spears for making this one of my most viewed posts. But there’s more to the post than that. You should read it to find out what.
2. Does It Bother You to See Other People’s Babies? I said no, not so much. Most of you said no, but that you hadn’t really thought about it. Lots of comments of the male kind here. Nice!
3. A Valentine for My Mom - Probably my most personal post here at Fertility Notes. One that I am glad I am finally grown up enough to write.
4. Hey Look! Infertiles are Blogging! - Where I rant and rave a little about the misperception of (in)fertility blogs in the media and are rewarded with comments from not one but two of my favorite bloggers.
5. Ten Random Reasons for Wanting to Have a Baby - This was one of my first posts, one of my favorite, and apparently, one of yours. More than half a year later, this one always ends up in the top ten on my stats page.

So, as Tony Kornheiser would say, “That’s the list!” Did I miss your favorite? Let me know!

Image: Newscom

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May 15th, 2008

Fertility Notes Joins Bloggers Unite for Human Rights

May 15 is Bloggers Unite for Human Rights Day. I hate feeling left out, so Fertility Notes has joined the charge!

In my mind, reproductive rights and women’s right to affordable and accessible health care are human rights issues. I think the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights agrees with me. Article 16 in it says:

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

I love this language because it is inclusive. Notice that it says men and women, but doesn’t prescribe that marriage=man+woman. Not like the horrific law that Pennsylvania is trying to push through (argh, I digress. That’s another post).

Founding a family relies on reproductive health, (a topic that I cover in my Bloggers for Choice post back in January). And when people ask for assistance with fertility, I think we are really asking for the same level of care that we expect for any other part of our bodies that aren’t functioning as they should. It is never questioned when someone asks for a broken bone to be mended, or when treatment for a disease is undertaken. Yet, fertility treatments are still seem by some as a boutique request, something that’s nice, but not necessary. Something that is created by lifestyle choices, not medical necessity.

Are there things we can do to improve our fertility by altering lifestyle choices? Sometimes, yes. Just as we can minimize our risk for cancers. Lifestyle and healthy choices always play a part in wellness. But they are not always enough.

Legislation like the Family Building Act, which would mandate insurance coverage for some fertility treatments, are trying to protect and preserve the “natural and fundamental group unit of society” - the family. And I believe being part of and trying to raise a family is a fundamental human right.

So there you have it, my two cents and then some.

What are yours?

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May 13th, 2008

Health & Wellness Recognize Mental Health Month Around the Channel

And a big thank you goes to Alicia at Mental Health Notes for hosting this month’s theme. Be sure to visit Alicia to see a review of the first set of posts (including mine at Fertility Notes) from around the channel and how they connect with your mental well being. Stop by Daily Tomorrow for its contribution: Is Going Green Good for Your Mental Health, or Just Making Your Crazy?

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May 12th, 2008

Get Connected for Mental Health Month

May is Mental Health Month, but don’t worry. I’m not going to tell you to “just relax.” This year’s theme is “Get Connected.” Let’s talk about that.

In celebration of the event, I want to remind my readers that in addition to their online resources and forums, the National Infertility Association RESOLVE actually offers two different types of “real life” support groups - one led by mental health professionals and a more informal peer-support group often known as “coffee and conversation.”

RESOLVE understands that,

Making the decision to join a RESOLVE group can be difficult for some people. It may be the first time you have ever been in a group and you may wonder if you will become overly emotional in the group and too vulnerable to others. Remember that most people feel insecure about joining a group! But, keep in mind that a group, whether it be professionally led or peer led, will help you feel less isolated, empower you with knowledge and validate your emotional response to the life crisis of infertility. Also, a recent study found that attendees of RESOLVE support groups had higher pregnancy rates.

If you’re looking for some one-on-one advice, you can find a mental health professional who understands the psychological and emotional aspects of reproductive health through American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)’s Mental Health Professional Group. Why go see a mental health professional? ASRM’s 2-page FAQ sheet talks about the why and what a MH professional might be able to help you do.

But if you’re still feeling a little shy, I invite you to find support as you work through your fertility issues online. Or, perhaps you just need to know that you are not the only person trying to navigate what should be a simple path towards parenthood: Cyclesista is a great place for that.

When we first started to explore assisted reproductive options, what was important to me was to know that we weren’t just spinning our wheels and that there were people out there who were now proud parents with a little help from some friends (and good reproductive endocrinologists). And I can’t thank Melissa enough for leading me to them. No matter which stage you are in on your journey, you can bet you will find someone to connect with on Stirrup Queen’s Completely Anal List of Blogs that Proves That She Missed Her Calling as a Personal Organizer.

So, what are you waiting for? Get Connected!

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May 12th, 2008

Did Infertility Drive Mark Saunders to Desperate Stand Off?

I am used to hearing adjectives like, “baby-desperate” and “obsessive” when people talk about people struggling with fertility issues.  I am not used to infertility being used to describe the reasons behind why a mild-mannered, well-respected barrister turn into a “crazed gunman” shooting at his neighbor’s home in Chelsea West London until he was eventually killed by police.

Like any unexpected actions that end in tragedy, there is an immediate urge to delve into the reasons behind the actions. What happened? How did this come to be? There must be an explanation. There must. We need to know why.

According to the Times Online,

The couple were also believed to want to start a family. According to one friend, their hopes of children had suffered setbacks. A police source claimed that Saunders was troubled by doubts over his fertility.

Wait. Are you saying that in addition to creating some fiscal challenges, some potential disagreements and hard conversations with your spouse and making you re-evaluate how you see yourself, your sexuality and your wholeness as a person, fertility issues can create this kind of violent transformation? Hold on. Perhaps I’m reading it wrong. Let me read a little further….

What turned the family lawyer into a gunman? A detective close to the case said Saunders had had a row with his wife in the hours leading up to the siege. “It was about his alcoholism and his infertility,” the detective claimed.

What do you think about this? Is infertility being used as the ultimate scapegoat here? Or do Mr. Saunders’ actions speak to the loneliness and frustration that so many others dealing with infertility issues feel? Will this incident help or hinder infertility awareness efforts?

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