Posts Tagged ‘IVF In The News’

Interview with AOL Daily Finance

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

We were recently contacted to do an interview for BabyOrBust for AOL Daily Finance. We were thrilled to be asked and spent about 30 minutes speaking with Eric Wahlgren, the writer. He was a pleasure to speak with and we appreciated the care with which he asked the questions (not an experience we’ve always enjoyed with journalists). Even more pleasing was the fantastic article he published today on AOL.

I think it’s a fine representation of what we’ve tried to accomplish here at BabyOrBust, and I think it helps open up a few doors about infertility. I enjoyed hearing about some of the other creative things couples have used to raise the money. Like a wine tasting fundraiser – heck yeah!

Please read the story here.

Infertility Myths: Factors that Can and Can’t Affect Your Fertility

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

I like to peruse the Yahoo! Shine homepage from time to time, as it’s like a juicy chick magazine without the Earth-killing paper waste and $3.50 fee.

One of the top stories today was this very interesting list about the things that can and can’t have an affect on your fertility.

Things that can prevent pregnancy / negatively influence fertility:

> History of STDs
> Recent DepoProvera
> Irregular cycles
> Overweight or Underweight
> Age (yes guys, there really is a biological clock. its ticks get slower after 30 and again after 35.)
> Not enough sex or too much sex
> Family history of infertility

Things that have no influence on fertility:

> How wet or dry you are (you know, down there)
> Sex positions
> Female orgasm
> Extended use of birth control
> The Herp

See the article by Dr. Kate in full here.

Obesity and Infertility

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

One of the co-authors of Budgeting for Infertility, Evelina Sterling, has contributed a post at DietsInReview.com discussing the influence of obesity in infertility. Maybe it’s not an obvious answer, but for some who are struggling to conceive, definitely consider not only your weight but that of your partner. Being overweight or obese has so many negative impacts on your body, that it should come as no surprise that your fertility could be impacted as well.

Here’s an exerpt, and then continue reading Obesity Increases Chances of Infertility and maybe take a second look at your diet.

Unfortunately, it is not completely clear exactly how obesity affects fertility. It is a complex relationship that we are just beginning to understand. Still, the bottom line is the more you weigh, the less fertile you are. Most likely, the added pounds disrupt normal hormone production and prevent successful ovulation among women. For men, it can result in fewer and less quality sperm. In any case, the chances for fertilization are significantly lowered. And if both partners in a couple are overweight, they are even more likely to have to wait longer before conceiving a child.

Watermelon for Fertility

Friday, July 10th, 2009

If the BBT readings, ovulation calendars and plain old fashioned sex aren’t doing the trick – eat some watermelon! You might need the refreshment if you haven’t, um, come up for air in a while.

Plus, a new study suggests that the rich lycopene source that is watermelon may improve sperm concentration and motility.

More on watermelon for fertility at Diets In Review.

The Aftermath of Typhoon Nadya Suleman

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

I haven’t run in to too many people lately who haven’t heard about Nadya Suleman and her eight pre-mature IVF babies. And the six she has at home. The one with autism. The welfare checks. How she lives with her mother. That the father isn’t involved. How she doesn’t have a job. Blah, blah blah. Anyone who hasn’t seen her story on the news, an entertainment show, a magazine or the Internet in the past month is quite certainly living under a dark, sound-proof rock.

I’m having trouble talking about this situation with even my husband because it’s so frustrating and for the most part anytime friends, family, strangers, etc. bring it up in conversation, I choose to practice my right to keep my damn mouth shut. I feel like I’d sound like a hypocrite. We’re similar because we’re both dieing to start a family and both have to rely on IVF to achieve that. We’re different in a lot of ways, too. That to me seem obvious.

The site Dooce.com is one of my favorites, I know I’ve mentioned her here before. She participates in a mommy-blogger Web group called Momversation, in which each contribute a video blog about a topic and discuss it. Often times it’s about sex after having a baby or the difference in being a mom vs. a wife (my sort of hard-knocks college where I’m earning a pre-mom in motherhood). This week’s convo discussed the ethics of planned multiples, with Ms. Suleman a hot target. I wanted to share it with you because the sentiment is expressed in a much more detached way that I feel I can politely convey myself.

They make a point in this video to say that because of this situation, it will make the judgment on other infertile couples that much worse. And it will. We’ve already been faced with some comments about the number of children we’ll deliver. I adamantly remind people that I have a responsible doctor who consistently urges me to only transfer a single embryo. No more. No less. While I’ve often hoped to have twins (one and done), when the time comes this July, I will likely follow my doctor’s instincts, ensuring the health of my baby and of my self. If I end up with two or six babies after that, then it must have been willed that way by someone or something far greater than me.

And, another point mentioned in the video, reproduction is an excruciatingly personal situation. How I choose to bring my offspring into this world is my business. How you choose to do so is yours. And how Nadya chose to do so is hers. It’s a very, very thin and steep line we’re all dancing off regarding infertility, multiple births and Nadya Suleman. I hope that her children are able to grow in a healthy, happy and positive home environment and that she finds the happiness she’s always wanted.

As for her doctor, if he actually was involved with all of her previous IVF treatments as well as this one that transferred six embryos – then I’m all for the medical board calling to review his license. That’s is completely irresponsible.

Donor Gametes Have Siblings

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

This story kind of freaked me out a bit. Makes me feel kind of glad I’m not using donor gametes. You see those stories in movies, rarely in real life, where twins find each other much later on and realize they had a sibling they never knew about.

Excerpt from MSNBC:

Parents who conceived with donated sperm or eggs are increasingly seeking other families who used the same genetic material, sometimes locating as many as 55 “siblings” for their offspring, a study found on Tuesday.

The findings published in the journal Human Reproduction raise the issue of reusing a single donor’s sample numerous times — something policy makers may soon need to address, the researchers said.

In some cases, parents found more than 10 donor siblings, and one parent found 55 brothers and sisters for their child, Tabitha Freeman of the Center for Family Research at the University of Cambridge in Britain, who led the study, said.