How far would you go to have a baby?

0
Posted by Franco Cignelli on May 16, 2012 at 7:14 am

Premature Ovarian FailureIf you were diagnosed with premature ovarian failure, how far would you go to have a baby? Would you place advertisements for prospective birth moms around your neighbourhood?

Nicky and Erik Nelson of Moorhead, United States, are using methods that range from word-of-mouth among relatives and friends, to social networking, in their comprehensive search for a baby.

In addition to posting fliers in places like grocery stores and Moorhead Center Mall, they have added a window slick to their car, launched an adoption Facebook page and included adoption-minded business cards with their social worker’s contact information in their Christmas cards.

Every little bit can help. The trend toward networking and outreach has really taken off in the last three years.

Nicky has a genetic condition called premature ovarian failure, which required getting a hysterectomy in 2005.

After exhausting traditional methods of adoption, and finding no results, the Nelsons began considering outreach last year. At 35 and 36 respectively, Nicky and Erick felt they only had so much time before they were too old to adopt a newborn.

On Nicky’s birthday she left her first business card in a mall restroom in St. Cloud, Minn. It wasn’t easy, but she did it.

For safety, the Nelsons’ set up a special Google voice number and email specifically for adoption-related queries, and they posted Haugen’s contact information in case potential birth parents don’t want to contact them directly.

For many couples this method of finding prospective birth mothers has become more common, as they have become disillusioned with the regulating authorities that delay and set barriers to a more speedy process.

The Nelsons have yet to receive a telephone call from their latest efforts, but they are hopeful that soon they will be proud parents.

Egg donor NYC offers free consultation for couples who are having difficulty achieving pregnancy, and provide alternatives that they may not yet have considered.

Posted in: infertility
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

DHEA Pioneers CHR to Collaborate with University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

0
Posted by Marie on May 10, 2012 at 9:41 am

May 10, 2012 (New York, NY) – The Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), a prominent New York City-based clinical and research center specializing in female and male infertility treatment, announced a research collaboration agreement with the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (URSMD) to commence on July 1st, 2012. This collaborative effort between investigators at URSMD and CHR aims to combine two institutions with strong common interests and expertise in exploring the process of follicle maturation, and especially the role of androgens in female reproduction.

Lead investigators are Aritro Sen, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, and Stephen R. Hammes, MD, PhD, Professor, both in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at URSMD and who have published pioneering work on the subject in a rodent model; and Norbert Gleicher, MD, CHR’s Chief Scientist, and David H. Barad, MD, MS, Senior Scientist at CHR, who by introducing the androgen dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) into infertility treatment have revolutionized the treatment of women with low ovarian reserve worldwide.

“The goal of this research collaboration is to combine complementary animal and laboratory expertise at URSMD with clinical expertise at CHR,” explains Dr. Gleicher. “By combining research in URSMD’s unique animal model and CHR’s large clinical human experience, we aim to better understand how DHEA, as well as other androgens, improves female fertility.”

“This is a very exciting development,” adds Dr. Barad. “We have known for years now that DHEA improves pregnancy chances but only very recently learned that this very likely occurs through conversion of DHEA to testosterone. For all practical purposes, this means that the process very likely involves the androgen receptor (AR) on granulosa cells.” Dr. Barad continues: “For this kind of work, our colleagues at URSMD have the ideal mouse model.”

Dr. Sen, who will become a Visiting Assistant Scientist at CHR, chimes in: “we are very much looking forward to this collaboration, which should be very beneficial for both institutions.”

 

About Center for Human Reproduction
Center for Human Reproduction (CHR, http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com) is a leading fertility center in New York City with a worldwide reputation as a “fertility center of last resort,” offering cutting-edge, research-based treatment options to infertility patients. CHR introduced DHEA supplementation into infertility care in 2004. Dr. Gleicher, Dr. Barad and Dr. Sen are available for additional comments.

Posted in: infertility
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

Celebrities turn to IVF treatment to achieve pregnancy

2
Posted by Franco Cignelli on May 8, 2012 at 9:23 am
Celebrities turn to IVF

Marcia Cross used IVF to get pregnant back in 2007

IVF treatment is all the rage in Hollywood. Celebrities like Marcia Cross, Sarah Jessica Parker and Celine Dion have become moms as a result of using IVF.

IVF is a process where egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the body. It’s the preferred method to treat infertility when all other methods of assisted reproduction have failed.

Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross, 50, skipped her honeymoon to begin IVF treatment immediately after getting married to her stockbroker husband in 2006.

She used donor eggs to increase her chances due to her age and later gave birth to twin girls, Eden and Savannah in 2007. At one point near the end of her pregnancy she was placed on bed rest and had to miss several episodes of Desperate Housewives. Crucial scenes requiring her presence were actually filmed at her house in California.

In 2009, Sarah Jessica Parker, 47, used a surrogate to have twin girls Marion and Tabitha with actor husband Matthew Broderick.

The Sex And The City star had been married for 12 years when her daughters were born.

Canadian pop star Celine Dion went through IVF in 2000 to have her son Rene Charles and used it again in 2010 to have her twin sons, Nelson and Eddy.

The 44-year-old confessed that she had a miscarriage and had six rounds of IVF before her successful pregnancy.

Apart from IVF, adoption has also been a hot trend in Tinsel Town.

X-Men star Hugh Jackman’s wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 56, suffered two miscarriages before they adopted son Oscar in 2000 and daughter Ava in 2005.

Actress Katherine Heigl, adopted her three-year-old Korean daughter Naleigh with husband, singer-songwriter Josh Kelley in January.

Celebrities have helped spread awareness and understanding about IVF treatment, helping countless women the world over become pregnant. IVF NY offers free online consultation for couples hoping to start or add to their existing family.

Posted in: IVF
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

Contraceptives: Do We Have It All Wrong?

2
Posted by Heather Aarons on April 29, 2012 at 2:29 pm

Women may be overestimating the effectiveness of birth control pills and condoms, according to a recent report by Reuter Health that discussed a survey performed by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

While the Pill and condoms are believed to be the most effective form of birth control they actually are not, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants are. However, some women do not consider these options either because they are worried about having to see a pelvic pain or myofascial release San Francisco expert as a result of using them and/or because they don’t know how effective they are.

Out of 4,100 women surveyed 45 percent believed the Pill and condoms were more effective than they actually are. The researchers concluded from this study that better education is needed in order to properly inform women of the most effective birth control methods.

Intrauterine devices are placed in the uterus and work by releasing a small amount of copper or hormone progestin while a contraceptive implant is a very small device inserted under the skin of the arm where it releases small controlled amounts of progestin. A major concern about using IUDs is that they may increase risk for pelvic infection or negatively affect a women’s fertility.

To learn more about pelvic pain treatment visit this pelvic health and postpartum therapy Oakland website.

Posted in: Pregnancy Health
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

A pregnant woman who bought U.S. donor egg talks

1
Posted by Franco Cignelli on April 26, 2012 at 7:59 am

Donor EggInfertile Canadian women are forced to make a complex decision about purchasing a human egg from the U.S. due to confusion over the cross-border trade, says an Ottawa woman pregnant with a donor egg.

Claudia is 37 weeks pregnant and eagerly awaiting parenthood. She told CBC News that she has premature ovarian aging, and that it is impossible for her to conceive naturally.

Canadian lawmakers have weighed the pros and cons touching on an explosive list of legal, social and ethical issues that include the exploitation of surrogates and the sale of sperm and eggs before the “advent of cryopreservation”.

Officially, it is illegal to sell eggs and sperm in Canada, but rules are rarely enforced. Many believe that Canada is in a shameful place regarding this matter. They perceive that women, couples, children and the Canadian population overall are worse off without a clear context for using reproductive technologies over exploitation fears.

The unregulated landscape of the industry is a problem, and it is important that the federal government catches up with improvements in technology.

By not allowing payments for egg donations in Canada, the availability of eggs is limited.

For her part, Claudia thinks it would be better to pay a Canadian for an egg rather than face the extra burden of going to the U.S.

Tremendous strides are being made so that more people can have the family that they dream of and the Canadian government needs to keep up with those changes.

Egg donor NYC sees a good number of Canadians at their practice and the principal reason is the restrictive law about egg donation in Canada.

 

Posted in: infertility
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

Giuliana and Bill Rancic to welcome baby via surrogacy this summer

4
Posted by Franco Cignelli on April 23, 2012 at 10:05 am

Giuliana and Bill Rancic to welcome baby via surrogacy this summerGiuliana Rancic is no stranger to hard times, as she has struggled with infertility treatments, and earlier this year, a bout with early stage breast cancer.

It may have all seemed worth it as Giuliana and her husband, Bill, have announced that they are expecting a baby via a gestational surrogate this summer. The news comes on the very first day of National Infertility Awareness Week.

The Rancics have garnerd a lot of media attention over the years as they openly and publicly discussed their fertility issues. The E! News anchor and the first Apprentice winner, who have also documented their struggle in their reality TV show Giuliana & Bill, were married in 2007 and began trying to conceive in 2010.

Giuliana was criticized publicly for being too thin to achieve pregnancy, and underwent in vitro fertilization and also suffered a miscarriage.

Last fall, the couple were ready to begin fertility treatments again, when Giuliana’s doctor ordered a mammogram. They found early stage breast cancer, which was successfully treated with surgery and radiation.

The couple announced on the Today show that their baby is due in late summer via a gestational surrogate. They chose surrogacy because of the risks associated with Giuliana’s cancer and the fertility drugs used during IVF.

Through gestational surrogacy, the surrogate gives birth to a baby conceived with an egg and sperm of a couple or a donor egg or sperm. This means that the child is the Rancic’s genetic child.

The couple told Today that the embryo that resulted in the pregnancy was banked prior to the breast cancer diagnosis. The couple have been credited for their positive and optimistic outlook in the face of adversity and it is no surprise to anyone that they have made it this far and will soon welcome their first child.

Congratulations to them both for much deserved good news.

Posted in: surrogacy
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

Egg donors remain fertile after procedure

1
Posted by Franco Cignelli on April 17, 2012 at 9:17 am

Egg donor remain fertile after procedureA Belgium study has found that egg donors chances of becoming pregnant in the years after the procedure are not diminished.

Some experts have questioned whether hormonally stimulating the ovaries — which makes them produce extra eggs — and removing those eggs from a healthy, young woman could later increase her chance of infertility, while others maintain that there are no serious long-term risks.

“Egg donation has been offered to patients in Belgium since the 1980s. We were not surprised by the good reproductive outcomes in ex-egg donors,” Dr. Dominic Stoop, medical director at the Center for Reproductive Medicine in Brussels, Belgium and lead author of the study, wrote in an email to Reuters Health.

The researchers gave a telephone questionnaire to 194 women who had donated eggs at the Belgian center between 1999 and 2010. The surveys were conducted an average of four to five years after those procedures.

At the time of donation, women averaged 30 years old.

Sixty past egg donors reported trying to get pregnant since the procedure. Of those, 57 women conceived without help. The other three women required fertility treatment, though two of them sought treatment because of male infertility.

16% of donors had changes in their menstrual cycle after donation, but none reported that these changes resulted in fertility problems.

“Menstrual pattern could be disrupted temporarily by hormonal changes due to ovarian stimulation, much like how menstrual changes also appear after stopping an oral contraceptive,” said Stoop, whose study is published in Fertility and Sterility.

“In the short term, egg donation appears to have no effect on fertility,” said Dr. Orhan Bukulmez, an infertility specialist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas who wasn’t involved in the new research. But longer-term studies of egg donors are still needed.

Although some researchers argue that the extra hormones women are given before the procedure and possible trauma to the ovaries during it could lead to early menopause in egg donors, studies haven’t found reasons to be concerned so far.

Bukulmez cautioned that the results of the current study cannot be generalized to include women seeking to freeze their own eggs.

Egg donors are a very select group of patients that are chosen for their healthy ovaries, according to Bukulmez. “They may not be representative of the fertile female population as a whole,” he said.

Egg donor NYC is committed to ensuring that couples experiencing fertility problems receive the best and most diverse egg donor pool in the country.

Posted in: fertility
Tags: , ,

Continue Reading

FERTINATAL™ DHEA Fertility Supplement for Women Now Available for Purchase

0
Posted by Marie on April 13, 2012 at 10:38 am

FertinatalApril 13, 2012 (New York, NY) – FERTINATAL™, the first and only dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) nutritional supplement designed to enhance female fertility, has entered the market today.

The launch took longer than expected, because Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC – which developed the supplement – made unusual efforts to ensure that FERTINATAL™ DHEA for women would fulfill all of the required specifications which the product was designed for, with consistency across every tablet, according to Fertility Nutraceuticals. The required repeat rounds of quality-assurance testing at independent laboratories delayed the launch, initially scheduled for January.

“It was extremely frustrating, especially since we have seen increasing demand since we announced FERTINATAL last December,” notes Yu Kizawa, the company’s Director of Marketing and Sales. “Now, we are excited to be able to offer probably the most reliable micronized DHEA product on the market, and the only one specifically designed for women who have a difficult time conceiving.”

FERTINATAL™ was developed with strict adherence to the specifications of the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR, http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com), a research-driven fertility center in New York City that introduced DHEA supplementation for women with diminished ovarian reserve. Because of the high quality standard of FERTINATAL™, CHR, the only holder of female fertility-related U.S. patents for DHEA supplementation, endorses FERTINATAL™.

“Over-the-counter DHEA products can be very inconsistent in quality, even within the same brand,” explains Norbert Gleicher, MD, medical director of CHR. “Based on the unique quality control process of FERTINATAL™, we are confident that this new product will deliver the kind of consistency and quality we, up to this point, have been able to achieve only through pharmacy-compounded DHEA by prescription.  We, therefore, feel confident in endorsing FERTINATAL™.”

FERTINATAL™ is available for purchase at $69.50 per box (a one-month supply), online at http://www.fertinatal.com.

 

About Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC
Fertiltiy Nutraceuticals, LLC, is a company specializing in nutritional supplements for women in reproductive years. The company is dedicated to developing highest-quality nutritional supplements for women with fertility problems, trying to achieve healthy pregnancies. FERTINATAL™ is the company’s first product, with additional products planned for rollout throughout 2012.

Posted in: fertility treatments, infertility, Older Women Pregnancy, Trying to Concieve
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

3 tests can help determine if you have low ovarian reserve

2
Posted by Franco Cignelli on April 10, 2012 at 11:16 am

Low Ovarian ReserveIn women over 35, low ovarian reserve is common. A decrease in the ovarian reserve means there are fewer eggs to grow and mature, and therefore fertility may decrease.

Women are born with a certain number of eggs. Unlike men, who continue to make sperm throughout most of their lives, women are unable to make more eggs than what they are born with.

Smokers, women with a family history of premature menopause, and women with autoimmune diseases may all be at risk of premature menopause.

There are three tests currently available to measure the ovarian reserve.

1. An ultrasound, done at the beginning of a menstrual cycle that counts the preantral follicles in the ovary. A number greater than five is a good prognostic for reserve.

2. A blood test for the level of FSH, or follicle-stimulating hormone, when estrogen level is at the lowest, usually on day 2 or 3 of a cycle. Lower estrogen means a higher FSH level is needed to stimulate the follicles and enable the egg inside each follicle to grow and mature. A low ovarian reserve also means more FSH is needed to stimulate egg maturation. A high FSH level, over 15, is a poor prognostic sign for ovarian reserve, indicating a low reserve.

3. Test the level of AMH, or antimullerian hormone, a hormone produced by the ovarian follicles. This blood test can be done on any day of a menstrual cycle. A low AMH level is a poor prognostic sign indicating low ovarian reserve.

Unfortunately, science cannot make more eggs, or predict what will happen to women as they age. Experts insist that women in their 20s should be encouraged to have at least one test of ovarian reserve if they are considering having a family in the future.

A diminished ovarian reserve is not the end of the world, and in the case of infertility, there are affordable fertility treatments, like low cost IVF, to help women achieve pregnancy.

Posted in: infertility
Tags: ,

Continue Reading

Vigorous exercise could hinder ability to get pregnant

2
Posted by Franco Cignelli on April 5, 2012 at 8:54 am

Exercise for pregnant womenAccording to a new study, vigorous exercise can delay pregnancy for women except those who are considered overweight or obese.

More than 3,600 women who took part in the study were recruited from the general population, not from infertility patients. The results of the study found that as little as two hours of vigorous exercise a week could reduce a woman’s chance of getting pregnant if she was considered normal weight. However, that was not the case with women considered overweight or obese.

The findings indicate that physical activity of any type might improve fertility among overweight and obese women, who are usually at higher risk of infertility.

Lean women who substitute vigorous physical activity with moderate physical activity may also improve their fertility.

Vigorous physical activity includes exercise that increases the heart rate including running, fast cycling, swimming and aerobics. Moderate exercise includes activities like brisk walking, leisurely cycling and golf.

Dallas Weight Loss Clinic offers offer a wide range of fast, sustainable and safe medical weight loss programs administered by a team of physicians who make your health and well being a priority.

Posted in: exercise, Uncategorized
Tags: ,

Continue Reading
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8