LilSugar

New Regimen May Reduce Infertility Costs

LilSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:00:39 -0700

Good news for couples faced with undergoing fertility treatments in hopes of conceiving a child. Though the cost of assisted reproduction can exceed $100,000, a new study shows that a faster treatment regimen may help women conceive in a shorter amount of time, and reduce their overall costs.

The study, just published in the journal of Fertility and Sterility, followed two groups of women. Those who used the traditional fertility path of three cycles of pills combined with intra-uterine insemination (IUI) and three cycles of injections with IUI before moving on to up to six cycles of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and those who eliminated the use of injections and went straight from the three cycles of pills and IUI to IVF.

Those who followed the shorter regimen had an implantation rate of 37.5 percent, while those who used the traditional path had an implantation rate of 27.6 percent. Participants in the shorter regimen also conceived in three fewer months than the others. The cost savings of such a faster plan are significant totaling more than $2,000

What Would You Do With Frozen Embryos?

babysugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:00:21 -0700

For many couples with fertility problems, in vitro fertilization is sometimes the answer to their prayers. Often, the "farming" procedure leaves hopeful partners with more than one viable embryo for implantation. If a successful pregnancy is achieved, the parents-to-be must decide what to do with those that were not used. Couples can choose to keep them frozen in case they decide to reproduce again or donate them to other people or to research.

Actor Michael J. Fox, a proponent of stem cell research, is on a mission to encourage those couples to donate their embryos in hopes of saving or changing future lives. An emotionally charged topic, opponents worry that the embryo would be sacrificed in a similar fashion as abortion. To that point, the stem cell champions argue they would never come to fruition in any case and if used for research, they would actually be bettering life for countless others by potentially curing ailments and preventing disease.

What do you think people should do with their unwanted frozen embryos?
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When You Hear Multiple Pregnancy Do You Assume In Vitro?

babysugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:30:53 -0700

Often times when parents announce they are pregnant with twins, whispers abound, "Do you think they did IVF"? Already US magazine is claiming, "It was In Vitro" in reference to Angelina and Brad's newest double addition. Next to join the dynamic duo parenting club, the expecting Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell. According to some reports, sources close to the couple are already debunking the inevitable suspicions of fertility aids like Clomid and IVF.

Methods of conceiving are really nobody's business but I wonder if hearing double pregnancy news automatically sparks the IVF question in your head. Do tell.

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Parents of Twins More Likely To Suffer Mental Illness

LilSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:01:00 -0700

Parents of twins are more likely to have mental health issues than those who have single born children, according to a recent report.

Finnish researchers tracked parents of about 100 twins and more than 700 single born babies and found the parents of twins had more depression, anxiety and other problems than parents of single born babies. Dr. Laurence Shaw, who worked on the study, didn't seem surprised by the results. He said:

"It's stressful to have a baby, and even more stressful to have more babies...The message is not that parents of twins are nutters.

Shaw added that with the increase of twin births due to artificial reproduction techniques (such as In Vitro Fertilization) he thinks doctors and parents need to be more conscious of the costs of having twins. Sounds like the doc should call Jon and Kate Plus 8 - they know a thing or two about trying to stay sane while raising multiples!

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Indian Woman Becomes Oldest Woman to Give Birth at Age 70

babysugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:01:00 -0700

In a world where science has made nearly anything possible, I shouldn't be surprised to learn about a 70–year–old woman who gave birth to twins in India this past weekend.
No proof of her age exists but there is no doubt that Omkari Panwar is older than most new mothers. Omkari and her husband, Charam Singh, are already parents to two daughters and five grandchildren, but wanted to have a son to maintain their family property.

IVF helped the couple accomplish their dreams by giving them twins - one boy and one girl. The babies were born via Cesarean section, weighing two pounds each.

What are your thoughts on the couples decision to have a child so late in life?

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Would You Freeze Your Dying Husband's Sperm to Use Later?

babysugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:53:56 -0700

Lisa Roberts, a 34–year–old British woman, lost her husband, James a few years ago to a devastating bone cancer.

Already a mother to seven–year–old son Cameron, the couple chose to freeze James' sperm before he started his cancer treatments.

Hoping he would fight off the illness, they were prepared to use the frozen sperm for future fertilization to grow their family. Sadly, things didn't turn out that way and the father died.

As he laid in hospice during his last days, he asked his wife if she would ever use the sperm, to which she replied, "Definitely." Taking a couple of years to grieve and pick up the pieces, Lisa couldn't fathom pregnancy again without her spouse. But as she pulled her life back together, she knew it was time to welcome James's second child into the world.

After calling various IVF units, Lisa found one that would help her fulfill her wish. Pregnant on the first try, the mum was thrilled and excited to welcome a baby girl into her life with James watching from above. As fate would have it, she swears Jaimie–Rose (named after her father) looks like him, too.

If you knew your spouse was going to die, would you freeze his sperm for future use?
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Fifty–Seven–Year–Old British Woman Expecting Baby

babysugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:00:02 -0700

Many mature women dream of retirement, spontaneous vacations, grandchildren and a life of leisure. Susan Tollefsen has something else in store for her golden years.

As a lump grew in her belly, she feared cancer until an ultrasound technician performed a sonogram and told her she was nearly 30 weeks pregnant. To see how she came across this miracle baby, read more.

Susan and her boyfriend, Nick (who is 11 years her junior) were desperately trying to have a child of their own. The mum–to–be told the Daily Mail:

I contacted fertility clinics in Britain but all of them refused to treat me because of my age. But there are no such age limits in some foreign clinics.

Limited by their homeland, the couple underwent treatments in Russia where Susan unknowingly became pregnant. Puzzled about how she missed the signs? After her last round of IVF, Susan had severe bleeding, which she now believes was a miscarriage of another baby (potentially a twin.) Having never been pregnant before, she was unaware of pregnancy symptoms.

Beyond excited for the bouncing baby girl to arrive, the pair are rushing to get the house ready. They plan to name her Freya, the goddess of fertility and birth.

Do you think you'd notice if you were 30 weeks pregnant?
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For the Childless, Womb Transplants Are on the Horizon

babysugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:30:28 -0700

Some women have known all their lives that they were meant to be mothers. When nature does not allow for a man and woman to procreate on their own, people can take alternative routes to building their families: adoption, surrogacy, and in vitro fertilization. But for some ladies, it's not enough to take in an orphaned child or even have another woman carry her own flesh and blood. In that case, a womb transplant could be a dream come true and is very likely to become a reality sooner than later.

Scientists in London successfully performed a womb transplant in rabbits, giving hope to the future of human womb transplants. While there are medical issues to be conquered and experiments yet to be performed, the researchers believe the technique will be tested on women within two years. The topic of human reproduction always proves to be a volatile one. Some will argue the world is already overpopulated and there are plenty of children starving for homes. But for those women who crave the desire to be pregnant, the medical procedure could be the answer to their prayers.

What are your thoughts on the scientific advancement?

Should There Be an Age Limit on Motherhood?

LilSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:36:00 -0700

When to get pregnant is a women's choice. Science allows girls the freedom to procreate after she gets her first period until she goes through menopause. In 1970, the average American age of a woman becoming a mother was 21.7 and in 2006 it was 25. A recent report said that the statistic for the United States is still much younger than that of other countries like Britain and Switzerland where women are 30.

Medical advancements in fertility have made putting off motherhood an option for many ladies. But, stories like that of Maria del Carmen Bousada who became the world's oldest mom at 66 when she got pregnant via in-vitro fertilization leave some people bewildered. She died last month leaving her 2-year-old twins, Pau and Christian behind. Do you think there should be a law discerning when a woman is too old to have kids?

Mommy Dearest: Babyless Friends

babysugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Mommy Dearest,

I am a mother to a three-month-old little girl whom I adore. I was blessed with a successful pregnancy on the first attempt with my husband, but sad, a few friends of my friends have not been so lucky. Having tried clomid and several rounds of in vitro fertilization, it is becoming increasingly difficult for my childless friends to see me with my baby. One friend has already cut me out of her life because it is too painful for her to be around any infants and I fear I am losing another one to the clutches of non-motherhood. I desperately want to keep my friends, but don't know how to do it without causing them pain every time they see us.

- Fertile Myrtle

To see the response from Mommy Dearest, read more.

Fertile Myrtle,

No doubt you are in a tough spot. Your fertility challenged girlfriends may be envious of your life and seeing you and your sweet babe might be too much for them to handle. It has been my experience that women desperate to get pregnant often reach a point where the only people they feel comfortable discussing the issue with are their spouses and doctors. Keep up your efforts of reaching out to them and leave the topic of pregnancy and babies out of the conversation. They will talk about it if and when they are ready to do so.

Try to plan a girls' night with other women where you can reminisce about the old days and have fun without kids on the brain. And until your friend reaches out to you, sit tight and pray that their prayers are answered with a beautiful baby.

- Mommy Dearest

Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on TeamSugar.

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