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Some fertility problems have, as you know, a relatively simply cause and a relatively simple fix. Unfortunately, some can be much more difficult to deal with. For example, a woman who has been diagnosed with cancer may face a number of fertility challenges, from the destruction caused by the disease itself to the unfortunate side effects of some cancer treatments.

Recently, a group of fertility experts has launched a new organization dedicated to preserving fertility for cancer patients worldwide.

Fertility is not often discussed

One of the frustrating things about cancer is just how much it demands your attention. Everything else you’ve got going on medically takes a back seat to this disease, mainly because it’s so serious and deadly.

The new group is designed to help patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer to get the important and useful information about fertility preservation.

It’s estimated that around 4 percent of people diagnosed with cancer each year (over 1.3 million on average) are women under 35 who are of childbearing age. Of those women, less than half receive counseling and other information about fertility after they’re diagnosed with cancer.

Promoting dialogue

The group, known as the “Alliance for Fertility Preservation,” aims to help doctors and patients talk about the potential fertility loss that can occur with cancer and cancer treatments, and to help them understand what kinds of options they have in regard to fertility preservation.

Dialogue between health professionals and patients often focuses on survival – as well it should. However, there needs to be room for discussion of other important health-related issues that can be affected by cancer.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology put out guidelines back in 2006 to help that dialogue between doctor and patient take place. The newly-formed group hopes to build their work on those guidelines.

So, what do you think? Is this an important discussion to have? Should cancer patients be encouraged to think about how their cancer treatment may affect their fertility, and be shown the variety of fertility preservation options available to them as a part of their cancer education?

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There are two major trends that have pushed the average age of a first pregnancy up in the United States over the past few decades: advancements in reproductive and fertility-related technology, and cultural shifts in how women view themselves and their roles in society. These two factors are related in the sense that both offer women a sense of empowerment, and represent them taking control over their own reproductive health.

Let’s look at some of the key first-time birth statistics available from the National Vital Statistics System at the Centers for Disease Control:

• In 1970, women were trying to conceive earlier. The average age of a first-time mom in 1970 was 21.4 years old. In 2006 (the most recent year for which data was available) the average age was 25 years old.
• The biggest rises in average age at first birth occurred during the 1970s and 1980s, probably due to shifting cultural values coming out of the sexual revolution. The age has continued to climb, however, since then as well.
• All states in the United States saw an increase in the average age at first birth. The District of Columbia and Massachusetts showed the largest increases, with an increase of 5.5 years and 5.2 years respectively.
• Asian and Pacific Islander women were more likely to wait longer to have their first baby, with the average age being 28.5. American Indians and Alaskan Natives had the lowest at 21.9 years.
• Among developed nations, the average age at first birth has been steadily rising since 1970.
• The United States saw its average age rise right in the middle, with Sweden showing the lowest increase at 2.9 years and Denmark showing the largest at 4.6 years.
• The United States still had the youngest average age at first birth among all of the developed nations studied, both in 1970 and in 2006.

So, what do you think? What does all of this suggest? Do you think that the average age at first birth will continue to rise, due to advances in technology? Are there other sociological issues that will help contribute to it as well?

photo credit: Daquella manera

Cars, wallets, iPods, stereos, purses, and that half of a club sandwich you left in the fridge at work. All of these things are tempting targets for thieves. There are, however, some things that you just wouldn’t think that thieves would be interested in taking. Generally speaking, semen would probably fall into that category.

However, there’s a man in Houston who claims that very thing. Joe Pressil claims that a fertility clinic in Houston may have taken and used some of the man’s semen without his knowledge.

According to Pressil, a woman claiming to be his wife entered Advanced Fertility in 2007. Without the man’s knowledge or his consent, they performed an IVF procedure which eventually resulted in the birth of twins.

The man is suing the clinic, as well as the sperm bank that the clinic operates, Omni-Med. That clinic is, according to the man, holding his semen “hostage.”

Apparently, the woman who used Pressil’s sperm was a former girlfriend. The couple dated from 2005 to 2007. After the breakup, the woman told Pressil that she was pregnant. When Pressil denied it could be his, the woman had a paternity test done, which proved that the babies were genetically his.

Last February, the man discovered a receipt from the sperm bank for freezing preservation of sperm. He then contacted the sperm bank, who had him talk to the clinic. The clinic disclosed the information about the woman coming in to deliver the semen samples, as well as having the procedure.

The man’s lawyer claims that the woman smuggled the man’s semen to the clinic by saving used condoms. The clinic failed to notify the man that they had his semen, and that they then used the sperm in the semen to do IVF on the woman.

So, what do you think? Should the clinic have to pay the man damages? Should charges be filed against the woman?

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Digital technologies like WiFi are, really, in their infancy. Some of these technologies have been around for less than a decade. It’s conceivable that there are health implications with many of these technologies that we just don’t understand yet. One of the areas that scientists are just starting to discover in that regard is WiFi and male fertility.

According to a recent study in Argentina, WiFi may actually damage sperm. This study took semen samples from 29 men. They then placed a little bit of the semen under a laptop that was sending and receiving a Wi-Fi signal.

What the scientists discovered was compelling. Just four hours later, about a quarter of the sperm had stopped moving. When compared with sperm that weren’t stored under the computer but were stored at the same temperature, only about 14 percent seemed to be affected.

Electromagnetic radiation and WiFi

WiFi technology emits low levels of electromagnetic radiation. While a laptop by itself will also create a certain amount of electromagnetic radiation, WiFi use emits significantly higher amounts.

This seems to dovetail with other recent research which shows that radiation from cell phones may also cripple sperm in the lab.

Laptop use and sperm quality

Another factor in all of this is heat. One of the more solidly-researched areas of sperm quality, as you probably know, has to do with heat. Heat on the scrotum just isn’t good for sperm production.

That creates a double-whammy for the man who is trying to get his partner pregnant. Using a laptop with WiFi, then, could affect male fertility.

The research is all very new, and there hasn’t been any specific research connecting laptop use with infertility directly. Indeed, it’s far too early to suggest a definite connection.

(On top of all of that, who actually uses a laptop computer on their laptop these days?)

More research is necessary

If you’re trying to conceive, there’s no compelling reason to go back to a wired Internet connection just yet. That said, it’s certainly worth continued investigation.

So, what do you think? Is all of this technology around us affecting fertility rates?

photo credit: Sarah G…

Whenever a new area of medicine appears on the scene, it always takes the legal realm a while to catch up. That’s true with most things; very often, the market is way ahead of the legislators. In many cases – particularly in regard to health – this can be a bad thing.

Take, for example, the lack of regulations over the issues of reproductive technology. In Canada, they are looking at a number of problems due to this lack of government regulation.

Donor information and the law

One of the major areas of concern has been donor information. Canada has no national system for collecting and retaining sperm or egg donor information. What that means is that, for all intents and purposes, it may not be possible to identify a donor down the road.

There are those that advocate for donor anonymity, of course, but those voices seem to be in the minority. Most fertility experts agree that donor information should be made available – if not personal information, at least an accurate tracking system.

Government oversight would make sure that the donors that fertility clinics claim to have are actually the donors who have provided the sperm or eggs. This is essential in a number of ways, not the least of which is concerns about various genetic conditions.

Provinces handling most issues

A 2010 decision by the Supreme Court of Canada suggested that provinces, rather than the federal government, had the right to regulate reproductive technology. This has led to a number of issues, including “reproductive tourism” where people are going from one province into another in order to receive reproductive assistance.

Medial data a concern

One of the biggest reasons that people are up in arms about this issue is that of health and medical data. It’s important for a child to have access to her family medical history. Things like genetic predisposition to certain illnesses, for example, are important in assessing and treating a variety of conditions.

That kind of data can be held without releasing the identity of the donor, of course.

Whether the Canadian government will attempt to put into place a more national policy or whether the patchwork will continue remains to be seen.

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The conventional wisdom says that colas are bad for you and that other types of sodas, while not particularly beneficial, are somehow lighter and less harmful. According to some new research, however, there is an ingredient in some citrus-flavored sodas that may decrease fertility (and possibly make you flame-retardant to boot).

The risk comes from an ingredient known as brominated vegetable oil, or BVO. BVO is used in a number of different types of beverages, including:

• Mountain Dew
• Squirt
• Gatorade Orange
• Fresca Original Citrus
• Sunkist Pineapple
• Fanta Orange

What is BVO and how does it affect fertility?

BVO comes from either soybean or corn, and is a type of vegetable oil. It has bromine atoms, which help to allow the citrus flavor ingredients to mix well with water. BVO is also used in some flame retardants because it can help to slow the chemical process involved in a fire.

Those flame retardants are “brominated,” and have been scrutinized as of late. They’re used in furniture, plastics, electronics and more, and they’re showing up around the globe. Studies involving the flame retardants have demonstrated that they can lead to problems such as:

• Problems with neurological development
• Fertility problems
• Thyroid problems
• Early puberty onset

Now, it would be easy to suggest that the reason people ought to stay away from these citrus-based drinks is because they share an ingredient with upholstery coatings. However, that’s not necessarily a compelling enough reason, and leans toward sensationalism.

Instead, look at some of the history of BVO-related medical concerns:

• In 1997, a man was diagnosed with bromine intoxication because he drank between two and four liters of orange-flavored soda each day. This led to memory loss, ataxia, headaches, and more.
•  Another man was diagnosed in 2003 with a rare condition in which his hands swelled, developing ulcers, and his skin became hypersensitive. The man drank an average of eight two-liter bottles each day.

There hasn’t been a widespread epidemic, and the few cases where BVO has proven to be a problem have to do with large volumes of consumption. Still, it’s something to be aware of, and that definitely needs more research.

As we talked about last time, fertility treatments are extremely expensive and insurance companies often won’t pay for them. In Vitro Fertilization, for example, can cost a couple as much as $12,000 or more. Unless you’ve got that kind of extra money to spend, chances are pretty good you’re going to need some help in paying for fertility treatments.

The good news is that there are a number of different ways you can handle paying for fertility treatments. Here are some places you can consider looking for the cash to fund yours:

1. Check your insurance options. We covered this last time, so we won’t go into it here. The main thing is to make sure you’ve been thorough when it comes to checking whether your health insurance policy will pay for the treatments or not.
2. Save up. Depending on your age and other factors, you might be concerned about waiting too long to get your fertility treatments. Still, some folks may find that they can save up to pay for those fertility treatments over a few years. This isn’t an option for everyone, of course.
3. Consider financing. Many fertility clinics will offer their customers a way to finance their fertility treatments. Usually, this involves making payments to the clinic on a monthly basis for the duration of your treatment. This kind of financing is often interest-free, or at least will have a much lower interest rate than many of the other borrowing options.
4. Look into other loan options. If your fertility clinic won’t finance your treatments, you may be able to get financing through a bank or credit union. You might be able to get a personal loan, for example, or you might need to look into a secured loan such as a second mortgage.

Finally, it’s worth looking into results-based insurance, too. In some cases, you may be able to purchase an insurance policy that essentially will help you recoup your costs if your fertility treatments are unsuccessful. Very few fertility doctors guarantee results, so this is one way to make sure that the money you’ve spent isn’t lost entirely.