Obese Canadian Women May Be Denied Fertility Treatments

In the past few weeks, there has been a very interesting news story circulating the web regarding fertility treatments for Canadian women.  In Canada, fertility treatments are covered under their state-run healthcare system; however, many scientists, physicians and lobbyists are pushing toward a law that would only enable females to get these kinds of reproductive services if they have a lower-than-obese BMI.

Though opponents of this movement accuse the controversial consideration as blatantly discriminatory, there are some scientifically-proven correlations between obesity and poor fertility treatment outcomes.  For instance, women whose weight falls into the obese category are not only likely to have less of a chance of conceiving through fertility treatments; they are also more apt to suffer from medical complications.  And those complications could be costly to remedy or treat.

As we’ve discussed numerous times here on the Reproductive Science Institute (RSI) blog, it’s important to maintain a healthy weight if you’re a women who is interested in pursuing (or potentially pursuing) fertility treatments.  Whether or not you’re deemed clinically obese may not matter, either.  Being quite overweight and out-of-shape lowers the chances of assisted reproductive techniques working for your body and situation.

The bottom line?  Regardless of what Canada decides to do about the matter, it’s important for you to take matters into your own hands and be a smart steward of your physical well being.

http://www.rsiinfertility.com/

Is It Possible for a Woman to Be Allergic to Her Partner’s Sperm?

One of the aspects of infertility that is perhaps most baffling is that there could always be many different reasons for the condition.  That includes a phenomenon whereby a woman is essentially “allergic” to her partner’s sperm.  Fortunately, fertility specialists who are highly trained can combat such issues by applying new techniques to overcome the challenge.

In a recent case from Britain, a couple who had experienced failed IVF attempts and miscarriages finally got the news that the underlying cause was the female’s “allergy” to the male’s sperm.  Her body’s reaction, as with all allergies, was to reject the sperm and protect herself.  Thus, conception was made impossible.

Because she was producing what have been colloquially deemed “killer cells” in her uterus, she was unknowingly attacking any “foreign invaders”… and that included eggs recently fertilized with her husband’s sperm.

Like many spouses, they were determined to find a solution, so they traveled to North America to expand their options.  Eventually, they were able to find a fertility specialist who injected her with anti “killer cells” (again, in layman’s terms) in order to stop her body from seeing a baby as something that needed to be purged from her uterus.

Though this couple experienced many heartbreaking moments, they were overjoyed when the last fertility treatment worked and they became the proud parents of twin baby girls!

If you, like the British couple, have been trying to conceive without success, it’s smart to seek out the advice of a reputable fertility specialist.  In the Philadelphia area, the Reproductive Science Institute (RSI) would be happy to offer a consultation to help you determine your best course of action.

http://www.rsiinfertility.com/

Mumps as a Child Could Affect Male Fertility

Although mumps is no longer common in the United States, it does still occur.  In fact, in 2006, there was a resurgence of the viral disease.  This prompted a second MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination to be distributed to those who had not received it as a child and were thus afflicted with the virus.

Though the mumps is not typically a fatal condition, it can have lasting effects, most notably among the male population.  That’s due to the fact that the mumps affects and attacks the body’s glandular system.  If the reproductive glands in and around the testes are compromised, the result can be male infertility later in life.

For men who are having fertility issues and who had mumps as a child, teen or young adult, testing can determine whether or not the mumps may have had an impact on their reproductive systems.  In the meantime, it’s important for parents to get their children vaccinated for MMR, especially if the family will be traveling to or staying in a foreign country where the mumps is still regularly seen by doctors.

If you’re uncertain about male infertility and want more answers, we invite you to visit our comprehensive website at http://www.rsiinfertility.com/.  Since 1991, we’ve been helping individuals and couples achieve their dreams of becoming parents.  And we’d love to have the opportunity to speak with you, too.  If you’re within driving distance of the greater Philadelphia or Reading Pennsylvania areas, please give us a call today.

Female Fertility - Reading a Woman’s Biological “Clock” May Be Easier Than Ever

Every woman knows exactly what the term “biological clock” means.  And if she hasn’t had children by the time she’s in her 30s, she’s likely been admonished by well-meaning family and friends about her waning female fertility.

But what is a biological clock, really?  In a nutshell, it’s simply a way of illustrating the fact that throughout a woman’s 30s (and especially after she turns 35), her fertility drops dramatically.  In fact, by the time a female reaches 40, she only has a 5 percent chance of getting pregnant each menstrual cycle.

So what would happen if we could figure out a way to “read” the numbers on the clock before the ticking stops?  A new hormone test from researchers in St. Andrews, Glasgow and Edinburgh may provide this opportunity.

The scientists have announced that they’ve isolated a chemical change that can reveal how many eggs a female has left.  This will assist fertility specialists in estimating with far more accuracy than before how long a woman will remain fertile.  It will also provide answers as to when a woman is likely to approach menopause.

Though the tests can’t tell a woman a day and time when her female fertility rate will be nonexistent, they can help physicians measure patients’ hormone levels against norms.  And this will give much more reliable data in terms of how soon a woman should begin moving toward fertility treatments such as IVF and IUI.

For more information, visit http://www.rsiinfertility.com/