“IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T CONCEIVE”

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand

Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

 

It is with great pleasure that I introduce the book, If at First You Don't Conceive: A Complete Guide to Infertility from One of the Nation's Leading Clinics by  Dr. William Schoolcraft, MD, HCLD, Director of the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine.


This book covers areas such as:-

• The basics of what you should know - Understanding the Fertility Fight.
• The most common fertility challenges – Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Endometriosis and tubal and uterine challenges, among others.
• The most common solutions – The donor sperm option, and egg donor option and Invitro –Fertilization, etc.
• Preserving mind and Spirit – A look at the emotional challenges of infertility.

I highly recommend this book for persons currently involved in the fertility fight and can be a great gift for anyone you know also engaged in this fight.

"TIMING IS EVERYTHING"

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

Without ovulation, pregnancy cannot take place and for most of us women who have struggled or are still struggling with infertility, irregular periods is among the issues we face, trying to become pregnant. This is especially so, if Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), is the reason for infertility, as irregular periods, is one of its symptoms.

I remember, because of my PCOS and my irregular periods, it was so frustrating trying to track my ovulation, I even used ovulation predictor kits, but to no avail as I did not always ovulate.

Luckily for women without infertility issues and has a regular 28 days period, tracking ovulation is easy, as they often ovulate around mid cycle (day 14). For women with longer cycles though, e.g. a 35 day cycle, ovulation is not mid cycle at all, it is actually a few days later.

Some women find that they have to use Ovulation Predictor kits, to help track ovulation, especially those diagnosed with PCOS , because their periods are more erratic and they do not always ovulate.

Please visit, the site below, to read more about ovulation and please find also, an ovulation predictor calculator.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-importance-of-timing-intercourse_1809.bc?scid=preconception_20100309:2&pe=2Uxia4K

Catch you for my next post and keep holding on to hope.

WHY THE ANGER????????

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

I have been watching for the past year as America’s Health Care Reform unfolds and has gotten really ugly over the last couples of days, especially since it was passed on Sunday.

What really has my attention now though, is how angry some people are. Opposition is good and does promote healthy politics, but not when it results in what is currently happening. We should be able to disagree without being disagreeable. I know people are angry and anger is a God-given right for each and every one of us, but what is important, is how we deal with this anger. We should not allow ourselves to get to the point where we lose control of our selves, and say things that causes hurt and even long term damage.

The fact that this is being played out in an environment where it has no place, is even sadder. These people who are elected to serve with a certain degree of dignity, self control and respect for themselves and who they serve, should be able to restrain themselves, if only for this reason.
The other thing is, what example are we setting for our children who are watching everyday as politics is played out in its ugliest of form. One day, we might find that there will be no one to run our dear countries, because our children are so turned off by what they are currently seeing. Then, we would definitely have a problem.

Come on people, we owe it to ourselves, our children and the land we serve, to do better, as this is very much unacceptable, at least in my eyes.

My readers, I know this has nothing to do with infertility, (or does it, because we do face anger throughout our infertility struggle and even more anger when a miscarriage becomes part of the process), but I just had to get it off my chest.

Catch you for my next post.

DO NOT QUIT THE FIGHT……YOUR PRIZE AWAITS.

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

For all who have been engaged in this fertility fight and now find that you are on your way to winning. A hearty congratulations to you and I wish you nothing but the best for your pregnancy. One just simply cannot be told how it feels to be pregnant, especially when you had to fight so hard for it, you have to experience it yourself to truly know, and I hope your experience is all that you have been dreaming of and more.

To those who continue in this fight, I want to encourage you not to quit, even when circumstances dictate you should. Remember, “the race is not for the swift but for those who endure.” Remember also, that, “when men on earth have done their best, angels in heaven could not do more.”

YOU REMAIN IN MY PRAYERS.

Hold on to hope, and see you for my next post.

"IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T CONCEIVE"

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

It is with great pleasure that I introduce the book, IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T CONCEIVE, a complete guide to infertility from one of the nation’s leading clinics. Authored by Dr. William Schoolcraft, MD, HCLD, Director of the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine.

This book covers areas such as:

• The basics of what you should know - Understanding the Fertility Fight.
  


• The most common fertility challenges – Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Endometriosis and tubal and uterine challenges, among others.
  


• The most common solutions – The donor sperm option, and egg donor option and Invitro –Fertilization, etc.
  


• Preserving mind and Spirit – A look at the emotional challenges of infertility.
  
  

I highly recommend this book for persons currently involved in the fertility fight and can be a great gift for anyone you know also engaged in this fight.

Get it at, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Borders.

TREATING INTRAUTERINE ADHESIONS (Scar Tissue)

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

Intrauterine Adhesions are common causes of infertility and miscarriages and they can occur after a Dilation and Curettage (DandC), or other surgeries inside the uterus.

There is good news though, as these can be repaired with operative hysteroscopy (Operative Hysteroscopy uses a hysteroscope, which is a thin telescope that is inserted through the cervix into the uterus).

For quite a while, I thought that once you were diagnosed with this condition, you would not be able to become pregnant, but thanks to the advancement in medical science, this is indeed treatable.

For more information on Operative Hysteroscopy, and other conditions that this procedure is used treat, please read from the following links:-

http://www.iwannagetpregnant.com/minimally/operhyster.shtml
http://www.gynalternatives.com/hysteroscopy.htm

MY POOR BABY - Wish I could take away the pain

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

Theo has been home from nursery for the past couple of days, with what appears to be thrush on his tongue. He also has a mild fever and seem to be in a lot of pain and is very quiet and listless. He has not eaten for almost two days now.

He looks very drawn and I hate to see him like this. We were not able to get an appointment with his doctor the minute we found out, but thankfully we have one later today, so that he can be diagnosed and treated. I cannot wait, because he looks like he is wasting away, with eyes looking larger and larger in his little head.

Since he began nursery in January, he has had a cold, which turned into flu and so he was just at his doctor two weeks ago and just when we thought we could now breathe a little, there is something else. His doctor says that when they start nursery you must be prepared for them getting sick very often, but believe me, I never thought thrush would be a part of this.

Thrush apparently is a very common condition among babies and toddlers and is very painful, so I can imagine what he has been going through for the past couple of days. I am using the fact that when I give my tongue a good bite, eating is so painful for me, for a couple of days, to judge the extent of the pain that he might be in. There are times when we try to force him to eat, but after thinking about this, we give up, knowing that this must be so difficult and painful for him.

Everyone know how much I wanted a child, but honestly, I really was not prepared for them getting sick and so I am still trying to get used to this. For Theo, who is such an animated and lively child, you would never know that he has been home for the past couple of days, because the house is so quiet.

We try what we can with home remedies that we researched, to help him with the discomfort, until he sees his doctor, like wiping and massaging the tongue with a clean damp cloth and giving him pain medication, but this has been challenging, because he just refuses to open the mouth.
He refuses to have anything done to him at all and he has been this way from he was born. He was born fighting and resisting.

I ask that you send some love this way for our precious boy and wish him a speedy recovery, for his sake and his dear mom.

Thanks and catch you next time.

GETTING PREGNANT WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS)

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is one of the leading causes of infertility in women of childbearing age, and I struggled with infertility for over a decade, because of this condition.

The reason my struggle was so long, I believe, was because, at the time, I did not understand much about this condition and did not try to research information in this regard. I really beleive that it if I had the necessary information, then I would have been able to work with my doctor in an effective manner, to get results sooner. I therefore cannot stress too much, how important it is that you know all about your diagnosis. so that precious time wont be loss, because I know you are eager to hold your baby in your arms.

The good news is, there is now a lot of information only a finger tip away, regarding PCOS and there are treatments available to help you get pregnant, if you want to start a family and is finding that infertility caused PCOS is causing you not to conceive.

PCOS causes very irregular periods in women, but many do have regular monthly periods, and do not ovulate (a condition known as annovulation), and so, is still not able to get pregnant. It is recommended that women who fall in this category, do ovulation testing monthly, with ovulation predictor kits, (these can be found in any drug store or pharmacy), to know if they are ovulating or not. If they find that they are not ovulating, there are two drugs that are recommended to help achieve ovulation. These are Clomiphene Citrate and Metformin, ask your doctor about them.

For most women with PCOS, weight is an issue and it is recommended that you lose some weight even before you try the above drugs, because this does make a woman’s chances of conceiving even greater.

For more on getting pregnant with PCOS, please visit the following websites:

http://www.fertilityfactor.com/infertility_PCOS.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/454375/tips_for_getting_pregnant_if_you_have.html?cat=52

Be encouraged therefore, and until next time, keep clinging to hope.

FOR THE LOVE OF 'MAN'S BEST FRIEND'!!!!!!!!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand"
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

The other day I was watching as the rescue of a dog played out on the Fox News Channel. The host of the program at that particular time, named this dog ‘Fido’ and I then thought to myself, that this news program could be broadcasting this event for the entire duration of their time on air. Well, go figure, even though viewers were upset that so much effort was being put into saving this dog and it was a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Fido was caught in a rushing river as a result of heavy rains that this area in the United States was experiencing at the time. At first the rescue team, which had now converged at the scene, was trying to encourage the dog to turn around and tread upstream because continuing in the direction he was going at the time (downstream), would have made matters more dangerous for him, because the water was getting deeper and the current swifter.

They did not succeed at this and so a rescue helicopter decided to take matters in hand and soon a rescue officer was dangling from the helicopter as the helicopter lowered the officer towards the dog, in hopes of grabbing him and bringing him to safety. This was of course very challenging as the officer had to risk his life among dangling live power lines and so everyone waited with abated breath to see if this outcome would indeed be a happy one.

It ended happily, but sadly the officer had to endure a frightened dog, who was biting at him furiously, as he grabbed him and brought him to safety.

I love dogs a lot and this was very emotional for me to watch, and I too was hoping that this ended happily. As I watched this event unfold though, I could not help but think, look at the length we would go to save an unfortunate dog when towards each other we become so violent at times. Parents abuse and hurt their children, Sex offender prey on our unsuspecting children and we do not think twice, to gun down our fellow man. Do we show more love to our dear pets.

I know it is said that a dog is a man’s best friend and judging by how well we treat our pets, some of us seem to feel more loved by our pets than our fellowman, because our pets are always so happy to see us and do not judge us at all, but isn’t it unfortunate that this is so, shouldn’t we also try to coexist with each other in the same way.

As I said before, I do lover dogs and I remember when I was a little girl, we had this neighbor and very good family friend, he had a bad leg and so I used to do a lot of errands for him. This particular evening he was visiting with us at the time we were having dinner, he always ran little jokes with me and so he proceeded to ask me for some of my dinner, to which I replied. before I give you, I give my dog. I know I did not mean to hurt this dear man, and my parents seemed to have known this as well, because I do not remember being scolded. Infact, my mom seem to love relating this story when we meet for family gatherings. This man did have a special place in my heart, so much so that when he died, I cried at his funeral, but I must have been annoyed that he was asking me for some of my dinner. I related this little story because it could come across that I treated my dog better than I treated people, but I do not think it qualifies, because I was just an innocent little girl. I always thought this was a cute story and so I wanted to share it.

I know if it was a human being who had needed rescuing in the same way that Fido needed rescuing, the same efforts to save the dog would have been employed, but it still had me wondering if we do love our pets more than how we love those that we are created to coexist with.

Just some food for thought, catch up with you for my next post.

AGE AND FERTILITY

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

Many women who are struggling with infertility, will find that they are having children later in their lives as a result (myself included) as I had my son at 38.
There is no need to panic though, because while it is known that at puberty a woman’s eggs would have already declined by 50%, after 30 by 90% and after 40 many women only have 3% of their eggs remaining, this is not the case for every woman because many women over thirty go on to having healthy pregnancies and many women over 40, still go on to having healthy pregnancies.

This statistics is enough to frighten us though (and it is still frightening to me), but I am comforted knowing that this is only statistics and does not mean that myself and many others will be included and so I believe our baby making plans should not at be affected by this. The best we can do is to make sure we are as healthy as possible before and during our pregnancies, because this is only what we have control over.

This affects men also, because as they age, their fertility is also affected as research has shown that a women younger than 30 years old was 25% less likely to conceive a baby if her male partner was 40 years or older and miscarriages are more likely in couples who are 40 and older.

For more reading on age and fertility, please visit the links below:

http://www.advancedfertility.com/testovar.htm
http://www.extendfertility.com/why/importance.php?ls=78
http://menshealth.about.com/od/conditions/a/Age_fertility.htm

Be encouraged therefore, and until next time, keep clinging to hope.