THE EFFECT OF CHEMOTHERAPY ON A WOMAN'S FERTILITY

“Current estimates of the impact of chemotherapy on women’s reproductive health are too low   according to a recent study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco. The Researchers  say that their analysis of the age-specific, long term effects of chemotherapy, provides new insights which will help patients and clinicians make more informed decisions about future reproductive options, such as egg harvesting."

According to this study, previous studies seem to have only focussed on the lack of menstruation after chemotherapy(amenorrhea), as the primary reproductive side effect of chemotherapy, when other issues such as early menopause (menopause before age 45) and a host of damage to a woman’s ovaries, leading to infertility can also result.

Many women have been told that as long as their periods return after chemotherapy they would have no negative impact.

For more from this study, please visit the link below:-

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233389.php

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LIGHT MOMENT FRIDAYS FEATURE 19

If this does not make you laugh, I am not sure my 'Light Moment Fridays are worth it!!!!!

A man and his casket......


A man who makes casket, was on his way to deliver one of his coffins when his car broke down.


Trying not to be late, he put the coffin on is head and starting heading to his destination.


Some policemen saw him, wanted to make some money off him (bribe), decided to challenge him:


"Hey, what are you carrying and where are you going?"


The man said, "I do not like where I was buried and so I am relocating."


The policemen ran for their lives.


Ha ha ha, serve them right!

“PROMISES, PROMISES”

Yesterday, in my daily devotional reading, the author was talking about promises. Have you ever been disappointed by someone who had promised you something?

A lot of us have claimed promises from God and wonder from time to time if he has forgotten about us and begin to feel abandoned and disillusioned. We do not understand many times how God works, but from my experience with waiting on him, I have surmised that that he makes us wait so that we can come to a place of total dependence on him, when our efforts to take matters into our own hands fail, because we do try and  they always somehow does not work out. I believe this wait is part of his divine preparation process for us as well, to be mature spiritually and otherwise to receive these promises.

The author went on to focus on Abraham and Sarah, most of us know that they were not able to have children and Abraham had been promised by God that he would make him the father of many nations. Well, that promise took a very long while, 25 years to be exact (Gen. 21 v 5).

I too had claimed God’s promise to make me a mother and my wait took over a decade. Did I wait patiently on God’s promise? Quite the contrary. I was conflicted within, became even angry at God at times and even attempted to take matters in my own hand by exploring Invitro Fertilization (IVF) and adoption. (Gen.15 v 2) accounts that Abraham did not wait patiently either, he questioned God about his childlessness and even went as far as fathering a child through one of Sarah’s handmaiden (16 v 15).

Is any of you currently in the position myself or Abraham and Sarah was in. Well, we are proof that God does fulfil his promises. You might be in the waiting process and is conflicted, disillusioned and growing impatient, take heart and be encouraged by our stories.

image by: http://www.healthymale.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/infertile-couple.jpg

YOU COULD KNOW THE SEX OF YOUR BABY FROM AS EARLY AS 7 WEEKS GESTATIONAL AGE

According to a recent research, expectant parents could know the sex of their baby from as early as 7 weeks gestational age. 

This news does not have me doing the happy dance though because I am quite comfortable with finding out the sex of my baby at the recommended 16 weeks gestational age, which now exists. I would have been comfortable as well with knowing my baby’s sex at birth, but I do not handle suspense well.

Researchers who did this study, drew blood from expectant women and add that this testing could be particularly valuable to families with sex-linked genetic disorders, such as haemophilia.

This study is not without controversy however, as other researchers has voiced concern that it could be misused to terminate pregnancies where that baby is unwanted, because of its sex.

 Read more:-

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44079287/ns/health-pregnancy/t/controversial-test-reveals-fetus-sex-early-weeks/

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PREGNANCY AND ONE FUNCTIONING OVARY

Do you have only one functioning ovary and is worried that this might affect your chance of getting pregnant?

Well, be worried no more, it turns out you have the same chance of becoming pregnant just like  any woman with two functioning ovaries. Why, because a woman does not need two ovaries to become pregnant. There are a few exceptions to this though, that can make conceiving more difficult.

Read what these exceptions are and more on this subject, from the following article.

 http://www.wisegeek.com/can-you-get-pregnant-with-one-ovary.htm

From the article:

"A woman with one ovary usually has the same chance of getting pregnant as a woman with two. There are a few exceptions that can make getting pregnant more difficult. The remaining ovarymust be attached to the remaining fallopian tube. If only an ovary and the opposite fallopian tube exist, it is much more likely that during ovulation, an egg will not pass down the fallopian tube. One with a single ovary and a single fallopian tube that are not on the same side is also at higher risk for tubal pregnancies.

If the fallopian tube and remaining ovary are both on the same side, another thing to look for is a regular period. If a woman continues to menstruate on a regular basis, this tends to be a good sign that the woman is ovulating and can get pregnant. Conversely, if periods are irregular or have stopped altogether this may signify that no ovulation is occurring, or that it is occurring on a very infrequent basis."

LIGHT MOMENT FRIDAYS – Feature 18

MOMMY, YOU ARE DOING IT ALL WRONG!!!!!

The other day I was in the bathroom peeing when our 4 year old son came in and asked, "mommy, what are you doing?". I answered, I am peeing honey. He then looked at me weirdly and said, mommy, you are doing it all wrong, you should stand up, point your penis and pee.

I couldn't stop laughing. I was visiting with my brother and sister-in-law for the weekend and had to go upstairs soon after and share it with my husband and them, they all had a good laugh themselves.

Kids, so pure and innocent.

THINKING OUT LOUD

 I was visiting with some family members this weekend, on route to a wedding on the west end of our island.

It was a beautiful visit because we had not spent any quality time with these family members for a while and so it was all the more worth it.

This couple has no children and at this stage will not be able to have any biological ones. I also know that they would not mind having children. My husband and I were visiting with our 4 year old son and I am currently 6 months pregnant with our second child. Throughout the visit, I had moments when I was wondering how, especially my sister-in-law was co-oping with us being there, given her circumstances. She did not show any discomfort outwardly and did not hesitate to engage me in conversation about the pregnancy and our expecting child. I know it is easier for this couple to deal with this because by now, they probably have resigned themselves to be without biological children, but does this pain and void that children would fill, ever go away?

I know in my time of struggles with infertility, it was very difficult for me to be around children and expectant women, much less to be host to them for any period of time. Having this experience, I did not talk or draw any undue attention to my pregnancy at all.

 I love this couple dearly, so much so that my sister-in-law is our son’s godmother and this decision was made so that we could share our son with them.

Thanks for having us guys, we truly cherished every moment we spent with you.

image by: http://info.thinktutoring.com/Portals/58528/images/thinking-out-loud.jpg

PASS THAT SUNSCREEN PLEASE!!!!!!

Summer is well underway now and many of us are making multiple trips to the beach and hence have been using a lot of sunscreen to protect us from the sun’s harmful rays.

But wait, before you lather on that sunscreen , do take note. According to a recent study conducted by a team at the University of Switzerland, chemicals in sunscreen have high estrogenic activity.  Chemical estrogens are “gender benders” and can cause a whole host of health problems for both sexes.  Chicago Healers Practitioner Dr. Martha Howard highlights some of the issues:

 Women

o   Increased breast and uterine cancer

o   Uterine fibroid tumors

o   Endometriosis

o   PMS

o   Irregular Periods

o   Migraines

·     

    Men

o   Reduced penis size

o   Increased testicular cancer

o   Undescended testicles

o   Breast enlargement

o   Lowered sperm counts

o   Sexual identity confusion

o   Impaired male fetal brain patterning

Fear not, though, as it is easy to prevent exposure to these harmful chemicals and their effects by using organic, chemical free sunscreens.   Applying these will ensure a happy, healthy and sunny summer!  Dr. Howard recommends:

·         Desert Essence Organics Age Reversal Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 30

·         MyChelle Sun Shield

·         California Baby SPF 30+ No Fragrance Sunscreen

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