Newly Discovered Hormone Makes Ovaries Grow

Infertility can be very frustrating for couples who want so much to have children. It brings new hope therefore, whenever research brings about new information that could impact positively in this regard.

There is good news then for infertile couples, because, according to an article in the June 2013 issue of FASEB  Journal,  scientists seem to have just discovered an hormone which could make ovaries grow, for couples not responding well to Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH).  This would mean more infertility treatment options.

Read more in this regard :-

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130530111149.htm


From the article

"To make this discovery, Hsueh and colleagues analyzed all the proteins likely made by the eggs, and discovered a previously unknown hormone, called R-spondin2. The researchers then replicated this new hormone in test tubes and injected it into mice. The hormone stimulated growth of mouse ovarian cells, leading to the generation of mature eggs. These eggs were fertilized and led to successful pregnancies and the delivery of healthy pups. Then, human ovarian tissue was grafted into mice, and this also grew after treatment with this newly identified ovarian hormone, suggesting that the hormone could work in humans."

Post image by:
https://www.google.com.jm/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1244&bih=913&q=infertile+couple&oq=INFERTILE+C&gs_l=img.1.0.0l7j0i24l3.1276.4916.0.8727.11.10.0.0.0.0.1064.4564.1j1j2j0j1j3j1j1.10.0...0.0.0..1ac.1.17.img.eIsuynE-YGQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=-_CJXgjdgbr6yM%3A%3BPl-J5JGDlo6xtM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.thefertilitydoc.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2009%252F11%252Fsbp0008575.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.thefertilitydoc.com%252Ffertility-treatment-during-this-economic-downturn-2%252F%3B514%3B679

GRATEFUL WEDNESDAYS – Feature 19 - A Life and Death Situation

Today I am grateful for the fact that I have come to accept and embrace the reality that there is life and then there is death.

I was once very terrified of death. When I heard about a death and worst if it was someone I knew, I would  go into full mode panic attack, to the point where I felt as if I was dying as well.

Recently I have been hearing a lot of news about persons who have died. For some, it is expected because these individuals are up in age and have been ailing for a while. Then there are others, young people, my age group, who have died suddenly, giving us no notice. You are then forced to wonder what is really causing people your age to be dropping like flies - just like that. Of course you are forced to think about your own mortality. What if you are not as well as you think you are, what if you should go now, what about your spouse, what about your young children, is there adequate savings and life insurance to make a difference to their lives.

Honestly, I do think about these things, but I am finding that I am not as terrified of death as before, because one thing I have come to totally accept, is the fact that there are just some things you have no control over. Life usually goes on after people die and you would be surprised to see how God causes things to fall in place and work themselves out.

I am grateful therefore that I have come to a place where death no longer scares me and as a result of this I am able to try to live each day as if it is my last, ensuring as much as possible, that I am being my best self.

“Party over here…….”

A week ago, our second miracle baby turned 6 and so last Saturday we decided to throw him the best party that our modest budget could afford, after all a miracle baby deserves nothing but the best. His last five birthdays were low keyed celebrations and so we thought that this timing was right because at least he was at the age that he could appreciate a birthday party of this nature.

We decided on this party a little over a month ago and so we did our best to keep it a secret until we started giving out the invitations. About two weeks before the party, our daughter gave our secret away by interfering with my diary where the birthday party list was kept. We had no choice but to tell him about the party. He was excited and after asking on a couple occasions to see his party list, things calmed down and we continue planning the party wondering why he did not seem the least bit interested in finding out more. We were relieved though because at least we could go ahead with the plans without his interference. I remember one morning actually having to remind him about his party and all he said to me was, ‘don’t forget the loot bags!!!!’

I know we were being set up, somehow I felt it and low and behold, two days before the party, all hell broke loose. I have never heard my husband shouted at him so much before - "calm down, sit down, don't touch that, alright, party cancelled!!!!"  He was so excited he could not contain himself. The Friday before the party, he declared he wanted a break from school as he was tired of going. Why do you suppose? He was having a severe case of party fever.

The party was great and they all had fun. My husband and I spared no energy as we hustled and bustled about trying to make sure that everything went well. Even as my body felt numb and shocked by all that I had to do, I remember thinking, is this is really me, planning a party for my six year old, when not so long ago, well, over 6 years now, Infertility had me wondering if I would ever be in this position.

God is truly faithful and I once again thank him from the bottom of my heart.

Post image by:

https://www.google.com.jm/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=961&q=party+over+here&oq=Party+over&gs_l=img.1.0.0l10.1271.3907.0.7118.10.9.0.1.1.0.112.838.7j2.9.0...0.0.0..1ac.1.17.img.bSx905swcoQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=SoUbL1jFf7V32M%3A%3Bfwa-zTqsrmVUAM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.party-over-here.com%252Fimages%252FLogos%252FGreenPurplePOHLogo.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.sodahead.com%252Ffun%252Fparty-with-lotr_hp%252Fquestion-274844%252F%3B589%3B352

Good News for Cancer Patients of Childbearing Age

Sadly, many women of childbearing age who has cancer, and are undergoing chemotherapy, do not  know that their ability to conceive can be severely hampered, because of the drugs administered in this process. As a result, women in this regard are encouraged to have this conversation with their doctor.

There is renewed reasons to hope though, that they still will be able to conceive, as Northwestern Medicine scientists have now found a way to prevent the demise of immature ovarian eggs due to chemotherapy.

Read more in this regard, by following the link below:-

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130617142332.htm

From the article:

"This research advances the efforts to find a medical treatment to protect the fertility and hormone health of girls and young women during cancer treatment, " said So-Youn Kim, the lead investigator and a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Teresa Woodruff, chief of fertility preservation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 

Adding imatinib mesylate to the drug cisplatin blocks the action of a protein that triggers a cascade of events resulting in death of the immature eggs. Kim discovered the protein that triggers the oocyte's ultimate death is Tap63.

 Previous research suggested that imatinib is a fertility-protecting drug against cisplatin, but reports of the drug's effectiveness have been contradictory, Kim said. Her research confirms its effectiveness in an animal model."

Post image by:

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=636619321613417514#editor/target=post;postID=903016404156163058

GRATEFUL WEDNESDAYS – Feature 18 – “You raise me up.”

Many nights I wake up at about 2:30 am and find that I cannot go back to sleep. Since the birth of our daughter it is as if my body feels that 4 to 5 hours of sleep is adequate. Anyway, one such night last week, after not being able to go back to sleep, I began scanning the television channels to see if there was anything worth watching at that time of the night. I stumbled across a talk show where they were featuring backup singers. What came out of this program was that these people, do desire to be in the limelight but they do not have the courage to and so it is those who possess this courage, are the ones in the spotlight. These individuals are then forced to just be the support while those who they assist shine. They featured about three sets of backup singers who support a lot of big name artistes. Towards the end of the show the host gave them their time in the spotlight and they were so good, you wonder why they do not have their own recording contracts.

So it is in our daily lives, there are persons whose shoulders we stand on, who allow us to be all that we can be. They, in their small corner, make it their duty to do everything to ensure that we shine. The rank and file workers in an organization who keep the organization operating at its best, those friends who are always there to encourage us, to push us along. The spouses who strive to bring out the best in each other, the teachers who want to see every student in their class do well, the parents who deny themselves just to ensure that their children have the best opportunities so that they can at least live a little better life than they did.

What I find with me is that I am at my best when I am working in the background. I will be honest and say that I do wish at times that I could be in the spotlight and have tried on occasions but find that I do not operate at my best there and so I have to be satisfied with others standing on my shoulders to be the best that they can be. You might say I am cheating myself, but I do see their success as mine too and that is adequate for me.

I would like therefore to use this space today to offer my gratitude and to honour all the unsung heroes around us. Just know that the spotlight would be overcrowded if all of us were jostling for a spot there.

“Menopause May Be an Unintended Outcome of Men's Preference for Younger Mates”

I have heard quite a few theories for menopause, but I have never heard of the above, until recently. When I think about it though, there could be some truth to this because it is largely true that older men do in fact gravitate towards younger mates.

In a recent article by Science Daily, researchers have concluded that what causes menopause in women is actually men, relating specifically to reproduction.

Read the full story, by following the link below:-

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130614082653.htm

From the article

“Over time, human males have shown a preference for younger women in selecting mates, stacking the Darwinian deck against continued fertility in older women, the researchers have found.

"In a sense it is like aging, but it is different because it is an all-or-nothing process that has been accelerated because of preferential mating," says Singh, a professor in McMaster's Department of Biology whose research specialties include the evolution of human diversity.

While conventional thinking has held that menopause prevents older women from continuing to reproduce, in fact, the researchers' new theory says it is the lack of reproduction that has given rise to menopause.”

Post image by: https://www.google.com.jm/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1237&bih=781&q=menopause&oq=menopause&gs_l=img.1.0.0l10.2609.4247.0.7956.9.7.0.2.2.0.116.682.4j3.7.0...0.0.0..1ac.1.17.img.dvqFTBgBUoM#facrc=_&imgrc=5Dy7ShjwMKh2LM%3A%3BnxSNL8_TUoGOaM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmenopause-help.org%252Fimages%252FPremature-Menopause.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmenopause-help.org%252Fpremature-menopause.html%3B250%3B280

SURROGACY UP CLOSE

What is Surrogacy?

“Surrogacy is an arrangement between a woman and a couple or individual to carry and deliver a baby. It is a controversial process that is not legal in all states.

There are two kinds of surrogate mothers.

Traditional surrogates. Artificial insemination first made surrogacy possible. A traditional surrogate is a woman who is artificially inseminated with the father's sperm. She then carries the baby and delivers it for the parents to raise. A traditional surrogate is the baby's biological mother. That's because it was her egg that was fertilized by the father's sperm. Donor sperm can also be used for a traditional surrogacy.

Gestational surrogates. Invitro-fertilization (IVF) now makes it possible to harvest eggs from the mother, fertilize them with sperm from the father, and place the embryo into the uterus of a gestational surrogate. The surrogate then carries the baby until birth. A gestational surrogate has no genetic ties to the child. That's because it wasn't her egg that was used. A gestational surrogate is called the "birth mother." The biological mother, though, is still the woman whose egg was fertilized.

The surrogacy arrangement is sometimes made through an agency and other times contracted privately. When searching for a surrogate mother, a couple might use the Internet, contact an agency, or network through friends and family. Surrogacy arrangements are sometimes made between strangers who never meet, or between persons who meet only occasionally through the process. A surrogacy arrangement might also involve persons whose lives become intertwined during the process, and even those who are family members or friends before entering a surrogacy arrangement.”

                                                                 *************************************** 

Whenever I think about surrogacy, I immediately go to the emotional part. How difficult it must be for a woman to carry a child, knowing that she will not be able to raise this child. I would imagine that she is forced to prevent, as much as she can, bonding with this child.

There is a reality show carried by the Oxygen Channel, entitled, “I am having your baby.” I have not been able to watch an episode yet, but from previews, I see where it is very emotional for these women as they prepare to give up their babies to the rightful owners. So emotional that my husband, who does not show emotions easily, saw one of the previews and after being quiet for a moment said, ‘sad.’

When I was struggling with infertility, my sister did mention that she could consider having my baby. I was deeply touched, but I was not sure that I was able to deal with all that this would entail. Then, I would have done anything for a baby, but surrogacy would have put it over the top for me. Bless her heart.

Hats off to these women who are involved in surrogacy. This practice might not be overall legal, but you  may not be able to comprehend fully, the joy you bring to others, who otherwise would not have a chance at having biological children. Do know that what you do, is for me, among the highest level of selflessness.

Post image by: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/07/health/surrogate-sisters

Sources sited for information on surrogacy:-

 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-surrogacy.htm#slideshow

http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide/using-surrogate-mother

GRATEFUL WEDNESDAYS – Feature 17 - GRATITUDE ENCOURAGES BLESSINGS.

Today I am grateful for gratefulness.

I started this grateful Wednesday segment on my blog, about a year now and one thing I notice is that once you have decided to be a grateful person, it takes some amount of effort to foster this grateful attitude, because there are days when you wake up and because of circumstances in your life, you will find it challenging to be grateful.

When I was struggling with infertility, if anyone had ever told me to be grateful, I would have probably snapped at them. What would I be grateful for, when what I believe that every woman has a birthright to (the right to be a biological mom) was eluding me. On even the brightest, sunniest of days, there was always a dark cloud hovering above me. The thing is, I still had a lot to be grateful for, life, family, love, I could go on, but this unhappiness was robbing me of the opportunity to see this.

I would want to hope that even if I had not overcome my infertility issues, as hard as it might be, by now, I would have come to a place of acceptance and recognize that I am still whole even without children and can still strive to be my best self.

From experience, when you foster a grateful heart, you are a happier, lighter spirited person and even when things go wrong, and you are tempted to revert to a woe is me attitude, because of this resolve, you can still push through and be grateful for even the trials, because most times they do make us better  individuals. 

Just thought I would let you in on a little secret, if you do not already know, gratitude encourages blessings.

OUR STORY…….STILL TOUCHING LIVES

On occasions lately, when I am contemplating what to post to my blog, in the back of my mind I am wondering, if people have had enough of our infertility story. Yes, we triumphed against all odds to become parents, albeit after the better part of a decade, but I am pretty sure we are not the only ones. Then I am reminded that our story is still quite amazing and still relevant….

Recently my sister-in-law emailed me from abroad, asking me permission to use information from my blog in a talk she was doing at her Church on Mothers’ Day. I was delighted, and I quickly responded, of course, I would be deeply honored.

Just last week a friend of ours came by. My husband is doing some work for his wife and so, while they were involved in a meeting, our friend and I began catching up, because we had not seen each other in a little while. Where is my daughter? he asked. I told him she was asleep. Immediately a big smile appeared on his face and then he said, “you now have your pair, I just can’t believe it, I think about you guys every day.” I was so taken by this. Isn’t it nice to know that you are in some one’s thoughts every day, especially knowing that this is because of something positive, your triumph in life.

Yesterday at Church, I was holding our daughter when a young lady and I began talking. As a result of the conversation we were having, I began telling her that every time my father sees our daughter, he would remark that my husband and I have brought back his mother to life, because she reminds him so much of his own mother. She said she has had the same experience with her daughter as well. I then said to her that one of the reasons that I fought so hard to have children of my own, was because I really wanted to see how they would look, and who they would look like. I then went on to say to her that there is a lady, now deceased, who would say to me from time to time, “I really want to see what your children would look like and this would motivate me even more to continue my infertility fight. You could see how delighted she was to hear this and then she quickly remarked. “God is truly awesome, I use your story from time to time in practice. (she is a OBGYN).

I came home from Church yesterday thinking, I do have a post for my blog tomorrow and while muddling over how I would formulate this post, one thing kept jumping out at me. Our story is big, bigger than us,  and the sooner we realize this, the better we are able to grasp the depth and width it reaches and the fact that it will forever be relevant. 

Last week in my 'Grateful Wednesday; post, I wrote that each of us have a unique life journey and things that happens to us in our lives are for the most part divinely ordered, according to this journey. Our infertility struggle, I know was divinely ordered and so we would not have had it any other way. God gave us this cross on our journey so that he could be glorified.

As added bonus, last evening while having dinner, our son remarked, “I love my family, I love my daddy, I love my mommy and I love my sister. He then got up and hugged each of us. My heart was full. My husband looked over at me with a smile and said, post for your blog, I said, of course. How could I not find a way to include this in my post today.

GOD IS TRULY AMAZING. 

GRATEFUL WEDNESDAYS – Feature 16 - Divinely Ordered

Today I am grateful for Divine Order.

I believe that the way each of us life unfolds, is to a great degree, a result of Divine Order. Each of us have our unique life journey and sometimes this life journey takes us away from our friends and family for extended periods of time.

Recently our Church held their annual convention and for the past 6 years I was not in attendance because my husband and I was living abroad for 5 of those years and for the one year since we had been back home,  our daughter was an infant. I made special effort then to attend this recent one.

My heart was warmed and my spirit refreshed to see faces I had not seen in years. I remember saying to one of those individuals, that I dreamed about her recently, (It is often said that when your mind runs on someone or you dream about them, you are to say a prayer for them). It was therefore quite in order that she asked me if I said a prayer for her. I hesitated to answer because I did not pray for her specifically, usually in my prayers I pray generally, if there is nothing specific, for my friends and loved ones, and that in my view should be adequate.

I am grateful then for how life unfolds, so that we can get a lift in our hearts and spirits from time to time, because God knows, we sure need it. 

LIFE HAPPENS IN THE PRESENT!!!!!

After having children, we have to change our perspective on life whether we like it or not. If not, no worries, they will change for us. Children teach us so much and one thing in particular that I want to focus on in this post is, they teach us how to stay in the moment.

Recently, one of my sisters visited from overseas and she planned for us a day with our Dad, out in the country, which she termed a ‘cookout’, even though it was more like a ‘cook in’, because we cooked inside.

After the first phase of my duties in the kitchen was over, my son, who is an energetic 5 year old, decided to indulge me in a nature walk, which he termed an adventure. We walked through almost all of my father’s property, among the lush vegetation and I was having fun with my boy. I decided to draw on my creative self and use this as a learning activity for him and so I began to identify some fruit trees and introduce him to them. He totally enjoyed that, wow am I a good mom or what, I beamed to myself. What made me uncomfortable though, was that I had to make so much effort to stay in the moment as I kept wondering if I am needed in the kitchen or if I really shouldn’t  be resting a little, as I did felt tired, until I was needed again in the kitchen to assist.

We finished our nature walk and no sooner had we finished, he was begging for another round. This time with added incentive, we now would be searching for treasure (thanks to Dora). By this time our daughter was awake from her 15 minutes nap (well, it sure felt like that because like her mommy, she is not a day sleeper) and my husband was off parenting duties because he had taken some work to finish up due to a deadline. I therefore had to make this second nature/adventure trek again, this time with added weight, as our daughter weighs over 25 pounds, well, 27 as I pen this post. This second time around was definitely no fun, and I tried very hard to show my son that I was enjoying this quality time with him. I begged him to cut this one short as I was really winded with his sister on my side. He did not give in, but somehow I succeeded in manipulating him to return to the house.

What saved me from a third nature walk was the call that dinner was ready.

When I was struggling to have children, I very often romanticized the idea of how great a mom I would be if given the chance. Reality now strikes and I am thinking, well, this one sure seem to have gotten away from me. I am only comforted by the fact that, I know I am not alone in this, because as parents we do come up short in one way or another.

The lesson here then is not just to us who are parents, but to all who have become so wound up from the spin cycle that our lives have become. We have to make special effort to remain present in life. Cease the moments when we can just kick back, relax and smell the roses.

My son taught me well, this lesson that day. After all mom, you are in the country where the vegetation is lush, no hustle, no bustle and more than all, the air is clean, why not take it all in, cease the moment.

My children continue to teach me daily, that LIFE HAPPENS IN THE PRESENT!!!!!