INFERTILITY NEWS, FACTS AND VEIWS: Male Infertility

When a couple is diagnosed  as having infertility issues,  the woman is the first to wonder what could be wrong with her, the man is usually looked at secondary.  In my case, my husband was  examined long after I was diagnosed.

Male Infertility contributes to a couple’s infertility quite significantly with  up to 80% of cases  cannot be diagnosed or treated. This is why according to an article in Medical News Today,  a team of Bay Area  Researchers is examining  the factors both physchological  and biochemical which tells when sperms are fertile and infertile.

Read more by following the link below:-

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/272851.php

From the Article

“At the 58th Annual Biophysical Society Meeting, which took place Feb. 15-19, 2014, in San Francisco, Calif., the team presented its work to identify and characterize proteins known as ion channels, which are crucial for sperm fertility and expressed within a sperm cell's plasma membrane.

To study ion channels, the researchers are recording the electrical activity of sperm ion channels under strictly controlled conditions.”

Overall, the findings from this research could prove crucial in future development  of  new pain management therapies  as well as diagnostic tests and treatments for male infertility.

image by: http://eivf.net/blog/2013/12/20/male-infertility-is-not-uncommon/

GETTING PREGNANT WHILE BREASTFEEDING

Have you ever heard that a woman cannot get pregnant while she is breastfeeding, I have. Well, this is really not so at all, as pop star Britney Spears and actress Tori Spelling can tell you. Britney Spears became pregnant again in 2006, just three months after giving birth to her first son. Tori Spelling became pregnant recently in about the same time frame as Britney, with what will be her fourth child.

"Yes. In general, you're less fertile, but not infertile, while breastfeeding. Although you may not menstruate for months after giving birth, your body usually releases its first postpartum egg before you get your first period. So you won't know you've ovulated until two weeks later — when you menstruate."  according to article courtesy of baby Center.

Check the link below for more on this:-

http://www.babycenter.com/404_can-i-get-pregnant-while-breastfeeding_7093.bc

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ65G4haY-VwXAPav-iXQ8jdAF7iOr_1Lyp5rfpWrLXYxClGiGUQlED5wmd

image by: 

HAVING CHILDREN LATER IN LIFE

image by:http://i.telegraph.co.uk/

It is recommended that couples start their families in their twenties, because at that time women are more fertile and better able to deal with the demands of motherhood and parenting.

This is very true, but many of us struggling with infertility, or have ever struggled with infertility, have not much choice in this matter, and as a result find ourselves starting our families much later in life.

The risks of getting pregnant  later in life cannot be ignored.  There is the risk of certain birth defects e.g. Down Syndrome. There is the risk of miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, babies with low birth weight among others and so there is much anxiety for women who find themselves pregnant later in their lives.

Regardless of this however, women are still becoming pregnant at this stage in their lives. I had my son at 39 and later said I would try for another up to the age of 43. I know of many other women who have had children at this age and even older. In Hollywood, there are a lot of older mothers, Halle Berry who gave birth to daughter Nahla at 41,  Mariah Carey who just gave birth to twins at age 40, and everyone will remember Kelly Preston, who gave birth to her third child in December, at the ripe old age of 47. There is also recent news, that Carla Brunni, first lady of France is currently expecting, at age 43. I remember when I had my miscarriage in 2009, I was 41, then and was telling someone about my ordeal, who was quick to ask, ‘is it safe for you to get pregnant at your age?’ I was not sure if I was to feel offended or not, but I knew she only said that, because of what she was socialized to believe about women and pregnancy, and is not able to think outside of the box.

I guess many women, including myself are simply just thinking that other older women get through their pregnancies, successfully, so we can too and choose to take a positive attitude in this regard. Kelly Preston said, she did not think about the risks, she just thought that it would be difficult.

Pregnancy, on a whole, regardless of your age comes with many risks and so if older women should reflect on the risks only, they would never go on to have the families, they want. The key to any successful pregnancy, later in life, I believe, is being as healthy as you possibly can, before and during  your pregnancy, staying as close as possible to your doctor and most of all, having a very positive attitude.

ALL THE VERY BEST IN YOUR DECISION TO BECOME AN OLDER MOM.

MR. STORK, ARE YOU PLANNING ON EVER COMING MY WAY AGAIN???

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 and 4

“HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

Our son is home for a month for Christmas holidays and every day, more and more, I find myself thinking about a certain very elegant ,white, feathered fellow, and wondering if he has any plans of ever coming our way again.

Our son needs a sibling so badly, as he seems to think that we, his parents are his siblings. Throughout the days, he constantly wants me to build fortes on his bed and read stories to him under those fortes, (picture a three year old and an adult on a toddler bed, and he does not seem to understand that the bed is just not big enough for both of us). I must say, I enjoy reading stories to him, even if it is on a toddler bed, under a forte, because I have tried on many occasions to read to him when he was a baby and all he wanted to do, was to spin the pages of the book himself and eat them. He also wants me to bounce with him on the beds and for me, after a couple of bounces, I have to collapse on the bed because I am out of breath. The other day he had me outside doing laps around the apartment with him. Before long I was totally out of it and he seemed as if he had just started. I sat down for a while with my hand on my cheeks, only to have him come up to me and asked ‘Mommy, why so sad, what’s wrong?’ I told him I was tired from running. He immediately said to me,” that’s alright mommy we can still run” and before I knew it, he had me running again. By the way, can anyone guess my age? Medical experts say, the best time to have children is in your twenties and it is not only for the reason that women are more fertile at that age, they also have more energy to deal with these babies who, before long turn into very active toddlers. It was never the intention, for a woman aged  forty-something be running behind toddlers (smile). I am however, not complaining at all, in fact I am very grateful for my son, and would not exchange him for anything.

I am finding out that almost everyone I know who had just one child, has a second one on the way and that is giving me the encouragement to continue our efforts in this regard. I would be lying if I said that my age was not scaring me, because it is and I also have my PCOS issues to contend with.  All in all, I owe it to myself, my husband and most of all, our son, to do this, because I strongly believe that every child needs at least one sibling to be there beside them as they grow up. I had the privilege of having six siblings and my life would not have been the same if I did not have them.

I talk a lot about adopting, if our efforts to have another biological child fails, but more and more I am hearing how long and tedious adoption is, and so I would prefer to see what our chances are with a biological one first, then if those efforts fail, we will then put all those efforts into adoption and be prepared to be in it for the long haul, because our bottom line is, We are scared to think that our son might have to grow up alone and it was never our intention for that to happen. He does have cousins, but they are far away and many are much older than he is and so even when they get together, he would still be disadvantaged, given his age.

I know God is on our side and I know you are too, continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

HOW FERTILE CAN ONE FAMILY/ WOMAN BE???

“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

I think you all might know of this family, the Duggars. They have a television show on The Learning Channel called, Eighteen kids and counting, turns out they are pregnant with their nineteenth child with their eighteenth just months old. I guess they now need to change the name of the show to reflect this change after this child is born.

Can you imagine, eighteen children with number nineteen on the way, and that is not all, they are also expecting their first grandchild by their oldest son. How fertile can one family be? I can just imagine how women who are battling infertility, wanting to have even one child must be feeling. I was taken aback, and even went a little further to being somewhat annoyed and wanted to shout at the television, ‘enough already, will you stop,’ when they were featured on the today show announcing this pregnancy. I have a child and was still annoyed so I can only imagine how others who do not have and so desperately want to have, must be feeling. I guess my annoyance stems from the fact that Mrs. Duggar makes getting pregnant seem so easy when so many of us have to struggle long and hard to be successful even just once.

I was reading an article which stated that she thought her childbearing years were behind her when she realized she was pregnant again. It is accurate to say then that she was not trying for another child but she was certainly not doing anything to prevent it either.

I wonder if Mrs. Duggar knows that there are many infertile people around who might be feeling a little annoyed with them as their announcement is only a reminder of what they so desperately want, children. I wonder also if this family is trying for a record or something, ‘the family with the most children.’ I do not know, but what I do know is that, the minute I heard this announcement I immediately started thinking about persons who are infertile and how they must be feeling, and my heart went out to them.

Children are indeed a gift from God and the Duggars are blessed to have so many children. They have been blessed times nineteen with the blessing of a grandchild also on the way. They seem so happy and fulfilled and even though my post is not reflecting this, Don’t be fooled, I am happy for them.

Mrs. Duggar gives hope to women who are over forty and still want to have children, as I have learnt that she is forty-two.

Please follow the link to continue reading the Duggars story and until next time keep clinging to hope.
http://infertility-fertility.blogspot.com/2009/09/another-pregnancy-over-40-duggar-does.html

Our son showed up right on time…………..

“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

Our son's birthday, June 16, 2007.

Recently, my husband and I were at the park with our son, while my husband was off playing with him, I was talking with a neighbor and upon realizing that our son was having a hard time trying to find someone of his age to play with, I remarked that this is happening because he came too late and that is the reason he is having a hard time fitting in with other kids, as most times he is the youngest child around. My neighbor said, ‘do not say that at all, he came right on time.’

It was only after my neighbor made that comment that it came home to me, what I had really said and I began to feel really guilty and ungrateful. How could I have said that our son came too late, when it was never in my power when he should show up. My husband and I did everything to beat infertility so that he could come, but it was really up to God when he came or if, despite our efforts he should show up at all. It is therefore, in my opinion never late when a child shows up.

My husband and I began trying for a child when I was twenty-six years old and when I realized that infertility would play a part in our efforts, at first I was not at all too bothered because I thought time was on my side. Unfortunately, the years began slipping by and soon I was staring right into the face of thirty-five when it is said that a woman's fertility starts to decline, and panic took over, as I thought forty was not too far off, the deadline which was said at the time to stop trying to conceive . Well I did it before forty thankfully. I conceived our son when I was thirty-seven and he was as healthy as could be.

These days, I think of how late in our lives, our son came and wonder if he had come when we were much younger, (say we were one of those very blessed fertile young couple) and he came the minute we began trying to conceive? Would we have been ready to be the parents we need to be to him. Maybe not and so I think God knew that and that was why he chose to put us in the refinery (allowing us to have to go through infertility, because believe me, it is character building), so that we could come out as fine gold, mature parents, who are far more equipped now than if we were younger and had not have to deal with the challenge of infertility, to take on the challenges of parenthood.

Many of you struggling with infertility at this point do have age on your side but many also are in a race with time, because your age is not co-operating with you. What I want to say to you such is, do not feel frightened, do not be dismayed, God knows what he is doing and he will send those precious little ones your way when he deems you ready for them. Sometimes we think that we are so ready for things but it turns out we are not as ready as we think. I would suggest not watch the age factor too much then, just continue to do all that is in your power to have your family and leave the rest up to God, who has final say in the ultimate.

Take comfort in this therefore, and until next time, keep clinging to hope.