INFERTILITY FACTS, NEWS AND VIEWS – FERTILITY AND CHEMOTHERAPY

I would imagine that many women of childbearing age, who want children and who are undergoing chemotherapy for breast or other cancers, must wonder from time to time how this will impact on their fertility.

Fertility after chemotherapy  depend on two factors, a woman’s age and the extent of the chemotherapy treatment, as it relates to dosage and type.

Women who are 30 and younger stands a significantly higher chance of conceiving after chemotherapy, because the ovaries of younger women do in fact produce more healthy eggs. Women who are closer to menopause (51 and over) however, will most likely be in menopause after chemotherapy, thereby limiting their chances of conceiving.

As it relates to the extent of chemotherapy received, it is known that certain drugs administered during chemotherapy treatment, does have more likelihood of causing infertility than others.  Cytoxan - chemical name: cyclophosphamide, Platinol  - chemical name: cisplatin and Adriamycin - chemical name: doxorubicin carry a medium risk to fertility. It would therefore be wise to do your research, talk extensively with your doctors, to ensure that they will be using those drugs in your treatment, with lesser risk to your fertility.

For more information, please visit the link below:

http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/fert_preg_adopt/treatments/chemotherapy

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“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.”

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PROMISING OVARIAN CANCER SCREENING

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”

 

Healthy women might soon be able to have screening done for the early detection of Ovarian Cancer. This is surely good news for all women and especially for those who are at increased risk.


As someone who has been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and was told by my doctor that this can lead to cancer, I immediately thought that he was referring to ovarian cancer, since it is the ovaries that is affected in the case of PCOS. Upon research, I found out that women with PCOS are not at risk for ovarian cancer, instead we are at increased risk for Endometrial Cancer.

Women are at increased risk for ovarian cancer, as it relates to the following:-

• Age. Ovarian cancer usually develops after menopause. Women over age 60 have the highest risk. However, it is not confined to older women; one quarter of ovarian cancer deaths occur in women 35 - 54 years of age.
• Family history. If a close blood relative of yours (mother, sister, daughter) has had ovarian cancer, your risk is higher.
• Infertility & childbearing status. Women are at increased risk if they’ve had difficulty conceiving, had children late in life, have never been pregnant, or have never used birth control pills.
• Fertility drugs. In some studies, researchers have found that prolonged use of the fertility drug clomiphene citrate, especially without achieving pregnancy, may increase the risk for developing ovarian tumors. If you are taking this drug, you should discuss its potential risks with your doctor. However, infertility also increases the risk of ovarian cancer, even without use of fertility drugs.

The more we know, the more we can preserve lives.

Be encouraged therefore.

The relationship between Ovarian Cysts and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

“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 have been meaning to research on the above to find out the relationship between these conditions. I have been thinking that they are the same and have on ocasions referred to my PCOS as ovarian cysts, only because their names seem quite similar.

It was just a few days ago, a reader of my site asked me how both are related and because I was not able to give her a proper answer. I have decided once and for all to do the research for my own sake and my readers.

“Women with Insulin Resistance and obesity-related Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) have cysts that pose different levels of concern.Ovarian cysts fall into various categories.

In the United States, ovarian cysts of some type are prevalent in nearly all pre-menopausal women and 14.8 percent of post-menopausal women (1). These cysts are fluid-filled sacs located within or on the outside wall of the ovary.

The majority of ovarian cysts are benign; they cannot be prevented and frequently will go away without treatment. Some cysts grow painfully large and must be removed. Studies have also shown that women who are past menopause and who have ovarian cysts have a higher risk of ovarian cancer (2).”

Type of functional ovarian cysts

typical polycystic ovaries


Click on the link below to continue reading from the site and please make note that polycystic ovarian sydrome is a type of ovarian cysts.

http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/PCOS-and-Ovarian-Cysts.php

Hope this information is of great help to you. Feel free to click on any relevant links on the right of this page.






Until next time, keep clinging to hope.