Springfield, MO) — Traffic, work, family, these are all things that can give us stress on a daily basis. But you might not know that stress can also make it harder for you to get pregnant.
A new study from the University of California, Berkley found that when we experience high levels of stress, our bodies create a type of hormone that suppresses our ability to reproduce. Locally, doctor’s say that’s something they’ve always suspected, but now they have proof.
Amy is an attorney with a successful career, a stable marriage and a nine year old daughter. A year and a half ago she & her husband decided to try for another, but they were having trouble. “It’s really strange because anything I wanted in my life I’ve been able to do,” said Amy.
Amy didn’t want to show her face for this interview because she’s uncomfortable in front of the camera. And she thinks there’s a stigma attached to words like infertility. “It’s quite devastating because you walk around in the grocery story and you see the mom’s and the babies and then your friends have baby showers and its like, well why can’t I do this,” said Amy.
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Tags : Conception, infertility, stress
Women wanting to get pregnant should find themselves an ugly man, new research suggests.
Scientists have found attractive males produce less sperm during sex.
Researchers think good-looking males are biologically geared to hold back their sperm in each encounter to increase their chance of impregnating more females.
But unattractive males know they are not going to bed so many females — so when they do get lucky they give it all they’ve got.
The findings from the University of Oxford and University College London are backed up by studies of chickens and fish, but researchers think they could well apply to humans too.
“Human attractiveness is complicated and influenced by a number of factors including cultural preferences,” said UCL researcher Sam Tazzyman. “Nonetheless, ejaculate size and sperm quality are likely to have been molded by similar forces, like attractiveness and the number of sexual partners, that are important in other species.”
Reporting the findings on the university’s Web site, Tazzyman said, “The more attractive a male is, the more females will be willing to mate with him, reducing the value of each mating to him. This means it is optimal for him to contribute fewer sperm per mating.”
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Tags : fertility, sperm
Like many other women, Cheryl Hall was afflicted with infertility. After taking one leave from work, and requesting a second, to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF), she was fired. Does Title VII, the main federal anti-discrimination law, prohibit an employer from firing an employee under these circumstances? In a recent ruling, Hall v. Nalco, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit said yes.
Conflicts between Reproduction (Including Infertility Treatment) and Work
There is no inherent conflict between reproduction and work. But certainly pregnant women sometimes face challenges at work, whether posed by environmental conditions, like chemicals, radiation, or infectious disease; or by physical movements that can be difficult to perform, like standing for long periods of time, stooping over, climbing stairs or ladders, or lifting heavy objects; or, finally, by job conditions, like irregular hours, shift work, or psychological stress. As I have written in previous columns such as this one, the law protects against pregnancy “discrimination,” but provides little in the way of forcing employers to accommodate the women’s condition, and ameliorate the conflict between being pregnant and fulfilling certain job conditions, in these situations.
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Tags : infertility, job loss
Infertility Among Men Not the ‘Silent Disease’ Once Believed; Infertile Men Have More Marital, Relationship and Sex Problems
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A new research study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine and led by noted men’s health researcher Dr. Paul Turek has a powerful conclusion: that men diagnosed with infertility suffer intense negative sexual, personal and social strains that might be considered typical for other medical illnesses, including cancer.
Traditionally viewed as a “silent disease” in men, the psychological toll infertility takes on men’s health was previously not well known by medical researchers. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco, in collaboration with Dr. Turek, a nationally recognized urologist, male infertility specialist and founder of the renowned Turek Clinic in San Francisco, conducted the study.
“Since male infertility is such a common problem, it is important to understand the real impact it has on male health and relationships,” Dr. Turek said. “This study makes clear, for the first time, that male infertility is a ‘disease’ like any other, silent or not, and can have a serious effect on the overall well-being of the individual, the couple, and the family.”
The study shows that the diagnosis of infertility increases social strain in male partners of infertile couples. Male partners in couples with perceived, isolated male factor infertility have a lower sexual and personal quality of life compared to male partners of couples without perceived male factor infertility.
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Tags : infertility, male
You have been happy together for a couple of years and you both feel it is time to add a child to your family. Feng Shui an ancient Chinese art/science for balancing energies to bring upon well being for everything in nature. How much more natural can you get than having a baby? Here are some simple tips from Feng Shui that can help you bring balance to your life and help with conception.
Descendant’s luck: this is an important part that the man plays in helping with conception. To increase his descendents luck he should sleep facing North West which opens his receptiveness to positive energy that can create luck and enhance fertility. If sleeping facing Northwest does not work try placing a fan in that corner and have it on throughout the day; this will blow positive chi into the room and the man will be able to absorb this while he sleeps. Caution: do not have sleep facing North West if that is facing the door.
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Tags : Conception, feng shui, fertility
For more than four years, Joann Citrone of West Deptford, N.J., went through round after round of expensive infertility treatments. But it wasn’t until two years after she and her husband adopted their second child from South Korea that she was finally given a correct diagnosis.
She suffered from a common yet often overlooked condition that can lead to infertility and a host of perplexing symptoms — yet is easily treated when it is properly diagnosed.
The condition is nonclassical congenital adrenal hyperplasia, or C.A.H. — a hormone deficiency that leads to excess production of androgens. In women it can interfere with ovulation; in men it can cause low sperm count. In addition, it can lead to short stature, body odor, acne, irregular menstruation and the excessive hair growth called hirsutism. (Ms. Citrone, now 38, had some of these symptoms, too.)
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Tags : CAH, infertility
Atlanta,
GA, July 04, 2009 –(PR.com)– Recent research reporting on three women who were previously diagnosed as infertile but conceived following the introduction of chiropractic care reveals that chiropractic may play an important role in caring for families with infertility challenges.
The research, reported in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic, includes a review of the literature supporting the role of chiropractic in women experiencing infertility.
“Research is revealing that there is a relationship between abnormalities in the spine, the nervous system and the reproductive system” stated Dr. Joel Alcantara, lead author of the paper. “There are over a dozen case studies previously published that show successful conceptions and the delivery of healthy children following the introduction of chiropractic care and the addition of these three add further weight to the evidence.”
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Tags : chiropractic, infertility
What other projects are you working on, books or otherwise?
Right now, I’m finishing up a work of fiction. I needed something lighter and less research driven this winter/spring. As I complete that project and release that, I have three more non-fiction ideas that I’m tossing around. It is interesting because at the same time, I thought up four non-fiction projects that sat well with me and four fiction projects. So I would love to weave back and forth between the two — with the heavier topics being balanced by the lighter ones.
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Tags : adoption, infertility
(PhysOrg.com) — A University of Adelaide study has recommended that infertile couples seek advice about their lifestyle before embarking on IVF treatment or other assisted reproductive technology.
Gillian Homan, a fertility nurse specialist and researcher from the University’s Robinson Institute, says that while most people link obesity, smoking, drugs and stress to infertility problems, many infertile couples fail to look at their own lifestyle as a possible obstacle to conceiving.
Ms Homan says couples experiencing infertility should understand the role their own lifestyle can play in helping them to achieve their goal of a healthy baby. These factors should be addressed in collaboration with the latest ART techniques.
The reproductive health researcher surveyed 20 new patients from Adelaide fertility clinic Repromed to gauge their perception of how lifestyle affects fertility.
While the evidence of the impact of weight on fertility is very strong, only half of the overweight women in this study considered their own weight to be a risk factor for infertility.
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Tags : infertility, obesity
Simple test could tell women how likely they are to get pregnant, helping them decide whether or not it is worth undertaking IVF treatment The 30,000 women a year who undergo IVF may in the next few years be able to use a new blood test to tell them how likely they are to get pregnant, a conference heard today.
Scientists disclosed that they have discovered genetic markers in the blood which provide a fertility “fingerprint”. Although the research is still at an early stage, it could lead to women who are having fertility treatment being able to take a simple test that would help them decide whether or not it was worth undertaking treatment, which is expensive and both physically and emotionally demanding.
Researchers told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) that the genetic markers showed activity patterns in more than 200 genes which were different in women whose IVF treatment had succeeded or failed.
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Tags : infertility, ivf
