June 29, 2010
Filed under: IVF — Alan @ 2:48 pm
Women over forty may now be able to seek IVF treatments on the NHS; the organization has taken this decision in order to avoid being sued for ‘age discrimination’ according to new reports.
There is a difference between procedures that are life enhancing and those that are life saving, which most parents seemed to recognize until recently, but now the greedy IVF industry has turned parents into comparing infertility with cancer.
At one time, infertility was referred to as an unfortunate occurrence, but now it is seen as a disease, which means that instead of being perceived as something out of one’s control, it is seen as something that with enough money and technology can be addressed.
As a result, IVF is fostering false hopes, with many clinics promising that conception can be achieved one out of every three times, but the national average is actually quite a bit lower.
The IVF debate has also created a new issue of entitlement as people now think of a child as a right instead of a blessing and as many couples now feel that it is their right to have a child the same as it is their right to live the NHS must provide treatments.
Roughly translated, this means that one in seven couples that face infertility are entitled to receive treatment that costs £2000 a cycle, and usually takes at least three cycles before conception is achieved.
Cynics are raising questions given that the NHS is supposed to help prevent premature death and illness, but the fact that the trusts turns down cancer drugs requests that are too expensive it seems that its focus may be misaligned.
June 23, 2010
Filed under: IVF — Alan @ 4:14 am
Doctors have warned that couples that want to have children through IVF should be aware of the small risk of malformation in the child.
French scientists looked over the records of about 15,000 children that were born at 33 different fertility centres, and found about four percent of them had a congenital malformation.
Yet, the geneticists compared these findings to the findings of the European Society of Human Genetics, which saw an 11% risk in smaller studies and stated that due to the fact their study is the largest scale study to take a look at the issue. The French researchers believe that their low figures are more accurate.
Dr. Geraldine Viot from the Maternite Port Royal hospital in Paris a clinical geneticist stated that compared to the two to three percent that exists in the general population, the higher rate is part of the increase in malformations of the urogenital system and heart disease.
Dr. Viot stated that the problems were more present in boys and the most common malformations were angioma, and benign tumours that appeared near the skin surface, which were found twice as commonly in girls over boys.
The scientists claimed there are multiple reasons for this although the age of the parents did not seem to be an issue. Dr. Viot said that the research team needs more time in order to fully understand how the different components could play a role that are involved in IVF.
However, the scientists believe that malformations are a public concern and need to be addressed making it vital that politicians, the general public, and all doctors are aware of the risks involved so that more follow-up after birth can be performed.
June 19, 2010
Filed under: Baby health — Alan @ 1:51 pm
A new study may lead to a cure for the baby blues, also known as postpartum depression. This affliction is suffered to some degree by up to 70% of women who have just given birth, and though it is well known and documented, the reasons for it has never been clear.
While childbirth is for most women a joyful experience, it is common knowledge that in the days immediately following, a large majority of them get the blues. The symptoms may include irritability, sleeplessness, anxiety, loss of appetite and terrible sadness with no ‘logical’ cause.
Most women just get over it and forget it, but in about 13% of cases, the blues get worse until they become a full-blown depression and a major health risk. Researchers in the current study, led by Julia Sacher of Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, found a definite correlation between female depression at this stage and the enzyme called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A).
It has been long known that women’s oestrogen levels drop drastically in the first few days after childbirth, but now it has been discovered that levels of the MAO-A enzyme in the brain increase proportionately in the same time period.
The enzyme breaks down neuro-transmitters in the brain that not only transmit signals but are also mood influencers. If the transmitter’s serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine are lacking or deficient, the result is a sad mood, which can lead to severe depression.
Researchers are pursuing the possibility of dietary supplements such as amino acids that would help maintain the level of monoamines prior to and during the initial postpartum stage and prevent the onset of depression.
Filed under: Baby health — Alan @ 1:51 pm
A new study may lead to a cure for the baby blues, also known as postpartum depression. This affliction is suffered to some degree by up to 70% of women who have just given birth, and though it is well known and documented, the reasons for it has never been clear.
While childbirth is for most women a joyful experience, it is common knowledge that in the days immediately following, a large majority of them get the blues. The symptoms may include irritability, sleeplessness, anxiety, loss of appetite and terrible sadness with no ‘logical’ cause.
Most women just get over it and forget it, but in about 13% of cases, the blues get worse until they become a full-blown depression and a major health risk. Researchers in the current study, led by Julia Sacher of Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, found a definite correlation between female depression at this stage and the enzyme called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A).
It has been long known that women’s oestrogen levels drop drastically in the first few days after childbirth, but now it has been discovered that levels of the MAO-A enzyme in the brain increase proportionately in the same time period.
The enzyme breaks down neuro-transmitters in the brain that not only transmit signals but are also mood influencers. If the transmitter’s serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine are lacking or deficient, the result is a sad mood, which can lead to severe depression.
Researchers are pursuing the possibility of dietary supplements such as amino acids that would help maintain the level of monoamines prior to and during the initial postpartum stage and prevent the onset of depression.
June 9, 2010
Filed under: IVF — Alan @ 1:55 pm
Medical professionals as well as the general public have been shocked to discover that an average of 80 abortions per year are carried out by women in England and Wales who were pregnant through IVF.
Figures released by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) under the Freedom of Information Act show that about 6.5% of women who underwent IVF, either privately funded or paid for by NHS, terminated their pregnancies for various reasons.
The reasons for the high incidence of abortions are being called into question by the HFEA and by doctors at fertilization clinics as well as family planning and health organizations. A large percentage of women who chose to abort their pregnancy were in the 18 to 34 age group, suggesting that their reasons for termination were probably not related to health issues.
The law in Britain says that in general, abortion is justified only if there is serious risk for the mother or the foetus if the pregnancy continues to birth. Former MP Anne Widdecombe said that if the law were construed properly, women would not be able to obtain a legal abortion unless those criteria applied. She feels that many of the reported abortions are for social reasons rather than health concerns.
It is obvious that no IVF pregnancy is ‘unplanned’, and the process can cost thousands of pounds if undertaken privately rather than through NHS, so it’s not a procedure to be taken lightly.
However, some women say they were pressured into having the treatment, or the relationship with a spouse or partner somehow failed along the way. In some cases, the goal is simply to get pregnant, with no real understanding of the ultimate consequences.
June 3, 2010
Filed under: New Born — Alan @ 11:21 am
When Richard Roden found out that he would be the oldest father of twins in 2009 at the age of 72, he and his wife started to discuss the possibility of more children. This week it was revealed that their wish was granted quickly with Lisa Roden already two months pregnant within very little time.
The incoming child will be the 13th child for Richard who has been married three times before and her third. Similar to the twins, the child was conceived without any fertility treatments.
Richard stated that he is overjoyed at the news and while it is a bit more tiring to be a father at 72 versus in his twenties he is pleased at the idea. He was 71 when his twins were born in 2009, making them 50 years younger than his first child.
Often, Richard says that he is confused for the children’s grandfather while he is out in public with the twins and also is hassled with shouts of ‘cradle snatcher’ while out with his 26 year old wife.
The couple met at an adult education college in 2005 and became lovers one short year later marrying in September of 2009.
Lisa said she was surprised by how quickly the pregnancy occurred and that there will be three babies in the home under the age of three once the new baby is born but that Richard and her are soul mates and the age gap does not matter.
She added that he is great with the twins and she expects that he will be just as excellent when her next child arrives. Lisa has one child from a previous child also age 8.
