Tell Every Amazing Lady About Ovarian Cancer

    by The American Fertility Association

    September 2012
    In This Issue
    ***Understanding Your Fertility Preservation Options
    ***Does My Daughter Have PCOS?
    ***Step-Parenting: The Hardest Job in the World
    ***The AFA's event calendar
    ***The AFA's Latest Tool Kits
    How To Stabilize Your Hormones - A Guide for PCOS Patients
     
    Quick Links
     

    Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago

    Superior success rates for the past decade. Have a baby from IVF or egg donation- or get your money back.

      

    Advanced Reproductive Care Inc. (ARC)  Making treatment affordable since 1998. Call 1-888-990-2727 - ask about ARC Refund Guarantee Program™ - get money back if no live birth occurs.

     

    New England Fertility

    20 Years of Fertility Expertise.

    Large Egg Donor Registry and Bank.  Internationally recognized IVF Program.  

     

    Annual ART Success Rates Report

     

    Pens That Communicate 

    Now supplying IVF Clinics in the USAwith a Custom Color Liquid Sperm Pensfor IVF Marketing.

     

    Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology 

    Annual ART Success Rates
    Report

    Every month in Connect, The AFA will feature a different list of supporters, professional members, and donors.  This month, we'd like to thank the following:

     

    Platinum Sponsors

    Center for Human Reproduction - North Shore LIJ

     

    Fertility Centers of Illinois

     

    Fertility Physicians of Northern California

     

    HRC Fertility

     

    IVF Florida Reproductive Associates

     

    Long Island IVF

     

    Reproductive Biology Associates

     

    Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte

     

    Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York

     

    Shady Grove Fertility Centers

     

    The Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine of Weill Cornell Medical College

     

    Gold Sponsors

    Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine

     

    Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine

       

    Fertility Specialists of Houston

     

    Genetics & IVF Institute

     

    Georgia Reproductive Specialists

     

    IVF New Jersey

     

    Law Offices of Julie M. Tavoso, LLC

     

    MDR Pharmaceuticals

     

    Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut

     

    Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area

     

    Roxsan Pharmacy

     

    Silver Sponsors

     

    1st Choice Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine

     

    Advanced Fertility Care

     

    BirthRoad Surrogacy Specialists, LLC

     

    Cardone Reproductive Medicine & Infertility

     

    Center for Reproductive Health & Gynecology

     

    CHA Fertility Center

     

    Circle of Life Center

       

    Fertility Center

     

    Fertility Treatment Center

     

    Hawaii Surrogacy Center

     

    Houston IVF

     

     IVF New Jersey

     

    Jennifer Fairfax, Esq. 

     

    Kings Pharmacy

     

    La Jolla IVF

     

    Law Office of Catherine Tucker

     

    Mahan & Mahan, Attorneys at Law

     

    Northwest Fertility Connection

     

    Northwestern University

     

    Orange County Psychotherapy Associates, Inc.

     

    Pacific Egg Donors, Inc.

     

    Pacific Fertility Center

     

    Reproductive Medicine Associates of Pennsylvania

     

    Reproductive Resource Center of Greater Kansas City, P.A.

     

    ReproTech, Ltd.

     

    Susan Allen, L.M.F.T.

     

    The Surrogacy Center

     

    Tiny Treasures Agency, LLC

     

    Zavos Junker Law Group, PLLC

     

     

     

    T.E.A.L.

     

    teal ribbon
    When I was 16, I started seeing a gynecologist regularly.  Over the years, she became my biggest confidant, much more than just a doctor.  She was tall, and thin and always wore a gray bun on the back of her head.  She was a cancer specialist too, and I can remember her so clearly saying to me that she expected cancer to be cured in my lifetime, though not in her own.  That was 41 years ago, 20 past her own death and I really don't know if her words will come to pass.  I certainly hope so.  Who among us doesn't know someone who has had cancer?  And as the numbers for diseases and disorders of all kinds escalate, who among us doesn't know someone who has infertility?  Autism?  The list unfortunately, goes on and on.
     
    While we're waiting for cures, we need to be focused on prevention.  Infertility prevention has long been a cause championed by The AFA.  And so has fertility preservation for cancer patients, and cancer prevention.
     
    September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.  The AFA will be participating in the T.E.A.L. (Tell Every Amazing Lady About Ovarian Cancer) Walk in Brooklyn this Saturday, September 8th.  We are proud to join forces with our friends at T.E.A.L, and will be disseminating our materials on fertility preservation and family building at our booth.  I had my nails painted teal green for the occassion and promise to facebook a photo for you to make fun of.
     
    September is also Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.  The AFA works hard with our colleagues at the Men's Health Network to educate men about their reproductive health, so this issue is going to keep us pretty busy too.
     
    September of course is also Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Month.  The AFA's extensive library on PCOS has grown over the past several months, and we invite you to re-visit if it's been awhile since you've taken a look.
     
    The whole cancer thing makes me sad.  I have lost too many friends and family members to this modern-day plague.  I want it to stop.  I know that many of the lifestyle choices that impact positively on fertility also may thwart some cancers.  So I request you all make healthy choices for yourselves and for those you love. 
     
    Please do your bit over this month to increase awareness about healthy living and preventing disease as a lifestyle.  I wish you and yours health and long life.  And happy reading. - The AFA Editor    
    Understanding Your Fertility Preservation Options
      
    Cancer survivor with baby
      Cancer Patient,
    Dawn Hockey

    In 2010 it was estimated that 1.5 million men and women would be

    diagnosed with cancer, with approximately 10% being younger than 45 years of age, and 1% younger than 20. Excellent scientific and clinical advancements in oncology and treatments of cancers have improved the overall 5-year survival rate to nearly 80% for young adults. Rightfully so, survival remains the primary focus of cancer treatment. Yet, it has long been recognized that cancer therapies can result in infertility due to premature gonadal failure. With the life-saving success of cancer treatments, and the unintended side effect of infertility, this has created a significant quality-of-life issue for young cancer survivors. Thus, fertility preservation has become an important and growing field of medicine focused on diagnostic, preventative, and application of assisted reproductive technologies as preemptive and therapeutic strategies to predict or protect future reproductive potential in both men and women. Read more. 

     
    Does My Daughter Have PCOS?  A Guide for Concerned Moms
    mother daughter
    Mothers and daughters can find coping strategies for PCOS together
     by Corey Whelan
     
    Who can forget the agonies associated with high school. The desire to fit in with the crowd, yet stand out as a star has taken its toll on just about every adolescent ever born. As if it wasn't hard enough, for some teenaged girls, the discomforts associated with these tumultuous years will be exacerbated by troubles with weight gain, acne, and excessive hair growth on face and body. Although these symptoms may be caused by a variety of issues, many young women who experience them will eventually be diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS. Read more. 

     

    Step-Parenting: The Hardest Job in the World

     by Elaine Gordon, Ph.D.

     

    dog and cat
    Stepfamilies come in all shapes and sizes.

       

    Parenting is said to be the hardest job on the planet. The only exception to this is the job of a stepparent, which is considered to be even more demanding for a myriad of reasons including the fact that the roles in a stepfamily are blurred and confusing for all parties...the bio-parent, the stepparent, and most of all the children.  Read more. 

    illum save the date   
    The AFA's Event Calendar

     


    calendar google images

    There are events taking place across the country to help educate and support you on your family building journey. Please take a look through our calendar to find classes, discussion groups, workshops and emotional support groups on infertility, adoption, third party reproduction and LGBT family building.

     

    To learn about all of The AFA's support groups, including those for Mind/Body and Over 40 issues,click here.

     

       
    Want More Great Stuff to Read?
    Check Out our Tool Kits on Paying for Infertility Treatment, Social Egg Freezing, Secondary Infertility, and much more.
    get in get out tool kit    

     
    The AFA's Video Education Series 
    How To Stabilize Your Hormones - A Guide for PCOS Patients

    How To Stabilize Your Hormones - A Guide for PCOS Patients

    a conversation with

    Mary Ramie Hinckley, M.D.

    Reproductive Science Center

    of  the

    San Francisco Bay Area