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The American Fertility Association Blog
Life Is Change
March 4, 2008 - Tuesday
Posted by Ken
Change. It’s a word that both inspires and terrifies. On one hand there’s the opportunity for growth and adventure, on the other, we’re called out of the familiar and the comfortable.
And yet all of life is change. In the few seconds that it took you to read the sentences above, we have all changed. We’re older, cells have died and been recreated, new thoughts have emerged, and old ones have been rekindled. The only constant in life, the saying goes, is change.
Organizations experience change as well, and I’m writing to share with you the changes that have taken place at The AFA. As some of you may know, Pamela Madsen, The AFA’s founder, recently resigned her position as Executive Director. As she stated in her farewell blog, “I have given everything that I had to give.”
Her contributions to The AFA were considerable, and her commitment to those facing reproductive challenges unsurpassed. So I acknowledge all that Pam did to bring The AFA from infancy to this point in its growth. Simply stated, we could not have gotten here without her.
Though Pam is no longer with the organization, the rest of the staff remains, fully committed to taking the good work that has been done and building upon it.
I was hired, two years ago, to consult with The AFA to help position the organization for growth and development in a rapidly changing field. Now, the board has asked that I continue to work with them as the Acting Executive Director while a dedicated board committee conducts a national search. The committee members have invited me to formally apply for the position, which I intend to do.
I am certain that the board will hire the most qualified person to fill the position of Executive Director, and regardless of the outcome, I will work with The AFA - in whatever capacity the boards requests of me - to help guide this organization through an incredibly exciting time in its history.
It is a great privilege to continue to work with such tremendously dedicated staff members and board of directors who are focused on working together to deliver the very best education and support services possible, and to effectively advocate for your interests at every opportunity.
During the past few months, this unique team of staff, volunteers and board members has continued and expanded the work of The AFA, producing three separate e-Newsletters, answering support line phone calls, conducting phone-coaching sessions, producing the first Family Matters San Francisco Conference, and building alliances with other non-profits across the country.
There’s much more to report, including an updated website, an expanding mission to help lift the conversation about fertility into the larger conversation about reproductive health care, an emphasis on preventing STDs in order to protect fertility, the relationship between fertility and the environment and our work with the lesbian and gay communities in their efforts to create families. And of course, our core work with people who are experiencing reproductive challenges.
Thank you for your support. You have my word that you can count on us to continue to earn your trust and respect every day, to produce the best quality work possible, and to do it all with integrity.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at:
Working together, we can make a difference—for good.
Categories
Fertility •
Fertility and the Environment •
IVF •
LGBT •
Reproductive Health
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The Fertility Diet
December 6, 2007 - Thursday
Posted by Pamela
If you are one of the fertility obsessed...you have probably already picked up this week’s copy of Newsweek...with the headline… “Fertility and Diet” How What You Eat Affects Your Odds of Getting Pregnant. If you have not picked it up...I suggest that you do. You also may have seen a bit of The Fertility Diet in this month’s Connections...or simply Google it! But please give it a read...I think the information contained in this study is worth noting.
First of all, this is complicated stuff...and I am not going to be able to cover all the different aspects in this blog - so I do recommend that if you are interested in learning details...buy the book...or pick up the magazine!
Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro, MD., Walter C. Willett, MD., and Patrick J. Skerrett looked at 18,000 women who were taking part in the Nurses Health Study..which is a long term research project looking at the effects of diet and other factors on the development of chronic health conditions such as cancer and heart disease. These same women also said that they were all trying to have a baby..and most of them did...except about one in six. The same number that we cite when asked the national number for the amount of couples experiencing infertility....about one in six.
Many of these women experienced ovulation difficulties. And to sum it all up in a nutshell - in the case of ovulatory infertility...diet, weight and exercise played a part. Now...if you have tubal disease or scarred tubes...will this diet help you? Well, it couldn’t hurt along with medical intervention such as IVF...but this diet was really only helpful for women who only had ovulation difficulties. As eating a certain way - had a direct impact on the quality of these women’s ovulation.
So...we are talking COMPLEX Carbs like brown rice...pasta...whole fruits and vegetables...whole grain breads...plant based proteins like beans...full fat dairy products...those foods are fertility friendly. Carbs that have a low glycemic load are the fertility friendly foods...and plant proteins over meat proteins.
Trans-fat continue to be bad news...not just for your heart...but for you fertility...there was a link found between high consumption of Trans-fat and ovulatory dysfunction!
And body weight...too much or too little....will also throw off ovulation.
I love the term “The Fertility Zone” when it comes to exercise...again...not too much or too little! Ah...That word moderation! Sensible! So the researchers recommended thirty minutes of cardio exercise every day. Now...where have I heard that before?
Really what the researchers found is that a healthy lifestyle not only supported our heart...warded off chronic disease...but it also created fertile women when there was an absence of other factors such as infection from STD’s...age....tubal disease and male factor.
So...take a look at the diet...much of it is not new news...actually most of it what we already know about healthy living.
And how is my diet going? Well next week it will be my birthday...and if I am really lucky..and work really hard at “eating clean” sticking to my program which happens to be Atkins...I might make the 20 pound weight loss marker!!!
Hey..are you still there??? Oh..you have gone to pick up Newsweek haven’t you? You won’t miss it...it’s the one with the naked pregnant woman on the cover!
Have a great weekend!
Pamela
Categories
Adoption •
Fertility •
Infertility •
Pregnancy •
Reproductive Health
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Mama Said There Would Be Days Like This…..
October 31, 2007 - Wednesday
Posted by Pamela
It has been a really tough week to be the Executive Director of The AFA. This was the kind of week that I thought about opening up an ice cream parlor....where the most complicated issue would be whether the client wants colored sprinkles or chocolate...or replacing a child’s fallen cone. This is a tough blog to write. But nobody has ever called me a shirker.
The AFA is an organization in the midst of growing pains that would rival my 15-year-old son’s. Mistakes? We made ‘em.
We stirred one helluva storm, a n’oreaster in fact, with an advertising policy that we thought protected the integrity of The AFA. Boy were we wrong.
I believed our bright and bold disclaimers at the top and the bottom of every ad that went out under The AFA banner were enough to make it clear we didn’t endorse anything, that we were just the conduit. It’s what we’ve always done to help raise sorely needed revenue that enabled us to keep membership free and the organization alive. We’ve never been called out on it before. But in the last few weeks we’ve gotten an earful. So...once again...if an advertisement comes through your email from The AFA...or you read an advertisement in our resource directory...or click a link on our web site....these are advertisements...they are not endorsements.
The AFA does not endorse any programs, products, procedures or services. If you are unsure of something..please speak with your doctor...and find out what they think!
I want to assure you that we’re fast learners. On this Friday, our executive committee of the Board of Directors is meeting to review our policy and responsibilities around advertising that bears our name.
For many of you...I am sure that you do not have a clue about what I am talking about...and for the others who were feeling upset or confused over advertising that you may recently received...I’m so sorry that our actions have caused such distress.
I do want to say, however, that over the years as I’ve talked about and on behalf of all the constituents of the infertility community (patients and doctors alike). I believed we had the unconditional support of the allied professionals and the industry. Instead, I find, there’s been a flourishing misconception that our patient advocacy organizations are perceived as a marketing tool.
In fact, the AFA never was and never will be that. We were founded by patients. I was a patient. Most of my staff have been patients. We live and breathe this organization...and we serve from our hearts.
So let me be clear...we are only about serving the expanding population of people increasingly concerned with fertility and reproductive health.
Perhaps The AFA was naive in believing that the financial support coming our way had no quid pro quo, no financial benchmarks such as “return on investment.” Yet in the last two years, that’s all we hear about. We rarely hear about the welfare of the people we serve. And so, as the ROI becomes harder to calculate as the double-digit growth in the number of people seeking treatment not only levels but may in fact be shrinking, the funds for patient support are drying up.
Can you imagine anyone supporting the American Cancer Society demanding a return on investment? I can’t. And I’m learning I should never have those discussions when it comes to the best care for our members either.
Our challenge is to find ways to replace the revenue that has gone but on which we depend. We’ve got some leverage in the wonderful programs and projects we’ve created. We’ve got new ones that will come on line in the year ahead. But, we need to do more.
As difficult as these last few weeks have been, we’ve forged ahead. The good news is that we’re planning a 10-city tour that we’re naming “The Patient Summit.” And I will be talking more about that program in the weeks to come.
I will be going to major cities all across this country...and I am going to be asking YOU what you want...what you need...and I am talking about all of you!
It means I won’t be home very much this year. Instead I might be at your local Y or women’s health center. This is the year I’m sitting face to face with infertility patients, REI nurses, REI physicians, OB-GYNS and listening. With what we learn, The AFA will publish a white paper to truly educate stakeholders on what patients need now.
I wish to extend my heart felt appreciation for the support all of you in our community have shown us. Many of you have made donations...written for us...and offered to volunteer.
I am grateful to all of you from the bottom of my heart.
Until Tomorrow,
Pamela
Categories
Adoption •
Fertility Preservation •
Reproductive Health
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