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The American Fertility Association Blog

Infertility: where religion and science meet

August 3, 2009 - Monday
Posted by Ken

In a recent article titled Reconciling Religion and Infertility, the author thoughtfully outlines the beliefs and teachings of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity and how those beliefs affect each tradition’s teachings about infertility treatment. The article was written from the perspective of helping the 10 percent of the 10 million people worldwide that will be diagnosed with cancer this year and who may require fertility treatment. The term “oncofertility” has been coined for the field that assists patients in looking at fertility preservation options.

From my perspective, there are three key points raised in the article. First, those diagnosed with cancer have not been routinely offered fertility preservation options. Second, there is a real desire for dialogue with religious leaders on this issue, so that health care teams can better deal with people of faith who are faced with cancer and who desire to preserve their fertility. And third, that there are great variations between and within faith traditions on how to approach this issue, and those approaches may change or be nuanced over time as our understanding of technology continues to advance.

But the broader issue that the article points to is the importance of those undergoing or contemplating treatment to have a conversation about it. Have the conversation with your religious leaders. Have it with trusted family and friends. Share what you are going through so that assisted reproductive technology becomes human for others. Finally, share what you are going through so that the conversation becomes normalized in the population at large.

We often talk about the gains The AFA has made in terms of web traffic and media coverage. It’s not because I want The AFA or any member of the staff or board to have attention drawn to them. It’s because I want the conversation about this issue to become part of the mainstream so that the fear and shame, which still surrounds it, can be diminished.

So join the conversation. Health care professionals, patients, those faced with cancer, patient advocates, religious leaders, children born as a result of IVF – everyone’s voices are needed – and so are everyone’s ears; because talking is only half of it.

Ken Mosesian

 

Categories
Cancer & Fertility • Fertility • Fertility Preservation • Infertility • IVF • Reproductive Technologies

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Pee in a Cup

July 31, 2009 - Friday
Posted by admin

That’s all it takes, suggests a recent study on bmj.com, to determine if you have an STD which could stand in the way of you successfully conceiving a child.  Chlamydia is the most common STD in the United States and it can lead to serious long term health complications in women, including infertility.  Guys, you’re not far behind.  Recent studies show it may also cause infertility in men.  When I say recent, I mean yesterday. 

And, as part of The AFA’s male reproductive health program, now underway with several other “A-listers” like the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction (SSMR) - an official branch of the American Urological Association, Men’s Health Network, and the CDC, an extensive amount of research is currently being launched to determine the best ways to educate younger men and the most effective ways to approach them with that education. We have a lot of work to do, without a doubt, but all of us are really excited about making an impact in this area. In addition to STD prevention, we’re going to be looking at the effects of environmental toxins, steroid and other drug use and testicular self-exams as a way to get guys more “in touch” with their own reproductive health.

Five minutes with your doctor and a urine sample are all it takes to “flush out” (sorry, it’s Friday and I’ve been caffeine-free for two weeks) the possibility of carrying an undiagnosed STD.  If you want some incentive to do so, while getting a European vacation out of the deal, head to the UK where you’ll get an iPod just to get tested for STDs. Seriously. This is a real program and you may read about it here. 

Read Article about STD Testing:

Simple Urine Test Could Help Cut Chlamydia in Men

Brian Armentrout
Communications Director
The American Fertility Association

Categories
Family Building • Fertility • Fertility Preservation • Infertility • Male Factor • Reproductive Health • Sexual Health

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Environmental Toxins, Autism, and Love

July 21, 2009 - Tuesday
Posted by admin

I have such a lighthearted step right now, I can’t begin to tell you.  My heart is singing.  I just sent my son Connor alone to the grocery store with a shopping list for the very first time!  He went. He spent money. (Bread crumbs, long grain and wild rice, orange juice and green tea).  He kept the receipt, and got the right change.

Connor is 14 years old.  He is also autistic.  In truth what he has is called Asberger’s Syndrome which I used to call the “Cadillac of autism spectrum disorders” because these kids have such high IQ’s.  What a silly thing to say, really, but understandable when your head is reeling from the diagnosis you feared most and the kid being discussed in a room full of experts is your own.

I’m proud of my son.

Some of you know he was the victim of a violent attack earlier this year because of his autism.  The details don’t matter anymore, except to say that he circumvented the house of the young men who attacked him in order to go to Golden Farm to buy groceries today.  That took courage.  These men never heard him play Beethoven’s 7th on the piano I guess, or read aloud from Lord of the Rings.  They just saw a young man, gawky and tall, that they perceived to be a weaker link.  Perhaps perception is not always what it seems.

Now that The AFA has become so focused on the avoidance of environmental toxins (poisons, really) to safeguard reproductive health.  I think a lot about Connor’s autism in a different way than I did when he was younger..  Please read this article on environmental toxins and autism in the SF Gate: to learn more about toxins in our environment.

As a patient advocate and educator, I feel a drive to move this information forward.  As a mom, all I can think is, did I poison my son.

People.  Something’s going on here.

You don’t have to be a scientist to notice that the kids filling up the classrooms of the special ed schools today are disproportionately born through reproductive technology, and a huge number of them are from twin sets.  Is there a link? 

Something is going on here.  We all must be a part of the machine that drives this inquiry forward. 

Because it’s the children that matter.  Our children.

Corey Whelan
Program Director
The American Fertility Association

Categories
Fertility • Fertility and the Environment • Fertility Preservation • Infertility • Reproductive Health

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Dear Toronto Sun Editor

July 14, 2009 - Tuesday
Posted by admin

A columnist with The Toronto Sun provided some very concerning and damaging advice to one of the publication’s readers, basically saying there’s no need to worry about having a baby now and that 40 is the new 30.  Her remarks could mean the difference between having a baby and not being able to conceive.  Please read the article and then the response below written to The Sun by AFA’s Communications Director, Brian Armentrout.

+++

Dear Toronto Sun Editor,

As a former journalist of nine years, I was a bit surprised to see journalist Robin Anderson so presumptuously jump to conclusions regarding one’s fertility in the recent column entitled Biological Clock Tick-Tockin’ Away.

While the title is accurate her statements within the piece are completely and entirely contradictory and go against the point made in the article’s title.  As a journalist, I constantly upheld my honesty, integrity, and credibility by thoroughly investigating and researching everything I wrote and took the ten o’clock news.  It’s clear Ms. Anderson’s standards are much lower.  Let me explain.

“These days, 40 seriously is the new 30. Many women are waiting until they are more “mature” to marry and have children.”

This statement is inaccurate.  A woman’s fertility begins to decline substantially at age 27.  Ms. Anderson has fallen into the mindset for which we can thank Hollywood.  All of these 40 something actresses are getting pregnant; what they fail to tell you is they probably spent thousands of dollars on infertility treatments and medicine, not to mention to emotional agony experienced by someone dealing with such a horrible problem.  The truth is 40 may already be too late.
 
“I would, however, caution you to examine why you want to have a baby before you do anything. If it is because you think a woman needs to be a mom to be whole, or because you want something to nurture and love, please reconsider.”

If a woman wants to have a child to be whole, or want something to nurture or love, what’s so wrong with that?  A woman’s decision to become a mom is her business and her business only.  It’s not up to a columnist to tell her to not have a child because she wants something to love.

“Give yourself six months to think about things.”

Seriously?  That’s like telling a smoker to keep smoking for twelve more months before you decide to quit, not to mention the possibility of getting cancer in the meantime.  Or telling an alcoholic: go ahead keep drinking, give yourself a half a year to think about quitting and only hope your liver doesn’t fail during that time.  A woman’s fertility is constantly declining and six months could mean the difference between being able to successfully conceive child and not being able to get pregnant.  You must act quickly.  Infertility is a huge problem.

My New Career

I mentioned I’m a ‘former journalist.’  Since July of 2008 I’ve been the Communications Director of The American Fertility Association.  We strive to create fewer patients; not more.  Our mission is simple:

To help people prevent infertility whenever possible and help people build families of choice, particularly when faced with infertility.

The AFA has been around for more than a decade and we’re doing better work now than we’ve ever done.  Our biggest push in 2009 is infertility prevention in men and women, which is why it disheartens me, the entire AFA staff, and our constituents, to see this type of inaccurate editorial.  In a perfect world, I’d like to see a retraction.  While that may not be necessary, I’d like this letter to at least be forwarded to Missing Out on Motherhood.  I’d also make the request that you post this letter in its entirety in your Letters to the Editor section.  Please accept this letter in the spirit for which it’s intended.

Best,

Brian Armentrout
Communications Director
The American Fertility Association
brian@theafa.org
o: 205-425-3644

About The AFA

The American Fertility Association, a 501 (c) (3) national non-profit organization is a lifetime resource for infertility prevention, reproductive health and family building. AFA services and materials are provided free of charge to consumers and available to everyone without reservation. These services include an extensive online library, monthly online webinars, telephone and in-person coaching, a resource directory, hosted message boards, daily fertility news, a weekly newsletter and a toll-free support line.
http://www.theafa.org or 888.917.3777.

 

Categories
Family Building • Fertility • Fertility Drugs • Fertility Preservation • Infertility • Infertility Drugs • Pregnancy

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Say Yes to the Dress – And To Your Fertility

July 9, 2009 - Thursday
Posted by admin

My daughter Caitlin and I routinely watch a TV show on cable called “Say Yes to the Dress”.  This is not the most comfortable show for me to watch, given that I’m an, ahem, divorced 53 year old, because it chronicles the buying angst of brides to be at Kleinfeld’s – The Most Famous Wedding Dress Emporium of Modern Times. 

You know, it’s funny.  My own mother did not get married in a wedding dress.  She married my dad on an army base in Maryland during WWII while he was on leave from the Pacific, wearing a blue skirt suit and a smile.  What’s ironic about that is, my mom’s two sisters both had big weddings.  They wore gowns that had “mermaid tails”  - (as I’ve learned from watching “Yes”), and accordion players, and lots of guests, and some kind of kosher food that I don’t know what it was that they served in the forties.  But in retrospect, you know what my mom’s sisters didn’t have that my mother did?  Amazing, everlasting, real love. 

My mom didn’t get the big dress.  But she got the big love.

Also, it would appear that my mom got PCOS.  Of course it was never diagnosed in those days, but it is pretty obvious to me now, what the deal was for her then.  She didn’t get pregnant for 14 years and had basically decided that the whole mother thing wasn’t in the cards for her.  Like so many of her generation (they were called The Greatest Generation, did you know that?), my mom just sucked up whatever obstacles life threw at her . She persevered and chose a great life for herself and for my dad too, despite any disappointments that she might feel. 

And then out of nowhere, the way it sometimes, every now and then happens for women with pco, she found herself pregnant.  Like so many women with this lousy disorder who never get a period she didn’t realize she was pregnant for five months, and then a doctor simply felt her belly and told her she had “ a little bun in the oven.” 

My parents were very lucky.  Their marriage would have survived forever, even with no kids.  Unfortunately, my dad died young, at 46, but my mom survived that too.

I don’t know.  Maybe it’s my generation and the ones that followed us.  Maybe not.  But you would have to live on another planet to not see the toll that infertility takes on married couples today.  I don’t know why but in these crazy times, in this crazy world, it seems like marriages don’t persevere as well as they did in generations past, especially in the face of bone crushing heartache.  I don’t know if that’s a better or a worse fate ( I really don’t) but I do know that in this day and age we have so many more choices than those that came before us and therefore, so many more disappointments. 

One more treatment to try, one more possibility for adoption.  On and on, seemingly without end. 

No end in sight.  But for many, no baby either.

I don’t really know why.  But I do know that the divorce rate seems to be higher for those who have gone through infertility treatment, resolved or not, than for the general population in our country. 

So here’s the deal.  The AFA will be talking a lot about infertility prevention for couples, and especially for newlyweds, over the next several months and into 2010.  Of course, we are always here for people when they are in the thick of it.  But if we can help prevent it?  We want to try to do that. 

That’s a good thing, and it’s important to us. 

The AFA is launching an initiative specifically geared towards young men and women who have fallen in love, and chosen to marry.  lt hits a little close to the bone for me and I hope it does for you too.  Like everything else that we at The AFA do, this one counts. 

So I hope I can count on you when I call.

Corey
Ben and Ruth’s kid      

Categories
Adoption • Fertility Preservation • Infertility • PCOS

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