infertility

Every once in a while, every woman on the face of the planet will experience a bit of dryness when it comes time to try to conceive. This is especially true for women who are using ovulation stimulants such as Clomid which are known to cause vaginal dryness. While it’s easy enough to drop in at the local drug store to pick up some type of lubricant, that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. For that matter, the lubricant that you may have loved for years could be one reason why you’re not getting pregnant. Most female lubricants on the market today are not developed to be sperm-friendly. Using a “regular” lube can wreck havoc on your trying to conceive plans. One sperm friendly lubricant which has been proven to be safe and effective is called PreSeed. Although it is sold mostly online, it is available in some drug stores. Recently, a new sperm-friendly lubricant has been put on the market and is available at many local Wal-Mart stores. While I haven’t tried this product, and I can’t (and won’t) vouch for it’s worth, I felt like I should at least tell you that it’s available. The product is called PreConceive Plus. If you happen to find it at your local store, give it a try and let me know what you think.

Actually YES!! Birth control pills have had a place in fertility treatment for years. In order to understand the concept, you should know a little bit about how birth control pills work. Most all birth control pills on the market are composed of ovulation suppressing medications. They, for all intents and purposes, shut down the ovaries for a period of time. Of course, once the medication is stopped, the ovaries resume their work and push out an egg (sometimes two!) after a period of time. Sometimes the active ingredients in the birth control pills will stay in a woman’s system for a little longer and keep ovulation from occuring the month following the last full cycle, but this is actually a bit rare. Instead, once the suppression is stopped, the ovaries get so excited they tend to produce multiple eggs. (Picture is becoming clearer, huh?) Reproductive endocrinolgists (and some ob/gyn’s) will prescribe a month’s worth of birth control pills to rest the ovaries and then prescribe ovulation induction drugs to overstimulate ovaries. Thus, the ovaries are well rested and ready to pop out some nice, goodlooking eggs for those handsome little sperm to swim on up to and introduce themselves! So… even though it may seem like taking birth control pills for a month is counter-productive to getting pregnant, it may be just what your body needs!

Of course, today found me back checking the news wires to see if anything interesting was going on in the world of fertility/infertility. I was surprised to find an article dealing with a new pill for men with male infertility issues. Menevit is a new pill formulated in Australia and sold by the Bayer Company. The scientist who designed the pill claims that using Menevit will double the pregnancy rates in infertile couples. Apparently, this pill contains a mixture of vitamins C and E, zinc, and folic acid along with lycopene, garlic oil and selenium. The pill supposedly helps to neutralize free radicals in the body, leading to less DNA damage in sperm. Fertility experts are highly skeptical of this new ‘invention’ and are planning more testing. For more details, you can read the same story I did by clicking here

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an inflammation of the upper reproductive tract (ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and pelvic cavety).  Usually, PID is a result of the body fighting a sexually transmitted disease (or any other type of infection in that area), but it can be a result of pelvic surgery or gynecologic procedures which involve manipulation of the cervix.  When the body responds to trauma or infection, inflammation and scaring are a result of the body trying to protect itself.  Unfortunately, inflammation and scaring are what leave you infertile.

Some signs of PID include pelvic pain, irregular periods, pain during sex or urination, lower back pain, excess vaginal discharge with a foul odor, and general signs of infection (fever, fatigue, nausea, etc).  If you know you have a pelvic infection of some sort, get treated as soon as possible. Take all antibiotics as they are prescribed and be kind to yourself. Rest when you need to.  Allow your body to heal as peacefully as possible!

Tonight I sit here still debating what to do about these clogged up tubes.  I spent a few minutes looking up techniques to unblock the tubes, then moved on to looking for low cost IVF clinics.  There are definitely none near me, unfortunately.  What I did find was that there are some low cost alternatives in places like New York and California.  IVF treatments for less than $5000.  Where I live, it’s much closer to $12,000 a shot.

I know it’s possible to really decrease the cost by purchasing medications outside your clinic.  Unfortunately, I don’t think it can decrease the cost enough to suit me at this point.  If I had tons of money sitting in the bank, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing about infertility. Instead, I’d be writing a blog on today.com about how to keep your sanity with a house full of kids.  I’ll keep looking for alternatives.  I wish I could find a good doctor who could help me get it right the first time.  I’d be willing to spend that money if I had good odds of conceiving the first try.  But, lets face it, the odds of IVF working are only about 30%.  Ugh!!  This is a hard decision.

I’ve been so busy working on my regular “job” that I just about waited to late to post! My attention has been diverted today because I’ve not only been really enjoying my work, but it has been very interesting as well. Most of my day has been spent researching various chemotherapy drugs and studying about different types of cancer. I was surprised, honestly, at how many of the drugs carried warnings related to fertility.

Although a member of my family recent fought (and won, for the time being) a battle with cancer, I didn’t realize the effect the drugs could have.  I mean, I understood fully that the drugs were toxic and it was very dangerous to try to conceive while undergoing treatment for cancer — not to mention that when you’re in a fight for your life, you kind of need to concentrate on you. But, I didn’t realize (had never thought about) how dangerous it can be to conceive a child if even your spouse is undergoing chemotherapy.  Men who are treated with chemotherapy drugs are warned not to have unprotected sex for up to a month or more after taking their last treatment.

If, God forbid, you or your spouse need to be treated with chemo, please talk to the doctors about trying to conceive. Most often, it is recommended that a couple use not one, but two different types of birth control - the risks of damage to a baby conceived at that time is almost definite.  We all want a little one, but sometimes we have to wait to get it.

A few weeks ago, I questioned the value of accupuncture in dealing with infertility.  I don’t doubt that it’s useful, just that I’ve never experienced it. A very good friend of mine sent me a message last night with a link in it to a massage chain.  Now, I’m definitely up for getting a good rub down, but can this actually help with infertility, too? Of course it can - it helps to relieve stress!

Other than relieving stress, though, wouldn’t it be fantastic if massages actually WERE therapeutic?  Come to find out, several thousand folks believe it is!  Seems that part of the ancient Chinese medicine therapy for infertility has to do with deep tissue massages in the uterine area at certain times of the month.  There is also a clinic that claims they can open blocked fallopian tubes with various techniques - and one of the techniques they list as necessary is deep tissue massage!!  (This massage thing is looking better and better!) 

So…. maybe we should all be requesting gift certificates from the local massage therapists offices as gifts.  It definitely can’t hurt!  Yes! I think that’s a great idea, especially for all those folks who always say, “I don’t have a clue what I’m going to get you!” and you don’t want to reveal the struggles you are going through with infertility.  A simple request for a good, old fashioned gift certificate to a spa wouldn’t arouse any suspicion at all, and they would be contributing to your quest to have a child!

…we’ve all been there. Unfortunately, that’s where I find myself today. I’m not sure exactly what I want to do about these stupid blocked tubes of mine, if anything.  I can opt for another reversal procedure. I can opt for in vitro fertilization. I can opt for adoption. I can opt for being happy with what I have and just let it all go.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my children dearly.  A few days ago, my son asked me if the reason we wanted another child was because he (my only son), “wasn’t good enough”.  Talk about breaking a mother’s heart.  Even though I knew that was NOT true, I didn’t know how to explain my feelings to my son.  After a few moments, I finally found the answer. “Son, that is not why I want another baby. It’s just that you are so wonderful, mom wants to experience having another one like you all over again - and this time be able to share that with you and give you somebody else to love, too.”  I was satisfied with my answer, and more importantly, so was he.

Unfortunately, my poor husband is just as baffled about what to do as I am. He originally said no to the idea of IVF.  Suddenly when we find out the tubes are blocked, he immediately said, “We’ll look into IVF.”  Yeah, that’s about as far as that went. We haven’t really looked into it because of the costs involved. It’s been a few months since the doctor so coldly announced that the tubes were blocked, and I’m still just about as depressed as I was then about it.  I’ll figure out something. Of course, I’ll share it with you when I do.  Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I feel as if I always need a plan.  Right now, I need a plan. I know what I want for the end result, I’m just not sure how I’m getting there.  Everyone, put your thinking caps on…. let’s ALL think of a plan. At least formulating a plan is a step forward, right?

All too often, it’s easy for us females who suffer from infertility to give so much thought to what we’re going through emotionally that we tend to overlook our partner’s feelings.  At the same time, it’s not always easy to get men to open up and share their deep feelings regarding something so intimate — even with their lifemate.  More often than not, men tend to either ignore the emotional turmoil they know we go through, or they make themselves busy trying to make our lives easier even though they know they can’t fix the situation. In doing so, they ignore their own feelings and it makes it even easier for us to do it, too.  However, pushing these feelings to the back burner doesn’t make them go away, and it doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

If you’ve noticed that your man has changed somewhat since you’ve been having problems conceiving or diagnosed as infertile, there’s a good possibility that he’s depressed about the situation.  After all, this is a problem that has a major impact on both of your lives.  Just as it’s not easy for you to accept, he may be having the same feelings.  Perhaps if you can get him to open up to you, you might find that he is hurting, too.  Perhaps you can share your feelings of disappointment and grief.  Perhaps knowing that you’re both experiencing the same despair about the situation can be yet another bond that the two of you share. Sometimes just not feeling like you’re experiencing this alone can be a major stress reliever for you both.  Perhaps you can work out a game plan to help you overcome your struggles to have a child.

Whatever you do, don’t ignore the feelings that your partner may have.  If you find that he is actually okay with not having children, it might help you accept the situation as well.  On the other hand, it may be something that the two of you really need to discuss so you both know where you stand regarding how far you’re willing to go to become parents.  Regardless, his feelings need to be aired, and he needs to know that you’re concerned about his emotional position and how he feels.  Don’t be afraid to talk to your spouse. It will be an emotional discussion, for sure.  However, it can be one which leads to healing, bonding, and even a plan for the future.

Two items regarding fertility in the news caught my attention recently. One item is in regards to smoking, a topic we discussed only a few days ago. The headline reads, “Hospitals Deny IVF Treatment To Smokers”. At first, I was somewhat surprised, however I took note that the article is actually from England, where the government attempts to provide at least one round of in vitro fertilitization to infertile couples. But, there is still a controversy regarding this decision of the hospitals. If you would like to read a copy of the story, please click here.The second news article was in regards to a small study done here in America. Researchers believe that infertility may actually be somewhat genetic in regards to male issues. The study reports that men who are born to sub-fertile couples (where conception took more than one year to acheive while actually trying to get pregnant) have on average a 22% lower sperm count than men born to parents who had no fertility issues. Because the study was small, researchers agree that more work must be done on the subject before a clear relationship is established between parental infertility and off-spring infertility. You can find the article I’m referring to here.