France and Italy forbid single women and lesbian couples from using artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization, or IVF, to conceive. Austria and Italy are among those banning all egg and sperm donations for IVF. Germany and Norway ban donating eggs, but not sperm.
Month: April 2012
Increased Contraception Use Leads to All Time Low in Teen Birth Rate
The most recent decline in teen births can be linked almost exclusively to improvements in teens’ contraceptive use, according to data from another CDC survey, the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG).
More reasons to lose weight before you’re pregnant
We’ve written before about why it’s a good idea to shed pounds before you conceive — for one thing, it may make it easier for you to get pregnant. And we all know that being at a healthy weight is good for you and your baby, and can make childbirth easier and with fewer complications.
A new study shows more good reasons to lose weight before you conceive — or at least good reasons not to diet once you are pregnant. A study in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB Journal) found evidence that babies of mothers who were dieting around the time they conceived and early in their pregnancy were likelier to have an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes later on in life.
It’s worth noting that the research was done in animals – sheep, in particular – and not in humans, and it focused on twin pregnancies. It also looked just at genetic changes that may or may not lead to obesity and diabetes down the road. So it’s far from conclusive. But it is an interesting insight into how changing your nutrition — for the worse, by restricting calories and possibly nutrients in an attempt to shed pounds — around the time of conception might affect your child far into his or her future.
From Infertility to Parenthood, Rolling With It
When my dear husband and I were undergoing infertility treatments I often daydreamed about a chubby cheeked, curly haired toddler, decked out in pastel Easter finery, frolicking in a lovely garden.
Egg Donations: A Honolulu Womans Story
I am not anonymous. I know who I am: I am my Caucasian mother’s stories of how much she has loved mothering; I am my Chinese father’s love for music and good deals; I am all the injury, heartbreak and observed suffering I’ve absorbed into my body, if not my genes, for the past 32 years. I am an egg donor, and my role in the lives of the couples I donate to ends the moment my last ova hits the aspirator.
Lose Your Keys? Blame Menopause
Women going through menopause, pay attention. That trouble staying focused and keeping track of things? It’s real.
Recommendations for Practices Utilizing Gestational Carriers
As part of their on-going mission to help member physicians provide the best in patient care, the joint Practice Committees of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) are pleased to announce the publication of a new document- Recommendations for Practices Utilizing Gestational Carriers.
Summer Conundrum – Sun Screens and Fertility
by Brenda Strong
The Dilemma
I care about my skin; after all being an actress makes you more aware of sun damage (haven’t you noticed the flawless complexions of Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep?). I want to know what kind of sunscreen …
Oklahoma Personhoood Bill Poses Challenge to Roe
Oklahoma Senate Bill 1433, or the Personhood Act, grants embryos full rights as people from the moment of fertilization. It cleared the Oklahoma Senate in February and is expected to pass in the GOP-controlled House in the coming weeks. The state’s Republican governor, Mary Fallin, is an abortion opponent, though she has declined to state a position on the measure.
Pioneer in Contraception Activism Fights on Despite Personal Cost
Massachusetts man says a Georgetown University law student’s recent verbal bashing on a national radio show is evidence that rights he equates with liberty and equality are in jeopardy