I used the pill for a decade before I began having children in my early 30s. It seemed like a foolproof method of birth control.After having two children fairly close together, I felt that my family was complete. So imagine my surprise when I turned up pregnant in the spring of 2011 — while on the pill.
Month: July 2013
Hormone Test Shows Fertility Potential
The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a substance produced by egg sacs in the ovaries, and a growing body of research suggests the level of the hormone is an indicator of fertility potential. Because egg supply, also known as ovarian reserve, is linked to chances of pregnancy, fertility doctors increasingly are using the AMH test to help determine treatment of fertility problems or help women plan pregnancy.
Overcoming Infertility After a Childhood Cancer
While treatments for pediatric cancers have largely been a success story, leading to a survival rate of above 80 percent, some of the lifesaving therapies have left female survivors with infertility problems in their adult years. But a study led by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital provides a glimmer of hope for these women.
Severe Endometriosis Associated with Poor IVF Outcomes
This study found that women with endometriosis experienced a higher incidence of adverse IVF outcomes. Major findings include the observed association between advanced endometriosis (Stage III/IV) and lower rates of implantation and clinical pregnancy
Finding a Balance in Menopause
After a decade of rancorous debate over the risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy, experts from more than a dozen top medical organizations worldwide have finally come to something resembling a consensus. What did they decide, and why are women still baffled?
Mammals Pick Offspring’s Sex to Maximize Number of Grandchildren, Study Shows
Mammals appear to have the ability to select the gender of their offspring for the benefit of their species, according to a new study that followed three generations of more than 2,300 animals from the San Diego Zoo.
Egg Freezing: A New Frontier in Fertility
Even as a girl, Sarah Elizabeth Richards seemed maternal. The oldest of four, she was the most sought-after babysitter on her San Diego block. Her friends figured she’d be the first among them to have kids. And one day, she always assumed, she would. But at 36, Richards found herself single in New York City and consumed with the fear of that prospect dimming with each passing month.
Egg Freezing-Would I have Done It in My College Years? – Part I
Freezing your eggs. No such thing when I was in my college years and I wonder how my life would’ve been different if this procedure was around back then. I know for some, the pressure of finding “Mr.Right” would have diminished …
The Budget Drain of Same-Sex Parenthood
Molly Jacobs and her wife, Lisa Carroll, were on a camping trip cut off
from phones and the Internet when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a few
weeks ago that the federal government must recognize their marriage.
Their celebration was cut short by the realization that the June 26
decision, while well worth it, comes at a cost. And the ruling does
little to nothing to ease more than a year of high-cost hassles that the
couple thinks was caused by discrimination.
Room for Debate: Should Women Delay Motherhood?
The decline in fertility for women over the course of the 30s has been exaggerated, according to a recent Atlantic magazine article. Meanwhile, delayed motherhood seems to be a growing trend. What are the pros and cons of having children at a later age?