When Whitney and Spencer Blake got married and decided they wanted children, they had no idea of the 7-year struggle they’d face in their quest to become parents. Now, the couple are mom and dad to two boys they’ve adopted and are sharing their journey of infertility in a light-hearted photo series.
Month: May 2016
How To Be A Data-Driven, Informed IVF Patient
Kudos to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology for undertaking the effort to give patients needing IVF the tools with which to make educated decisions. Together they have created the type of comprehensive patient resource that every patient group should have access to.
Placental RNA May Help Protect Embryo from Viruses, Study Finds
A new University of Pennsylvania study found that placental cells are rich with lncRHOXF1 (red), which appears to offer the developing embryo protection from viruses.
A Doctor’s Perspective: 13 Very Real Thoughts I Had During My First Visit to a Fertility Clinic
So recently, I came across a blog post that really hit home! I could totally relate from my experiences as a fertility patient. Before reading this, you may want to check out: 13 Very Real Thoughts I Had During My First Visit to a Fertility Clinic. I wanted to share my answers and provide a medical provider perspective to these questions. Keep in mind, these answers relate to the Fertility Centers of Illinois, and I cannot speak to the practices of other clinics.
The Embryo Crusader
McQueen (who goes by her childhood nickname, Jasha — or “hah-shuh”) is a 44-year-old immigration lawyer who runs a practice out of her home in the quiet outskirts of St. Louis. But she has little time to take clients these days. For the past six years, she’s been immersed in an increasingly public legal fight over frozen embryos.
Crystal Lake Couple Creates Family with Help From Frozen Embryo Donations
The Felices’ three children were conceived at the same time, but they’re not triplets. Faith, 6, and Matthew and Michael, both 4, belong to Jamie and Dan Felice, a couple who struggled to have children before being matched with a donor through a group that collects unused frozen embryos. They received six embryos. Two pregnancies later, their family is complete.
Tinder For Embryos: How the Sharing Economy Could Transform Reproduction
A massive demographic shift is underway as more Americans attempt to have children well into their 30s and 40s. Most will succeed, but many collide with the brutality of biology: Infertility now affects one in seven couples. Adoption has long been an alternative option for infertile couples and singles. But in recent years, that process has gotten dramatically more competitive as demand has increased and tighter regulations have decreased the supply of domestic and international children available for adoption. Prospective parents today are looking at up to $50,000 in agency fees and waiting lists of up to five years to get a child.
Surrogate Mom’s ‘Magical Uterus’ Results in 3 Sets of Twins in the Past 4 Years
Kirsten Langhammer has given birth to three sets of twins in the past four years. Not one of those babies is her own. With each pair of twins, Langhammer fulfilled the dreams of a couple wanting to become parents. She loved becoming a mom and being pregnant — even labor and delivery. Using her self-described “magical uterus” to help create three other families has meant navigating a morass of legal, ethical and health issues.
Endometriosis Linked to Elevated Risk for Heart Disease
Endometriosis is associated with an increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), especially among women aged 40 years or younger, according to a study published March 29 online ahead of print in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Infertility on Mother’s Day, How You Can Help
Mother’s day can be one of the most heartbreaking days of the year for a woman who has struggled to conceive a child. This is the day that women all across the world who are mothers are recognized and honored for the one thing that a woman struggling with infertility has been praying for, pleading with and at times even sacrificing her life for. With all of the reminders in the media and in the retail sector to name a few, there is no shortage of indicators that the one dream that a woman struggling with infertility yearns for the most, the title of “Mother” has not yet been realized.