As of Jan. 1, women in Oregon can get hormonal contraceptives directly from a pharmacy, without having to go to a doctor for a prescription first.
Author: ASRM News and Research
Wounded Vets Can’t Get Help With In-vitro-fertilization Costs
U.S. military veterans who are having trouble starting families due to combat injuries do not get financial assistance from the V.A. for in vitro fertilization, leaving couples to pay for the costly treatments themselves. Efforts made in Congress to change that rule have been blocked.
The Hidden Medical Epidemic Few Women Have Been Willing to Talk About, Until Now
When Carmel Price’s mother had an operation six years ago, Price helped her in the hospital but never really knew what the procedure was for. “I heard that she was having ‘reconstructive surgery,’ like that her organs had moved around and they were putting them back where they belonged,” said Price, a sociology professor at the University of Michigan in Dearborn.
Do Fertility Treatments Cause Cancer?
One of the reasons I was reluctant to start fertility treatment—aside from the astronomical costs—was I was afraid what it would mean to start putting all those chemicals in my body: the hormones to increase my egg production, to make me ovulate, to regulate my cycle. It seemed like a bit much. Especially since fertility is such a burgeoning field in early stages and no one quite knows what the effects will be.
Options Expand for Fertility Preservation
In June, researchers reported the first live birth from a young girl whose ovarian tissue was frozen prior to undergoing disease therapy, and then had an ovarian graft as an adult. After this procedure, she had a spontaneous pregnancy and a healthy delivery.
Kids Born Through IVF Show No Higher Risk for Developmental Delays: Study
Preschoolers who were conceived through fertility treatments don’t seem to have any special risk of developmental delays, a new study suggests.
That Time I Took A “Baby Deadline” Test
It’s less certain what an anti-Müllerian hormone test might offer a woman who’s never tried to get pregnant. Anti-Müllerian hormone levels are a direct measure of the number of eggs a woman has, which is an important part of her fertility. But scientists are just beginning to take a deeper look at whether the results of their anti-Müllerian hormone tests correlate with trouble getting pregnant. Beyond that, doctors must jump through several logical hoops to turn an anti-Müllerian hormone test result into advice for aspiring moms-to-be.
7 Surprising Things That Can Mess With Your Birth Control Pill
If taken properly, birth control pills are 99.9 percent effective (relieving, right?). But taking them effectively includes timing them right, storing them properly, and making sure your body is clear of other drugs or chemicals that could interact with your hormones and throw your body off whack. With so many things that can have a slight effect, from common medication to everyday foods, it can be hard to tell if we really our taking that pill effectively. If we aren’t, it can be equally difficult to pinpoint where we’re going wrong.
New Screening Tool for IVF Embryos Leads to Birth of Healthy Children
New research may potentially improve the chances of success for some women and couples looking to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization.
Why Over-the-Counter Birth Control Is Stalled
Women in California and Oregon will soon be able to get hormonal birth control from a pharmacist without a doctor’s visit, thanks to new state laws passed by blue-state legislatures and signed by Democratic governors. Meantime, key Republicans in Congress have taken up the mantle of over-the-counter birth control, partly to weaken the Democratic rallying cry that the GOP is waging a “war on women.”