Tag: fetus health risks

Fertility Clock Headlines, Fertility Headlines

Cell Phone Exposure During Pregnancy Related to Fetal Brain Development Problems

brigitte

Avoiding cell phone exposure during pregnancy may be a necessity in protecting your unborn child, according to Yale School of Medicine.  According to a recent study, cell phone radiation may lead to brain development problems including hyperactivity in children amongst other things.

“This is the first experimental evidence that fetal exposure to radiofrequency radiation from cellular telephones does in fact affect adult behavior,” said senior author Dr. Hugh S. Taylor, professor and chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences.

A control group case study using pregnant mice exposed to an active but muted and silenced cell phone revealed more “hyperactive and had reduced memory capacity” in their offspring. The study measured brain electrical activity in adult mice exposed to the radiation as fetuses against those not exposed. Dr. Taylor’s study reveals that the development of neurons in the fetus prefrontal cortex region is adversely effected, when exposed to cell phone use during pregnancy. Read full article.

Fertility Clock Headlines, Fertility Headlines

8 Things We Learned From Octomom

brigitte

Dr. Edward Dourron / For THE CURRENT

A year ago, the Medical Board of California revoked the license of Dr. Michael Kamrava, finding he “did not exercise sound judgment” in transferring 12 embryos to Nadya Suleman, who already had six children at home. The ruling, while not surprising, was illuminating, and it’s worth reflecting on the eight things we learned from Octomom:

1. Know How to Say No: There is a point where physicians have to make a judgment call. Pregnancies with triplets – let alone eight infants – put the mother at high risk of serious medical complications and put unborn children at risk for developmental disabilities. Doctors need to rely on their professional expertise and experience to know when to turn a patient down.

2. Beware the Patient with Tunnel Vision: Often when a patient comes to a fertility doctor, unsuccessful pregnancy attempts have made her anxious and determined. She might want to get pregnant even if she has underlying conditions that could put her or her baby at risk. Doctors have learned to be vigilant about preconception counseling and medical testing to determine whether patients are healthy enough to pursue pregnancy.

3. Less is More: In 1999, 35 percent of all transfers involved four or more embryos. In 2009, only 10 percent had four or more. And those high-number transfers are generally reserved for patients with significant fertility challenges. In contrast, Octomom already underwent multiple successful IVF (in vitro fertilization) procedures and had given birth to six children when she had her 12-embryo transfer.

4. Less is Sometimes Really More: Single embryo transfers are gaining popularity. Why? During IVF, the rate of monozygotic (identical) twinning is 10 times the rate in nature. Though Octomom didn’t experience this, it is not uncommon for a single embryo transfer to result in twins – or a double transfer to become quads.

Read full article.