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I wish you all, my readers, a very Happy Holidays! As my blog has been spamed continually I am considering moving to another format. I will keep you posted and appreciate your patience.
Sharon LaMothe
www.InfertilityAnswers.net
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The NST is another way of externally monitoring your baby. The NST can be done as early as the 27th week of pregnancy, and it measures the Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) accelerations with normal movement. For this test, you will sit with knees and back partially elevated with a cushion under the right hip, which moves your uterus to the left.
The monitors are placed on your abdomen to measure the FHR and the ability of the uterus to contract. If there is no activity after 30 - 40 minutes, you will be given something to drink or a small meal which may stimulate fetal activity. (ask for chocolate!) Other interventions that might encourage fetal movement include the use of fetal acoustic stimulation (sending sounds to the fetus) and gently placing your hands on your abdomen and moving the fetus.
A NST may be performed if:
The test can indicate if the baby is not receiving enough oxygen because of placental or umbilical cord problems; it can also indicate other types of fetal distress.
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Below are tips for the working pregnant woman...whether pregnant for yourself or as a surrogate. Many women just concentrate on the getting pregnant part and don't look down the road as far as their employer maybe concerned. Hopefully the list below will offer some tips to pave the way to a happy and healthy working relationship with your employer.
Many women find themselves juggling the inside "job" of growing a baby and the outside job of working for pay. For some, especially those who do not suffer from pregnancy sickness and whose jobs are important to them, work is a welcome way to wait out the nine months. These mothers want to work right up until the first contraction. Other women may need a month or more to prepare their nest and focus on the life inside; they may plan to leave their jobs at a particular time, often in the last trimester. Some mothers, due to pregnancy complications, need to quit even in the early months. Whatever your pregnancy situation and your job, here are 10 Tips to Working while Pregnant:
If you intend to stop working after your baby comes, give your employer plenty of time to find a replacement, and yourself enough time to finish up important projects. Tell them when you plan to quit and ask how they would like you to help make the transition a smooth one. You will act responsibly, but your stated intention to quit makes it clear that your pregnancy and family come first.
If you want to return to your job after the baby is born, use caution. You want to keep your options open for a satisfactory maternity leave and at the same time protect your position. While it is illegal to discriminate against someone who is pregnant, the corporate world is often confused by a worker becoming a mother. A promotion you are in line for may be jeopardized by the fact of your pregnancy. You may risk being given less challenging assignments because of your "condition." You may be uncertain how your coworkers will take the news. Some may be sympathetic to your occasional memory lapses and your first trimester miseries. Others, you fear, will be worried about having to "cover" for you on days when you aren't at your best.
The best time to tell is just after people begin to suspect you might be pregnant and before they are sure. Although you are excited about your news, most women recommend against revealing a pregnancy in the early months. Be careful not to wait too long to tell, either. You don't want to give your employer any reason to think you are untrustworthy; any suggestion that you concealed your pregnancy for your own gain may make you look as though you are not a "team player."
Don't expect to function every day on your job at the same level as you did before you were pregnant. If you want to stay employed yet find your current position too strenuous, ask for a temporary transfer to a less demanding job. Better to be honest with your supervisor than be disgruntled and inefficient. If you don't want to change jobs, ask if you could work part-time, do some of your work at home, or have flexible hours where you could work harder or longer on more comfortable days.
Interview yourself. If you truly know what you want, you are more likely to get it. Determine what you ideally want, what you can afford and what's best for your pregnancy and your family. Can you grow a baby and do your job? Do you want to? Bear in mind that complications or situations during your pregnancy (or after delivery) may make some of these decisions for you. Unless your doctor or your baby determines otherwise, could you work through most of your pregnancy? Would you rather start maternity leave early? Continue your job on a part-time basis from home? After the baby is born, do you want to come back to your present job, or one that is more compatible with family life? Do you want full-time work or part-time?
Working while pregnant should not mean being torn between protecting your job and mothering your baby, you can do both. Whether you want to take off and return as soon as possible or work as long as possible and return as late as possible, you should be able to work out the best plan for you, your baby, and your family. That plan may be very specific or quite general. One mother we know was certain that she was more committed to her baby than her job, so she had nothing to lose. Not knowing how she'd feel about working, she asked her employer if they could negotiate after the baby came. In the meantime, she offered to keep up with projects from home on an hourly pay basis. After the baby was born, she worked a few hours a week from home, came in for meetings at four and six weeks (with the baby) and at eight weeks knew enough to negotiate a continuation of work from home for an hourly wage -- that way she felt neither party would be short-changed. She worked 10 to 20 hours a week from home for the company for four years.
Know what your company's maternity leave policies are (you should have been given a copy of them when you were hired) and what the laws allow. If you know and trust a coworker who previously negotiated a leave package with this company, ask what she did, what she got, and what she'd advise you to do. If you do not have a copy of the maternity leave policy, you can get one from the personnel director. (However, he or she may also inform your boss.) If the company does not already have a maternity leave policy and is small enough not to be legally required to have one, you may have to be a pioneer, negotiating the policy for the benefit of your future pregnant coworkers. If you can, check out the maternity leave policies of other companies before you talk to your supervisor.
When reviewing your company's policy, be sure you understand:
After selecting the time and person to tell (and preferably when that person is having a good day), present your case. How to tell depends upon your pregnancy, your job, your wishes, and the reception you imagine you will get from your supervisor and coworkers. As in any negotiations, consider where the other person is coming from. Your supervisor wants to know when you are leaving, when you are coming back, and how best to fill in the gap while you're gone. Be ready with those answers. Realistically, your supervisor is more concerned about the company's operations than your personal needs. Your employer must consider the possibility that you may later decide not to return to work (although studies show that attractive maternity leave policies and a family-friendly workplace make it more likely that women will return).
Only you can guess how much maternity leave time you need; only your company can guess how much time they can afford to be without you. Remember, your bargaining power depends not only on how you present your case, but also on your value to the company. If you have a unique skill required for a special job, you have more clout than if there are many others within the company who can do your job just as well. Be realistic about your needs, your negotiating power, and the needs of the company, but remember, too, that companies want to be seen as family-friendly in their maternity leave policies.
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"Infertility, once referred to as the 'silent disorder,' has found a voice," says Washington, D.C.-based writer Cheryl Miller in a fascinating essay titled "Blogging Infertility" in the latest edition of The New Atlantis.
Blogging, says Miller, has provided a powerful outlet for the infertile, providing unlimited support and information. For the public, she says, the multitude of infertility blogs offers a unique perspective on the condition but in a way that is sometimes so personal it borders on voyeurism.
"The openness and transparency encouraged by the Internet pose new challenges, particularly for something as intimate as human reproduction. Allowing the world to read about -- and comment on -- your political opinions is one thing. Allowing the world a front-row seat to witness your struggles to conceive is another."
Miller describes popular blogs such as Stirrup Queens, Coming2Terms and one of the few blogs written by a man, Maybe Baby. Maybe Baby is the story of Chicago writer Matthew M.F. Miller (no relation to Cheryl Miller) who, on Friday, announced that his wife, Constance, took her 10th negative pregnancy test in the last two years. On Monday, Miller blogged:
"Pregnancy isn't simple science, not for me and not for us, and no amount of science will ever change my mind about that."
He's writing a book, apparently the first male memoir on infertility, due out later this year.
-- Shari Roan
Photo: Frozen eggs in the USC Fertility laboratory, Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times
Photo: Courtesy of Maybe Baby
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The most common neural tube defects are spina bifida(an incomplete closure of the spinal cord and spinal column), anencephaly (severe underdevelopment of the brain), and encephalocele (when brain tissue protrudes out to the skin from an abnormal opening in the skull). All of these defects occur during the first 28 days of pregnancy - usually before a woman even knows she's pregnant.
That's why it's so important for all women of childbearing age to get enough folic acid - not just those who are planning to become pregnant. Only 50% of pregnancies are planned, so any woman who could become pregnant should make sure she's getting enough folic acid. (and women planning on becoming egg donors and surrogates)
Doctors and scientists still aren't completely sure why folic acid has such a profound effect on the prevention of neural tube defects, but they do know that this vitamin is crucial in the development of DNA. As a result, folic acid plays a large role in cell growth and development, as well as tissue formation.
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| Sensitivity Chart Pregnancy Test Brand |
Sensitivity (or the hCG threshold at which a positive result is indicated). The lower the number, the higher the test sensitivity. |
| Early Pregnancy Tests.com # 1 Sensitivity |
20 mIU/hCG (to purchase click here) |
| Answer Early Result Pregnancy Test | 25 mIU/hCG |
| Confirm 1-Step | 25 mIU/hCG |
| Equate | 25 mIU/hCG |
| First Response Early Results Test | 25 mIU/hCG |
| One Step Be Sure Pregnancy Test | 25 mIU/hCG |
| Walgreen Digital | 25 mIU/hCG |
| e.p.t. Home Pregnancy Test | 40 mIU/hCG |
| e.p.t. Certainty Digital Test | 40 mIU/hCG |
| Fact Plus Pregnancy Test | 40 mIU/hCG |
| Clearblue Digital | 50 mIU/hCG |
| Dollar Store Brand Pregnancy Test | 50 mIU/hCG |
| Target Brand | 50 mIU/hCG |
| WalMart Brand | 50 mIU/hCG |
| Walgreens | 100 mIU/hCG |
1. Use first morning urine. Why? Because FMU will contain the highest amount of hCG. This means you can receive an accurate result sooner!
2. Hold your urine: If you need to test in the afternoon or evening, don't flush your body with liquids or urinate before testing. Hold your urine as long as (comfortably) possible. This way the hCG in the urine will not be diluted. This is a good alternative if you want to re-test or if you cannot use FMU.
3. Adhere to the test reaction time! If you go to Drugstore.com or any product review site, you will find many women complaining about false positive pregnancy tests. Actually, a false positive pregnancy test is quite rare. What may be happening here is that the test user is trying to read the test after the given reaction time specified by the manufacturer. The fact is, every test has a time interval that must be respected, typically between five and ten minutes. Any result determined after the reaction time should be disregarded or considered "invalid". Why? Two reasons. The first is that a test will become increasingly more sensitive over time and may indicate a very faint test line based on naturally levels of hCG (present in non-pregnant women and even men!). Second, sometimes the chemical composition of urine will cause a ghost line or evaporation line. Typically colorless, an evaporation line will only appear well after the given reaction time of the test. In other words, if you see an evaporation line, you should not be looking at the test anyway! In other words, if you see a ghost line, this is not a false positive, as the test reaction time has passed and the any result should be considered not valid.
A false negative pregnancy test is typically due to situations where the user is testing to early or there is not enough hCG in the urine sample. To avoid false negative results, observe tips one and two, and follow the testing guidelines of the manufacturer. There may also be instances where hCG levels differ among women. In other words, for women the rate of hCG production is slower, meaning that she may need to wait a few days longer before receiving a positive result. Also, implantation may occur later, which will also result in a bit of a delay in determining a positive result.
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This is so funny and TRUE...It sure does remind me of MY mother at times! Enjoy and happy Sunday! I am off to Florida!
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| Sec. 1271.75 How do I screen a donor? |
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(a) All donors . Except as provided under 1271.90, if you are the establishment that performs donor screening, you must screen a donor of cells or tissue by reviewing the donor's relevant medical records for: (1) Risk factors for, and clinical evidence of, relevant communicable disease agents and diseases, including: (i) Human immunodeficiency virus; (ii) Hepatitis B virus; (iii) Hepatitis C virus; (iv) Human transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; (v) Treponema pallidum ; and (2) Communicable disease risks associated with xenotransplantation. (b) Donors of viable, leukocyte-rich cells or tissue . In addition to the relevant communicable disease agents and diseases for which screening is required under paragraph (a) of this section, and except as provided under 1271.90, you must screen the donor of viable, leukocyte-rich cells or tissue by reviewing the donor's relevant medical records for risk factors for and clinical evidence of relevant cell-associated communicable disease agents and diseases, including Human T-lymphotropic virus. (c) Donors of reproductive cells or tissue . In addition to the relevant communicable disease agents and diseases for which screening is required under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, as applicable, and except as provided under 1271.90, you must screen the donor of reproductive cells or tissue by reviewing the donor's relevant medical records for risk factors for and clinical evidence of infection due to relevant communicable diseases of the genitourinary tract. Such screening must include screening for the communicable disease agents listed in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section. However, if the reproductive cells or tissues are recovered by a method that ensures freedom from contamination of the cells or tissue by infectious disease organisms that may be present in the genitourinary tract, then screening for the communicable disease agents listed in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section is not required. Communicable disease agents of the genitourinary tract for which you must screen include: (1) Chlamydia trachomatis ; and (2) Neisseria gonorrhea . (d) Ineligible donors . You must determine ineligible a donor who is identified as having either of the following: (1) A risk factor for or clinical evidence of any of the relevant communicable disease agents or diseases for which screening is required under paragraphs (a)(1), (b), or (c) of this section; or (2) Any communicable disease risk associated with xenotransplantation. (e) Abbreviated procedure for repeat donors . If you have performed a complete donor screening procedure on a living donor within the previous 6 months, you may use an abbreviated donor screening procedure on repeat donations. The abbreviated procedure must determine and document any changes in the donor's medical history since the previous donation that would make the donor ineligible, including relevant social behavior. [66 FR 5466, Jan. 19, 2001, as amended at 71 FR 14798, Mar. 24, 2006]
As you can see this was amended in 2006....Could you understand all that? You can find more of the same on Infertility Answers, LLC - ART and the FDA. As dry as all this FDA stuff might be, it is a great idea to know what is expected of the clinic and ultimately of YOU as you enter the wonderful world of ART and IVF! |
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Q~ I am in the process of comparing Infertility Clinics and I am wondering if there is something that I should ask about other then what the live birth rates are. We are considering using my sister as a surrogate.
A~ Below are some questions that I actually found on the internet for a first time infertility client but maybe it will prompt you to ask another question or two...like are the live birth rates linked to surrogate birth? Age of the eggs? Quality of the embryos? Just something to think about...then there is cost, location and if you actually feel comfortable with the office staff and doctor!
~ How many patients at your clinic have had this treatment in the last two years, and how many of them have become pregnant/had a baby?
~ Are there alternative treatments? If so, what do they involve, and why do you think they are less suitable for me?
~ What other options are available to me if this treatment doesn't work
~ How does my age affect the choice of fertility treatment?
~ What drugs will I have to take, and what are the usual side effects they might have?
~ Are there any alternatives to the drugs you have mentioned?
~ Can you break down all the costs involved in this treatment? Are there any other costs that might arise?
~ Is there any way these costs can be reduced?
~ What lifestyle changes can I make to boost my chance of success (eg, diet, exercise, stopping smoking, etc)? How will these help?
~ What kind of counseling or advice service do you provide? Is there a cost for this, or how many free sessions can I have?
~ Does this clinic have a patient support group I can join, or are there other groups you would recommend?
~ Could you tell me more about the assessment process you will need to carry out before giving me the go-ahead for treatment (this is sometimes known as the ´welfare of the child' assessment).
~ What happens next? Do I (and/or my partner) need to do anything now?
~ What are the benefits of the treatment you've recommended and why do you think it's the best option for me?
Sharon
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These numbers say to me that Embryo Adoption/Donation has a long way to go and that perhaps more education in the Infertility Clinic would be helpful. What are your thoughts?
Lancaster was 46 and, after three miscarriages, she and her husband, Jeff, longed for a child. One day, they heard about "embryo adoptions," in which couples who have gone through in-vitro fertilization donate any leftover embryos to infertile couples. Several months of soul-searching later, they received a frozen embryo from a North Carolina clinic - cells that were thawed and implanted in Lancaster's womb.
Now Lancaster looks at her 5-year-old daughter, Elisha - lively and precocious - and thinks: miracle. "It was a demonstration to us that every embryo is a complete, unique and total human being in its tiniest form," Lancaster said.
Last month, Lancaster launched an "embryo adoption" service through Cedar Park Assembly of God Church in Bothell. The service aims to match couples who want to donate embryos with those who want to receive them.
It's one of only a few such services nationwide and, as far as Lancaster knows, the only one run by a church, though many such services are Christian-based.
While the practice of donating embryos to infertile couples is, in itself, not particularly controversial, the question of what's to be done with an estimated 400,000 frozen embryos in storage nationwide touches on some of the most controversial issues of the day, from abortion to stem-cell research.
The stored embryos are the result of fertility treatments. When a couple undergoes in-vitro fertilization, the doctor retrieves a woman's eggs and mixes them with sperm in a lab. If embryos result, a certain number are transferred to the woman's uterus and any extra ones are frozen for future use.
But often, especially once a couple has children, the additional embryos are no longer needed. The couple can then donate them to other infertile couples, give them away for research purposes, discard them, or pay to keep them in storage.
Those who support research using stem cells derived from embryos see in it hope for cures for diseases that afflict millions, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and diabetes. Others believe such research is wrong.
Maria Lancaster, president of a ship-supply company, acknowledges that when she first heard about embryo transfers, "the thought of putting someone else's kid in your body" seemed strange.
For her, seeing Elisha come into being from two cells that had been frozen for four years before being implanted in her womb gave form to the words from the Bible, where God says: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."
Though brochures for Embryo Adoption Services of Cedar Park clearly come out against embryonic stem-cell research, Lancaster sees her work as noncontroversial, saying it gives infertile couples the gift of a child and embryos currently stored in freezers a chance at life.
Sean Tipton, spokesman for the 8,500-member American Society of Reproductive Medicine, says his group supports embryo donation as one of several options open to in-vitro patients.
What he objects to is the term "embryo adoption," saying it is used by groups that "want to elevate the moral status of the embryo to be the equivalent of an existing child."
Scientifically speaking, that's simply flawed thinking, he says, explaining that in natural conceptions, only 25 percent of fertilized eggs develop into babies.
Embryo transfers themselves are often unsuccessful, since many embryos don't survive the freezing-and-thawing process. And even after an embryo has been implanted, the pregnancy rate is not high.
Equating a fertilized egg with a living child would mean "you can't allow freezing of these embryos for later use [because] we don't freeze babies," and you can't allow abortions or some forms of contraception such as IUDs, Tipton said.
"I think in most people's minds there's a difference between a fertilized egg and a baby," said Karen Cooper, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. Calling embryo donations "adoptions" is a "political stunt, appealing on emotions," she said.
In any case, given the 400,000 frozen embryos in storage, the number of embryo transfers has been small. Tipton thinks that's because potential donors are uncomfortable with the idea of one of their genetic children being raised by someone else, and those who go to fertility clinics do so wanting to have their own child.
Indeed, Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which runs one of the largest "embryo-adoption" services in the country, says its program has resulted in 194 births over the last decade. Another large program, the five-year-old National Embryo Donation Center, has logged nearly 100.
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You don't need a computer, an Internet connection, or even the keypad on your phone or mobile device. GOOG-411 is voice-activated, so you can access it from any phone (mobile or land line), in any location, at any time. For free. (*)
Dial (1-800) GOOG-411. Say where. Say what you're looking for. GOOG-411 will connect you with the business you choose.
If you are calling from a mobile device, GOOG-411 can even send you a text message with more details and a map. Simply say "Text message" or "Map it."
I wanted to share this link with you. It's free and easy!
Have a great day!
Sharon
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Figures reveal that 500 couples in the capital are in desperate need of a donor so they can become parents.
This includes women who have undergone cancer treatment, early menopause or other medical conditions which leave them unable to conceive with their own eggs.
Fertility expert Lara Peterkin, from King's College Hospital, warned that the waiting list was increasing every year because not enough women were signing up as donors. Mrs Peterkin, from the hospital's assisted conception unit, said: "Unfortunately, due to a shortage of donors, the average wait for an egg across the London region is approximately two and a half years with the length of wait increasing year on year.
"Like many areas, in and around London there's a lack of awareness there is a donor shortage. Many women simply don't realise that donors are needed or that they themselves could become a donor."
King's is today launching its Give Hope, Give Life campaign, aimed at recruiting women aged 23 to 35 to donate their eggs.
They will help people like Claire Horner, a magistrate in her early forties, who was left infertile after breast cancer treatment which triggered an early menopause.
She and her management consultant husband Dennis were desperate to have children so joined the donor waiting list. But there was further heartbreak to endure when her first two attempts failed.
Her son Jack, now two and a half, was born in 2006 and the couple, from Richmond, are now planning another baby. This time they are using a Ukrainian egg donor and English surrogate because of the long waiting list in Britain.
Mrs Horner urged women to join the register, saying: "Egg donation is a wonderful gift that has allowed us to have the family we dreamed of. The woman who donated her eggs transformed our lives."
About one in six couples in Britain experiences fertility problems. These women can be helped through assisted conception including egg donation. The donated egg is fertilized with the father's sperm and then implanted into the mother.
London is one of five regions in the country identified by the National Gamete Donation Trust where demand for eggs greatly outweighs supply. A YouGov poll of 1,598 women published today shows that seven out of 10 women underestimate the extent of fertility problems. Six out of 10 surveyed also did not appreciate how long the wait would be for an egg donor.
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I don't know if the photos were the catalyst that caused 404 people to comment on the My Body, My Baby Article posted in the NY Times from November 28th to November 30th but they sure brought on some harsh comments...was it the black baby nurse looking so subservient? (waiting for fingers to be snapped?) Was the issue the dilapidated looking porch that the
pregnant surrogate was lounging on?
Was it that people found the fact that the Intended Parents in this case were not afraid to say "we had the money and we got what we wanted"? Whatever the case, the comments say a lot more about the attitudes of the American public on the subject of Surrogacy then the article itself. It also shows that A LOT of public education is sorely needed on this topic and other Third Party Family Building avenues.
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Here's something that will save you time, money, and frustration: This is a list of U.S. companies and their direct phone numbers that enable you to talk to a real, live human being... imagine that! Here's the Code: Included in each listing is the sequence of keys to push to bypass the insipid menus (i.e., Press 0# at each prompt, ignoring messages -OR - Say "agent" at each prompt, ignoring messages).
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