Four months after the nation's largest financing source for fertility treatments shut down its health care lending,
The World Egg Bank (TWEB) announced a new loan program for women planning to have a child through donated eggs. Offered through Kansas-based Home National Bank, the program can finance up to half the cost of the purchase of frozen donated eggs or the total cost of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure using fresh donor eggs. In order to qualify, participants must choose a donor from The World Egg Bank registry, which currently has more than 350 pre-screened donors available to recipients.
The program launches at a critical time for infertile couples facing both a deep recession and a crucial shortage of lenders. The aftermath of the 2008 banking crisis triggered financing giant Capital One to end its entire health care financing program in May. Capital One was the largest private financer of fertility treatments nationwide. Unlike the Capital One program, TWEB loans do not charge fees to the doctor's clinic.
"We expect this to be welcome news to intended mothers left stranded by the economy," says Diana Thomas, TWEB president and founder. "Many women simply do not have the luxury of waiting for improved economic times to have children, particularly those in their late 30s and 40s."
The financing program offers payment plans for fees up to $9,000 for the purchase of frozen donated eggs and up to $15,000 for IVF treatments using fresh eggs. Loan terms range from 18 to 48 months, with APR interest rates starting at 8 percent.
(10-20-09)
Before throwing out the meat and seeds of a carved Halloween pumpkin chew on this:
Pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamins A and C and potassium, and the seeds are high in fiber, vitamin B12 and polyunsaturated fatty acids, one of the so-called good fats.
"The flesh of pumpkin and the seeds are abundant in many essential nutrients," says Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "Pumpkins are low in fat, calories and are loaded with vitamins."
If you are planning to use fresh pumpkin for baking, Sandon says, choose smaller, blemish- and bruise-free pumpkins. Smaller pumpkins have softer and tastier meat. To maintain freshness, pumpkins should be stored in a cool, dry place until ready to use.
And don't forget to oven roast the pumpkin seeds. They are ideal as snacks or as a salad topping.
Check out our Purely Pumpkin Recipe Collection!
(10-20-09)
Breast cancer is predicted to kill more than 40,000 U.S. women this year, while 192,000 more will be diagnosed with the disease. With early detection, however, nearly 90 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer will live at least five years.
The keys to early detection are getting an annual mammogram combined with regular self-exams of the breasts, says Dr. Phil Evans, associate vice president for imaging services at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "We recommend annual mammograms beginning at age 40," Dr Evans says. "For high-risk groups, including women who have a first-degree relative with breast cancer or women who had chest X-rays for Hodgkin's disease when they were younger, we recommend they consult with their doctor to determine if they need to start earlier."
Women whose mothers had breast cancer before they were 40 years old should start getting regular mammograms at age 30, Dr. Evans says.
(10-06-09)
In honor of National Infertility Awareness Month taking place throughout October, Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI) is striving to build awareness of the growing issue that affects 7.3 million men and women in the United States, representing 15 percent of couples in their prime reproductive years.
Dr. Angie Beltsos, fertility expert and medical director of the Fertility Centers of Illinois, shares these tips on boosting fertility:
Preconception Diet: Eat organic, fresh, nutrient-filled whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains as much as possible. Drink plenty of water every day and avoid smoking, caffeine, alcohol, fried foods and saturated fats.
Exercise: Regular exercise is a must, but stick with low-impact options such as walking, swimming and yoga. High intensity activities can place excessive metabolic stress on the body.
Healthy BMI: Your weight can affect your ability to get pregnant and being too much above and below your BMI can be harmful. Experts consider a body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 29 to be ideal.
Manage Stress: Infertility and treatment often creates stress, which may impact chances or conception. Try to reduce stress by allowing yourself time to relax or try relaxation techniques to help calm your mind and body. There have been more clinical studies supporting the benefits of holistic techniques such as acupuncture, massage and yoga.
Age: Be aware that fertility declines with increasing age and problems accelerate for women past the age of 35. Consider trying to start your family earlier, or if necessary, seek infertility help sooner so that causes can be evaluated and treated properly.
Explore All Options: Since infertility has multiple causes, treatment options also vary. It is important to fully understand the cause of your fertility troubles, in order to effectively identify the best option for you and your partner.
(10-06-09)
The first swine flu vaccinations will start to arrive this week in some parts of the country. Around 600,000 doses of FluMist, a vaccine that is squirted into the nose, will be distributed between 21 states and four larger cities, with more following later in the week. The larger shipments of the vaccine (around 40 million) will start shipping the second week of October.
This year, most people will need two different shots for influenza; one for the "normal" flu and one for H1N1, or the swine flu. Children under the age of 10 will need two doses of H1N1.
Learn more by reading Swine Flu and Pregnancy: How Does the Influenza H1N1 Strain Affect Mom-to-be? and Swine Flu and Babies: Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment for the Swine Flu. (10-06-09)
Many people who have died from 2009 H1N1 influenza in the United States had co-infections with a common bacteria (
Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus), which likely contributed to their death, according to a report published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC)
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC is reminding people of the importance of being vaccinated against this common bacterium.
"Our influenza season is off to a fast start and unfortunately there will be more cases of bacterial infections in people suffering from influenza," says CDC Epidemiologist Dr. Matthew Moore. "It's really important for people, especially those at high risk for the serious complications from influenza, to check with their provider when they get their influenza vaccine about being vaccinated against pneumococcus."
The CDC report included an analysis of specimens taken from 77 fatal cases of 2009 H1N1. Bacterial co-infections, including some caused by Streptococcus pneumonia, were noted in about a third of those cases. The following are CDC's recommendations for vaccination against Streptococcus pneumonia:
All children under 5 years of age should receive pneumococcal conjugate vaccine according to current recommendations.
In addition, the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) should be administered to all persons 2 to 64 years with high-risk conditions and everyone 65 years and older.
The entire MMWR report can be found at www.cdc.gov/mmwr.
Read the following for more information:
Pregnant Women Urged to Get Swine Flu Vaccine
Swine Flu and Pregnancy: How Does the Influenza H1N1 Strain Affect Mom-to-be?
Swine Flu and Babies: Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment for the Swine Flu
Swine Flu Vaccine: One Shot or Two? (10-06-09)
Women who take the most common fertility drugs, progesterone and clomiphene, are at a greater risk to develop thyroid cancer than those who don't, according to a study by the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society.
The 36-year study, which tracked thousands of women, discovered that women who took fertility drugs developed thyroid cancer at an increased rate over those who did not. Compounded with the previously documented risks of multiple births and other complications, many couples have begun seeking natural alternatives to the use of fertility drugs.
"Some new drug-free programs avoid these risks," says physical therapist Belinda Wurn, who developed a natural fertility treatment with her therapist husband. The treatment, a unique manual therapy, underwent clinical trials, and results have been reported in several medical journals, including Medscape General Medicine OB/GYN & Women's Health.
In the first study, 71 percent of women diagnosed infertile by their doctors an average of five years, became pregnant naturally within one year of receiving the therapy. Most of the women gave birth, and several have had subsequent natural full-term pregnancies. While the total number of participants was small, the results were considered important enough to be published in a major peer-reviewed medical journal.
In another Medscape study, scientists examined the effectiveness of using the therapy before in vitro fertilization (IVF) in women averaging five years of infertility. Those who had therapy before IVF transfer reported a clinical pregnancy rate of 67 percent. The control group (no therapy) had a 41 percent rate – the national average for clinical pregnancy after embryo transfer according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Most of the pregnancies in the therapy group reported live births.
A study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine showed that therapy opened totally blocked fallopian tubes, a procedure previously thought impossible without surgery. Of the women whose tubes opened (61 percent), most went on to have natural pregnancies and births.
The Wurns, co-authors of Miracle Moms Better Sex Less Pain – The 'Clear Passage' Story (www.miraclemoms.net), were initially looking for a cure for pelvic pain when they began seeing unexpected natural pregnancies in women diagnosed infertile. Surprised by their results, they expanded their work to develop a non-pharmaceutical treatment for female infertility. Several of their studies have provided statistically significant results.
After being diagnosed with cervical cancer and undergoing pelvic surgery, Belinda Wurn was pronounced cured. A short time later, she began to have a pulling sensation in her pelvis, which quickly turned to debilitating pain. As she and her husband searched for an end to her pain, they soon realized that modern medicine was not the answer. Doctors told Belinda Wurn that the pain was due to adhesions caused by her surgery, and that the only way to relieve the pain was more surgery, which would likely result in more adhesions.
That diagnosis began a 20-year journey of research and testing of a drug-free soft-tissue physical therapy that has been found safe and effective, and is now offered in several clinics in the USA. The treatment they perfected begins with a trained physical therapist locating abnormal tensions in and around the organs, muscles and support structures of the body. Guided by her experience, precise knowledge of the anatomy and of her patient's medical history, she applies a specific pressure to adhered areas. This pressure is designed to reduce the adhesions that formed in the body over time, and return the structures to normal mobility, tone and function.
"Over time, we found that we were helping pain and dysfunctions beyond our original intent and out of the usual scope of physical therapy practice," says Wurn. "Many of these 'discoveries' were uncovered by chance. Patients who came for treatment of chronic pain would often report dramatic improvement in seemingly unrelated areas, such as digestion, elimination and reproductive or sexual function."
(9-22-09)
The American Fertility Association's Dessert & Learn, a free program designed to educate individuals and couples about their family-building options in a fun and relaxed setting, is coming to La Jolla, Calif., September 21. Those who attend Dessert & Learn La Jolla will engage in a conversation with Theresa Erickson, Esq., of Erickson Law, about third party reproduction options like egg donation, sperm donation and surrogacy.
To make the event inviting, Cups Organic Bakery will be on hand serving up a buffet of complimentary organic cupcakes, and the AFA will be serving the Fertilitini, the wildly popular all-organic, non-alcoholic cocktail. To make the evening even more relaxing, it's being held poolside at Ranch La Jolla, with magnificent views overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
"I felt that the Dessert & Learn series would be a great opportunity for me to connect with couples and individuals who desperately want a family but were afraid to ask the questions that they absolutely need to ask and to pose those questions that they absolutely have to ask," says Erickson. "In an intimate setting such as this, everyone can be in a relaxed environment that provides great food and great learning!"
Dessert & Learn La Jolla really benefits two different populations: the gay and lesbian population and those who are experiencing infertility issues and need a donor or surrogate to build their families. "Family-building can be stressful," says Corey Whelan, the AFA's program director. "If you're experiencing infertility or simply require third party reproduction because you're gay, we don't want people's lives to stop when they are trying to have a baby and build a family." Whelan goes on to say, "We've created soft spaces for people to learn in. Life is hard enough. Our job is to make the journey kinder as well as informative."
(9-15-09)
Births in most of the Gulf Coast areas hit by Hurricane Katrina plunged in the 12 months following the deadly storm, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The report from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, "The Effect of Hurricane Katrina: Births in the U.S. Gulf Coast Region, Before and After the Storm," examines birth certificates for the 12 months preceding Katrina and the 12 months following the storm, (Aug. 29, 2004, to Aug. 28, 2006). The data cover residents in the 91 Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated counties and parishes of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Special detailed data are presented in an interactive map for 14 selected FEMA-designated coastal counties and parishes within a 100-mile radius of the storm's path (www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/data/map/HurricaneMap.htm).
Key findings include the following:
The number of births in the 14 counties and parishes decreased 19 percent in the year after Katrina compared with the previous year. Births decreased by 30 percent for the selected parishes in Louisiana and 13 percent for the selected counties in Mississippi but increased by 6 percent for the selected counties in Alabama.
The number of births to non-Hispanic black women in the selected parishes of Louisiana fell substantially (51 percent) after the storm. Births were also down for non-Hispanic white (14 percent), Hispanic (21 percent) and Asian/Pacific Islander (34 percent) women.
In Orleans Parish, the central parish of New Orleans, the proportion of births to non-Hispanic black women fell from 78 percent of total births before the storm to 60 percent in the year after Katrina hit.
The proportion of births to teens for these 14 selected counties and parishes were unchanged after the storm, except in the selected parishes in Louisiana, where they decreased 11 percent.
Cesarean deliveries for the 14 selected counties and parishes rose by 10 percent in the Alabama and Mississippi counties and 6 percent in the Louisiana parishes.
The full report is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs.
(9-15-09)
Nancy O'Dell, co-anchor of Access Hollywood, celebrity mom and author of the new parenting book Full of Life: Mom-to-Mom Tips I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Pregnant (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2009), recognizes the importance of building
and maintaining strong, healthy bones through a diet rich in calcium and vitamin
D. Along with milk and cheese, she recommends enjoying a creamy cup of yogurt
such as Yoplait.
"After my recent knee injury I recognize the importance of a proper diet and
exercise to help me get back on my feet," says O'Dell. "My family and I eat healthy
foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, to help build and maintain strong bones.
Yoplait yogurt is a delicious and nutritious way to get both of these essential
nutrients throughout the day."
As part of the program, O'Dell and Yoplait will provide personal diet and fitness
advice featured on Yoplait's new Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Yoplait. The tips will demonstrate how O'Dell and her family build and maintain strong,
healthy bodies.
Data reveals that adults are falling short on nutrients important for bone health,
with 76 percent of the population not getting enough vitamin D and 72 percent
not getting enough calcium in their daily diet. These statistics reinforce the
need for daily diets rich in calcium and vitamin D.
Vitamin D is naturally present in very few foods (i.e., cod liver oil, fatty
fish like salmon and tuna, and in limited amounts in beef liver, cheese and egg
yolks). A report released in 2006 from the American Academy of Pediatrics found
that eating dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt during childhood and adolescence
may help build strong bones and reduce the risk of fractures and osteoporosis
later in life. Calcium and vitamin D work together to build strong bones, with
vitamin D aiding calcium absorption.
"Yoplait yogurt is the only leading brand of yogurt containing vitamin D and
calcium in every serving," says Katherine Brooking, registered dietitian. "These
nutrients are important for bone health. Based on recent research, it is clear
we need to do a better job of incorporating both vitamin D and calcium into our
own and our children's diets. Yoplait yogurt, specifically its Original and Light
varieties, provides an excellent source of calcium for both adults and children.
Yoplait offers a large variety of flavors to help the whole family meet their
dairy, vitamin D and calcium needs." (9-15-09)
See parents helping parents in action! 
