My Miracle Family: Part 1

Author’s Intro: As my first birthday as a father is coming up, I have been doing a bit of thinking about life and about the birth of our daughter Kayla this past year.

With that of course comes all the thoughts about how Kayla’s birth was a long time coming … over six years in fact. And for some time now I’ve been wanting to write about it.

I haven’t figured out yet “why” I feel so compelled to write about it. I’m not sure it’s too important, and I am guessing that the “why” will eventually come to me. In the meantime, I am looking forward to writing these “My Miracle Family” articles. I hope it’s fun and enjoyable reading for you which also sheds some light in the things couples can face while dealing with fertility challenges.

Ten years (and some months) in the future …

On a nice sunny afternoon, a father is sitting on his porch enjoying a drink and reading a book. He is starting to doze off when his lovely ten year old daughter bounds in from playing in the yard and promptly plops down on his lap.

Daughter: “Daddy… ”

Daddy: (still half dozing) “Yes honey?”

Daughter: “Where do babies come from?”

Daddy opens his eyes warily. Uh oh. It’s _THE_ question. Daddy straightens up and smiles down at his daughter.

Daddy: “Well honey, that’s a good question. Let’s see… well, first two people fall in love and then decide they want to start a family….”

Daughter: “Like you and mommy! Right?”

Daddy: “Yes honey, your mommy and I love each other very much. Anyhow, so two people decide they want to start a family. They first start trying the ‘natural’ way….”

Daughter: “What’s the ‘natural’ way?”

Daddy: “Umm.. Never you mind that now, we can talk about that later. Moving on quickly now they then start trying other ways. In this case, with a doctor’s guidance, mommy starts taking drugs to stimulate her ovaries and then daddy goes into a special room with a little cup…”

Daughter: “Little cup?”

Daddy: “…and then there’s this big turkey-baster looking thing the doctor uses to put into mommy the ..ermm..contents of the little cup..”

Daughter: “What’s in the little cup?”

Daddy: “Never you mind that now. Okay so then the mommy and daddy start trying even more advanced methods where mommy has to take even more drugs to overstimulate her ovaries followed by mommy having surgery to extract her eggs…daddy then goes again into a special room with a little cup …”

Daughter: “Daddy, this doesn’t sound right..”

Daddy: “And then after that, with the mommy and daddy still are wanting to have a baby, the daddy takes a few more tests and from the results they see that a certain surgery may help the situation. So the daddy has the surgery, but they have to wait a year or so before they can try again..”

Daughter: “A whole year?”

Daddy: “Yes honey, a whole year…”

Daughter: “Daddy, this story is getting kinda long isn’t it?”

Daddy: “Well, honey, it was quite a long story for this specific mommy and daddy. There were years of natural attempts, IUI attempts, IVF attempts, not to mention the surgery and recovery for the daddy. But after the surgery, this mommy and daddy were full of hope for their third IVF attempt. They went to a new doctor who had some new ideas, though one of those ideas included daddy having to give mommy shots in her butt cheek every night for like three WHOLE weeks… with a big two-inch long needle.. This daddy couldn’t even poke a boba drink with a straw properly and here he was having to give shots into mommy’s butt… but I digress…because finally the big day came for mommy to get her eggs extracted again, so mommy had the surgery again …”

Daughter: “And then daddy went into the special room with a little cup?”

Daddy: “Umm.. yes, honey. Daddy then went into the special room with a little cup. This was followed by days, weeks and even months of prayers as six little teeny weenie super tiny babies were transferred back into mommy. Then mommy and daddy prayed and prayed that hopefully just one of those teeny tiny babies could latch on and claw on to mommy’s uterus and hang on like there was no tomorrow. And then their prayers were answered …because nine months later this mommy and daddy were blessed with a little miracle.”

Daughter: “A miracle?”

Daddy: “Yes, a miracle. And we named that miracle Kayla”

Daughter: “Hey! THAT’S ME!!!!”

Daddy: “Yes honey. That’s you.”

Well, it’s not your traditional birds and the bees talk of where babies come from…

Or maybe it soon will be, as many “birds and bees” stories these days need a little help from technology, drugs to stimulate the hormones, needles, shots, surgery, special little cups, and other little adventures.

But it is still one of the many stories that could be told today about where babies come from and how families are started. The above version just happens to be our story.

I find it interesting that even though I “knew” that there were many different ways to start a family, I didn’t really truly “KNOW” this until after our own fertility challenges. Meaning being truly aware of the various ways families can be started besides the “traditional” way of boy meets girl, boy marries girl, and the-birds-and-the-bees happen and the baby arrives. These new stories include IUI, IVF, adoption, and maybe even other ways I’m not exposed to. I just know after our own “adventures” the one thing I have to come to realize is that no matter how families are started, it definitely is a miracle.

It wasn’t always that way, my thoughts about miracle families or even my total love of being a dad weren’t always like this. There was in fact a time where I was quite hesitant to be a dad and to start a family. Which brings me to this: the point of this article (or articles) is not so much about being a dad, but rather the challenges of starting a family and the miracle of becoming a family, and for me the miracle of BECOMING a dad.

Again, I’m not sure why I personally am writing these. Maybe it’s just to record my thoughts for posterity. Or maybe it is just to get the word out to those couples who went through what we went through that you’re definitely not alone. I’m sure there will be many “why” reasons I’ll discover during my writing. In the meantime, I hope it’s both educational and fun reading for all of you.

End Part 1 …..

Want more info on IVF pregnancies and infertility treatments? Check out more of Ben’s articles. Emil “Ben” Yau is an engineer, blogger, dance teacher, and after six years of fertility challenges, a proud father. Thankful for his new family, Ben enjoys writing about their first hand experiences with fertility challenges.

IVF: Dealing With Your Concerns

A significant amount of couples who could benefit from IVF treatment fail to take advantage of it. Although roughly half of the three million infertile couples in the U.S. seek medical intervention to have a child, the overwhelming majority do not ultimately go through with IVF. This is the case even when they meet all of the criteria and their chances of successfully having a baby by under-going the treatment are relatively high.

So, what are the barriers that lead to so many people not going ahead with IVF? The answer is not entirely straightforward, because what is a stumbling block to one couple can prove to be irrelevant to another. It is fair to say, however, that there are some common issues that seem to be regularly brought up by the majority of would-be IVF candidates.

One is that it is risking the health of the mother or baby. Another is that it is expensive and unaffordable. A third is that it is inconsistent with religious or moral beliefs. A fourth is that the mother, or even the father, will be unable to fulfill their professional and personal obligations whilst the treatment is going on.

However, all of these issues can successfully be addressed, and none of them should be considered to be insurmountable. By spending some time learning about what exactly IVF involves – there are plenty of reliable online sources from which to gather this information – and having discussions with couples who have previously undergone the treatment and experienced IVF professionals, couples will find that their worries are unjustified.

That is not to say that IVF is the best option for every infertile couple, in some cases it is not, but it should at least be one of the options which is given serious consideration as part of the decision-making process. Simply dismissing it could well be one of the biggest mistakes that a couple ever makes.

Learn More : The IVF Procedure & The Cost Of IVF

How Endometriosis and Fertility Relate

Many women with endometriosis fail to ovulate, although no one knows if this is a direct result of the disease or if it is coincidental. One thought is that if an ovarian follicle that has been stimulated by luteinizing hormone fails to rupture and expel the ovum, the ovum cannot be fertilized. This is called luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome.

Even if the ovum is fertilized, problems can occur. For instance, when the smooth muscle of the uterus and fallopian tubes becomes irritated, the contractile waves diminish, thus making it difficult for the ovum, fertilized or not, to move along its path to the uterus. Also, excessive contractions of the uterus may prevent implantation of the fertilized ovum.

Other barriers to fertility in endometriosis include:

Irritation and inflammation produced by retrograde menstruation, or by the endometriomata themselves, can cause an immune reaction and formation of an excessive number of macrophages (scavenger cells), which destroy foreign invaders such as sperm.

Various autoimmune responses (a condition in which one is “allergic” to oneself) arise as a result of misplaced endometrium. Auto antibodies prevent implantation or cause the uterus to reject the zygote (fertilized ovum). Endometriosis is now beginning to be regarded as an autoimmune disease, like lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis.

Increased or overactive prostaglandins can decrease sperm motility. Moreover, ectopic (misplaced) endometrium secretes prostaglandins that affect a number of reproductive mechanisms.

Anatomic distortions and obstructions of the fallopian tubes, as well as anovulation, luteal phase defects, and hormonal abnormalities can inhibit fertility.

And-if you are avoiding having sexual intercourse because it is painful, you’re not likely to become pregnant.

Although there is no proof of it, scientists believe that certain lifestyle factors may predispose a woman to infertility resulting from endometriosis; use of intrauterine devices, especially the Dalkon Shield; cigarette smoking; obesity; and possibly cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol use.

If you decide to make an all-out effort to become pregnant, you and your doctor will have to assess how difficult it will be; that is, what are your chances as compared with general statistics? Of course, physicians cannot guarantee that you will get pregnant if you do this or that treatment. But what can happen is that you can improve your odds with certain treatments.

Karol Cardinson is a Health specialist with over 20 years in Diet and Nutritions Research as well as a former Infertility sufferer and can help you with getting pregnant sooner and naturally. For more information go to Infertility Solutions Online

categories: women infertility,infertility problems,infertility solution,infertility treatment,infertility couples,endometriosis infertility,Health,womens issues,mens issues

How To Find The Actual Infertility Problem and To Deal With It

Every couple that had been trying very hard and waited anxiously to get pregnant will be very disappointed once they are diagnosed that they are having an infertility problem.

There are more than eighty percent of these people seek professional assistance to understand what went wrong. Also, there are at least 15% of couples are having these kind of issues. It is when most want to know what is an infertility problem and how do you deal with it?

What is actually an infertility problem? It is defined when couples are not having to conceive or bear a child or offspring. There are many reasons as to why these people have this kind of dilemma.

This topic is very difficult to bring up because these people feel awkward to talk about this but having to talk will make you be knowledgeable of the things that you can do in order to combat the crisis.

If you and your spouse have been trying hard to get pregnant and subsequently can’t, then you should consult a fertility doctor for information on how to get pregnant. They will be able to advise you and will require your necessary medical history and habits.

In order to have the right diagnosis, both partners will need to undergo some tests. Do prepared to receive a negative result as not everyone is blessed with a fertile body. If the doctor tells you that you need to undergo some additional tests, and then by all means go! He meant for you and partner.

Some female infertility problem may be due to poor ovulation. If you are having irregular menstrual cycle or amenorrheas (absence of menstruation) then you need to get the doctors help. There are also some women that are totally unaware that they have problems with their reproductive system. All in all, these issues need to be taken seriously by a fertility professional.

As for male infertility problem, it may sometimes be caused by low sperm count, malformed sperm, or low sperm motility and varicocele (enlargement of the veins in the scrotum which makes the sperm difficult to pass). Some men are not aware that having a poor habit may resulting to infertility. They have to consult medical professionals in order to rectify this issue.

If you really want to have kids of your own, try to sleep early, quit smoking now, do not abuse alcohol and drugs, manage your stress properly. If you find it tough to kick those habits, then the next best thing to do is to consult your doctor for help and guidance.

Now that you are aware you may have the problem, it is the best time to discuss this issue. It is tough for both person to discuss these matters, but you have to face the fact that it can happen to anyone. Accepting the truth is the first thing you need to do.

Dont be too harsh to yourself or to your partner. Acceptance is the primary step towards combating the problem. Be sure to be open with your partner and take suggestions positively if there’s any. You and your partner are the only ones who can solve the problem so love each other no matter what.

Getting The Infertility Solution Is Easy If You Know How

Infertility are haunting many couples that are being experienced worldwide. Thankfully, you are not alone to face this problem with your partner or your spouse.

Out of the tons of people around the world, it is forecast that 1 out of 10 couples have infertility concerns. This figure will be huge as it goes forward.

In Europe alone, the estimate goes up as high as 4 out of 10 couples. In the U.S., it is estimated to be 2 out of 10 couples having difficulty in child conception.

Among the millions of people that are suffering from infertility problems, it is surely of them thinking whether or not there is such a think called infertility solution.

Today, infertility solution and treatment has gone through substantially changes due to the dynamic modernization in technology around the world. There are numerous medical and scientifically based approaches that can offer immediate and long term effects on the capability of child conception among individuals.

The most practice of these solutions are consuming medicine or drug administration that stimulates the reproductive system.

Firs of all, the medicine used is to improve the performance of the reproductive system between the couple. In fact, there are tons of medicine and drugs available on the market which helps the reproductive system of an individual.

The general effects of these medicines are the increased production of the reproductive hormones of both the male and female party and increased integrity with the egg cell of the female and the sperm cell of the male. Among all the infertility solutions available today, this method is the least expensive.

On the second note is about using surgery. Surgical operations when coupled with other medical methods can be performed on the male, the female or both in order to restore any reproductive dysfunctions that contribute to infertility.

Problems relating to the reproductive system especially the reproductive organs are addressed in this kind of method.

Modern technology advancements involving surgical operations are performed to stimulate the reproduction of reproductive hormones of the person are carried out. This is to solve imminent fertilization issues that couples encounter in their sex life.

Thirdly, there is a widely popular method of artificial insemination or known as “assisted reproductive technology”. This kind of method, most doctors are applying different techniques in order to stimulate the growth and production of high quality egg cells from the female.

What the doctor will do is to extracts some of these egg cells and unites these to the sperm cells previously obtained from the male.

Specially designed laboratories are used for these operations. It is to aim of producing several embryos through the combination. The fertilization of the embryo takes place outside the womb of the mother and in special laboratory apparatus particularly made for fertilization.

After the egg has been finally fertilized, the byproduct fertile egg is then reinserted into the females reproductive tract. This procedure is called embryo transfer and it is the final step in the artificial insemination process.

People experiencing infertility problems need not worry any longer. There are numerous scientific and medicinal approaches that can help you in conquering infertility.

Consultation with a doctor specializing in infertility solutions is one among many steps on how to overcome infertility. Be sure to do it in order to become successful in defeating infertility.