Accutane – Risks to Pregnancy
Posted on August 12, 2010
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Recently I received an email requesting the addition of a resource to my website. I am sympathetic to any cause that desires to help women in pregnancy and childbirth. As a believer in patient advocacy I believe the information they shared is worthy of posting here.
Here are comments from a Drugwatch.com representative, We are currently raising awareness about the prescription drug Accutane, a drug used to treat acne. There is a current Black Box warning on Accutane, cautions consumers about its potential to harm unborn children that include birth defects, premature births and even death in babies when a mother has taken the drug. Additional serious side effects associated with Accutane use include depression, colitis, and liver disease. The drug is causing a significant amount of damage and serious harm to patients.
If you or anyone you know is taking Accutane and desires to have a baby, you need to learn more about the risks of this drug. The Drugwatch.com website is full of interesting information on all types of medications. It might be helpful to do a search on the medications you currently take to see how those medications might impacts your ability to get pregnant, stay pregnant or have a healthy baby.
For more information specifically on Accutane visit the: Accutane Lawsuit: page to find out how the acne drug Accutane causes the spine condition skeletal hyperostosis and other serious side effects like birth defects, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
» Filed Under Patient Advocacy, Premature Births, Resources, Womens Issues, pregnancy | Please Share Your Thoughts; Leave a Comment!
Speak Up About Infertility
Posted on August 9, 2010
If you have not read the article in the SELF online magazine called Breaking the Silence on Infertility you need to read it now.
It is up to us, those who are currently suffering and those who have overcome* infertility, to speak out and share our story. I do so on Facebook all of the time. I frequently tell people my twins are a result of an IVF treatment, when appropriate. I am not ashamed of my infertility journey. My children are beautiful and mean more to me than life itself.
It’s time. Talk about your infertility so that we can make progress on advocacy, insurance coverage, and perception by the general public.
* not everyone will be successful through fertility treatments, so the term “overcome” encompasses those who had success via treatment, adopt or live childfree not by choice.
» Filed Under Infertility, Patient Advocacy | Please Share Your Thoughts; Leave a Comment!
Mediterranean Diet
Posted on July 28, 2010
A blog post on WEGO Health provides links and information about how a Mediterranean diet can help combat infertility (or at least help when you are trying to get pregnant). To read more about the Mediterranean diet and the study published in Fertility and Sterility visit the WEGO Health blog: Mediterranean diet helps fight infertility.
» Filed Under Infertility, Resources | Please Share Your Thoughts; Leave a Comment!
Events: Arizona Infertility Seminar
Posted on July 6, 2010
Infertility Mini-Seminar on Low-tech Treatments, IVF and Third Party Reproduction
Saturday, July 24, 9:00AM
Scottsdale, AZ
Join RESOLVE of Arizona and three local infertility experts to explore your medical and health options for building your family. Topics will include the basic infertility workup, low-tech treatments, IVF and third party reproduction. Guest speakers include Dr. Jay Nemiro, Fertility Studies; Robert Koagedal, AcuHealth; and Dr. Daniel Rychlik, Fertility Centers of Arizona.
To register for this event visit RESOLVE.
» Filed Under Infertility, Patient Advocacy, Resources | 1 Comment
Ending the Silence and Stigma
Posted on June 28, 2010
A post was made in the WEGO Infertility community back in April during National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW). I have to admit that I have had a lot going on the past few months and have not been as active in the WEGO community as I would like. The other day a blog post came across in my email and I thought it was worth sharing. WEGO Health: What if We Erased the Silence and Stigma Surrounding Infertility.
It would be great if couples who struggle with infertility would speak out and share their stories instead of suffering with the disease in private. Hopefully Keiko’s story (watch the video) will encourage you to do just that.
» Filed Under Infertility, Personal Growth, Resources | Please Share Your Thoughts; Leave a Comment!
One and the Same
Posted on June 16, 2010
A few months ago I was contacted by author Abigail Pogrebin about her book One and the Same: My Life as an Identical Twin and What I’ve Learned About Everyone’s Struggle to Be Similar. The general public finds twins totally fascinating. Everywhere I go people will stare or stop me to ask if my daughters are twins. Sometimes they even ask my daughters what their names are and how old there are. While I understand they are just curious, it sometimes makes me uneasy.
There are a lot of things I like about being a mom of twins, but there are many things that are not so fun. For some twins they might experience these highs and lows too. In Abigail’s book it seems that she found solace in her twinship, while her sister longed to be her own individual.
Abigail addresses many issues within her book that are often overlooked, such as twins via fertility treatments. In her interview with Twins Magazine she mentions “The hope in the chapter is realizing that Single Embryo Transfer (SET) is really effective and much safer. If that could be the new world and it could be covered by insurance.” AMEN! Thanks Abigail. This is has been one of my arguments for a long time.
Within the book are parenting tips for parents with twins. As a mom of twins I try to promote individuality, but the Abigail believes that encouraging twinship is good too. The book provides insight as to why some twin relationships are close and others are not. We make generalizations that all twins are close, but was with any sibling this is not always the case.
For more information about One and the Same visit Abigail Pogrebin’s blog and purchase the book from the store of your choice (options on the left side of the page).
» Filed Under Resources, twins | 1 Comment
Childless Not By Choice
Posted on May 26, 2010
Recently I received an email from a gal who wrote a very candid post about the things people say to those who are childless not by choice. It was a sad reminder that people do not understand the emotional impact of infertility. I found her discussion about how people encourage those dealing with infertility to “keep trying” even after they have exhausted all of their money or options or both. Yet, this is not the case for someone dealing with a terminal illness. While infertility is not a disease that kills you, it does change the person you are and your quality of life, especially those who do not have success in treatments or adoption.
Her blog post is titled: The 16 things you shouldn’t say to a CNBC (childless not by choice). If you want to learn more about what not to say to your friend or relative experiencing infertility this is a must read. If you are dealing with infertility you might find some solace in knowing you are not alone.
While it is not always easy, we should tell people that comments like these really hurt. If we don’t do this they will never learn. It is okay to tell them that if they continue to make hurtful comments you will stop talking to them or change the way to interact with them. What are you willing to “deal with” and what are the things that are not acceptable? Establish your boundaries and stick to them.
» Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Non-Mother’s Day
Posted on May 8, 2010
For many women struggling with infertility Mother’s Day can be pure torture. Those who have never experienced the sadness of infertility often cannot relate and make inaccurate judgments, as noted by the comments left on the blog post on Motherlode: A Non-Mother’s Day by Pamela Tsigdinos.
If you take the time to read this blog post you might start to wonder, as many of the commenters did, why didn’t Pamela adopt if she is so heart broken about not being a mother. You might need to read her book to truly understand the reasons why Pamela and her husband chose not to adopt. Not all couples want to adopt, just as many couples do not pursue fertility treatments.
So on this Mother’s Day, I hope that you will have compassion for those who have not been blessed with a child. For those women might be seeking treatment in hopes to have a baby, or they might have just spent their last dollar on another failed IUI or IVF cycle. And for these women, Mother’s Day is a reminder of what they don’t have.
» Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment
