Strollerderby : fertility treatments

One School, 19 Sets of Twins

JeanneSager — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:27:00 GMT

They're seeing double at Armstrong Elementary School in Garland, Texas. And double. And double.

The small Texas school has just five hundred thirty-nine students - and thirty-eight of them are twins. There are nine sets in the second grade alone.

It's surely a sign of the trend toward twins - spurred on by fertility interventions. These days, one out of every thirty-three kids is a twin (compared to one in eighty back in the day). In 2004, there were more than one hundred thirty two thousand twin births recorded in the U.S. - more than any year prior (that was the latest year data is available on, no word on whether it's risen in the past five years).

There's no question there are more of them, but I'd hazard a guess they're more spread out too. And they're bringing more attention. Perhaps because because the hot button fertility drug issue (hello Octomom) make these parents an easy mark? The years have also been marked by advancements in medical technologies that keep twin pregnancies going and keep premie duos alive.

And perhaps I'm the anomaly that proves the rule, but I never thought twins were rare. I grew up in the eighties in an even smaller school than Armstrong (there were thirty-four kids in my graduating class). And there was one set of twins in my class, plus half of a set of a twins (his brother failed a year and ended up behind us). My next door neighbors had identical twin boys, I have a set of twin uncles (born in the sixties) plus a set of twin cousins. None of these kids were born with fertility interventions.

Twins make up seven percent of the population at Armstrong. But they made up eight percent of the population in my third grade class.

Did you know a lot of twins growing up or are you meeting your first multiples as parents?

Image: MSNBC

Really Wanna Let Octomom Have it? Leave Her Alone

Shannon LC Cate — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:03:00 GMT

Recently, a certain celebrity gossip website said about Nadya Suleman, "that bitch is off the rails."

It was my final straw. Because yes, I agree, I'm no psychiatrist and I've never met the woman, but the attention-seeking single-mother-by-design of fourteen--including eight octuplets--is probably "off the rails." What I don't understand is why some people choose to react to her probable mental illness with name-calling like "bitch."

Well, I do realize it sells tabloids and/or generates blog hits or reflects already reflected light--however unflattering--on the writer. But commenters in threads following stories about her are filled with vitriol too. Nastiness flies like cold germs at a Chucky Cheese in January. And now it's an epidemic. Suddenly, we are all supposed to love to hate Nadya.

I just don't get it.

Here's why I don't hate Nadya:

1. I don't know her. I have no idea if she's truly an awful person, a misguided sweet person or a seriously ill person so out of touch with reality that it's impossible to judge her.

2. There is no way to actually get to know her. Magazine stories and television interviews and press conferences designed by a professional publicist are not going to tell me any more about her. It's all spin. Spin she's probably only partly controlling and even then, how the heck do I know what's truth or fiction or why she even wants it spun a particular way?

3. There are so many other forces to hate. There's the fertility industry and its unregulated ways. There's an unethical doctor out there who, apparently does this sort of thing with some frequency. There's the publicist who took the job of spinning Nadya. Nadya's idea to hire her? Probably. But again with the crazy. The publicist didn't have to agree to take the job. She could have said, "honey, you don't need a publicist, you need anti-psychotics." But there is money to be made in public train wrecks, isn't there? And let's not forget to hate the ridiculous romantic claptrap about motherhood that encourages women to view themselves as saints or goddesses just by virtue of having a vagina that once squeezed out a child or fourteen.

4. Finally, I have to say that all the poison cast towards Nadya Suleman reminds me uncomfortably of the same viciousness cast towards mothers who don't meet ever narrower, ever shifting culturally normative standards for all kinds of other reasons. Can't anyone else see that the judgement hurled at Suleman is just a stone's throw from the judgement hurled at any single mother, regardless of how she came by her children? Got pregnant the old-fashioned way? She's a slut. Used a sperm donor and hired a nanny? She's a selfish old maid. Needs some public assistance? She's a leech on the taxpayer. Self-supporting? She's a workaholic. And those judgements are yet another stone's throw from the ones that plague other mothers. Stay at home? You're a door mat, a bore and a bad example to your daughters. Work for money and use daycare? Why'd you bother to have kids if you didn't plan to raise them? Used fertility treatment? Obviously the good lord didn't want you to be a mother and you went against nature. Adopted? You stole a baby from its real mother to serve your own desires.

Do any of these sound familiar? And before you say "sure, but the one that sounds familiar to me is not fair, whereas Suleman really deserves our criticism," I say, it's all the same thing. It's the same big, tired, old argument that mothers are responsible for everything bad about children, families, society. It's the flip side of that saint/goddess nonsense.

We'd be doing ourselves a favor to quit judging women we don't even know for situations we have no real access to--especially when those mothers are clearly compromised in some serious ways that are not within their control. Whether it be mental illness, poverty or legal injustice that compromises them. If we'd not be judged ourselves, we ought to shut up about others too.

And if you really, really want to keep hating Nadya, nothing could hurt her more than letting her story die quietly so that the people who are really close to her can turn their attention to getting her the help she--and her 14 kids--really need (hint: it's NOT a t.v. show).

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No Great Outpouring of Support for Struggling New Mom of Quintuplets

Shannon LC Cate — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:01:00 GMT

When Adwai Malual found she was pregnant with multiple babies, she wasn't clear how it would effect her. A first-time mother at 28 years old, she didn't fully realize what one baby required, let alone the quintuplets she was carrying.

After coming from Sudan to the United States to receive a blessing on her pregnancy from her mother-in-law (who was living in the U.S.), Malual developed serious complications and was hospitalized and unable to return home. Her babies, now six weeks old, are healthy and doing well, but for some monitoring for breathing issues. But Malual is on her own.

Her husband works in a government position in Sudan and has not been able to leave work and has not yet seen his five babies except in photos. Meanwhile, Malual is stuck in Laurel, Maryland with her mother temporarily visiting to help her. But she has little other support.

No diaper companies sent truck loads of products, no formula maker sent gallons of assistance, as sometimes happens in these kinds of cases.

A local church has helped with some hand-me-down baby clothes and two cribs. But 12 hours a day, Malual does nothing but attend to her babies until her mother takes over for a few hours so she can sleep. When her mother leaves, she doesn't know what she will do.
Sudan is a war-torn country and she would prefer to raise her children in the United States. But she would have to apply for sanctuary, be approved, find childcare and a job that covered the cost of it plus living expenses for six. Whether she makes it home to Sudan or somehow makes life work in the U.S., for now, Malual needs all the help she can get.

A chaplain from the hospital where the babies were born is collecting donations for her. For information on how you can help, see the chaplain's name and address at the end of the story linked here.

For more photos of the beautiful babies, see the Washington Post's photo gallery.

Queens woman pregnant with sextuplets

Brett Singer — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Let's talk about sexts, bay-bee, let's talk about you and me (and me and me and me and me and me and me)…

Six kids. SIX. KIDS. AT. ONCE.

"Victor and Digna Carpio didn't want their 7-year-old son Jhancarlos to grow up alone. The Queens couple tried for years to have a second child - without success. Now their wish is about to come true - over and over and over and over and over and over again."

So, be careful what you wish for?

A few choice details:

-   At first, doctors said she was having quintuplets. They also found a mass that they thought was a tumor. Turns out the tumor was the sixth baby.
-   Their son, 7 year old Jhancarlos, said, "Mami, that's too many babies…They'll destroy the house!" Smart kid.
-   This is the second set of sextuplets to be born in New York City, and The Daily News says that the Carpios might be the first Hispanic couple to have…sexts. (That sounds weird, but if you can call quintuplets "quints", sextuplets should be "sexts", right? I really need a nap.)
-   Sextuplet pregnancies are rare, and often all six babies don't survive. "Carpio had such a rough time during the first four months of her pregnancy that her doctors tried to convince her to sacrifice four of the babies to improve the chances of survival for the other two." She refused. I think I would too, but what a decision.
-   The article makes no mention of fertility treatments, which is good.
-   A follow up article is titled, "Queens sextuplets will be challenge." Um, duh.

I'll say good luck, but they're going to need more than luck. Patience, money, family... oof.

image/source: NY Daily News

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Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Brett Singer — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:51:00 GMT

Ghazala Khamis (which I think is a really cool name) just gave birth to FOUR BOYS AND THREE GIRLS via c-section. She has three daughters and had undergone fertility treatments because she wanted a boy. Well, now she has four of them.

The septuplets – my heart skips a beat whenever I look at that word – appear to be healthy, as is the mother. Doctors did the c-section in her eighth month because of "pressure on her kidneys." Seven kids? Yeah, I can see how that might cause a little pressure.

The most pregnant woman I've ever seen in person was a woman who was overdue at 9+ months, with triplets. She looked like she was going to give birth to a Buick. I can't even imagine what seven kids looks like.

According to the article, "Egypt's health minister said the babies will get free milk and diapers for two years," which is a nice gesture. Diaper and food bills for seven kids, plus the three they already have? Oy vey. Good luck to all.

Source/photo: Boston.com (thanks to the reader who sent in the tip!)

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Return of the son of stuff YUPPIE parents like

Brett Singer — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Because too much is never enough. And besides, didn't you want to see this photo at least one more time?

1. Organic everything: from a commenter. I've succumbed to some of this, partly because, living in Manhattan, the cost difference isn't as great as it used to be, and sometimes the quality is better. I also admit that I feel less guilt giving my kids "organic" pre-packaged crap than I do giving them "chemical-laden" pre-packaged crap. It's still crap, but it's ORGANIC crap.

2. Classes and activities: yes, from the same commenter. She said, "mommy and me classes" but in my experience it's much more than that. Around here, it seems like everyone has their kids doing something all flippin' day. A parent once told me that she didn't understand why Kindergarten went until 3pm; she wished it ended at noon so her kid could take advantage of everything Manhattan had to offer. I replied that I thought Kindergarten should go until 8pm. We don't talk much anymore.

3. Kids' music that parents can enjoy: All parents have benefited from the boom in kiddie rock. While I am of course very glad that children's music has evolved beyond Raffi (who really isn't that bad) and Kidz Bop (which is), sometimes this preciousness can go a little too far. Sure, anything by Dan Zanes or The Dirty Sock Funtime Band is better than Barney's Greatest Hits, but a little James Taylor, Peter Paul and Mary, The Beatles – lots of great "adult" music out there that kids might like.

4. Taking their children to live rock 'n' roll shows: "Alternadad" Neal Pollack brought his little one to see The Hives, a rather loud quasi-punk act. I spotted two sets of parents who had dragged their children to see Yaz at the Beacon theater (I myself was dragged by my wife, but that's another story). When commenters on Gawker are giving good parenting advice ("Neil [sic], seriously--ear plugs"), you know something is out of whack in the universe.

5. Anything that isn't made of granite. At least after we found out about the radiation.

For more, click here.

image: nostalgiacentral.com

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More stuff YUPPIE parents like

Brett Singer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:00:00 GMT

If you want to know why YUPPIE is written in CAPS, check out the comments on Redsy's post.

Also, a word of explanation for our younger readers: "yuppie" is a term that was coined in the 1980's. It means "Young Urban Professional." Obnoxious spin off terms include "buppie" (black urban professional) and "guppie" (gay urban professional, which is at least vaguely amusing). In general, I think that the term "yuppie" is (like myself) color-blind, so we'll just stick with that. (My color-blindness mostly means I need help choosing ties, but it also refers to non-clothing related issues.)

And now – the stuff!

1.   Fertility treatments: maybe this is a Manhattan thing, but I've seen several signs in drug store windows advertising help getting your health insurance to help pay to get you pregnant. My theory (unfounded and unresearched) is that there are a large number of parents having children later in life, and also a huge number of older dads starting second families with their second wives.
2.   Wooden toys: this is from a commenter, and it's totally true. I fully expect some "mompreneur" to start selling unadorned two-by-fours in colorful packaging. (Hang on, I need to copyright that idea.)
3.   SUV's: hopefully the price of gas will put the kibosh on these. There are other ways to schlep a family around town.
4.   Hybrid cars: for the parents who don't want SUV's. It's all about extremes, people.
5.   Feeling entitled to brunch: In some cases, even men want to emulate the Sex and the City gals.

For more, click here.

image: nostalgiacentral.com

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Fertility Troubles Common in Men Over Age 35

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:00:00 GMT

The idea that women need to start figuring hypothetical babies into their lives at a much younger age than men do is officially an urban myth. According to a French study of more than 12,200 couples receiving fertility treatments, men’s biological clocks start ticking almost as audibly after age 35 as women’s.

This is not the first study to find that infertility is related to older men, but hopefully it will be the first to penetrate popular consciousness. “There’s a common misperception—even among healthcare providers—that infertility is a female problem,” Dr. Thomas Walsh of the UC San Francisco School of Medicine tells the L.A. Times.

Specifically, the comprehensive study found that at least 20 percent of infertility can be traced to males, and that men over age 35 are less fertile overall than their younger counterparts. And once they reach the big 4-0, men’s chances of fertility success become “significantly lower.” Wow, that sounds just like what I’ve been hearing about women’s fertility all these years.

Now, if only we could get nature to start respecting the desire for a fuller, longer life before children….

Photo: BBC

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2008/07/07/these-boys-can-t-swim-fertility-in-men-over-40.aspx

Doctors Want Fewer Twins

Madeline Holler — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:33:00 GMT

Doctors are suddenly on a tear to reduce the number of twins and triplets born in the U.S. Twins are everywhere and triplets aren't really all that original anymore either thanks to advances in fertility treatments.

But considering the health risks multiple births pose to both moms and babies, those in the business are looking for ways to lower the number of triplet -- and even twin -- births.

For starters, they want to implant fewer fertilized eggs. But everybody knows fertility treatments cost a fortune.

From the NY Times:

“People have to recognize that there’s a connection between cost and how the treatment is going to play out,” said Barbara Collura, executive director of Resolve, a patient advocacy organization for people with infertility. “If you have $10,000 that you’ve begged, borrowed and stolen for this one I.V.F. cycle, you’re not going to say, ‘Please just transfer one.’ ”

Others want to wait five days after the extracted egg is fertilized instead of only three. That gives more time for abnormal chromosomes to be revealed, thereby disqualifying a greater number of embryos and allowing fewer to be transfered while maintaining the odds one will turn into a viable pregnancy.

Better screening, fewer embryo transfers, and telling would-be moms of the risks that mulitple births carry is the plan so far. What else? Do you think multiple births are a problem? What was your experience?

Acupuncture Might Help You Get Pregnant

Madeline Holler — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:53:00 GMT

This might be some good news for people struggling to get pregnant: acupuncture, administered shortly after embryos have been implanted, might actually boost the chances of a viable pregnancy. The bad news is that it's acupuncture and, therefore, slightly fringe. (The good news response to that close-minded, Western-medicine-centric statement is that the study of acupunture's effects on fertility treatments is actually being done by scientists.)

Where were we? Right. The findings are far from conclusive, but here's what the researchers are thinking:

Acupuncture involves placing very thin needles at specific points on the body to try to control pain and reduce stress. In fertility treatment, it is thought to increase blood flow to the uterus, relax the cervix and inhibit "fight or flight" stress hormones that can make it tougher for an embryo to implant.

A pool of seven studies, which included more than 1,300 women in four countries, was looked at. Only three of those studies showed positive results, but with smaller studies in the pool, there was a 65 percent boost in the odds of a pregnancy outcomes for fertility treatments that included acupuncture.

Experts warn against focusing on that number, because this type of analysis with pooled results is not proof that acupuncture helps at all, let alone by how much. IVF results in pregnancy about 35 percent of the time. Adding acupuncture might boost that to around 45 percent, the researchers said.

Still, it's something, right?

Italian Chair Boosts Fertility

Madeline Holler — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:38:00 GMT

This promise of a report about a fertility chair caught my eye. I was imagining some strange sex positioning device that boasts better than chance results for getting pregnant.

Instead, I was directed to this video of a wooden chair in Naples, Italy. Couples who sit in the chair and receive a blessing get a little extra help in being fruitful and multiplying.

What the locals call “The Miracle Chair” is where Sister Maria Francesca spent her dying days. Hair and bone from the long-deceased nun adorn a cross that the church uses to bless women and men who sit in the chair.

Of course, there are many stories of infertile couples who, nine months after sitting in the chair, now push around bambinos in locally made Peg-Peregos. Those couples who didn’t manage to get pregnant after sitting in the chair weren't available for comment (no doubt at home flogging themselves for their sins).