Kirsty Allsopp says for women 'fertility falls off a cliff'

TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has urged women to put off higher education and a career in favour of having children because their "fertility falls off a cliff". In a recent interview with Jeremy Paxman on BBC Newsnight, Ms Allsopp, who met her husband when she was 32 and then had two children, said: "Nature is not with you and I. Nature is not a feminist." She also encouraged women to be "more honest" with one another about their biological clock, saying the topic was still "taboo". So what is the truth about the female fertility window? Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which was updated in 2013, is pretty encouraging. It says that "over 80% of couples in the general population will conceive within one year if the woman is aged under 40 years", if they have regular sexual intercourse and do not use contraception. NICE guidelines go on to state that "of those who do not conceive in the first year, about half will do so in the second year". That leaves around 10% of women - the percentage said to be affected by infertility in the UK. We know, of course, that female fertility declines with age, but is there really a dramatic drop-off at a certain point? No rule Mr Yacoub Khalaf, head of assisted reproduction at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London, says it is not quite as simple as that. "It is tempting to want a black and white answer, but biology doesn't work that way. "Some women find it difficult to conceive in their late 20s, while others don't have a problem into their 40s." So there is no rule, but science tells us that a woman's body does gradually change and there is nothing that can be done to alter that process. Mr Khalaf explains that from the age of 35, the rate of depletion of the follicles in the ovaries speeds up, and from the age of 40 they start to deplete even faster. These follicles are important because they house the eggs which will develop and mature before finally being released during ovulation. Hence, the quality and quantity of a women's eggs also begins declining sharply from around the age of 35 onwards. Read more ... Article: 7th June 2014 www.bbc.co.uk For more on testing your fertility visit www.prideangel.com/shop

Pride Angel Journey | Niche Parenting

The thing with parents is, there's just so many different sorts. And no matter what efforts we made in those early weeks, it just felt as though we were trying to climb through the wrong shaped hole in the shape-sorter. We've never considered ourselves particularly 'mainstream' in any area of our lives and so some sort of 'niche' parenting was always going to suit us best. Perhaps we'd get on better with the gay parents? Keen for Luna to grow up feeling 'normal', it seemed a good idea to find some other kids for her to hang out with whose conception had involved a sperm-donor, syringe and two lesbians. As I was spending around 12-14 hours a day breastfeeding, I had plenty of time to do a bit of Internet searching. And I did manage to locate a few gay parenting groups online: pockets of same-sex parents with children of all ages keen to discuss teething and tantrums and toilet-training. However somehow, the niche just wasn't quite right. It was too big and vague - more 'spacious alcove' than 'niche.' What we needed was a niche where people actually had a new baby and did the stuff we did, the stuff the books and our instincts had told us to do, which was co-sleeping and baby-wearing and breastfeeding on demand - sometimes for hours at a time. And eventually, I stumbled upon a name for this business - Attachment Parenting. The potential for an alternative niche was developing, and sure enough I found our local AP Facebook group where we could discuss bed-guards and slings and cluster feeding to our heart's content. But I can't help thinking that really, the answer lies in the Lesbian Attachment Parenting niche. The search continues... Article: by Lindsey, West Yorkshire 5th June 2014 Read more Lesbian parenting blogs at www.prideangel.com

Parents share video: touching story of their transgender son

Ryland Whittington was born a girl but now lives as a boy. The seven-minute video explains the story of a six-year-old transgender child, Ryland Whittington, who was born a girl but, according to her parents, began insisting she was a boy as soon as she could speak. “This is my sister Brynly, and I’m her brother, Ryland,” a young Ryland can be heard saying in the video, posted last week to his family’s YouTube page. The video’s narrative explains that Ryland’s parents, Jeff and Hillary Whittington, discovered around Ryland’s first birthday that their daughter was deaf. After being fitted with cochlear implants and learning to hear and speak, some of Ryland’s first words were, “I am a boy.” The Whittingtons, who declined to comment, said they consulted with professionals and soon realized that Ryland’s desire to be a boy was more than just a tomboy phase. “With phases they just come and go or kids try things on for a little while,” San Diego-based gender therapist Darlene Tando told ABC News. “But with gender identity, when a child is transgender, typically nothing fades in or out. It just really stays the same for a long time.” The Whittingtons then made the decision to change Ryland’s identity, cutting his hair, referring to Ryland only as “he” and sending a letter to family and friends about the change. “There are huge benefits of doing this earlier in life,” said Tando. “It’s really just like they have been given this gift that everyone around them starts seeing them for who they are.” Ryland himself spoke out about his transition at an event last month in the family’s home state of California honoring the Whittington family. “My name is Ryland Michael Whittington,” he said at the 6th annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast in San Diego. I’m a transgender kid. I am six. I am a cool kid.” “I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life,” Ryland said at the breakfast. “Thank you to my parents.” Article: 2nd June 2014 www.krdo.com

Stress linked to reduced male fertility

Past research has associated stress with a number of health problems, including heart disease, asthma, obesity and depression. Now, a new study suggests stress can reduce sperm and semen quality, which could have implications for male fertility. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, in around 40% of infertile couples the male partner is the sole cause or contributing cause of infertility. The main cause of male infertility is sperm abnormalities, including low sperm production or misshapen or immobile sperm. Medical conditions - such as undescended testicles or ejaculation problems - can lead to sperm abnormalities, as well as health and lifestyle factors. In this latest study - published in the journal Fertility and Sterility and led by researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York, NY, and Rutgers School of Public Health in Piscataway, NJ - the team investigated whether stress may affect sperm and semen quality. Life stress 'led to lower semen quality'To reach their findings, the researchers assessed 193 men aged 38 to 49 between 2005 and 2008. All men were a part of the Study of the Environment and Reproduction at the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan in Oakland, CA. Men who experienced two or more stressful life events in the past year had lower sperm quality than men who did not experience any stressful life events, according to researchers.As part of the study, the men were required to complete a series of tests that measured levels of stress, including that from the workplace, stressful life events and overall perceived stress. They were also required to provide semen samples. Using standard fertility testing methods, researchers from the University of California, Davis, analyzed semen concentration, and sperm shape (morphology) and movement (motility) in each sample. The researchers found that men who experienced two or more stressful life events in the past year had a lower percentage of sperm motility and a lower percentage of sperm of normal morphology, compared with men who did not experience any stressful life events. They note this finding remained even after accounting for other factors that may influence semen quality, such as age, other health problems and history of reproductive health problems. Although workplace stress did not directly affect semen quality in the men, the researchers found that those who experienced job strains had lower levels of the hormone testosterone in their semen, which could affect reproductive health. In addition, they found that regardless of the levels of stress experienced, men who were unemployed had lower semen quality than those who were employed. How can stress affect semen quality?Although the researchers are unable to pinpoint exactly how stress affects the quality of semen, they do present some theories. They say stress could activate the release of glucocorticoids - steroid hormones that affect the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins - which could reduce testosterone levels and sperm production. Furthermore, they say stress could trigger oxidative stress - physiological stress on the body caused by damage from unneutralized free radicals - which has been associated with semen quality and fertility. Commenting on the findings, first study author Teresa Janevic, PhD, an assistant professor at Rutgers School of Public Health, says: "Stress has long been identified as having an influence on health. Our research suggests that men's reproductive health may also be affected by their social environment." The researchers note that this is the first study to use subjective and objective measures of stress and, as a result, find links with reduced semen quality. In a recent spotlight feature, Medical News Today looked at whether infertility is primarily seen as woman's problem, and whether there needs to be more awareness surrounding male infertility. Article: 1st June 2014 www.medicalnewstoday.com

Drug helps women preserve fertility after chemotherapy

For some young women, one of the most crushing side effects of breast cancer treatment is early menopause, which ends their chances of becoming pregnant. A new study shows that these women have a better chance of preserving their future fertility if they temporarily turn off their ovaries during chemotherapy. The ovary glands produce estrogen and typically release one egg a month during women's fertile years. Early menopause can cause a number of medical complications, including an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. The procedure involves injections of an existing hormone-suppressing drug called goserelin, which lowers estrogen levels, preventing women from getting regular menstrual cycles, according to the study of 218 women presented Friday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. Both groups of women in the study, who were ages 18 to 49, received the same chemo regimen. Two years later, women who had been randomly selected to take the medication saw a number of benefits, compared with women who didn't take the drug. * Women who took the drug were 64% less likely to have their ovaries fail, which occurs when women miss their periods for six months or more. About 22% of women who got standard chemo experienced ovarian failure, compared with 8% of those who also took goserelin. * Women who received goserelin were twice as likely to have become pregnant, according to the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health. About 21% of women who took goserelin became pregnant and 15% delivered a baby. In comparison, 11% of those who did not take goserelin became pregnant and 7% of them had a baby. About the same number of women in each group had tried to conceive. * Women who took goserelin were also 50% more likely to be alive four years later than women who didn't receive goserelin. "Premenopausal women beginning chemotherapy for early breast cancer should consider this new option," said lead author Halle Moore, an oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, in a statement. It's possible that turning off the ovaries protects them from the effects of chemo, which fights cancer by targeting cells that are growing and dividing, says Clifford Hudis, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, who was not involved in the new research. While authors of the new study focused on breast cancer patients, the technique would likely benefit women being treated for other kinds of cancer, he says. The study included only women whose breast cancers are fueled by hormones. Nearly 11,000 women under age 40 are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Traditionally, women looking to preserve their chances of becoming pregnant after chemo have had to undergo invasive treatments, such as harvesting and storing ovarian tissue or embryos. Banking embryos isn't an option for all women, however, such as those without partners. Although a handful of earlier studies had suggested goserelin might be beneficial, cancer specialists haven't recommended it to women. This trial may lead many doctors to recommend it more widely, says Patricia Ganz, a breast cancer specialist at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center who wasn't involved in the study. Article: www.usatoday.com 30th May 2014

Telling your child about your donation - We welcome your feedback

If you are a sperm or egg donor, or considering becoming a donor, you may be thinking about how to share your decision with your own children or any you might have in the future. This leaflet gives you some ideas on when and how you might share your story… The 'National Donation Strategy Group' have created a draft leaflet and would welcome feedback from Pride Angel members. Deciding to become a donor shows that you are someone who is generous and altruistic. Your donation is a wonderful gift, enabling others to have the potential to become parents. If you donated in a UK clinic after the removal of anonymity in 2005, you may have considered the importance of any children born from your donation being able to access your identifying information should they wish, when they become adults. If you donated before anonymity was removed you may have thought about becoming an identifiable donor by re-registering. Contact the HFEA for more information about this. The leaflet covers information and questions about: Why tell your child about your donations? When to tell your child? How to tell your child? Potential questions your child might ask you? The leaflet also contains links for you to find out further information Read the full draft leaflet here Article: 28th May 2014 www.prideangel.com

Do genes matter? Daughter of a donor discusses

On Thursday, I went to an event entitled Do Genes Matter? Families and Donor Conception. Organised by the PET (Progress Educational Trust) it promised to look at what genetics means for our understanding of family in light of donor conception. On materials promoting the event, the questions to be covered were laid out as follows: • What does it mean to have a child through donor conception? • What is donor conception like for the non-genetic parent? • How do grandparents feel about having a grandchild who is conceived with the help of an egg, sperm or embryo donor? • What is the role of the internet in finding donors or connecting with half-siblings? • How many parents can a child have? However, in my eyes, the vital – and missing – question that needed to be asked was: • What do genetics mean for the ‘donor’ conceived person? This was the glaring great hole in the whole event. Chaired by Walter Merricks from the Donor Conception Network, a panel of speakers included academics, fertility lawyers and campaigners. Interesting people with differing expertise and interests in ‘donor’ conception. But, were there ANY ‘donor’ conceived people themselves present on the panel? People who could speak to their OWN experience of the practice and their own feelings on genetic connections. As you may have guessed – no. Lack of representation To me, this really just sums up the entire problem with the social dialogue around ‘donor’ conception. That the voice of the ‘donor’ conceived is missing from this type of event speaks volumes. Because the rhetoric around ‘donor’ conception springs from the mouths of those wanting the answer it provides, or those promoting it as an answer, hearing from the product of this practice is not necessarily a great fit. As always, I am aware that there are many ‘donor’ conceived people who say – or at least purport – that they are uninterested in genetics and also many who are very much at peace with being conceived by a ‘donor’. I respect that perspective. But that there is a significant group of ‘donor’ conceived people who feel very much interested in genetic connections – whether they are at peace with being ‘donor’ conceived or not – should, in my view, be acknowledged in the public discourse about the practice. Is it not crucial to hear from the ‘donor’ conceived at an event about the ‘donor’ conceived? I think this is what it must have felt like for women before they had the vote – silenced, voiceless, talked over, written about and unconsidered. This may seem over the top, but I feel that for my voice to be heard here, in this type of debate, is as much part of a historical struggle as female suffrage once was. Read more... Article: www.daughterofadonor.com