Male Infertility–Is That A Cell Phone in Your Pocket?

The other day, I was sitting in my GYN’s office giving an update before my annual exam. The conversation led to “normal” things in our environment that can unknowingly compromise our health.”Like electromagnetic radiation from computers or cell phones,” my doctor said. “For example, did you know that if a man carries a cell phone in his pocket, it can reduce his sperm count by 30 percent?”

I was dumbstruck by this factoid, and honestly stopped listening after that. When I got home, I started looking at the research, and sure enough, there is some documented evidence on this. The Cleveland Infertility Clinic did a study of 361 men who were seen for fertility issues. Their studies showed that there was a relationship between cell phone use and a decrease in sperm quality and count. The highest risk seems to be for those men who use cell phones for more than 4 hours a day. And putting cell phones near the body, say in your pocket, makes your body more susceptible to the radiation that can also harm sperm.

So why take a chance? If your husband is in the habit of carrying his cell phone in his pocket, either lead line his pockets, or talk about some alternatives. Sometimes the little choices can make all the difference.

Marina

Any Problems Buying the Infertility Book?

Today we heard from a blog reader who had bought our book, I Am More Than My Infertility, by clicking on the image of the book (on the left) and completing a transaction through PayPal. Thank goodness, she contacted us and said, “Where’s my book?” because if she hadn’t, we would have never known that she paid her money and failed to receive her order.

So far, PayPal has been functioned perfectly…well, except for this one customer… But since PayPal never notified us of her order, we didn’t know anything was amiss. PLEASE, if you have ordered a book you have not received, LET US HEAR FROM YOU! We think PayPal is working well because we do receive many orders through them, but if it fails, we won’t know about it, if you don’t tell us.

If you do not have a PayPal account, you can still purchase the book from this website. The order form will accept your Visa or Master Card. You can also buy our book on Amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble, as well as numerous other book vendors on the web.

Contact us directly at: info(at)Iammore.net

Infertility Treatments Abroad

Here are some very interesting links looking at the costs of infertility treatments outside the US as compared to those within the US:

Price, Access Drive Some Abroad for Fertility Treatments from the Wall Street Journal

Czech Republic Is Popular Medical Tourism Site For In Vitro Holidays from the All Headlines News

Childless Couples Turning To Spas from Canada.com

Infertility: Husbands Suffer Too

When it comes to how infertility impacts couple relationships, the general rule is that women feel its impact in a much more personal and dramatic way than their husbands. In fact, Linda and I even wrote about this in our book, I Am More Than My Infertility: 7 Proven Tools for Turning a Life Crisis into a Personal Breakthrough

“There are differences in how infertility is experienced within the martial relationship itself. In general, women tend to focus on their personal struggle of wanting a baby. Men may focus more on the impact that fertility struggles have on their wives, and on the marriage. Men, perceiving the struggle their wives are experiencing, have a deep desire to find a way to remedy the situation and get their lives, and their wives, back on track. Wives, on the other hand, often simply want their husbands to listen to them and to support them emotionally during their struggle.”

Sex and the City and Other Infertility Myths

Not long ago, I went to a showing of Sex and the City I never watched the show, but did catch enough of the reruns to go in with a working knowledge of the characters and the story line.

If you watched the TV series, you’ll remember Charlotte’s struggle with infertility, and ultimately her choice to adopt a beautiful Asian baby girl.. Well, the baby, now about 3 years old, is back in the movie, and as adorable as ever. Charlotte is happy, content with her life, and for all intents and puposes relaxed. So bingo, after years of infertility, she gets pregnant. Once again, the cliche has legs, this time walking onto to the silver screen.

As I sat in the movie theater, I found myself cringing for all the women struggling with infertility who have been told, ad nauseum, that if they just relaxed–and hey, maybe even adopt–they would end up getting pregnant after all.

If only it was that easy.

How about you? Did you see the movie? What was your reaction to Charlotte’s happy ending?

Marina

Infertility and the Size of Your Biceps

Every so often you run across something on the internet that catches your attention, because perverse curiosity is an undeniable flaw of human nature. The man with the overdeveloped biceps (and who knows what other arm muscles I should be listing as well) is not a ‘Photoshopped’ image.

And seeing his picture, reminded me of another haunting image I have seen on the Internet (clearly I need to spend less time on my computer )

It is that of a woman who has spent her lifetime devoted to creating and maintaining the world’s smallest waist.

Surviving Infertility and Growing Stronger

I just read an article about a woman who has (and is) dealing with the life crisis of infertility in strong and amazing ways. Her name is Pamela Mahoney and her blog is www.Coming2Terms.com.

I am also providing you the the entire article, which I have copied from the New York Times. The article, written by Karen Barrow, is so very good and perhaps the best part is that it leads us to Pamela’s blog: Coming2Terms, Barren But Beautiful. I could have paraphrased and summarized the article, but I couldn’t have delivered the message better, so we are reprinting it in its entirety here, with full credits to:The New York Times, Karen Barrow, DaSalvia for the NY Times.

(All Credits: The New York Times, Karen Barrow, DaSalvia for the NY Times.)

Facing Life Without Children When It Isn’t by Choice

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

By KAREN BARROW Published: June 10, 2008

When Pamela Mahoney and Alex Tsigdinos were married, they never thought they would have trouble having a baby. But after 11 years and many fertility treatments, they are still only a family of two.

Frustrated and exhausted by expensive, drawn-out procedures that never worked, the couple have finally given up. Now the challenge is learning how to accept a life without children.

Ten percent of all couples have trouble conceiving, sometimes because of a physical problem and sometimes for unexplained reasons. But as reproductive technologies have advanced, many couples are being given help and hope…

Infertility Calls for Giving Yourself Permission to Grieve

“You are going to be a great mom! Your child is going to be so lucky!”

For years, Amy had heard comments like this. She was the aunt all her nieces and nephews considered their favorite. She was the one who babies would stare and smiled at in restaurants.Amy’s natural checmistry with children was so visible, so electric, that she literally seemd to shine when she was with them.

So when Amy couldn’t get pregnant after 5 years of infertility treatment, she was devastated. Virtually everything she had envisioned for her life hinged on having a family. She sought counseling in the hopes of coming to terms with the grim possibility that conceiving and birthing children of her own looked to be impossible.

One day Amy appeared for her  session dressed in an unusual color for her, and certainly one not often seen during the intense heat of Florida’s summer.

Amy was dressed in black.

When I asked her about this, she looked down as if remembering something she’d just as soon forget. After a moment, still staring at her black dress, she answered me.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m in mourning.”

In our book, I Am More Than My Infertility, the 6th Power Tool is Give Yourself Permission to Grieve. Grief is a gateway to eventual acceptance of your loss, but first it is necessary to go through the process.

For Trista and Ryan, Pregnancy and a New TV Show May Be On the Horizon

For all the romance lovers who watched Bachelorette Trista as she went through her televised romance and courtship with Ryan Sutter (about 30 million people), followed by her TV extravaganza wedding (a 3-part ABC special), the most recent news is that Trista and Ryan may be about to return to television on a weekly basis.

Reportedly the two are in talks with the people at Martha Stewart about doing their own TV show. No real details have been released, other than that the show will likely deal with home renovation.

As you probably know, Trista and Ryan dealt with issues of fertility, as well as medical complications related to the pregnancy, before giving birth to son, Maxwell Alston, eleven months ago. In January of this year, Trista was quoted in US Weekly magazine as saying, “We’ve started trying!” in regards to the question of a second child.

Trista has also said, “It took us two years to get pregnant with Max. It’s okay if it takes us that long again, but we’d rather have them closer in age,” She added,”I’d love to have a girl. I’m a girlie-girl and would love to take a little girl shopping!”

Isn’t it interesting that many women don’t want to discuss their efforts to get pregnant with even their closest friends, while other women are comfortable telling the whole world? It is just another reminder that each woman has to seek out and follow the path that is authentically right for her.

To read more blog posts from I Am More Than My Infertility about Trista’s first pregnancy, follow these links:

Conceive Founder Talks With Tyra Banks

Bachelorette Trista Talks about her Pregnancy and Baby Boy

And here is the link to the podcast, where Trista talks with Conceive Magazine.

Linda

Recommended Fertility Blog: Turnbow Puzzle

I recently found a blog on Blogspot because the author has visited I Am More Than My Infertility, and that always leads me back to read the blogs that our readers are writing.

This is Lori and Billy’s journey along the path they hope will lead to building their family. Lori writes in a frank and personable way about her feelings and her faith. I have so much admiration for Lori and other women like Lori who bravely share their journey with the world.

Keeping a blog during the time you are walking a pathway you hope will lead to motherhood is not like keeping a blog during your vacation, where the events along the way may change but you know that ultimately you will reach your destination.

Brave women, brave writers.

http://turnbowpuzzle.blogspot.com/

Linda