Ectopics and Fertility

“Do you have a minute? I’ve got kind of a long story. Leah and I have been trying to get pregnant for over 3 years. I’m not sure when, exactly, we stopped the birth control. Like all our plans, we didn’t start with a plan, but instead decided that if we got pregnant, that would be great. And then we didn’t get pregnant. I mean, look, when you’re in your twenties, it feels like you can’t look at someone else without getting pregnant. We’ve all heard about someone who got pregnant through 2 condoms, spermicidal lubricant, and an IUD. Right? But we didn’t get pregnant. No big deal. We’re in our 30s. Things are probably a little bit dusty, and a little bit rusty. So, three years ago, we started using apps and calendars to track this and that. Ovulation test sticks. Old wives’ ta

    Nina was told she would never conceive but is proud of her little miracle Louis Nina Mathurin, 43, was told she would never conceive naturally - but then a miracle produced her unique baby boy, Louis For years, Nina Mathurin, 43, had longed for a child. But achieving her dream was not straightforward. In 1999, the operations manager, from Hayes, Middlesex, experienced an ectopic pregnancy, which resulted in her right fallopian tube being removed, and she was left with scar tissue on the other. Doctors explained she would most likely need to undergo IVF to conceive. "The prospect of never carrying a child was devastating," remembers Nina. So, giving her body time to heal, it wasn’t until 12 years later, in 2011, that Nina underwent her first round of IVF with her then partner. She was, understandably, over the moon when the IVF was a success. "I was stunned but delighted, and I couldn’t wait to meet m

Scientists studying the Zika outbreak in Brazil are becoming increasingly concerned the virus may cause eye damage in babies. Stanford University researchers found abnormal bleeding and lesions in the eyes of three infant boys whose mothers had caught Zika while pregnant. They want any babies known to be affected by Zika to have eye checks. The journal of Ophthalmology findings follow another recent study that saw similar eye problems in Zika babies. The disease is already known to cause a serious baby brain defect called microcephaly. What is not clear is whether eye problems might be a complication of this rather than the Zika infection itself. Either is possible. All of the three infants the researchers from Stanford and the University of Sao Paulo examined also had microcephaly.

Every now and then, you hear a story that’s equal parts pain and joy, weakness and strength, fear and bravery, despair and hope. The birth and adoption of Leo Doud, which came to light last week in a poignantly candid account written by Leo’s birth mom, is one such story. The Story Below is so touching....I read it and changed my whole perception...I always assumed mothers that gave their children up for adoption were so selfish...Now I know better..!!! A 25-year-old photojournalism student at the University of Iowa, Callie Mitchell chronicled her unplanned pregnancy, delivery and decision to give her baby up for adoption in heartbreaking detail and with gorgeous, moving photographs in the college newspaper, The Daily Iowan. The story gives articulate voice to someone we don’t often hear from in the adoption process: the birth mother. Courtesy The Daily Iowan "Every day I wake up, thinking, “Today is a good day to have a baby.” Ph

Women can spend years avoiding getting pregnant. Then when they’re ready to have kids, one in six Canadian couples can’t conceive. “I have mainly women in my office who say, ‘Nobody told me it could be difficult,'” said Marjorie Dixon, founder of the  Anova Fertility and Reproductive Health  clinic in Toronto. Coinciding with Canada’s Infertility Awareness Week, currently underway, we asked her and Al Yuzpe of Vancouver’s Olive Fertility Centre  to share some baby-making best practices. Step One tip is simple: Have lots of sex (at least three times a week). But you can skip the acrobatics. When it comes to conception, position doesn’t matter. “Putting your legs up on a pillow after — none of that does anything,” Dixon said.    The Dos Get a fertility check You don’t have to wait ’til you know you’re having trouble before testing your fertility, Dixon says. She thinks anyone who wants to have kids — at any point in life — should incorporate this into their

A Somali refugee is on life support in a Brisbane hospital after she and her newborn son were medically evacuated from Nauru in a critical condition. The Refugee Action Collective said the 22-year-old woman, Naima Ahmed, and her baby boy were flown in separate planes. Ian Rintoul from the advocacy group said Naima was 32 weeks' pregnant when she underwent a caesarean operation on Nauru on Thursday. The baby was born one month premature. Mr Rintoul said an air ambulance transported Naima to Brisbane and a plane carrying the baby left Nauru three hours after his mother. Doctors for Refugees' Dr Barri Phatarfod said if Naima died it would be the Department of Immigration's fault. "Without a doubt the Immigration Department has put the life of this woman and any other pregnant woman in significant danger by making them have their deliveries in Nauru," she said. "It is an absolutely horrible situation. The mother is gravely ill

An Australian couple whose three children died when Flight MH17 was shot down have a new daughter.  Anthony Maslin and Marite Norris lost their children Mo, Evie and Otis, along with Ms Norris's father Nick Morris, when the flight came down in eastern Ukraine in July 2014. Pictures below. The Perth couple described the birth of Violet May Maslin as an "amazing gift". "Violet's birth is a testament to our belief that love is stronger than hate," they said in a statement. "We still live with pain, but Violet, and the knowledge that all four kids are with us always, brings light to our darkness. "As Martin Luther King said, 'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that'." Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down as it flew over conflict-hit Ukraine from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Mr Maslin and Ms Norris had stayed in Amsterdam while their

      Surrogate mom has 3 sets of twins in the past 4 years This story is every bit of a miracle!!! Kirsten Langhammer has given birth to three sets of twins in the past four years. Not one of those babies is her own. With each pair of twins, Langhammer fulfilled the dreams of a couple wanting to become parents. She loved becoming a mom and being pregnant — even labor and delivery. Using her self-described “magical uterus” to help create three other families has meant navigating a morass of legal, ethical and health issues. A Google search led Langhammer, of O’Fallon, Mo., down a path of flying across the country to fertility clinics, being nurtured by intended parents and making life-changing decisions on an examining table. Her resilient and productive uterus was in demand. And she found a