Sperm Grown from Skin: Infertility Hope for Men

Wow!  That's all that I can say after reading an article from the Daily Mail (UK) about doctors/scientists from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.  Scientists succeeded in using slivers human skin tissue to grow early-state sperm.  Thousands of infertile men may be able to fulfill their dream of fatherhood with their own biological children.

Male Sperm

The scientists use chemicals to turn back the biological clock in skin cells, which gives the cells chameleon-like powers of embryonic stem cells.  Then nutrients transform the cells into round ones and appear to be genetically normal.

Click here for the full article.


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Expanded Infertility Care for Veterans

I saw an article in the Seattle Times regarding expanded health coverage for veterans.  This bill, which is being considered in the Senate, includes infertility care for Veterans and their spouses.  Currently, IVF and surrogates are not covered.

I am so excited for the Veterans and their families.  Of course, I'll be happier when the bill actually passes.  However, I was upset by comments readers left on Seattle Times' website.  It is horrible enough that men and women who protect our country and human rights of people everywhere are hurt and killed in the line of duty.  It never occurred to me that thousands of men and women also lose the ability to have biological children.  Since it is within our abilities to perform infertility treatments (IVF and surrogacy) that will greatly increase the chances of Veterans to have children, then we should not think twice about covering the cost.

Here is the link to the full article.

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Mothering with Pain

Good morning!
I'd like to say Happy Wednesday, but I'm a little blue.  Ahh....Happy Wednesday!  I'm trying desperately to hold onto my good spirits even though a knee injury that I suffered 5 weeks ago while playing tennis.  It is interrupting my sleep and drastically curtailing my activities.

Knee

I have mothered in pain before.  However, this time is different because I'm in pain and not very mobile.  I find myself getting short with the kids when one at a time they want something to drink, help going potty and forget to close the back door.  All of which necessitate me getting up off and walking around.

The summer started out wonderful.  We taught Gavin how to ride a bike and now he can bike to the ice cream shop.  I started to teach all the kids my favorite sport, tennis.  Admittedly, the triplets think their tennis racquet is a golf club and just whack at the tennis balls on the ground, but Gavin has gotten quite good at hitting the ball over the net.  Our weekly trip to the ice rink, so Owen could make snow angles and the others could ice skate, was put on hiatus.  Family soccer when Dad got home from work was another activity that brought the family joy.  

Biking at the Manasquan Resevoir

Now I'm a bit of a lump.  I feel badly that I'm not doing all these activities with the kids.  Thankfully, they seem quite happy.  We have gone to Nana & PopPop's pool more frequently than before my injury  and they've spent a lot more time with their favorite babysitters.  The happiest glowing from their faces and the slits their eyes turn into at night indicate that they are very active and enjoying their summer.  This gimp heart is relieved that a fluke knee injury while playing tennis with my father didn't ruin their summer, which ultimately means that my summer wasn't ruined either.

Here's to an injury-free school year!
Laura

Robinson Triplets - Slideshow

There is an article on the NWF Daily News website about a family's journey with their triplets.  As a mom to triplets, I'm always interested in the life's of similar families.  The Robinson family had/has a particular tough ride with its triplets. 

Robinson Triplets

Here is an excerpt:

The sun is finally coming up for a local family who has spent most of the last year battling nearly insurmountable odds.

It began with the unexpected news that Rita and Greg Robinson were expecting triplets and became more complicated as health issues for Rita and the premature babies stacked up.

Zamen had acid reflux and a cyst on his brain that made him incapable of ever feeling full. Zamyah had underdeveloped lungs and a hole in her heart. Niren had two holes in his heart, an extremely narrow tube leading to his heart and far too low oxygen levels in his blood.

Here's the link to the full article.

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Childhood Obesity and Infertility

Sorry, I've been radio silent for the past week or so.  We had our floors done and what I thought would be an easy home-improvement proved to be much more challenging.  Without going into boring detail, I'll just say I don't know what the floor guy was thinking when he told me we could stay in the house while the floors were being done, because he wedged our leather couch between the refrigerator and the island!

I found this interesting article in The Jerusalem Post about childhood obesity and infertility.  “The issue of so many humans being obese is very recent in evolutionary terms, and since nutritional status is important to reproduction, metabolic syndromes caused by obesity may profoundly affect reproductive capacity,” said Patrick Chappell.

Obesity can Lead to Infertility

But in general, puberty appears to be starting earlier in girls. It is being accelerated.

This may have several effects, scientists have found. One theory is an impact on kisspeptin, a recently characterized neurohormone necessary for reproduction. Normal secretions of this hormone may be disrupted by endocrine signals from fat that serve to communicate to the brain.

Another possible affect on pubertal timing, and reproduction in general, is disruption of circadian clocks, which reflect the natural rhythms of night and day. Disrupted sleep-wake cycles can affect the secretion of hormones such as cortisol, testosterone, and insulin, researchers have found.

Here is the link to the full article.

My Book at Amazon: Five Strands of Hope ($0.99)