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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Getting Pregnant In The Cloud: New Study Solves A Fertility Mystery

By Colette Bouchez

Two  new studies  published this week in the journal Nature shed new light on causes of male infertility- and offer new evidence of how certain vitamins and minerals could make all the difference!


Indeed, the research shows that just before fertilization,  cells surrounding an egg release a "cloud" of the hormone progesterone, which in turn not only helps bring sperm to it's side, but also creates a chemical reaction allowing  the tail of the sperm to beat wildly,  helping it to penetrate the eggs outer shell and allow fertilizaiton to occur.
What's more some  experts say that  in light of the new research,  certain  vitamins  linked to progesterone production could  play a vital new role in making sure an egg sends out the signal to sperm -and that it's strong enough to bring about the chemical reaction necessary for pregnancy to occur.
To read more on this fascinating new discovery, including the vitamins that can help,  and discover some brand new causes of male infertility and how to fix them,  CLICK HERE

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this FERTILITY BLOG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Halting Premature Birth: Conflict Over Common Treatments

Two new studies question the use of traditional methods for reducing premature birth. Here's what you need to know ....

By Colette Bouchez

Two popular treatments currently used individually to prevent pre-term labor – folic acid and progesterone – may not, in fact, stop early births as once believed. That’s the news according to two separate studies recently presented at the annual meeting of the Society For Maternal Fetal Medicine in San Francisco.

In the first study, a group of Norwegian researchers will present evidence that taking folic acid (the vitamin also known as B9) before and during pregnancy, does not protect against spontaneous, pre-term delivery as once thought.

Indeed, in earlier American studies research suggested that taking folic acid before and during pregnancy could reduce the incidence of pre-term labor by up to 70%. Because, however, the study group was comparatively small, doctors worldwide questioned whether or not these results could be duplicated in a larger study group.

In this new Norwegian study, researchers looked at the births of some 72,000 children. Using the criteria of singleton births with preterm delivery ranging from 22 to 36 weeks in otherwise normal pregnancies, they compared records from mothers who took folic acid supplements, or consumed foods high in folic acid, to those who did not. The information was gathered from questionnaires filled out by the mothers at weeks 17, 22 and 30, and the questions included not just the use of folic acid supplements, but also foods high in folic acid, such as enriched grain breads.

The result: There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of pre term birth among women in either gorup, regardless of the amount of either dietary or supplemental folic acid they consumed before or during pregnancy.

Indeed, the study, which to date is the most comprehensive of it’s kind, showed no protective effects of folate intake on pre term delivery.

That said, doctors continue to stress the importance of folic acid as a prenatal nutrient, particularly in regard to reducing the risk of neural tube defects, a brain development problem than can cause severe mental retardation and impair growth and development on all levels.

Study 2: Progesterone found unable to prevent pre-term birth in twins.

In at smaller, second study on premature birth aslo presented at today’s meeting, researcher C. Andrew Combs, M.D. will report that the use of the common pre-term labor hormone treatment known as 17-Hydroxyprogesterone does not, appear to reduce the rate of pre-term births among mothers carrying twins - a group most likely to be at risk for pre-term delivery.

In this small study carried out at 18 different locations, 160 mothers were randomized to receive either the natural progesterone treatment or a placebo with some beginning as early as the 20th week of their pregnancy. Normally, 17-Hydroxyprogesterone, which is manufactured by the mother’s adrenal glands, increases naturally during the third trimester of pregnancy, thus giving birth to the idea that supplements of this steroid hormone could play a role in preventing pre-term labor - an idea popular among many high risk obstetricians.

The study result: There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of pre-term delivery or neo-natal death among the group of women taking the progesterone supplements, vs those who received a placebo treatment.

As such, the study authors conclude that the use of 17 –Hydroxyprogesterone is not an effective treatment in reducing the rate of pre-term birth in women carrying twins.

Ironically, however, also presented today at today’s conference was a March of Dimes award, given on behalf of research showing how natural progesterone works to prevent pre-term labor.

The award was presented to study author Errol R. Norwitz, M.D, Ph.D., OB/Gyn –in-Chief at Tufts Medical Center for his research on how certain proteins found in progesterone appear to prevent pre-term labor by affecting apoptosis – the normal, orderly death of cells that takes place in the fetal membranes. If the death of cells that make up the fetal membrane can be halted or slowed down, Dr. Norwitz contends that the membrane itself remains thicker and stronger, which, he says, may mean it is less likely to rupture prematurely causing a premature delivery. The research was supported in part by a March of Dimes grant.

While this study appears to be in obvous conflict with the findings also presented today by Dr. Combs, experts say one reason may be that women carrying twins could respond differently to progesterone supplements than women carrying singletons - or that perhaps larger doses may be needed to see an effect. It's also possible that the cause of premature birth in twins may be different from the cause of premature birth in singletons, and may require a different type of treatment.

What everyone seems to agree on however, is the need for more reearch in this area. Indeed, in joint statements issued as early as 2008 by both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, it was noted then that further studies were needed on the use of progesterone as a treatment for preterm labor before any solid conclusions can be drawn on it’s potential value.

They also stated that “based on current knowledge it is important to offer progesterone for pregnancy prolongation only to women with a documented history of a previous spontaneous birth at less than 37 weeks of gestation," which is a recommendation that many doctors continue to follow today.

According to the March of Dimes more than a half million babies are born prematurely in the United States each year, at an annual cost of some 26 billion dollars. More importantly, premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death, and babies who do survive a premature birth can sometimes face lifelong health challenges. Being born even just a few weeks early can result in higher rates of hospitalization and illness than babies born full-term. In the last few critical weeks of pregnancy many organs –including the brain – undergo important developmental changes, that might not occur if birth occurs too soon.

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Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2011 - All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted Courtesy of Examiner.com