Post Op Doctor’s visit
Who is the “aaron” person that decided to post all of a sudden?
Seriously though, it’s high time that I got back into the swing of things with posting to the blog. I’d like to thank my lovely wife Malky for filling in for me. 
I went to the doctor today for my post op follow up (try saying that 10 times fast) and everything looks good. He told me to continue with the Clomid for the next month then a month after that I need to have a blood test taken to see how things stand. He seemed pretty confident that everything will be good.
On another note, I only gained 3 pounds over the holidays.
More Male Infertility News
Now we shouldn’t drink coffee, beer or wine. Nor should we eat nuts. This is just getting silly.
Mobile Phones and Infertility
Since we just did a news article an old favorite, here is an update on another old favorite. Mobile phones and infertility. Here is a new study that is out and will be published (or is already published) in Fertility and Sterility.
To arrive at their findings, researchers collected semen samples from 32 men and divided each man’s sample into two parts. They placed half of the semen samples 2.5 centimeters away from a 850 MHz frequency cell phone in talk mode for one hour. Most cell phones used in the U.S. are 850-900 MHz. They chose this distance because it is the typical distance between the testes and the trouser pockets.
At least they are admitting that there is more study needed:
Further study is needed to validate the findings. “We will also test the effect [of radiofrequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cell phones] at other distances,” he says. “We know the radiation impairs sperm quality at 2.5 centimeters, but we don’t know if the effect will continue at 3, 4, or 5 centimeters,” he says.
Maybe we should all go back to the 1800’s.
Acupuncture ‘helps women have babies’
We haven’t done an acupuncture article in a while, here is one.
The research found that women suffering with fertility problems who underwent the ancient Chinese treatment increased their chance of having a baby from one in five to one in three. Acupuncture involves inserting extremely fine needles into specific points on the body, along qi energy channels, to stimulate the body’s own healing system.
and
Researchers led by Ying Cheong, from the reproductive medicine unit at the University of Southampton and the city’s Princess Anne hospital, concluded that ‘acupuncture around the time of embryo transfer achieves a higher live birth rate of 35 per cent compared with 22 per cent without active acupuncture’. Embryo transfer is when an embryo that has been fertilised in the laboratory is implanted into a woman’s womb. The research found that the chance of the embryo implanting successfully, resulting in pregnancy, increased significantly if a woman underwent acupuncture around the same time as the transfer.
There are some caviets:
However, there is no benefit if the treatment takes place in the days after the embryo transfer, according to Cheong and his colleagues, who include Professor Bill Ledger, a leading fertility expert and a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. They looked at 13 studies carried out worldwide, involving more than 2,000 patients who underwent acupuncture during a course of IVF.
So maybe it can actually help in tandem with IVF. I’m still a skeptic though.
ICSI sons may have infertility issues
Could the sons that are born with the help of ICSI have problems when they are older? The report from MSNBC seems to say that there is a chance. There is a long way to go in this study though.
To Sleep or not to Sleep
As listeners of the podcast have heard, I will be undergoing a bilateral varicocele procedure a week from tomorrow. I’m having a bit of a debate with my self about how I should go through the surgery. I have the option of either going through it with a local anesthetic (that being an epidural) and a general anesthetic. I can see the pros and cons of going either way. Now I don’t need to make a decision until I get there but this is one of those things are are really on my mind right now about the surgery.
What would you do if you were me?
Episode 45 – News, News and more News
Malky and I are back to give you some more infertility news and opinion.
Click here to download the episode
News articles we discussed tonight:
- Will being overweight interfere with sperm production? Yes and No
- Male infertility inherited?
- Men reluctant to seek help for infertility
- Smokers refused access to free IVF
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Going Low Tech
Interesting article about a method that I hadn’t heard about.
Another Point of View
Here are some doctors that are looking at how the ovary is working and not focusing on the hormone levels, et al.
Is Male Infertility in the Genes?
These studies seem to think so. Excuse me while I call my father to yell at him…
Podcast
