Joanna Karpasea-Jones's Blog

Posted by Joanna Karpasea-Jones

Firstly let me say I fully empathize with couples going through the agony of infertility. I myself have suffered from several miscarriages, a threatened miscarriage, repeated infections and vulvodynia - preventing me from getting pregnant for nearly a year. I was told at one stage I probably would not be able to have children, which spurred my desire to be an egg donor a few years later.

However, I confess to feeling physicially sick whenever I read study papers on stem cell research.

I personally believe that human life begins the moment sperm and egg join, as the full genetic blueprint for that human life is there, from the gender of the child to what color eyes he will have and how tall he will be when he is fully grown. Even some aspects of his personality are determined by genetics.

Proponents of embryonic research say that none of this has developed yet and the cluster of cells does not have a human consciousness and this is true, but the blueprint is already there and if allowed to unfold without intervention, the embryo will develop into a fully formed human being in the majority of cases.

It seems rather perverse to be doing all this research to create babies for infertile couples by testing on embryos, which are, after all, unborn babies themselves. I see an embryo has a baby in an early stage of development, just like a baby in any other stage. Crawling, eating solid food and learning to walk are all stages like this, just later stages. Would society think it acceptable to test on a crawling baby in this way?

I love the idea of being able to grow stem cells and I have numerous ill health problems. I would love new brain cells so I could recover from cerebral palsy. I would love new ears to replace my nerve damaged ones and I could say goodbye to my female health problems forever if I could just grow new nerves, but I couldn't in good conscience, use another human being to achieve that aim.

Scientists have known for years that they can obtain stem cells from the umbilical cords of babies. Would it not be more ethical to use these to grow new cells? The baby would not know anything about it and no one else's life is wasted as a result. Could sperm be grown from the cord blood of male babies?

Or would it be better to research in preventing infertility rather than trying to fix it after it has already happened?

Posted by Joanna Karpasea-Jones

Although there are some medical and genetic reasons why a person may be obese, for the majority, the problem results from lifestyle choices. In previous generations, food was not as abundant. In the age of supermarkets, people can have just about any type of food they want.

Modern society also expects women to go out to work so when you add 40 or more hours a week into the pot, there isn't time to cook real food, so people just reach for the processed freezer foodfries, burgers and takeouts.

Children no longer run around outside and play sports. Instead, they play virtual sports on their games console and everyone drives around in their cars, even if they are only going one street away. It is no wonder that developed countries have such a problem with obesity.

Tips For Losing Weight

• Eat at least five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day. This includes drinks.
• Cut out ready meals and cook from recipe books, choosing healthy recipes.
• Have only three meals a day and don't snack in between. If you must snack, have fruit instead of potato chips.
• Reduce or cut out your tea and coffee intake and have water instead.
• Have at least one hour of physical activity a day. This could be going for a walk, playing a sport, even just walking around the shops.
• Sometimes people eat when they are bored. I've even done this myself. Think of other things you can do instead of eating.
• If you are trying to get pregnant, make sure you take folic acid supplements in addition to having a healthy diet.
• If you are having trouble losing weight on your own, join a group to improve your motivation.

Posted by Joanna Karpasea-Jones

Up to 15% of male infertility cases being caused by genito-urinary infections, was news to me, but when I thought about it, it made sense. If bacteria is infecting your reproductive tract, why should that not cause problems?

Here are some tips to help you prevent infection related infertility:

To Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections

• If you are entering into a new relationship, make sure you get tested for STI's first and ask your new partner to do the same. Some infections have no symptoms, so it's important to do this.
• Use a condom, unless you are trying for a baby.
• If you suspect a sexually transmitted infection, see your doctor. You might need antibiotics to prevent damage to your fertility.

To Prevent Urinary Infections

• Drink plenty of water to help flush out any infection.
• Drink cranberry juice which has been shown to help UTI's.
• Drink pro-biotic drinks which contain friendly bacteria that will eat up any bad bacteria.
• Empty your bladder before and after sex.
• See a doctor if your symptoms do not resolve.

To Prevent Vaginal Infections

• When going to the toilet, always wipe from front to back.
• When you have a bath, but a couple of drops of tea tree oil in it. This is anti-bacterial and anti-viral and can stop a vaginal infection.
• Tea tree is also available as a cream that you can put on any external, sore areas to clear up the infection and relieve the symptoms. You can buy it as a pessary, too.
• Use a cotton bud to put natural yoghurt on the affected area, as this contains friendly bacteria which will eat up the bad bacteria. Pro-biotic drinks do the same.
• Drink plenty of water so it doesn't sting when you urinate.
• Don't put soap on your vagina - the vagina is an internal organ and the vulva is the opening to the vagina. You wouldn't put a bar of soap in your mouth to clean the skin there. This is the same principle. Soap can irritate and even disrupt the natural bacteria of the vagina, which has been known to cause bacterial vaginosis.
• See a doctor if your symptoms do not resolve.

Posted by Joanna Karpasea-Jones

I'm not sure what I think of the latest Swedish research that shows a human egg can wind back the clock for a sperm at the moment of conception. If the researchers say this is possible, I am sure they are right, but is it foolproof?

Medical professionals and the public alike all seem to take for granted the fertile man's endless capacity for fathering children, but there are dozens of studies out there showing that children born to older fathers tend to have more health problems:

Lower IQ

A study in PLoS Medicine found that children born to older fathers, had less thinking skills than those born to younger fathers. It was a large study involving 33,000 children born between 1959 and 1966 and they had cognitive tests at 8 months old, 4 years old and 7 years old, exploring how well they could reason, concentrating, learning, reading, speaking and motor skills. The study was adjusted for other factors which could have impacted the results, such as parental income, and even after taking these into account, the children of older fathers still scored less.

The ages of the fathers studied were anything from 14 years to 66 years.

The study author said

"For the moment, our study suggests that paternal age, like maternal age, also should be 'on the radar screen."

(John McGrath, MD, PhD, professor, Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Harry Fisch, MD, director, Male Reproductive Center; director of urologic microsurgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York Presbyterian Hospital).

Autism

Another study linked autism to older fathers. It was found that autism was six times more likely in children born to fathers over the age of 40, compared with those born to fathers under 30.

Rates for autism were: 6 in every 10,000 babies born to fathers aged between 15 and 29. This rose to 9 in every 10,000 if the father was aged between 30 and 39, and the rate shot up to 32 in every 10,000 if the father was aged between 40 and 49, and even higher if he was over 50. (Archives of General Psychiatry, September 2006).

Early Death

According to the European Journal of Epidemiology, a study has linked children of older fathers to early death and found that babies born to men older than 45, were 88% more likely to die than those born to men aged 25-29. 100,000 first born children were studied for 18 years and during this time, 831 died, the majority of them in the first year after birth.

Schizophrenia

A study by researchers at the New York University School of Medicine, found that children born to older fathers were more likely to have schizophrenia. Men aged over 45 were twice as likely to have children with this mental illness than men aged less than 25. For men over 50, the risk tripled.

So how does all of this fit with the egg reducing the age of the sperm? Maybe it's not an exact science after all.

Posted by Joanna Karpasea-Jones

Did you know that if you sit on a bicycle for more than 30 minutes, it heats up your testicles and can lower your sperm count? Sperm can only survive in colder temperatures and they don't like it warm. There are a whole host of other interesting facts relating to male fertility which may maximize your chances of becoming a dad, like:

Coffee - this is a stimulant and in women, too much of it can cause miscarriage. However, men needn't worry about their coffee breaks at work. You'd have to drink a very high amount for it to affect your sperm.

Fighting The Flab - it's not just your wife or girlfriend who needs to keep fit prior to getting pregnant. Men who are obese sometimes have fertility problems, so if you have put on a few pounds, start a new exercise regime. A healthy diet is important and folic acid supplements have proven useful for men in improving their sperm quality.

Your Biological Clock Is Ticking - While it is true that a man could father a baby at the age of 80, many men don't realise that as they age, their fertility can also decrease, their sperm decreases in quality and they have a higher risk of fathering a baby with genetic disabilities or birth abnormalities. Don't wait too long! Apart from anything else, you don't want to be kicking a ball around the yard with a zimmer frame.

Make Love In The Mornings! Research has shown that you have more sperm in the morning than at other times, and it will add a dash of romance to your relationship.

Snuggle Up This Winter - You have more sperm in winter times, possibly because it's cold and sperm like it cold. It's the perfect excuse to cuddle up with your partner, but don't drink too much wine!