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!

Posted by Joanna Karpasea-Jones

I am the most needle phobic person around. I couldn't even look at one on TV, never mind in reality. If ever I went for a medical check, I always refused blood work, or anything else to do with needles. Having a family eased some of that fear because of the amount of blood tests they did in pregnancy, but when I came to be an egg donor at the age of 28, I was terrified. I nearly vomited when I opened the medical supplies box and found over 30 syringes and when the day came for me to be taught how to self-inject, I was shaking so much that I couldn't hold the needle still.

The nurses had to get me to deep breathe before I could inject myself. I have compiled some tips for anyone going through IVF, who may be afraid of needles.

1. If possible, get your partner or someone else to administer your injections.
2. Remember the majority of the injections are subcutaneous, that is, just under the skin, and using very fine needles, so you shouldn't get much discomfort.
3. Refuse the intramuscular injections - I had a pessary instead.
4. If you have previously had children and are suffering secondary infertility or you are an egg donor, inject into a stretch mark on your tummy. Why? Well, I quickly learnt that I had no pain sensation where my stretch marks were so I could inject into them with no pain. It may be that the burst blood vessels which cause stretch marks also affected the nerves. Try it and see, you might be surprised!
5. Don't wear jeans - they will rub and cause injection site pain. I switched to wearing dresses during my injections.
6. I took rescue remedy to help me stay calm and arnica homeopathy to help me heal more quickly and stop injection site swelling.

Posted by Joanna Karpasea-Jones

I would never have a mammogram to 'check' whether or not I may be suffering from cancer. Why, I hear you ask? Surely they save lives? Well, for an start, they have an alarmingly high failure rate. According to Dr. Samuel Epstein, in his book, 'The Politics of Cancer', one in every four breast cancers is 'missed' or failed to be diagnosed in a routine mammogram.

There's also the radiation issue, and everyone knows that radiation can cause cancer so it may be that a perfectly healthy woman who has routine mammograms may actually trigger an episode of cancer through her repeated exposure to radiation. Dr. Russell Blaylock, a surgeon, has suggested that annual mammograms actually cause a 2% increase in breast cancer (for information on Dr. Blaylock and his resume, see http://www.russellblaylockmd.com/.

So, what can be done instead?

• According to the British Medical Journal, a woman's risk of breast cancer is reduced by 7% for each baby she has, so giving birth, and preferably to several children, is nature's tonic! It makes me glad I've had 5 children and may even be a reason why breast cancer rates are increasing - because the number of children women have are decreasing.
• Furthermore, breast feeding your baby instead of formula feeding, could save your life. The same study indicated that for every 12 months a woman breast feeds, she cuts her breast cancer risk by another 4.3%. The World Health Organization recommend breast feeding for a MIMIMUM of two years to protect your child's health, so if you decided to follow their guidelines, you would be cutting your breast cancer risk by another 8.6%. I breast fed my youngest daughter for 3 years and 7 months and am still breast feeding my 19 month old son, so that would have cut my cancer risk by more than 20%.
• The study said that if every woman breast fed for child for at least 6 months, then it would prevent 1000 cases of breast cancer a year! Amazing, don't you think? (BMJ. 2002 July 27; 325(7357): 184).
• Reducing your consumption of red meat and eating more vegetables can also reduce cancer. According to a study in The International Journal of Cancer, life-long vegetarians were found to have a 'slight reduction' in the odds of developing breast cancer - researchers speculated that it may be because they ate higher quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables. ( International Journal of Cancer (Vol. 99: 238-244).
• Another study found that regularly eating soy as children, protected girls from breast cancer when they became women. These women had a 58% less risk of developing cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute in the USA.
• According to the book, Dressed To Kill, by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer, ISCD Press, 1995, wearing a tight fitting or under-wired bra can contribute to the development of breast cancer, as 'The lymphatic vessels are extremely thin and small, and have no pump, such as the heart, to propel its contents forward. As a result, lymphatic vessels are easily constricted by external pressure, such as that applied to the breast tissue constantly by the brassiere.' Go without a bra as much as possible or wear a soft sleep bra.
• Don't take up smoking and if you have, quit.
• Reduce your intake of alcohol.
• Avoid deodorants with aluminium in them, as studies have shown that aluminium applied under the arms may cause breast cancer, (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4587-deodorants-plus-shaving-linked-to-breast-cancer.html).