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6:00 AM
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Chlamydia,
STDs
Posted by
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7:00 AM
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Chlamydia,
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Male Fertility,
mycoplasma,
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alitaylorBefore you consult an infertility doctor to help you become pregnant, ask your doctor if you should be given antibiotics to treat a group of germs called mycoplasma.
A recent report from Germany (1) confirms many other studies (2,3,4) showing that the most common cause of infertility is a uterine infection. Of women being evaluated for infertility, 40% between the ages of 26 and 35 were infected with chlamydia or other mycoplasma, as were 36% of those with a previous history of uterine infection and 50% of those with tubal blockage. In another study more than 60% had evidence of a past infection. (5)
These infections cause both male and female infertility. The uterus is shaped like a bull's head with two horns. The ovaries are located outside of the uterus at the tip of each horn. An egg travels from the uterus down into the horn and then into the body of the uterus itself. Small hairs called cilia sweep the egg down the tubes into the body of the uterus. A past infection with mycoplasma can damage the cilia (4) so the egg remains in the horn or an infection can block the tubes so the egg can't even reach the body of the uterus.
Mycoplasma can cause male infertility by damaging sperm so they are unable to swim toward the egg and fertilize it. Men and women can be infected with mycoplasma. even though all available tests can't find it (5,6) and they may have no symptoms at all. They may have burning on urination, discomfort when the bladder is full or an urgency to void. Women may have only spotting between periods. (7)
Treatment with the newer erythromycins, clarithromycin and azithromycin, can cure mycoplasma infections and help many women to become pregnant before they spend thousands of dollars on infertility evaluations.
Note:
Azithromycin is commonly known as a "Z-pack" and is a 5-day course of antibiotics. The generic is about $5.
More: http://www.drmirkin.com/women/W128.htm
Source: http://www.physicians-background.com/infertility.html Recent Keyword Searches: pregnancy after 40s, misconceptions about conception, can a 47 year old woman get pregnant?, how do you know if you are too old for pregnancy, can i get pregnant at 45 years old, can i get pregnant at 48, pregnancy after age 40 naturally, can a 47 year old with regular menstrual period still gets pregnant, how old can i still get pregnant, impossible to get pregnant after forty five years old
Posted by
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6:39 AM
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Infertility affects more than 6 million people in the United States alone, or 1 out of every 6 couples, according to Lafayette-based Conceptions Reproductive Associates of Colorado.
And despite a common fallacy -- that it's a woman's problem -- fertility difficulties are equally as likely to be caused by male difficulties. It is a combined issue in about 20 percent of infertility cases, Conceptions says.
For women, it is most commonly a problem with ovulation, according to Robyn Curtis, with the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, which has a Louisville office.
For men, it is mostly sperm health or motility, Curtis says.
But there are so many other influencing factors that dealing with a difficult conception can feel like a guessing game, says McGinnis, the new Boulder mom. That's why she recommends getting professional help after one year of trying -- and sticking to research-proven advice such as staying away from cigarettes and minimizing stress.
That's why we've solicited the expertise of a spectrum of experts: a local acupuncturist, nutritionist-dietitian, reproductive endocrinologist-ObGyn, reproductive clinic, physician, Chinese herbal medicine practitioner and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, as well as the results from some studies and a nontraditional pharmacy.
Here's their take on some wives' tales -- and some truths.
Enhancing feritily
Drink raspberry leaf tea. FALSE. This tea may promote uterine health after you're pregnant, but does nothing for fertility. (Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy)
Have sex during a full moon. FALSE. Menstrual cycles can coincide with the phases of the moon, but it doesn't matter if the moon's full if you're not ovulating. (Pharmaca)
Eat organic foods and drink purified water; eat alkaline foods. DEPENDS on whom you ask.
Acupuncturist Amy Dickinson says pesticides and herbicides in non-organic food can harm a woman's eggs, and food chemicals and additives often have estrogen-like substances that can throw the hormonal balance off.
Dickinson recommends alkaline foods, such as vegetables, non-citrus fruits, sprouts and wheat grass. Acidic foods, such as sugar, dairy and grains, can create an acidic cervical pH, which sperm don't like, she says. Plus, she says fruits and vegetables contain bioflavonoids, which help create healthy blood vessels that can help prevent miscarriage and prepare the uterus for implantation.
Physician Robert Gustofson, with the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine at the Avista Hospital, says no food types have been shown to improve pregnancy probability. He say they won't harm your chances, however.
Be at a healthy body weight. TRUE. Being overweight or underweight can have adverse affects.
Get acupuncture. TRUE. Acupuncture increases the chances of implantation and increases blood circulation to the uterus. (Journal of Fertility and Sterility, 2003)
Adopt. FALSE. Everyone knows someone who had adopted a child and then gotten pregnant, but research has not shown a connection.
Dream you are pregnant. FALSE. Dreams are unrelated to fertility. (Gustofson)
Relax. TRUE. Stress is a fertility killer. You need progesterone for pregnancy. When a body is stressed, it redirects to produce the stress hormone, cortisol, instead of creating progesterone. (Boulder acupuncturist Amy Dickinson)
Have sex 14 days after your period. FALSE. Not every woman has a 28-day menstrual cycle with ovulation in the middle.
Have sex in a certain position. FALSE. (Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine)
Be well rested. TRUE. This helps combat stress. (Conceptions Reproductive Associates of Colorado)
Diminishing fertility
You may adversely affect conception if:
You have sex in a swimming pool. FALSE. The chlorine will not kill all sperm. (Julie McGinnis, Boulder nutritionist, dietitian and herbalist)
You douche after sex. FALSE. There is no evidence douching will prevent pregnancy, even if you use certain essential oils or other liquids. (McGinnis)
You have sex while on your period. MAYBE. The chances of ovulating while on you're period are smaller, but you can still get pregnant.
The man was kicked hard in the groin while playing a sport. FALSE. It's very unlikely that a single traumatic event will result in sterility. The male system is pretty hardy. (Conceptions)
The woman is older then 35. In general, the chance of getting pregnant in one year is about 90 percent until age 34. It drops to 67 percent by age 40, and after age 45, it declines to 15 percent. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine) However, fertility varies with every woman.
The man is older than 35. FALSE. Growing evidence suggests age may be a factor eventually, but the number and quality of sperm doesn't decline until after age 64. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)
You're stressed. TRUE. Stress can reduce sperm count and stop ovulation. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine and Conceptions)
You took birth control pills. FALSE. A few months after you stop taking the pill, your body should be back to normal. (Conceptions)
Your mom took birth control pills. FALSE. (Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine)
You've already had one child. FALSE. (Conceptions)
You had a C-section. FALSE. Not unless it was complicated by something that affected the fallopian tubes. (Conceptions)
You're breastfeeding. MAYBE. It can decrease ovulatory function, but doesn't stop it. It depends on the woman. (Conceptions)
You haven't re-started your period after childbirth. FALSE. You can ovulate and not have your period. (Conceptions)
You have diabetes. TRUE. Good glycemic control prior to conception can decrease birth defects. And women with pre-diabetes glucose intolerance can have disrupted ovulation. (Conceptions)
You have had a heart attack or liver or kidney failure. TRUE. Significant, life-threatening medical conditions may decrease the chance of pregnancy until treated or resolved. (Gustofson)
If the man masturbates a lot. TRUE. Masturbation can temporarily lower sperm count. It cannot make you sterile. (McGinnis)
You have anal sex. TRUE. Anal sperm deposition does not fertilize an egg in the uterus. (Gustofson)
The man spends a lot of time in saunas or hot tubs. TRUE. Overheating may temporarily reduce sperm count. (Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine)
The guy wears tight underwear. TRUE. This can increase the temperature of the testes. (Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine)
The man smokes cigarettes or marijuana. TRUE. Smoking can reduce sperm count. (Infertility.about.com)
You drink alcohol. TRUE. Excessive alcohol can damage sperm and eggs. (Infertility.about.com) More than two drinks a day can suppress hormones. Plus, the byproduct of alcohol is a toxin, and if it goes to the uterus, it doesn't enhance pregnancy rates. (Conceptions)
You drink a lot of caffeine. TRUE. (Conceptions)
The man uses steroids. TRUE. Steroids can severely impair sperm production. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)
The man consumes too much vitamin C (more than 1,000 mg). FALSE. Vitamin C will be urinated out if not absorbed. It does not necessarily acidify the semen or kill sperm. (Gustofson)
You unnecessarily take over-the-counter drugs, including ibuprofen. TRUE. Ibuprofen can inhibit prostaglandins and inhibit ovulation. (Dickinson)
The woman has an iron deficiency. TRUE, as least for people with chronic anemia. It can affect ovulation. (Conceptions)
Eating soy, which contains plant-based estrogens. FALSE. There is no research that show a high-soy diet creates infertility. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)
Using a cell phone. MAYBE. One study by The Cleveland Clinic found men who used cell phones the most had poorer sperm quality than men who used them the least, but more research is needed.
You have an eating disorder. TRUE. Too-low body fat levels can stop the reproductive process. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)
You are a hard-core athlete. TRUE. Low body fat can mean irregular periods. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)
The man is an avid cyclist. TRUE. For men, pressure from the bicycle seat can damage blood vessels and nerves. Mountain biking shocks the perineum and can injure the scrotum. One study found mountain biker men were more likely to have twisted veins in the scrotum, cysts or calcium deposits. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)
You have a sexually transmitted infection. DEPENDS. Chlamydia or gonorrhea are associated with male and female infertility. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine) HPV (human papilloma virus) typically is not, unless it is linked to cancer and the woman must have her cervix operated on. Herpes does not affect fertility. (Conceptions)
The woman has endometriosis. TRUE. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)
The woman has thyroid problems. Too much or too little thyroid hormone can interrupt ovulation. (Conceptions)
The man has retrograde orgasms (sperm deposition in the bladder). TRUE AND FALSE. It will be more difficult to conceive, but it not impossible. (Gustofson)
You were exposed to harmful chemicals. TRUE. Some chemicals can hurt sperm or eggs or cause birth defects. (McGinnis)
You go under an anesthetic at the dentist's office. FALSE. (Conceptions)
You've had radiation treatment. TRUE. Cells exposed to significant levels of radiation may take up to two years to resume normal sperm production or, in severe cases, may never recover. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)
You're exposed to some kinds of plastics and rubber, or pesticides. DEPENDS on whom you ask.
McGinnis says some plastics contain materials that can disrupt hormones. (McGinnis)
Gustofson says large amounts of pesticide ingestion may cause infertility, but minimal exposure will not cause harm. He says plastics and rubber do not cause infertility.
You use petroleum-based lubricants, including spermicides, oils or Vaseline. TRUE. Astroglide, Replens, mineral oil or all-natural lubricants may not be as harmful to sperm. (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)
Source: http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/feb/11/no-headline---12pcov/
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Posted by
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8:45 AM
Labels:
Chlamydia,
infertility,
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ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2007) — Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College, London, have made a significant breakthrough in their understanding of how infection of the uterus damages fertility in cows. Their findings, which show that common uterine infections can damage the ovaries, may provide insights into how to treat infections such as Chlamydia in humans.
Researchers led by Professor Martin Sheldon studied the effect that uterine disease has on the reproductive system in cows. Their findings, published in the journal Reproduction, suggest that the cow's innate immune system may affect key stages in the reproductive cycle, including suppressing the release of the female sex hormone oestrogen and causing failure to ovulate.
Approximately a million dairy cows get uterine disease each year in the UK, affecting not only milk production but also the cow's ability to reproduce. Cows already have an unusually low chance of conceiving -- a 30% chance compared to over 60% in sheep -- so if their fertility falls further and they are unable to conceive, they become uneconomical to keep and may be culled.
In cows, uterine disease is usually caused by bacteria entering the uterus after the cow has given birth. The same route of infection can also occur in women; however, humans may also be affected by sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia. Although the infections are usually successfully treated with antibiotics, the infertility often persists.
Using the bacterium E. coli, Professor Sheldon and colleagues examined the effect that bacteria have on the granulosa cells that line each egg-containing follicle in the ovary. These granulosa cells nurture the egg until the follicle bursts to release the egg, and they make oestradiol (a form of the sex hormone oestrogen), which encourages the female to copulate. The researchers found that even after treatment of uterine disease, the follicle still contains toxin left over from the breakdown of the pathogen.
The researchers also found that granulosa cells, which protect the egg inside the follicle, play a part in the immune response to infection by recognising that the toxin has entered the follicle and inhibiting production of oestradiol.
"We believe that granulosa cells may play a role in 'quality control' relating to ovulation," says Professor Sheldon. "Infection can potentially damage the genetic make-up of an egg, and these 'errors' would be passed down from generation to generation. By suppressing the release of oestrogen -- in effect, reducing sexual behaviour -- the granulosa are preventing those defects being passed on."
Professor Sheldon believes that these findings open up a new, previously overlooked, avenue for treating uterine disease in cows.
"The emphasis on treating uterine disease has so far always been on clearing infection in the uterus," he says. "We need to remember that the infection also affects the ovaries and may cause lasting damage. We may need to treat the disease with anti-inflammatory drugs or develop new anti-toxins."
The findings mirror those from research previously carried out in mice, suggesting that granulosa may be a part of the innate immune system in other mammals, possibly including humans.
"It appears that bacteria have a lasting effect on fertility in cattle and possibly humans," says Professor Sheldon. "Our research suggests a mechanism for how this may occur and offers hope for developing new treatments to prevent this from happening."
This research was funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025195520.htm
Posted by
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Chlamydia, the sexually transmitted infection (STI) carried by one in ten sexually-active young British adults can make men infertile by damaging the quality of their sperm, new research has shown.
While the condition, which usually passes undetected, has long been known to threaten female fertility, scientists from Spain and Mexico have now established that it presents similar risks for men.
Men with chlamydia have three times the normal number of sperm with genetic damage that can impair their ability to father children, the study found.
Antibiotic treatment can reverse the effect, and preliminary results indicate that it may dramatically enhance pregnancy rates when couples are trying for a baby. But the discovery suggests that the prevalence of the disease may be contributing to infertility across an entire generation of young adults.
Britain’s national screening programme has found that 10.2 per cent of both men and women aged 18 to 25 carry the bacteria, and studies have found infection rates as high as 5 per cent among older groups with a lower risk.
The findings indicate that untreated chlamydia infections should not just concern women, who have long been warned that the condition can make them infertile, but has direct consequences for men.
This will create fresh pressure for chlamydia screening to be more effectively targeted at young men, who rarely seek testing and treatment unless they develop symptoms, which are often absent or quickly fade.
Doctors have already warned that the rise in the number of chlamydia cases in Britain may rob thousands of young women of the chance to have children. Figures from the Health Protection Agency reveal that cases of chlamydia have increased by more than 200 per cent in England in the past decade.
Chlamydia is easily treated with antibiotics, typically a week’s course of doxycycline or a single dose of azithromycin, but testing is necessary first.
Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield and secretary of the British Fertility Society, said that the emerging understanding of how chlamydia affects male fertility should change the way that society approaches the condition.
“We might think of chlamydia as a disease that damages female fertility, but we need to think again,” he said. “It does damage female fertility, but it appears to damage male fertility, too.
“Previously, it was thought that the most worrying thing about chlamydia infections in men was as a conduit for the infection of women. The thing that drives most men to sexual health clinics is symptoms, and chlamydia is often symptom-free. Chlamydia is getting out of control. We have got to encourage men as well as women to go for screening.”
In the study, a team led by José Luis Fernández, of the Juan Cana-lejo University Hospital in La Coruña, examined sperm samples taken from 193 men seeking fertility treatment with their partners in Monterey, Mexico.
Of these, 143 were infected with both chlamydia and mycoplasma, another common sexually transmitted bacterium, while 50 were uninfected and served as healthy controls.
Dr Fernández, who will present his findings today at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in Washington, then examined the men’s sperm for a form of genetic damage called DNA fragmentation. This can cause sperm to die, as well as hindering their ability to fertilise eggs and embryonic development.
An average of 35 per cent of the infected men’s sperm was damaged, a proportion 3.2 times higher than in the healthy controls.
“We found there was a three-fold increase in the fragmentation of DNA in sperm cells compared with controls, and this could have a potential role in subfertility,” Dr Fernández said.
In the infected group, both partners were treated with antibiotics. During the early stages of treatment, just 12.5 per cent of the couples conceived but, when therapy was complete, 85.7 per cent had achieved a pregnancy.
Successful treatment of the male partners is more likely to have been responsible for this effect.
Chlamydia causes female infertility as a result of chronic infection, which causes damage to the Fallopian tubes, and once this has occurred it is not usually reversed by treatment.
Men, however, produce new sperm so quickly and in such abundance that removing the infection will rapidly improve sperm quality. After treatment, the infected men produced many fewer genetically damaged sperm.
“After four months of treatment, there was a significant decrease in DNA damage that could improve pregnancy rates in these couples,” Dr Fernández said. “It seems related to an improved pregnancy rate. It’s a very dramatic difference, but this is a small number of couples, so the results are only preliminary.”
The findings suggest that infertility patients of both sexes should be routinely screened for chlamydia, as already happens in most British clinics.
Dr Pacey said: “I would advise couples trying for a baby to be screened for chlamydia. The difficulty is that a positive diagnosis carries implications of infidelity, but of course as it can be asymptomatic the infection could have been there for many years.”
Chlamydia’s effects on female infertility are well-established. If left untreated, up to 40 per cent of women will develop pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause tubal scarring that leads to infertility and an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy.
In men, chlamydia can lead to swelling of the testicles or epididymis, and either can cause sterility if not treated. However, both conditions are generally treated before they cause long-term damage as they are painful.
Most common sexually transmitted infection
— Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis
— It is the most common sexually transmitted infection in Britain, with 109,958 confirmed diagnoses in 2005, and the incidence is increasing
— The true figure is thought to be much higher as the condition often has no symptoms, and can pass undetected for years
— Symptoms can include discharge from the vagina or penis or pain on urination, but it often has no symptoms at all
— A study of male Army recruits found that one in ten had chlamydia, but 88 per cent of these had had no symptoms
— Left untreated, it will cause pelvic inflammatory disease in up to 40 per cent of women. This can cause scarring to the Fallopian tubes, leading to infertility or a raised risk of ectopic pregnancy
— In men, it can cause epididymitis or orchitis - swelling of the epididymis at the top of the testicle, or of the testicle itself. This is painful, and can cause scarring and infertility if untreated
— Chlamydia can be detected by a simple urine test; swabs are no longer necessary. Postal kits are available from Boots at £25, and a national free screening programme exists for under-25s
Source: Health Protection Agency, Times database
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article2658732.ece
Pelvic inflammatory disease is a painful condition affecting women. It occurs when the internal reproductive organs - the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries - become infected, often by a sexually-transmitted disease. 
