Guest Author - Krissi Danielsson

Here are some interesting headlines from the past month, followed by some comments:

Fertility aid for women

A new test kit will measure three hormones in a woman's blood and provide an estimate of how many years more the woman will remain fertile. The kit may be the first true measurement of the biological clock.

Orange woman is a savior to many grieving parents

Read about Rachel Steigleder, a woman who organizes a ceremony every year on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Steigleder's efforts have provided untold comfort to parents grieving miscarriages or infant loss.

IVF defects higher than expected

Even young women undergoing IVF seem to have an abnormally high number of eggs with chromosome defects. The study found that "on average 42% of eggs from all women have serious genetic defects that could prevent embryos surviving to term." This study, or group of studies, of course begs the question of whether the genetic defects are arising from the women or from the sperm. The article does not say. Regardless, it has interesting implications for any miscarriage patients undergoing IVF in that pre-implantation genetic diagnosis may be worth pursuing. This article examines an emerging debate on whether pre-implantation genetic diagnosis should be standard for all IVF procedures.

Even Low Levels of Common Toxins May be a Danger

A new journal article in PloS Medicine suggests that no safe exposure level exists for lead, radon, tobacco smoke and water disinfectant byproducts called Trihalomethanes (THMs). I've been following news articles pertaining to THMs. These chemicals may well be linked to increased miscarriage risks. A few studies have suggested so, but every time one comes out, a rush of naysayers attempt to debunk the suggested link...probably for political reasons and to prevent women from being able to sue water companies for miscarriages.

Pollution may affect fertility and induce miscarriage

A study in Brazil has linked air pollution to reducing the number of male babies born and possibly increasing the risk of miscarriages. Here is yet another reason to write our representatives and demand stronger anti-pollution laws.

Early pregnancy tests 'causing unnecessary miscarriage grief'

This article typifies the complete insensitivity and lack of any real understanding for how pregnant women regard their babies. A number of doctors are starting to blame early pregnancy tests for detecting early miscarriages. They go so far as to call the grief over an early miscarriage "unnecessary" and claim that knowing about an early miscarriage results in "misdiagnosis" of a miscarriage. Of course, these miscarriages obviously involve fertilized eggs...so it begs the question of how could this possibly NOT be a miscarriage, and who the heck do these doctors think they are to tell women what is and isn't worth grieving? That said, for women who think they'd rather not know if a very early miscarriage happens, it may be worth skipping the ultrasensitive tests and waiting for the first missed period.