The AFA Blog

SafeMinds Video on the Autism Vaccines Drumbeat

by Jackie Lombardo

Election Day has just passed and we want a fresh start with our legislators and with our approach to the story of autism and vaccines. For too long, the media has misrepresented or oversimplified the science surrounding the autism and vaccines controversy. "Vaccines don't cause autism... except when they do" is what we hear in the news. Check out our new video about the conflicting claims of the press regarding the link between vaccines and autism, and statements the government and officials have actually made.

Our concerns do not fit neatly into a "sound bite world." So, we are going to work towards explaining this story in clearly understandable, user-friendly chunks in the hopes that it is a compelling story that people will share. This is our first Whole Story video entitled, "Except When They Do." you find it compelling, we hope that you will share it with as many people as you can - your friends, your family, your co-workers and your newly-elected representatives - so that we all really can have a fresh start. Please send out this link via e-mail, facebook or twitter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqZfQeMsqHM

We appreciate your time helping to set the record straight.

 

Bulletin from ASRM

The American Fertility Association staff is in Denver, Colorado, attending the 66th annual meeting of The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).  A number of interesting studies will be presented over the course of the next several days and The AFA will be reporting in depth on a number of them.  Several significant highlights of note include:

Researchers Explore Relationship Between Weight and Infertility 

Two studies released today shed light on the link between obesity and infertility.  Examing 158,385 cycles where the height and weight of the woman were reported, it was found that cycle cancellation rates increased with increasing body mass index (BMI).  The odds of the patient failing to become pregnant, or that pregnancy not being successfully carried to term, also rose significantly with increasing obesity.  In a different study it was determined that the eggs from women with high and low BMI's were more lkely than other women to produce immature oocytes during an ART cycle, leading to lower odds of successful embryo transfer per retrieval and a lower live birth rates.

 Fat and Fertility in Men

Research presented shows the effect of dietary fat on sperm quality as well as how the use of clomiphene citrate can raise testosterone levels in subfertile overweight and obese men with low testosterone, resulting, in some caess, in improved semen quality and a partner's pregnancy.  Researchers at Harvard have found a relationship between fat consumption and semen quality: the more fat you consume, the lower your sperm concentration.

Hormone Levels in Women's Brains May AFfect How They Respond to Emotions

It has been shown that women suffer from affective disorders at twice the rate of men, and many have thought that sex hormones contribute to this difference.  In the early follicular stage of the menstrual cycel, no brain areas showed significantly increased activation.  Mid cycle when hormone levels are higher yield signs of increased lateral prefrontal activation and increased activity in other parts of the brain involved in processing emotional information.

New Research Confirms Need for H1N1 Vaccines for Infertility Patients

ASRM and the CDC have issued a joint statement calling for women to be vaccinated for the H1N1 virus prior to undergoing infertility treatment.

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Check our blog daily this week for more updates, and for more  in depth information on these and many other studies.