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At Santa Monica Fertility Clinic, we see thousands of patients each year who come in worried and stressed because parenthood hasn’t come as easily as they’d hoped. In the end, almost all of…
Cancer & Fertility- One Patient’s Journey
After a recent conversation with a friend who asked me the probabilities of a breast cancer survivor having children post chemotherapy, I thought a lot this weekend about an article from 2008 in Women & Cancer magazine. For my friend, and all the women who are cancer survivors, I wanted to re-post this article and feature it as my blog topic this week.
The article is the journey one of my patients took as she faced breast cancer, and she chose to preserve her fertility via egg freezing. The article can also be found at CancerConsultants.com, after a Q&A about fertility options for women facing cancer.
What Is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder that affects millions of women in the U.S. The underlying cause of this condition is not known.
Like most medical problems that are referred to as “syndromes”, PCOS is made up of a cluster of signs and symptoms. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome may have some or all of the following features:
The Effect of Alcohol on Fertility
The data regarding the effects of moderate alcohol intake on fertility is inconclusive at this time. The largest prospective studies conducted in Europe indicate that high levels of alcohol consumption are associated with greater difficulty conceiving.
One small Danish study identified a slight delay in conception even with alcohol ingestion of 5 drinks or less per week. However, this research relies on self-reporting of alcohol consumption which may be inaccurate. In many cases, the studies do not fully account for other factors that could be affecting fertility.
