Why Infertility Stings?

Throughout history, many societies and communities held infertility the inability to conceive or bear a child, as a badge of shame. In medical jargon, the World Health Organization defines it as a disease concentrated in the male and female reproductive system characterized by the failure to achieve pregnancy over a year or more of unprotected sexual intercourse. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention views infertility as a common problem of 1 out of 5 American women. Worldwide, it affects an estimated 186 million individuals.

With the fairly high number of individuals struggling with infertility, one would think that there is widespread acceptance and understanding. It is difficult to believe that the opposite is true. Because of cultural sensitivities, people are less accepting of sufferers of infertility in some societies. Fertility is associated with life and its continuation. Infertility does otherwise. It stops the proliferation of life in its tracks and the preservation of the family line. Dynasties have ended because of the failure of kings to sire a progeny. 

The inability to become pregnant is even harder on women. Although there are cases of women making a choice not to become pregnant, pregnancy is still at the top of the list of the majority of women. Having a child is the realization of the dream of a complete family for a woman. Infertility breaks a woman’s heart and sometimes her family through an easily-obtainable divorce. Stress, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem are some of the negative things that women go through after an infertility diagnosis.   

Fortunately, all is not lost. Advances in medical science have grown by leaps and bounds through the years. Medical procedures aimed to address infertility such as assisted reproduction technologies (ART) are now more precise and reliable. Although these are not within easy reach of the general population because of their high cost, they give hope to the millions who suffer from infertility.

by Barry Verkauf

Why Delaying Pregnancy is Important

There is a growing consensus among American couples to delay marriage and pregnancy. According to the latest data culled from the National Center for Health Statistics by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, the age at first birth of mothers in the US has increased from 25.2 years in the year 2009 to 26.3 years in 2014. It is also very interesting to note that from 2000 to 2014, the percentage of women aged 30-34 who gave birth to their first child rose from 16.5% to 21.1% while that of women aged 35 and above increased from 7.4% to 9.1%. An inclination to get pregnant at a later age is becoming evident. 

The decision to delay pregnancy is never taken lightly. It starts with the desire of women to have control over their bodies.

The norms of yesteryears that dictate that women should remain subservient to their husbands are becoming a thing of the past. Nowadays, a lot of women are making their presence felt in the workplace with careers on the rise. Meanwhile, women who are still in school, bound to student loans, have a pregnancy and family life farthest from their minds.  They want to get over schooling as quickly as possible, jumpstart their careers, and pay off their loans. 

With financial independence as the goal and the enticing comforts of life as a reward, couples are taking a hard look at the cost of raising children. The US Department of Agriculture estimates in its 2015 survey that it will take US$233,610.00 to raise a child until he reaches the age of 17. The cost estimate has not even taken into consideration yet the massive spike in inflation because of the pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine. For many couples, having children is a burden and risk that they are unwilling to be shackled with, but the delay of child-bearing reduces the likelihood of success when they are older. It is the reason why contraceptives have continued to retain their popularity and usefulness

by Barry Verkauf 

Sex and the Pandemic: Why Birth Rate is Declining

The COVID-19 pandemic was initially feared to bring about a baby boom. After being cooped up because of rigorous government stay-at-home protocols and with many employees preferring to work from home to avoid catching the virus, it was widely believed that American couples will turn up the heat in their bedrooms. Instead, the unexpected happened. The United States Census Bureau reported that the annual average birth per day took a 4.06% plunge at the end of December 2020. It meant that there were 417 fewer Americans born every day in 2020 compared to the previous year. The National Center for Health Statistics underscored that there is a continuing 2% average downtrend in the number of births for the past 6 years since 2015. Instead of helping, the pandemic has exacerbated the situation.  

At a time of economic insecurity brought on by the pandemic and other disturbing events around the world, couples are choosing to dig in. Harmeet Kaur of CNN highlights that the pandemic has brought in the open the government’s seeming lack of support for parents having difficulty with childcare or remote education for their children. Rearing up and providing for a child has become even more difficult and demanding for would-be parents. 

There is also the matter of choice. The pandemic has jolted couples to the importance of health and taking care of themselves first. With the possibility of death lurking just around the corner, life is to be savoured and personal goals realized first. Saving for that long-desired vacation and the ideal house or condominium unit to call one’s own has taken a new urgency. Any free time is spent with family members or together as a couple. As a result, the interest to have children is taking a backseat.   

According to the Guttmacher Institute, the government saves about US$15.2 Billion annually from its interventions on the prevention of unplanned pregnancies. With the COVID pandemic unwittingly aiding its efforts, the government must be grinning from ear to ear.

by Barry Verkauf

Is In Vitro Fertilization Permanently Changing the Face of Society?

In vitro fertilization (IVF), the most recognizable face of artificial reproduction techniques (ART), is radically changing the landscape of human reproduction. The small dash of petri dish magic has gone mainstream and is making its presence felt in the lives of ordinary people. Celebrities who have had successful and sometimes painful experiences with IVF are coming out in the open and increasing its popularity. Singer Celine Dion, stand-up comedian Amy Schumer, Courteney Cox of the sitcom Friends, Nicole Kidman, and Sarah Jessica Parker all spoke about their experiences with IVF. With the testimonials lending a genuine feel and authenticity to IVF, does it bode well for society as a whole?

(photo courtesy of Georges Biard)

For one, IVF is driving home the point that there is life after a diagnosis of infertility. For infertile couples, it has ramped up hope. Not that the experience of going through IVF cycles is ever easy. Actress Brooke Shields admitted that she almost gave up after going through multiple courses of IVF before the procedure succeeded. Hugh Jackman and his wife tried it twice without success. Fortune favors the bold, however. Those who find themselves caught in the unlucky grip of infertility sometimes need only a sprinkle of fortune, in the form of IVF, to feel extremely grateful.

With IVF, age-old biases on infertility are starting to come down. Infertile men and women can no longer be looked down upon as inferior. Men and women can usually become parents whenever they desire to do so. At the same time, they are free to prioritize their careers and personal goals before deciding to become parents. It is a brave, new world out there full of promise.

Finally, IVF is opening fresh avenues in the medical and scientific fields as we speak. New ideas on the prevention and treatment of genetic diseases are cropping up. With the advent of IVF, the concept of infertility, human reproduction and health will never be the same again. 

by Barry Verkauf

The Future of Reproduction

In the past, reproduction was for some a struggle. With medical expertise and over technology, birth rates for the infertile were lower, with many miscarriages and stillbirths and many couples remain infertile.  However, with our modern-day knowledge, we have achieved new levels of possibilities. Today is the future of reproduction potentially, resulting to increase in population for those who wish.

One extraordinary advance we made is the creation of Vitro fertilization.

Not only does it principally help infertile men and women get a chance to birth one of their blood, but it also gives opportunities to lesbian and gay men to start their own biological families. With Vitro fertilization, embryos are incubated from 3-6 days in the laboratory with their parent’s DNA and then carefully transferred to the woman’s uterus. If a lesbian couple wants a baby, they can use this method or artificial insemination to get one of them pregnant, while for gay men, they can acquire a surrogate mother to aid them.

Even transgender males can have a baby if their ovaries and uterus are still present. With the help of technology, an embryo can still be formed and transferred to his uterus. Even though he stopped the testosterone for this process, he can return to his androgens once the baby is born if he is not planning to breastfeed. The world is constantly gaining knowledge, resulting in even the first penis transplantation in the United States.

What comes next is the question. The future of reproduction may lie in “genetic engineering,” With how fast technology evolves, this is entirely possible. Soon, humans can take specific genes and remove them using the CRISPR – Cas9 technique. With this technique, we can remove the chances of inheriting a family illness and improve the child’s health.

The purpose of technology is to aid humankind, and so far, we have been advancing at newfound speeds in the field of reproduction. Soon, many other things will be possible, increasing our knowledge today and creating a new future of reproduction. The consequences will only be known in time.

by Barry Verkauf  

How Pregnancy Affects Women Today

Back in the older days, women were meant to stay at home to take care of the house and kids. However, the times are constantly changing, and now many women are working, some even as breadwinners. So, the circumstances of how pregnancy affects women today are entirely different. With the fight for equal rights between men and women, feminism is rising. What does that mean for women looking to start a family of their own?

Many women aim to have a consistent career in their lives, which is why there has been a push for both men and women to have equal opportunities to concentrate on these while simultaneously having time for themselves and family.

Frequently, women would have to quit their jobs after getting pregnant to focus on their families. Full-time working moms often say they don’t have enough time for themselves nor time to spend with their children. How to fix this? The book “Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family.” tells that the whole industrial culture needed to be altered to accommodate.

Today, we have the highest rate of working women to date. In the past 50 years, working women increased from 38% to 58%, while of those working, working mothers with children under 18 went from 47% to 71%. Some studies say a working mother can significantly affect a daughter’s self-image and encourage children to be functioning members of society.

If a woman wants both work and family, both the woman and their partners must work together to lessen the stress and conflict that comes with raising a family, as Suzanne Venker says in her book, “The Alpha Female’s Guide to Men and Marriage.”

As the decades pass, society continues to evolve, changing how pregnancy affects women today. Wanting to pursue your career is all a matter of choice. Women must have the freedom and opportunity to pursue their careers and at the same time have a family, work without having a family, or only be a homemaker as they choose.

by Barry Verkauf

Two Ways Contraception Can Benefit Women

Contraception has existed since long ago, and with newfound technology, it has only gotten better. There are many views towards the use of contraception, two sides either encouraging or discouraging the use of them. However, we cannot deny the numbers. Contraceptives were invented to benefit our current society, not harm it. There are two ways that contraception can benefit women, and by doing so, it benefits the entire population.

- Non-harmful birth control

Some people believe that using contraception like birth pills will result in infertility. This resulted in women halting the use of birth control and thus, increasing the percentage of unintended pregnancies, as found in a new study by the World Health Organization. However, that is not the case. Women who have used birth control still have the same chances of pregnancy as women who don’t of the same age. This way, you can decrease the rate of unintended pregnancies, giving women more opportunities towards other potential activities and benefits.

- High-quality family planning

Contraception is a part of responsible family planning. Many women want in their view to gain a better future by using contraceptive methods and at the same time create a better society. Benefits from contraception include better maternal relationships between a mother and child, resulting in an increase in development in society, economy, and empowerment in women, as said by Dr. Mari Nagai. She was a former medical officer for reproductive and maternal health at WHO. 

In our current days, the population is able to increase, resulting from our newfound technology, giving people safer processes in reproduction. With how the world is going through a “Sexual Revolution,” women can experience the safety of sex with the use of various contraceptives, preventing unwanted pregnancies and in some instances, potential STDs. Different kinds of birth control are being invented as time passes as women have a wide range of potential benefits.

by Barry Verkauf

Views on Sex: A Historical Outlook

Reproduction has always been an essential key in the flow of life, and this goes for all living beings. Throughout the centuries of humankind, we have viewed it through various historical and cultural views. Let’s look at the historical views on sex and how it evolved.

- Divine or Biblical View

In the Divine or Biblical view, reproduction resulted from God’s words: “Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.” Children are seen as a gift from God. Sex could be viewed as a double-edged blade. On the one hand, it was a task assigned to humans by God, and on the other, it was a temptation led by the devil resulting in infections and accidents in pregnancy. Various Gods worshipped over the times were divine figures dedicated to fertility. There’s the Egyptian Goddess Nephthys and the Grecian Goddess Aphrodite.

- Societal View

In the societal view, reproduction is deemed necessary. When human beings took a step away from the hunter/gatherer phase and into an agrarian society, it was essential to multiply as it was a time of development. With war and the formation of societies, a steady inflow of human resources was needed.

- Modern View

In the modern view, we are going through another “Sexual Revolution” similar to what occurred in the 60s to 70s. With the rise of various sexualities, feminism, and new forms of contraceptives, the act of reproduction is no longer needed by some. Some of the new generations are even set on not having children in these circumstances. Sex by then is mainly viewed as something to enjoy or express one’s self.

The saying “the only constant is change” has been proven repeatedly, and humankind has reached yet another stage in its approach towards reproduction. Of course, many views remain today in different people, but different norms have been applied in the past. This was the historical outlook on the views of sex. How about through your eyes? In your perspective, how do you see the concept of sex?

by Barry Verkauf