This fact sheet was developed in collaboration with The Society of Reproductive Surgeons

In the United States there are approximately 800,000 reproductive-aged men and women who have cancer, many of whom have concerns about their fertility. Life- saving cancer treatments may reduce fertility by destroy- ing eggs and sperm. The likelihood of reproductive dam- age depends on the age and sex of the patient and the type and duration of treatment. The most severe damage comes from radiation to the ovaries or testicles and cancer drugs in the “alkylating agent” category such as cyclophos- phamide, mechlorethamine, chlorambucil, and melphalan.

Speak to your pharmacist if you have any questions about your medications (including how to take them, what they do, or if they may interact with any other medication you may be taking). It is especially important during the early stages of your treatment that you are comfortable with your medication and that you are taking it correctly.

Miscarriage, or spontaneous abortion, occurs in about 15 to 20% of all pregnancies, regardless of how they were conceived. Most early losses are a result of the conceptus being genetically abnormal. As few as one in three human conceptions is genetically normal, but most of the genetically abnormal conceptions are lost before the woman even knows she is pregnant. Even so, some genetically abnormal conceptions do survive long enough to result in a recognized pregnancy.

Human conception is an elegantly simple and marvelously complex series of events. Before we can begin to discuss the reasons certain couples have difficulty conceiving, it is important to have a full understanding of the way things are supposed to work. A good working knowledge of normal events will make the steps that can be taken to evaluate a couple's fertility make more sense. Understanding "nature's way" will also provide a framework for understanding the rationale behind some of the therapeutic measures that will be discussed later. THE MALE

There are certainly some things that you as a couple can do on your own to enhance and improve your chances of conceiving. We would strongly encourage you to initiate each of these steps as soon as possible.

Few Drugs Used for Erectile Dysfunction Treatment are Listed Below: Generic Name and Action Brand Name(s) Common Dosages Side Effects Special Considerations

What do FSH, HCG and HMG stand for? FSH, HCG, and HMG are abbreviations for three different medications used to treat infertility. The following table summarizes generic and brand names that correspond to each abbreviation: Abbreviation Generic Name

More than 150 symptoms have been reported in association with PMS. There are five basic categories: Anxiety (includes nervousness, mood swings, irritability & impatience) Depression (includes crying, confusion, social withdrawal & insomnia) Pain (includes backache, cramps and breast pain) Water retention (includes abdominal bloating, weight gain & swelling) Hypoglycemia (includes headache, craving sweets, increased appetite & fatigue)

You don't need high-priced dietary supplements or fancy breakfast cereals to put more fiber in your diet. Many foods contain dietary fiber which, according to medical studies, may help lower cholesterol, as well as prevent heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. To get the right amount of fiber, adults should do the following:

Anabolic steroids are derivatives of the male hormone testosterone that are typically injected into the body. Many brands must be administered with huge syringes, and the needle must penetrate the muscle deeply. An estimated one million Americans, half of them teenagers, use anabolic steroids. Most are obtained illegally...through the black market. And...the market for black-market steroids is huge: in excess of $400 million. It's highly likely that huge profits are being made in some circles at the expense of our young people.

The incidence of condom breakage during vaginal intercourse has been estimated at around 1 percent, reports an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Those are low odds of a disaster, especially when you consider the alternative: no condom and unprotected sex. Still, if your partner happens to be infected with AIDS and the condom breaks, you could die. In the overwhelming majority of cases, however, condom failures occur because they're not used correctly, not because of defects in manufacturing.

A complete testicular self-exam takes just three minutes or less, and it could save your life. You should do it monthly. After a warm bath or shower, hold your scrotum, and gently roll each testicle between your thumb and your first two fingers. Feel for any firm, hard, or fixed lumps, nodules, or irregularities inside the testicle itself. Most abnormalities are found at the front side of the testicle. Also, request that your primary care physician check your testicles regularly.

Pregnancy: Help Keep Teenage Pregnancy Rates Down by Making Responsible Choices With over one million American teenage girls becoming pregnant every year, the United States holds the title for having the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the industrialized world. To gain a clearer picture of this statistic, that breaks down to one out of five sexually active girls becoming pregnant. However, while those numbers are a bit overwhelming, pregnancy rates have been on the decline in the past few years. Helping Young Women Decide

During the past few decades, increasing numbers of women of all ages have been participating in sports, at both recreational and competitive levels. Most girls and women derive significant health benefits from regular physical activity. They can achieve the same training effects as do men, such as decreased blood pressure, lowered heart rate, and improved aerobic capacity, as well as decreased percent body fat. These changes help protect against atherosclerosis and heart disease. In addition, weight-bearing exercise promotes strong and healthy bones.

Many people know that the leading causes of death in the United States are heart disease, cancer, and stroke.When it comes to prevention, however, it is more important to know why people suffer from these conditions. In other words, what are the actual causes of disease or reasons people die? A landmark study titled "Actual causes of death in the United States," published in 2004, shed a lot of light on this subject [1].

What you eat now could prevent loss of memory and mental ability later in life. According to a study published in the May 1999 issue of Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology’s scientific journal, a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids protects against a decline in memory performance and cognitive processing functions often associated with aging.

Actos, the latest drug in a long line of medications used for treating various blood sugar disorders, may offer hope to infertile women suffering from Type II diabetes or polycystic ovarian syndrome/disorder (PCO)**. In short, the theory behind PCO is that the body does not effectively use the insulin it produces, usually leading to, among many other problems, irregular menstrual cycles and high blood glucose levels, making it very difficult to conceive a child.

What is it and What Does it Do? PCOS (also called PCO and PCOD, which I will use indiscriminately in this piece) is an endocrine disorder that affects a myriad of areas in your body. For whatever reason, the hormonal balance is off, and being off-kilter, the hormonal cocktail does not have the punch to eject all the eggs from the ovary; they get lodged in the -crust° of the ovary, causing cysts. Many cysts: POLY cysts. Get it? Moving on·

Ms. Elizabeth Paul (not her real name) was my last appointment of the day, and she brought a thick medical file that described all the medical tests and treatments she had been through. She had consulted doctors on three continents, and was now seeking another medical opinion for her problem of unexplained infertility. She had had four laparoscopies, performed by various doctors in different parts of the world - and had been through six insemination treatment cycles.