Celine and Rene also have an eight-year old child, Rene-Charles. Celine grew up in a very large family (14 children) and had talked for years about having a family. She was overjoyed when she had her first child, and is delighted at the opportunity to be a new mom again. Our congratulations to go out the couple.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: Blisstree

Celine Dion is Pregnant

This month the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) affirmed that statement:

Dr. Karin Middelburg, from the University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, said that the study, which looked at the quality of general movements in infants at the age of three months, showed that singleton children born after IVF were not at increased risk for abnormal general movements. This suggests that they are not at increased risk of cerebral palsy (CP) or other neurodevelopmental disorders compared with their peers born from natural conception in sub-fertile couples.

Doctors intend to follow up with the infants involved in the study in several years since some developmental disorders aren’t apparent until after infancy. But initial studies are optimistic.

Source: European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (2008, July 8). IVF Does Not Increase Risk Of Developmental Disorders In Children. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/07/080708080703.htm

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IVF Does Not Increase Risk of Developmental Disorders

Different studies have different eligibility requirements, and I’m thinking a clinical study is not something you want to do if you don’t want more folks in white coats all up in your business. But if you are at a stage in your life where you don’t want to stop trying to conceive, but you aren’t quite sure how you will afford that next round of meds or another attempt at IVF, (and like many of us, you now spread your legs for anyone with a hospital ID…) clinical trials might be an option to explore.

As medical and, well, clinical as it all sounds, not all studies are invasive or medically-intense. For example, the American Medical College of Homeopathy is currently seeking participants for a research study on natural fertility. Ideal candidates are couples with fertility issues who are looking for more natural and less expensive alternatives to conventional therapies and those who have failed conventional infertility treatment such as in vitro fertilization.

For more information on the American Medical College of Homeopathy and its fertility clinic, please call 602.347.7950 or visit http://www.amcofh.org/Medical/Fertility_Clinic.html.

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Clinical Trials Offer Lower Cost Fertility Options

Of course, I can rehash the who used IVF and who didn’t and point to some current folks that everyone has their eye one (and the week’s not over, I might). But that info seems tired. Old. Not really helpful.

Unlike this article in the New York Times today.

Which is relevant. Fresh and well-written. Which are some things that can never be taken for granted in an article that discusses infertility or living childfree.

This article happens to star my blogging friend Pamela Jeanne whom many of you may already know from her excellent blog Coming2Terms.

And I think if you get a feature in the NY Times, you count as a celebrity.

Not quite the 15 minutes of fame that Pamela envisioned, she said. But I, for one, am so thankful that a rational piece has been written that counters the assumption that adoption is the natural progression of things after failed infertility treatments:

“It’s not a binary — you either have a child or adopt. It’s not that simple,” she said, recalling the struggles of friends who pursued adoptions.

It is unclear how many women are involuntarily childless. The stigma attached to infertility and living without children pressures many women to remain silent about their struggles, Mrs. Tsigdinos said, adding, “It’s not something you want to drop into conversation at a cocktail party.”

I will be sharing this article with several colleagues. I invite you to go check it out, then visit Pamela and let her know what a great job she did.

What do you think about the article? Let’s talk about it.

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Taking Ownership of a Childfree Life

So what’s a girl to do?

After you’ve checked into financial assistance programs and scholarships I’ve already mentioned here, and talked to your clinic to see if they have any payment plans they can offer (mine didn’t), dig a little deeper into your benefits package at work. Does your employer offer a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)? ** If so, you’re in luck!

FSA’s, also known as a Section 125 plan, allow you to pay for certain medical expenses that aren’t already covered by other benefits through a payroll deduction. This means you can set aside a certain amount that you know you will spend on medical expenses before taxes. In many, many FSA plans, like the one I have, fertility treatments, such as In Vitro Fertilization, are eligible medical expenses. Others are even more extensive, allowing reimbursement for all kinds of assisted reproductive technologies and fertility enhancement, including ovulation predictor kits and pregnancy tests.

Depending on which tax bracket you fall under and how much you set aside, you could save several hundred dollars a year. That doesn’t take the sting of an IVF price tag away, but it does allow you to depend a little less on your credit card and save just a bit on those finance charges.

And, if you’re successful in your treatment, you can always look into an FSA for dependent care.

**If your employer doesn’t currently offer an FSA, you may want to suggest it. There are tax benefits for them (they save FICA) as well.

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Use Your FSA to Fund Your Fertility