September 22, 2008
New York Family Matters: Patient Education Conference, Oct. 8th, Steiner Studios in Brooklyn Navy Yard
Conference Information: The American Fertility Association’s New York Family Matters Conference is an all day educational event geared towards the needs of all people who wish to have a family. Egalitarian in nature, three concurrent educational tracks will focus on the needs of couples, singles and the lgbt community. Panels, lectures and small round table discussions will cover topics such as in vitro fertilization, egg freezing, adoption, pcos, surrogacy, ovum and sperm donation, and much, much more. Your registration fee includes shuttle busses to and from Manhattan if needed, admission, continental breakfast and coffee breaks, end of day wine and cheese reception, conference materials, entrance to all workshops, lectures and an extensive exhibit hall featuring IVF programs, urologists, adoption agencies and attorneys, surrogacy and ovum donation agencies, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and other interesting and informative exhibitors.
Check-in and registration the day of the conference begins at 8:00 a.m.
The Conference location is Steiner Studios located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
15 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn. NY 11205. (718) 858-1600
Click this link to register: https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/TheAmericanFertilityAssocia/OnlineRegis…
Registration is $40 per person, but free admission is available. Email lisav@theafa.org to find out how. We also have several booth still available.
If you wish to preorder lunch to eat on site at the Conference, please let us know. Payment will be collected at lunchtime by cashiers set up in the exhibit hall and is $20 all inclusive per person. We will be serving a variety of gourmet sandwiches, salads and desserts prepared by the catering sensation, Abigail Kirsch. During the lunch break, we will be featuring small, roundtable discussions hosted by medical, adoption and legal professionals in our exhibit hall. Feel free to choose the topic of your choice and join an expert for lunch.
Busses from Manhattan will depart for the conference at 7:00 a.m. End of day busses back to Manhattan will leave Steiner Studios promptly at 6:45 p.m.
Shuttle bus locations are as follows:
West Side – In front of The Pennsylvania Hotel, 7th Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Sts.
East Side – Park Avenue (Facing South) between 41st and 42nd Sts.
A shuttle bus will be available from the Jay Street Borough Hall subway station, which is located nearby to Steiner Studios. The shuttles will run every twenty minutes from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The departing shuttle bus from Steiner Studios back to Jay Street Borough Hall will leave at various intervals between 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. You can reach Jay Street Borough Hall by E.F,N and R trains.
If you have any questions regarding the conference or registration, please contact
Lisa Van Ness at 888 917-3777 or LisaV@TheAFA.org
June 20, 2008
By Alice Park
Time Magazine with CNN.com
June 17, 2008
What makes people gay? Biologists may never get a complete answer to that question, but researchers in Sweden have found one more sign that the answer lies in the structure of the brain.
Scientists at the Karolinska Institute studied brain scans of 90 gay and straight men and women, and found that the size of the two symmetrical halves of the brains of gay men more closely resembled those of straight women than they did straight men. In heterosexual women, the two halves of the brain are more or less the same size. In heterosexual men, the right hemisphere is slightly larger. Scans of the brains of gay men in the study, however, showed that their hemispheres were relatively symmetrical, like those of straight women, while the brains of homosexual women were asymmetrical like those of straight men. The number of nerves connecting the two sides of the brains of gay men were also more like the number in heterosexual women than in straight men.
Just what these brain differences mean is still not clear. Ever since 1991, when Simon LeVay first documented differences in the hypothalamus of gay and straight men, researchers have been struggling to understand what causes these differences to occur. Until now, the brain regions that scientists have come to believe play a role in sexual orientation have been related to either reproduction or sexuality. The Swedish study, however, is the first to find differences in parts of the brain not normally involved in reproduction — the denser network of nerve connections, for example, was found in the amygdala, known as the emotional center of the brain.
“The big question has always been, if the brains of gay men are different, or feminized, as earlier research suggests,” says Dr. Eric Vilain, professor of human genetics at University of California Los Angeles, “then is it just limited to sexual preference or are there other regions that are gender atypical in gay males? For the first time, in this study it looks like there are regions of the brain not directly involved in sexuality that seem to be feminized in gay males.”
Vilain, who studies the genetic factors behind sexuality and sexual orientation, notes that it may turn out that the brains of gay men possess only some ‘feminized’ structures, while retaining some masculine ones, and this is reflected in how they act on their sexuality. “We know from studies that men, regardless of their sexual orientation, retain masculine characteristics when it comes to their sexual behavior,” he says. Both gay and straight men, for example, tend to prefer younger partners, in contrast to women, who gravitate toward older partners. Most men are also more likely than women to engage in casual sex, and to be aroused by visual stimuli. “So I expect that some regions of the brain will remain masculine even in gay men,” says Vilain. For something as complex as sexual orientation, it’s no surprise that everything from genes to gender to environment may play a role in ultimately determining your perfect partner.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1815538,00.html
June 5, 2008
by Heather Bishara; http://www.onlineoptimist.com
It’s not easy being a teenage girl. There’s a natural anxiety that sneaks up on you when trying to juggle boys, friends, parents, school, and activities that goes hand in hand with the teenage experience. However, for some young women, there are added anxieties such as excessive weight gain, uncontrollable acne and/or missed or absent periods that threaten the delicate balance that keeps their lives humming along in relative harmony. Though these symptoms are generally seen as common problems associated with puberty, they can point to a larger condition that is becoming more prevalent in young women: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
PCOS is the most common reproductive endocrinological disorder in women today. It can occur in girls as young as 11, manifesting itself in as much as 11.2% of women in their reproductive years, with perhaps 50% of this group being made up of adolescent girls. Despite these figures, PCOS remains difficult to diagnose in adolescent girls because the underlying cause of PCOS, insulin resistance, remains difficult to detect at a young age even with appropriate testing. (1)
Determining whether or not a teen has PCOS can be critical to ensuring their overall long term health. This is because many serious complications including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels can develop if PCOS is not appropriately treated. The good news is that PCOS can be reversed with the right treatment such as with Insulite Labs’ 5 Element System for controlling the symptoms caused by PCOS. This system combines the use of nutraceuticals (vitamins, minerals and herbs), diet and exercise, and customer support to guide women with PCOS to a healthier lifestyle.
So what should you do if you suspect that you or a teenage girl you know may be suffering from PCOS? First, you should review the following checklist to identify potential symptoms that you or she may be suffering from:
- Irregular or absent menses
- Heavier than normal bleeding
- Acne
- Overweight
- Insulin resistance
- Ovarian cysts
- Hirsutism (excessive facial or body hair)
- Alopecia (male pattern balding)
- Skin tags (growths on the skin)
- Brown skin patches
- Reduced sex drive
- Sleep apnea (trouble breathing during sleeping)
- Exhaustion/lack of mental alertness
- Thyroid problems
- Depression and/or anxiety
If you checked off one or more of these symptoms don’t delay making an appointment with a doctor to confirm the diagnosis. The earlier a teenager is diagnosed and makes an action plan to reverse the symptoms caused by PCOS, the better off mentally and physically she will be. Early diagnosis also means that she will be prepared to deal with the challenges associated with PCOS when approaching her childbearing years and beyond.
(1)Weight Discrimination Could Be as Common as Racial Bias- Svetlana Shkolnikova, USA Today on ABCNews.com, May 21, 2008
June 4, 2008
by Dr. Andrea Lee
Are you a lesbian and suffering from irregular periods, or unexplained weight gain? You may have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
Studies have shown that homosexual women are twice as likely as heterosexual women to develop Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) [1], the most common endocrine disorder amongst pre-menopausal women.
PCOS is often misdiagnosed. Many women waste years undergoing treatment for the wrong diagnosis, or simply wondering, “What is wrong with me?”
PCOS was cited by Reader’s Digest in the article “10 Diseases Doctors Miss Most” as one of the most commonly misdiagnosed diseases, often being mistaken for Cushing’s syndrome or Menopause.
It’s important to know the symptoms and to realize they can vary drastically from woman to woman. Not all women experience all of these symptoms.
- Absent or irregular periods
- Fatigue and lack of mental alertness
- Acne
- Skin Tags
- Brown patches on the skin
- Excess hair growth in unwanted places like the chin, chest, arms and abdomen
- Hair loss and bald spots
- Unexplained weight gain
- Anxiety and depression
- Thyroid problems
- High cholesterol
- Infertility
PCOS wreaks havoc on hormones: excessive amounts of insulin stimulate the ovaries to produce large amounts of testosterone. The underlying cause of PCOS is insulin resistance, a condition that can be reversed with diet and lifestyle changes.
Long term, PCOS can lead to serious conditions like diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and emotional and mental disorders.
If you feel you may be suffering from PCOS, take the PCOS online self-test. You can also post a question on my “Ask Dr. Andrea” column at http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/blog/index.php/ask-a-doctor/.
(1) Prevalence of polycystic ovaries and polycystic ovary syndrome in lesbian women compared with heterosexual women. - Agrawal R, Sharma S, Bekir J, Conway G, Bailey J, Balen AH, Prelevic G., Fertil Steril. 2004 Nov;82(5):1352-7.
