ANOTHER REASON MORE PEOPLE STAY WITH STATE FARM.
GET TO A BETTER STATE.
(MUSIC).
SEVEN MILLION COUPLES, IN THE U-S-A, HAVE DIFFICULTY
CONCEIVING A BABY.
NEARLY ONE IN SEVEN COUPLES ARE DEALING WITH THE VERY PERSONAL
ISSUE OF INFERTILITY.
TECHNOLOGY, HOWEVER, IS HAVING A POSITIVE IMPACT, GIVING HOPE,
WHERE FOR MANY, LITTLE EXISTED.
WITH US, TO DISCUSS THE LATEST IN REPRODUCTIVE INNOVATIONS, IS
DOCTOR MICHAEL PELEKANOS, A SPECIALIST IN OBSTETRICS AND
GYNECOLOGY.
ALSO JOINING THE DISCUSSION, C-E-O AND FOUNDER OF RINOVUM
WOMEN'S HEALTH, STEPHEN BOLLINGER.
GENTLEMEN, SO GREAT TO HAVE YOU, HERE, TODAY.
THIS IS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE, AND DOCTOR, I WANT TO GO
TO YOU FIRST.
YOU'RE EXPOSED TO THE EMOTIONAL SIDE OF THIS ISSUE WITH WOMEN
WHO COME IN WHO ARE STRESSED AND EMOTIONAL.
UM, TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU DEAL WITH THAT.
WELL JULIE, IT'S A BIG ISSUE.
WOMEN DELAY CHILD BEARING, NOW, BECAUSE OF THEIR CAREERS, AND
THEN THEY, ALL OF THE SUDDEN, THEY DECIDE THEY WWANT TO
CONCEIVE IN THEIR LATE 20S, EARLY 30s, WHEN FERTILITY
ACTUALLY STARTS TO DECREASE.
WHEN THEY GOT TOGETHER INITIALLY, THEY WERE ATTRACTED
EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY, AND SEXUALLY, NOW, ALL OF THE
SUDDEN, THE COUPLES HAVING INTERCOURSE, THEY'RE TIMING IT,
IT'S REGIMENTED, IT'S NO FUN ANYMORE.
AND, ALL OF THE SUDDEN, THEY DON'T EVEN WANT TO HAVE SEX,
ANYMORE.
SO, IT'S A BIG ISSUE.
IT IS A BIG ISSUE, AND I CAN RELATE, BECAUSE WOMEN THAT DO
HAVE CAREERS, WE DO DELAY, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT WHOLE ISSUE OF
GETTING PREGNANT.
BUT STEPHEN, I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHAT ARE THE MAJOR REASONS THAT
YOU FOUND BEHIND INFERTILITY?
WELL, THANK YOU.
INFERTILITY IS A MULTI-FACTORIAL DISEASE STATE, AND IT'S JUST NOT
ONE THING.
RIGHT.
SO, WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT IT, 40% OF IT IS RELATED TO THE
MALES. 40% IS RELATED TO THE---.
GOOD TO KNOW.
---FEMALES.
IT'S NOT ALL US!
THAT'S RIGHT.
RIGHT.
AND THEN, THEN 20% IS A HEALTHY MALE AND A HEALTHY FEMALE TRYING
TO CONCEIVE, AND JUST NOT, IT'S NOT WORKING FOR THEM.
OK.
DOCTOR, I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHAT ARE THE TRADITIONAL TREATMENTS
FOR INFERTILITY, AND HOW SUCCESSFUL ARE THEY?
WELL, THE FIRST THING WE DO, WHEN WE SEE AN INFERTILE COUPLE,
IS WE DO AN ACCURATE HISTORY AND PHYSICAL, BECAUSE JUST TALKING
TO THEM YOU CAN FIND OUT WHAT THE MAJOR PROBLEM IS.
UM, FOR INSTANCE, IF MRS.
JONES ONLY HAS 4 PERIODS A YEAR, WE
GIVE 'EM OVULATORY DRUGS, SO THEY CAN OVULATE MORE
FREQUENTLY.
BUT, OFTEN TIMES, WE FIND NOTHING.
THEN, WE GO THROUGH DIAGNOSTIC TESTS, THEN WE TRY INTRAUTERINE
INSEMINATION, AND THE END ALL IS IN VETRO FERTILIZATION, WHICH IS
BEYOND THE FINANCIAL SCOPE OF MANY OF OUR INFERTILE COUPLES.
I WAS GONNA SAY, MOST PEOPLE CAN JUST NOT AFFORD THAT.
IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE.
STEPHEN, FERTILITY RATES ARE PROJECTED TO REACH THEIR LOWEST
LEVELS IN DECADES, AND ARE MOST WOMEN AWARE THAT THERE ARE
ALTERNATIVE THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO, OUT THERE?
SO, ONCE, ONCE COUPLES HAVE IDENTIFIED IT'S NOT WORKING
NATURALLY, AND THEY'RE HAVING DIFFICULTY, THEY START SELF
EDUCATING.
OK.
TECHNOLOGY, TODAY, WITH, UH, INTERNET AND MEDIA, WE, WE START
LEARNING MORE AND MORE.
THEY GO TO THEIR FAMILY, UH, TO GO FOR HELP, AND THEN THEY GO TO
PHYSICIANS FOR ADDITIONAL HELP.
AND, AS WE GET SELF EDUCATED, UH, WE START DOING THINGS ON OUR
OWN,---.
UH HUH.
---BECAUSE WE'RE FINDING IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET TO A PHYSICIAN,
AND GET THE TREATMENTS WE LIKE.
SO, WE'RE FINDING PEOPLE USING THINGS, UH, THEY THEY SHOULDN'T
BE USING.
THEY'RE TRYING TURKEY BASTERS, THEY'RE TRYING SYRINGES,---.
OH, MY GOSH.
---SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING CREATIVE, AND ALL THEY'RE TRYING
TO DO IS WHAT PHYSICIANS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DO FOR YEARS, IS
GET A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF SPERM, NEXT TO THE CERVIX, TO
AID IN CONCEPTION.
OK, DOCTOR.
TALK ABOUT THAT FERTILITY WINDOW.
WHAT IS THAT?
WELL JULIE, IT'S AMAZING THAT THERE ARE SO MANY UNWANTED
PREGNANCIES, BECAUSE IN REALITY, THERE'S JUST A FEW DAYS A MONTH
THAT YOU CAN CONCEIVE.
SPERM USUALLY LASTS 24 TO 36, MAYBE, 48 HOURS, AND THE EGGS
USUALLY ONLY LAST ABOUT 24 HOURS.
WOW!
SO, YOU HAVE A, MAYBE, A 2 TO 3 DAY WINDOW WHEN CONCEPTION CAN
OCCUR.
WELL, YOU KNOW, GUYS, STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE, BECAUSE THIS IS
AMAZING.
WE'RE ABOUT TO DISCOVER HOW SOME COUPLES ARE TAKING BACK CONTROL
OF CONCEPTION, AND DON'T GO AWAY, BECAUSE WE'LL BE RIGHT
BACK, WHEN THE BALANCING ACT CONTINUES, RIGHT AFTER THIS.
WE ARE BACK, AND AS PROMISED, JOINING US, NIKI, JIMMY, AND
LITTLE SOPHIA SPANIEL.
SHE IS SO ADORABLE.
LOOK AT HER, OVER THERE.
NOW, WE'RE GONNA TALK TO YOU GUYS, LATER.
SOPHIA IS ADOPTED, BUT YOU ARE TAKING PROACTIVE MEASURES TOWARD
ANOTHER WAY OF GIVING BIRTH, AND THAT'S WHY WE WANT TO TALK TO
YOU, BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT THIS REVOLUTIONARY, NEW ITEM, HERE,
THE STORK.
SO, COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT THE STORK?
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WAS, IN THIS GROWING ERA OF INFERTILITY,
BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN NATURAL INTERCOURSE, AND MORE SURGICAL
APPROACHES, LIKE INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION, AND I-V-F.
SO, AS WE'RE BRIDGING THAT GAP, WE THOUGHT THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO
USE A MEDICAL, PROVEN TECHNOLOGY, THAT PHYSICIANS HAVE
USED FOR YEARS, AND THAT'S CALLED INTRAVAGINAL
INSEMINATION.
UH, AND ALL IT DOES IS CREATE A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF SPERM,
NEXT TO THE CERVICAL WALL.
BUT, HISTORICALLY, THIS WAS DONE IN A DOCTOR'S OFFICE, AND NOT
VERY PRIVATE.
SO, WHAT WE TRIED TO DO WAS SAY, 'HEY, IN TODAY'S WORLD, IF A MAN
CAN USE A CONDOM, AND A FEMALE CAN USE A TAMPON, WOULDN'T IT BE
INTERESTING TO USE THOSE TECHNOLOGIES TO BRIDGE THAT
GAP?'.
SO, WHAT WE DID WAS WE TOOK OUR CUSTOM CONDOM, AND INSTEAD OF
DISPOSING THE CONDOM WHEN THEY'RE DONE, UH, WHAT THEY'LL
DO IS THEY'LL, THE FEMALE WILL LOAD IT INTO THE INTRODUCER.
THEY'LL LOAD IT INTO THE INTRODUCER, TRACK IT UP THE
VAGINAL TRACK, DELIVER IT JUST LIKE A TAMPON, LEAVE IT IN THERE
FOR THREE TO FIVE HOURS, AND WHEN THEY'RE DONE, THEY CAN PULL
IT OUT, JUST LIKE A TAMPON.
OK.
THIS IS LIKE, SO BRILLIANT.
AND, THIS IS, THIS JUST SEEMS LIKE, WOW, WE'VE BEEN WAITING
FOR THIS FOR A LONG TIME.
AND, WE THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, BRINGING IT BACK TO THE HOME IS,
AT LEAST, THE FIRST STEP IN ASSISTED REPRODUCTION, AND
THAT'S WHERE WE STARTED.
NOW, LITTLE SOPHIA IS ADOPTED.
THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.
GORGEOUS GIRL.
BUT, YOU GUYS ARE GONNA TAKE MORE PROACTIVE STEPS TOWARD
CONCEIVING.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
WELL, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TRYING TO CONCEIVE.
WE HAD MULTIPLE PROCEDURES.
I GAVE MYSELF INJECTIONS, AND IT WAS RIGOROUS, AND EXPENSIVE, AND
VERY EMOTIONAL, SO UM, WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO ADOPT
SOPHIA, AND NOW THAT WE HAVE HER, WE WANT MORE PRIVATE
METHODS.
WE DON'T WANT TO SPEND THIS MUCH MONEY, AS IF POSSIBLE, AND YOU
KNOW, KEEP THE STRESS LEVELS DOWN, BECAUSE WE HAVE HER TO
THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, NOW AS WE CONTINUE TO BUILD OUR FAMILY.
OF COURSE.
JIMMY, ANY WORDS YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE FOR THOSE PARENTS, AT
HOME, WHO ARE, MAYBE, THINKING ABOUT TAKING THESE KINDS OF
STEPS THAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE TAKING?
WE WANT SOMETHING THAT'S SIMPLE, THAT'S PRIVATE, THAT THE TWO OF
US CAN HANDLE, WE HAVE CONTROL, AND IT'S ALL THE BETTER IF IT'S
INEXPENSIVE.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO, TO USING THE STORK.
IS THERE AN OPTIMAL TIME, UH, FOR THIS, IN THE TECHNOLOGY
PICTURE?
THE STORK'S A PERFECT DEVICE TO INCREASE THE EJACULATE'S CONTACT
WITH THE CERVIX FOR, FOR PROLONGED PERIODS OF TIME, WHICH
UNDOUBTEDLY WILL ENHANCE FERTILITY.
WE FINALLY HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN OFFER PATIENTS THAT'S
UNDER 100 BUCKS.
WHERE DID YOU EVER GO TO THE DOCTOR FOR LESS THAN 100
DOLLARS?
FOR ANYTHING?
FOR ANYTHING.
STEPHEN, ANY IN CLOSING COMMENTS, UH, ABOUT THIS?
WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR A LITTLE HELP, AND A LITTLE NUDGE.
MMMMM.
WE HOPE THAT THIS IS THE NUDGE OF THE STORK TO BE THE FIRST
STEP IN AIDED CONCEPTION.
THAT'S SO AMAZING.
THANK YOU, SO MUCH, FOR BEING HERE, TODAY, AND IF YOU'RE A
WOMAN, OR A COUPLE HAVING TROUBLE WITH CONCEIVING, OR IF
YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS, AND NEED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT
COUPLES ARE DOING TO INCREASE FERTILITY IN THEIR OWN LIVES, OR
IF YOU'D SIMPLY LIKE MORE INFORMATION ON THE STORK, UH,
WE'LL VISIT THAT AT thestorkforwomen.com, THAT'S
T-H-E STORK FOR WOMEN DOT COM.