Career over Children?

This new research on the chances of getting pregnant after 35-years-old is pretty interesting. However, I would hate to think that women will start having babies before they are ready to care for them or with the wrong fellow. That would be even more alarming than this study!

My husband and I met when I was just turning 21-years old. We still didn't have children until I was 26 years old. So I guess women my age (32) are supposed to be like-"hey you like me, you wanna have kids?"Of course I am saying this tongue and cheek. I guess I just feel like most of the people I know who want kids and haven't had them yet are single.

Some medical research out today has a lot of women and men, for that matter talking. A new fertility study finds once a woman hits 30, she has only 12 percent of her eggs left. And by age 40, the decline is even more extreme. These are huge implications in a country where millions of career women put off marriage and children while their biological clocks tick.

The news and the numbers sure startled the women we met at this gym. “At 30 women have 12% of their eggs left." Lyssie Lakatos: Wow Kate: So when I say that what runs through your head? Lyssie: That's shocking yeah. It makes me nervous." Amanda Galmiche: "I think that sounds a little extreme. I mean that surprises me yeah. Researchers used a complicated math formula to show that after the teenage years it's all downhill in terms of how many eggs a woman has left in her ovaries. Andi Barreiro: "I guess I better hurry up. Yeah that's scary."

In the past 30 years the number of women over 35 having their first child increased by eight fold. "There's so many examples of people having babies so much older that I think it makes it a lot easier for people my age to be like yeah I don't have to rush into getting married and having kids." Dr. Goldfarb: "Unfortunately, nature is what it is, and that once you get much beyond 35 the chance of getting pregnant are gonna go down quite a bit. But before you panic... A numbers check... It can vary a lot-- but on average a girl starts life with 300-thousand eggs. So what this study is saying is that by age 30 she has 36-thousand left. And it only takes one egg to get pregnant. By age 40, the study says women are down to three percent of their eggs... Or about 9-thousand.

Dr. Goldfarb: "The numbers are scary. The positive is that those 12 percent of eggs work very very well. By the time you get to 40 those 3% of eggs don't work very well. In other words quality may matter more than quantity. Andi Barreiro "My moms friends they all ask me when I'm gonna have kids cause my eggs are getting old." K: "Well, I guesS they're not wrong according to the study we're looking at. And what do you tell them back? Andi: "That I have to have a boyfriend first."

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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What is Causing an Increase in Cavities?

My 6-year-old has already had two cavities! I think that's ridiculous. He brushes his teeth at least two times a day, sometimes three. We even have one of the kid's Sonicare toothbrushes features in this picture. However, we are not big flossers-even though we should be. I am just so tired by the time the kids go to bed, the last thing I want to do is fight with them to floss. That lack of motivation is probably why I have already paid for two fillings. If your kids haven't had any yet, be grateful! I think the fillings were more than $100 a piece!
I must brush my kids teeth more often and get them to start flossing. This story is my "hint!" Do you floss your kids' teeth? How often?

FROM NBC:Dentists are frustrated by a trend they're seeing in young patients. After years of steady decline, there's evidence that cavities are making a comeback. While many are quick to blame bottled water, one dentist says the reason might be even simpler.

For Dawson Depperschmidt, getting a cavity filled is just another part of growing up.
(Dawson Depperschmidt)
"It wasn't that bad." But for her mother, caring for the teeth of her four growing girls has been a painful experience.

Sarah Depperschmidt, mother
"Dawson has always been a good brusher, it's like pulling teeth to get Presley to brush her teeth and none of them like to floss." The Depperschmidts are among the growing number of American families whose kids are getting more cavities.

According to the CDC, pediatric cavities were at an all time low in the mid nineties - with 24% of kids ages 2 to 5 having at least one. But the latest data available suggests that number is up about 4%.

Dr. Melissa Rozas has a pediatric dental practice. She says most often, the cavities show up when kids start school and their diets change.

Dr. Melissa Rozas, Dentist: "They also are able to get some things that maybe they weren't able to get at home such as chocolate milk, strawberry milk, possibly some desserts that they can go through the school line and get." But she says the bacteria that causes those cavities forms much earlier. That's why dentists and doctors suggests dental visits starting at age 1, so parents can implement good dietary and dental hygiene habits from the moment the first tiny tooth appears.

Dr. Melissa Rozas, dentist
"Bacteria need a tooth and they need food. so if we can brush the bacteria away and we can prohibit certain kinds of foods from getting to that tooth, we can prevent cavities."

Sarah Depperschmidt says despite her efforts, her kids have had upwards of three dozen cavities collectively. Sarah Depperschmidt, mother
"How much money have you spent?"
"A lot of money. A whole lot of money. Don't you see this nice, pretty office?"

But all kidding aside, she says their smiles are worth every penny. The doctor says parents should only give their children milk and water, never let them sleep with a bottle or sippy cup and limit snacking and sugary foods.

She also says you should brush and floss their teeth as soon as they appear.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Teen Pregnancies are up

FROM NBC: After years of decline, the number of teen pregnancies in the U.S. rose in 2006. The question now is why -- and whether this increase signals a new, disturbing trend.

The teen years are a time of firsts -- first car, first love... and increasingly, first child. Heather Boonstra from the Guttmacher Institute said, "The teen pregnancy rates have actually jumped for the first time in the last few decades." A sexual and reproductive health think-tank called the Guttmacher Institute has released data that show the number of pregnant teens rose 3-percent in 2006. That's a reversal from sharp declines of more than 40-percent seen during the 1990's.

"That progress really came to a halt in the 2000s." The Institute's Heather Boonstra says a focus on abstinence-only sex education in the 2000's simply didn't work, and suggests adding birth control 101 to sex ed.

Heather Boonstra, Guttmacher Institute "Programs that teach about both actually show to help teens delay sexual activity, help them to have fewer sexual partners, and help them to use contraceptives more consistently."

Advocates for the abstinence-only programs say it's too simplistic to blame their message for the increase in teen pregnancies -- and instead cite a bombardment of the wrong messages from the media and pop culture... and no message at all from many parents who may be reluctant to talk about sex with their teens.

The new numbers echo previous data from the CDC, which found an uptick in the number of teens not only getting pregnant -- but carrying babies to full term. Heather Boonstra, Guttmacher Institute "An increase in teen birth rates could either mean that fewer teens are getting abortions, or it means that there are more pregnancies overall, and what this data show is that there are more pregnancies overall."

Indeed - the Guttmacher report also shows a 1-percent increase in teen abortions in 2006. The CDC is expected to release additional teen pregnancy data later this spring.

I find this alarming. What is going on? Is it cool or acceptable to be pregnant in high school these days? Why do you think more teenagers are getting pregnant?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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A possible reason for Infertility

I have several friends who had or are having trouble conceiving. I have no idea if this pertains to their situation, but I try to post infertility related stories when I see them. It is becoming so common!

FROM NBC: Exposure to flame retardants used in popular household items may hinder a woman's ability to conceive. Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley studied blood samples from over 200 pregnant women.

They were looking for PBDE chemicals, which are flame retardants used in foam furniture, plastics and electronics. They found women with the highest levels of these chemicals were 50 percent less likely to conceive in a given month than women with low levels.

All of the women in the study eventually became pregnant... researchers hope to expand their research to include infertile women to see if PBDEs may play a role.

The women included in the study were mostly young, mexican immigrants who lived in an agricultural community.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Ewe! Dirty Soda

I don't know about you, but as a sleep deprived mom, I need a jolt of caffeine here and there. I have been depriving myself of the treat because I am breastfeeding. However, I am anxious to get a fountain soda as soon as the baby is done nursing. (not that you can't have caffeine while nursing. This baby just really seems to react to it.) After reading this story, I have no desire for fountain soda anytime soon! And why is it acceptable to have any poop in your soda? There has got to be something wrong with that law!

FROM NBC: Next time you use a fountain soda machine you may get more than you bargained for. A study of soda taken from thirty fountain machines in Roanoke, Virginia found nearly half of all beverages had coliform bacteria -- a group of bacteria indicative of fecal contamination.

Only 20 percent of the samples had higher than recommended levels of the bacteria, but experts say it could still be enough to cause an upset stomach. They tested the water and ice used in the machines and did not find bacteria. Experts suspect the plastic tubing inside the machines may be to blame -- they say it takes just one dirty hand to infect a nozzle, and the bacteria can spread throughout the soda fountain.

Restaurant owners are encouraged to flush the tubes once a month. Microbiologists say they are not surprised with the results, they say fecal matter contamination is more common than we think.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Ambidextrous and Mental Health

It is super cool to be able to use both hands equally. I am shocked to hear there might be something negative about it. It kind of irritates me! It should be a good thing!

FROM NBC: The ability to write with both hands equally well is a pretty cool talent -- but a new study links being ambidextrous with behavioral and mental health problems. The study from researchers in the U.K. looked at 7-thousand 8-year olds.

Then followed up with them at age 16. Compared to their right-handed peers -- ambidextrous children were twice as likely to have difficulty with language and school performance during their teen years. They were also more likely to have symptoms of ADHD. There's no right yet answer on the cause for this connection. Doctors say there's still a lot of research left to do. According to the researchers, about 1 in every 100 people is ambidextrous.

BTW-I am interviewing a nationally known doctor next week on diets for ADHD kids. I will post the information on the blog when I get a chance. I am really excited to get some tips. My oldest doesn't have ADHD, but I think he has ADHD tendencies.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Do kids absorb vitamins?

We have discussed whether or not it is necessary to give kids vitamins a couple times on this blog. Some say it's a waste of money. Others say it is a security blanket for picky eaters. I saw this question and answer on CNN. I thought, if you do want to give your kids vitamins, this is some good information about which ones to choose.

FROM CNN:
"I've heard a lot about vitamins and supplements passing through the body unabsorbed, especially when in pill form. I've also heard that this can be a more common problem with low-cost and generic versions, even though the ingredient list is identical. My solution lately has been to crush the pill to powder and down it with some milk. Does this solve the problem or is there something inherent in cheaper supplements that inhibits absorption?" Dr. Melina Jampolis said: This is an interesting question that brings up several important points. First of all, price or brand do not necessarily determine the quality of a vitamin supplement. An independent testing lab, consumerlabs.com, found that several higher priced vitamins were among the worst offenders in terms of contaminants or not having the vitamin levels stated on the label. In my opinion, the best solution would be to go with a brand that carries the seal of USP or NSF, two nonprofit organizations that certify that vitamins are contaminant free and made according to good manufacturing practices. If products don't carry the seal, this does not necessarily mean that they are inferior; they may simply be untested so if they are made by a reputable company, they are most likely safe and well made.

While crushing pills may ensure that they break down appropriately in the stomach, taking them with milk is not great idea, as milk may interfere with the absorption of some of the nutrients in a multivitamin such as iron. Taking them with juice is a better idea, as the acid and vitamin C in juice may help with the absorption. Taking a vitamin supplement with a meal is the best approach as many of the vitamins and minerals are better absorbed by the body in the presence of fat and protein.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Valentine’s Day is a click away at SoderstromSkinInstitute.com. Purchase Skin Dimensions gift cards online in any dollar amount, and E-mail them directly to your loved ones or print them and hand deliver this Valentine’s Day! Skin Dimensions gift cards may also be purchased at Skin Dimensions Boutique inside the Shoppes at Grand Prairie and at Skin Dimensions Day Spa on Glen. Pamper the ones you love with the gift you know they’ll use and LOVE YOU for giving…Skin Dimensions Gift Cards!