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Mandated IVF Coverage Would Reduce Likelihood Of High-Order Multiples, Opinion Piece Says
Federally mandated health insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization for women of childbearing age "could lower the extraordinary health care costs associated with the birth of triplets or more" and "even the reproductive odds, giving the middle-class and lower-income Americans access to treatment that is currently reserved for the well-off or the unusually well insured," according to a Washington Post opinion piece by Liza Mundy, a writer for the Post magazine and author of "Everything Conceivable: How Assisted Reproduction Is Changing Men, Women and the World." About one in eight U.S. couples experience infertility, defined as the inability to conceive within one year or to bring a pregnancy to term, Mundy writes. Infertility is about equally common among both sexes, though it is "possibly more common among the poor than among the rich, for the simple reason that the less money you have, the less likely you are to have had access to health care that could prevent serious consequences from relatively minor infections," according to Mundy. She adds that a low income does not prevent people from seeking infertility treatments -- "it just means that the treatment you get is more likely to saddle you with high-order multiples, whose care you are least likely to be able to afford."Mundy cites Jon and Kate Gosselin, the couple from TLC"s reality television show "Jon and Kate Plus 8," as an example of such a "scenario." According to Mundy, the Gosselins "were hardly affluent" and lived in Pennsylvania, "which like most states does not require insurers to cover IVF," when they sought infertility treatments. The Gosselins conceived a set of twins and, later, a set of sextuplets through intrauterine insemination, though the couple has said they had sought to have a singleton with the second pregnancy. The "good thing" about IUI is that it is "relatively cheap, a couple thousand dollars compared to the more than $10,000 average cost for a single round of IVF," Mundy writes. However, the "bad thing is that it"s notoriously hard to control how many eggs will be fertilized" compared with IVF, she continues. IUI carries a higher risk for ""unpreventable high-order multiple births,"" Mundy writes, citing a recent study on the procedure. In addition, infants "born as multiples are far more likely to be premature, the health risks to infants and mother are much greater, and the toll on parents for triplets or more -- "severe physical and psychological exhaustion" as one study put it -- is immense," Mundy states. Mundy writes that a recent study in the journal Fertility and Sterility found that it "often makes sense to bypass IUI/injections and go straight to IVF." The study found that couples who were "fast tracked" to IVF "got pregnant more quickly, and the overall price tag for both treatment and delivery was thousands of dollars lower in the IVF-only group," according to Mundy. The study also noted that IVF success rates have significantly improved over the past two decades, meaning that the procedure has become more effective than IUI. Mundy acknowledges that the "price tag for health care reform is already higher than anybody expected, so it"s probably unreasonable to think that it could include better insurance coverage for the millions of Americans who suffer from infertility." However, health insurance coverage for IVF "is hardly the big-ticket item you might think," she continues. A 2002 study on Massachusetts" mandated coverage found that "the rise in the annual premiums is really a matter of just a few dollars," Mundy writes. "Yet replicating Massachusetts around the country is a tall order because of the persistent public view that infertility is somehow not a legitimate disease, or that infertility patients are to blame for their plight," she says. Advocates for mandated IVF coverage "should work to make the long-term benefits clear: fewer high-order multiples, healthier children, less exhausted parents," according to Mundy. She concludes, "If sweeping health care refor
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World Medical Association Urges Sri Lankan President To Intervene On Behalf Of Government Doctors
The World Medical Association has urged the President of Sri Lanka to intervene on behalf of three government employed doctors, two of whom have been detained and the third taken to an unknown destination, after working in the conflict zone in Sri Lanka.
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Yale Scientists Develop 'Gas Gauge' To Prevent Pregnancy Loss
To combat the many fetal deaths that occur annually because the placenta is too small, researchers at Yale School of Medicine have developed a method to measure the volume of the placenta, which provides nourishment to the fetus.
Endocrinology

Bayer Unveils DIDGET(TM), The First And Only Blood Glucose Meter That Connects With The Nintendo DS(TM) Or DS(TM) Lite

Bayer Diabetes Care in the UK and Ireland today unveils "DIDGET(TM), the first and only blood glucose meter for kids with diabetes that connects directly to Nintendo DS(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM) Lite gaming systems. The DIDGET meter is designed to help kids manage this lifelong condition by rewarding them for building consistent blood glucose testing habits and meeting personalised glucose target ranges. "One of the biggest challenges facing parents of children with diabetes is the constant struggle to instil the habit of regular blood glucose testing that is critical for consistent diabetes management," says John Gregory, Professor in Paediatric Endocrinology, Wales School of Medicine, Cardiff University. "Bayer"s DIDGET meter can help ease the parent/child tension that testing often creates by adding an element of fun and rewards to the routine. Because it is designed with children in mind, Bayer"s DIDGET meter can transform a child"s blood glucose testing experience from something they have to do into something they want to do." Building on 40 years of experience, the company is now transforming how kids engage in their diabetes management by tapping into their existing passion for handheld gaming. Bayer"s DIDGET meter positively reinforces consistent testing habits by awarding points that kids can use to unlock new game levels and customise their gaming experience. "The DIDGET meter is a revolutionary development in healthcare management. Up until now, blood glucose monitors have been created with adults in mind," says Sandra Peterson, Head of Bayer Medical Care. "This product was inspired by a parent of a child with diabetes, to directly address the challenges facing kids with diabetes and their parents. Bayer"s DIDGET meter offers play with purpose to encourage kids to regularly monitor their blood glucose and begin to view regular testing as fun." The DIDGET meter, intended for use by kids aged 5-14, will also connect to Bayer"s DIDGET World (http://www.bayerdidget.co.uk), a new password-protected web community where kids can spend points that they earn from consistent monitoring practices and create their own page. Bayer"s DIDGET World is currently in development and will be available soon. Bayer"s DIDGET meter grows with a child"s ability to manage his/her diabetes, offering two testing levels, Basic and Advanced. Self monitoring blood glucose is an essential tool in the optimal management of childhood and adolescent diabetes. Self monitoring blood glucose should be prescribed at a frequency to optimise each child"s diabetes control because frequency of self monitoring blood glucose correlates with glycaemic control(1). Bayer"s DIDGET meter is based on Bayer"s trusted CONTOUR(R) system and uses the same technology and test strips, providing the same easy accuracy, No Coding(TM) technology, automatic correction for haematocrit and common interfering substances including maltose, 5 second test time, a small (0.6 microL) sample size and automatic detection of control solution. Bayer"s DIDGET meter comes with Knock "Em Downs(TM): World"s Fair which includes a full length adventure game and mini game arcade. Bayer"s DIDGET will be available soon. Visit http://www.bayerdidget.co.uk to find out more and register to be notified when Bayer"s DIDGET meter is available. Nintendo DS and DS Lite gaming systems are sold separately. Bayer Diabetes Care UK is working in partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in the UK and GBP5 from the sale of every meter will be donated to the JDRF. ÷  Diabetes in the UK An estimated 25,000 children under the age of 18 in the UK have diabetes(2). Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. In persons with type 1 diabetes, the body makes little or no insulin, and therefore people with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin for the rest of their lives (3). Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in adults, although increasingly, children are being diagnosed with this condition. Type 2 is associated with obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. In people with type 2 diabetes, the body doesn"t make enough insulin, or the body is unable to utilise the insulin effectively. There are many therapies available, including insulin, for people with type 2 diabetes(4). All people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes must carefully balance food, medications, and activity level to keep blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible in order to avoid long term complications of diabetes (5). References 1. Rewers M, Pihoker C, Donaghue K et al. Assessment and monitoring of glycemic control in children and adolescents with diabetes. Pediatric Diabetes 2007: 8: 408-418 2. JDRF UK 3. NHS:÷ Introduction ÷  4. NHS:÷ What is it? 5. NHS: Selfhelp Bayer HealthCare


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