oneworldlive_host: Hi and thanks for arriving early
oneworldlive_host: Today we have our first One World Live Presents...Celebrity and Expert Chats
oneworldlive_host: Today's topic is "Having Babies After 35: Is it Already Too Late?
oneworldlive_host: We will be joined by Oscar and Emmy Award Nominated Actress Melanie Griffith
oneworldlive_host: Melanie at age 43 is trying to bebecome pregnant with her 4th child
oneworldlive_host: We will also be joined by Dr. Judith Reichman
oneworldlive_host: Dr. Reichman is a renowned fertility expert, author and a TODAY Show Medical correspondent
oneworldlive_host: After the age of 35, the chances of conceiving a child naturaly start to diminish
oneworldlive_host: By age 40 the odds are really against you
oneworldlive_host: Today's chat will include a frank discussion of Melanie's personal efforts to become pregnant
oneworldlive_host: Dr. Reichman will also discuss the medical facts, new treatments, choices and options surrounding trying to get pregnant after 35
oneworldlive_screener: what great information
oneworldlive_host: Please feel free to start submitting your questions now
oneworldlive_host: You will also want to check out www.oneworldlive.com
oneworldlive_host: OneWorldLive is sponsoring today's chat as part of the OneWorldLive Presents Chat series
oneworldlive_host: More information about this subject featuring Melanie and Dr. Reichman is available at www.oneworldlive.com
oneworldlive_host: FACTOID: Did you know that women are born with 7 million eggs and only have 400 thousand left at puberty?
oneworldlive_host: Yahoo wants me to remind you no spamming or obscenity or email addresses, last names or phone numbers
oneworldlive_host: Type your questions in the "Ask a Question" space at the bottom of the screen
oneworldlive_host: Melanie will be joining us today from Spain
oneworldlive_host: She is there celebrating her birthday with her husband, Antonio Banderas, and her family
oneworldlive_host: Melanie will be seen shortly in the new John Waters film, CECIL B.DEMENTED
oneworldlive_host: Check it out
oneworldlive_host: You can also check out Melanie's Official Website, www.melaniegriffith.com
oneworldlive_host: FACTOID: You can get pregnant if you have intercourse before you ovulate...but NOT after
oneworldlive_host: For those just arriving, Welcome to Having Babies After 35
oneworldlive_host: The Official chat starts at noon but we are taking questions now
oneworldlive_host: Factoid: If you are between 35 and 40 try to conceive on your own for 6 months
oneworldlive_host: If unsuccessful see your gynecologist
oneworldlive_host: after 40, don't wait more than 3 or 4 months
oneworldlive_host: Dr. Reichman is the author of such books as "I'm Too Young to get Old: Health Care for Women after 40
oneworldlive_host: and, "Relax, This Wont Hurt: Painless answers to Women's Health Questions
oneworldlive_host: Dr. Reichman makes complicated issues understandable so be sure to direct questions to her also
oneworldlive_host: We know you will enjoy this frank discussion of Melanie's personal efforts to conceive after 40
oneworldlive_host: as well as benefit from the straight talk and facts from Dr. Reichman
oneworldlive_melanie: hi everybody!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Hi, this is Doctor Judith Reichman and i'm delighted to be here with you today! :D Here's to babies after 35!
oneworldlive_melanie: thanks for coming today
oneworldlive_host: Dr. Reichman will cut through the mass of confusing information and gfive you the straight scientific facts on having late in life babies
oneworldlive_host: We have some great questions so we are going to get started
lisajax1 asks: Melanie, how long have you been trying to conceive with Antonio?
oneworldlive_melanie: for the past year
oneworldlive_melanie: I've been going to Dr. Danzer, who is one of the best fertility doctors in America, since last February
terryann25 asks: In today's society it is not as unusual for women over 35 to have babies, so why is there such controversy?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: after the age of 35, it becomes progressively more difficult to both conceive and have a healthy baby.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: so many of us are putting off having babies, for careers, and to lose weight. As us baby boomers face these issues, we wonder what we can do, and do it now.
oneworldlive_melanie: I've started with taking some pills cdalled clomid
oneworldlive_melanie: I did that for two months
oneworldlive_melanie: Then Dr. Danzer put me on some injections which I had to put in my stomach myself
oneworldlive_melanie: I did that for two months
rdashnay asks: Melanie, first off, I would like to congratulate you on your emmy nomination for RKO 281. This type of recognition is long over due!! I was wondering if you would ever adopt a child like your friends Sharon Stone and Rosie O' Donnell have?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: and a translation of what that is....
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: The Clomid is a pill that fools the pituitary gland in our brains into thinking we're not putting out estrogen.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: So the pituitary "pours out" a hormone called FSH and makes the ovary do it's thing; that is...ovulate
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: the shots was the FSH itself.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: And it's not given directly into the stomach -- that sounds really gross! -- but under the skin with a teensy needle.
oneworldlive_melanie: Judith, you're making it sound really sweet and easy
oneworldlive_melanie: It's a really tiny needle, but its not pretty
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: after the FSH causes the ovary to put out eggs....hopefully many....a second shot that Melanie took was HCG. [That] gets those eggs released and ready to be fertilized by, we hope, potent sperm.
oneworldlive_melanie: I want to go back to the question on adoption...
oneworldlive_melanie: Absolutely! Antonio and I have discussed that if we can't conceive
oneworldlive_melanie: we absolutely will adopt
oneworldlive_melanie: Actually, Rosie and Sharon are two of my closest friends
oneworldlive_melanie: and I knew about the adoption before it came out all over the newspapers
oneworldlive_melanie: it was very interesting how she kept it very private
oneworldlive_melanie: because that becomes a whole other thing when you're a celebrity...
oneworldlive_melanie: ...trying to be a regular Joe and keep everything private
oneworldlive_melanie: I know Sharon was trying to protect her baby from any sort of ramifications
geoffgolfing asks: Is it safe to have a baby after 40?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: There's no question that as we get older we DO have to deal with more problems. Miscarriage rates increase and by 45 can reach 50% [of all pregnancies]
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Also there is a higher risk of having a baby with a chromosone abnormalty such as Down's Syndrone.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: At 40 years, this risk is 1% and at 45....over 3%
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: There is also an increased risk for diabetes and high blood pressure, bleeding, early delivery, and having a small baby.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: But having said all these scary facts, on the whole, once a woman reaches her second trimester, and everything looks ok....if she gets good prenatal care, her chances of having a healthy baby are excellent!
oneworldlive_host: Today's chat is sponsored by www.oneworldlive.com where you can get additional information about this subject from Melanie and Dr. Reichman
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: :D
rdashnay asks: Melanie, how has trying to have another baby affected your marriage?
oneworldlive_melanie: ummm, I think it's brought us even closer
oneworldlive_melanie: Every time I get my period it's a time of great sadness
oneworldlive_melanie: Even so, my beautiful husband comforts me and says,
oneworldlive_melanie: 'Don't worry we'll keep trying, we'll just keep going'
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: That is sweet, isn't it?
rosaliebarnes asks: Does birth control have an adverse effect on your likelihood to get pregnant after you stop taking it?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: if you're on the Pill and stop, it's out of your system almost immediately.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: You don't need a 'washout' period in which you have to wait in order to try and get pregnant.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Also if an IUD is removed, you should be fine to go straight ahead and try to conceive. It will take longer to get the contraception out of your system if you've been taking shots like Depoprovera...
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: and/or have had Norplant Contraception.
greatore2000 asks: does smoking reduce your chances to have a baby after 35?
oneworldlive_melanie: is that the one that goes in your arm?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: yes
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: re: smoking : Smoking is toxic to every organ in your body, including your ovaries!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: It destroys the follicles or eggs, lowers hormone production, and....
oneworldlive_melanie: it does?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: it causes earlier menopause by an average of TWO YEARS!
oneworldlive_melanie: oh, my god!!!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: So we're not just talking bad for your lungs or heart, we're talking BAD for your ability have future children!
oneworldlive_melanie: well...
oneworldlive_melanie: I think I'm going to have to quit smoking!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: YAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! :D
oneworldlive_melanie: I honestly didn't know any of that
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: I'm so glad I was here with you today ;P
oneworldlive_melanie: If people will quit with me, I'll quit with them!!!
raemarlo asks: How does a previous miscarriage affect conceiving later?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: So many pregnancies miscarry. It's amazing.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: We think anywhere from 25-30% of all pregnancies don't even develop
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: having ONE miscarriage probably means nothing, and actually, having two may not be that significant.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: But if you have three or more, you SHOULD go see your doctor and have special tests to make sure there is nothing wrong with the anatomy of your uterus or that you dont have some mild choromosone problem that causes the miscarry
melanie_fan asks: Do the fertility drugs make you moody or more emotional?
oneworldlive_melanie: The fertility drugs make me become a female Godzilla!
oneworldlive_melanie: Everyone in my house was afraid to say good morning to me
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: ;)
oneworldlive_melanie: If you looked at me the wrong way, a number of things could occur...
oneworldlive_melanie: either an attack of emotional tears
oneworldlive_melanie: or deathly silence
oneworldlive_melanie: And it was something I could not control.
a_touch_of_class1 asks: How costly are the treatments?
oneworldlive_melanie: the only thing I could do was count to ten and remember I was the one who was tempororily insane
oneworldlive_melanie: and not the rest of the world

sweetlilthng_99 asks: is there a chance of a tubal reversal after 35, and what are the chances of conceiving?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Re; Cost
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: ...
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: The shots that Melanie received cost $60 an ampule.
trixie9796 asks: Dr. Reichman - I am 32 years old - have been trying for one year - w/ no success. I was diagnosed w/ ovarian cancer at 18 and lost one ovary and one fallopian tube. I have had one etopic pregancy (at 25) I had an HSG performed a year ago and was good to go. Since we have learned my husband has good motility but a low count - What are our odds? And how aggressivly should we approach this?!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: She needed between 2 and 6 ampules a day for 8 days...
oneworldlive_melanie: it was about a $300 a day habit
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: And IF the IVF is performed, in which the eggs are retrieved or harvested, and sperm are injected into the eggs for fertilization, and then this is placed back into the uterus... the cost runs between $ 8500 and $ 10,000 a cycle.
oneworldlive_melanie: really?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: unforunately.... only 20% of insurance companies cover some part of this, and many have a cap of $25,000
oneworldlive_melanie: why would the price range like that?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: It depends on if you're in New York or the rest of the country! The reason of the cost is the drugs.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Then you need ultrasounds, expensive blood tests to check hormone levels, and a specialist called an Embryologists who puts the egg and sperm together to grow in sterile conditions...
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: And then you need an expert to place this back into the uterus. These labs employ a lot of people, use expensive equipment, and expensive medications.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Re : tubal reversal
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: If the tubes were EASILY reversed, and that usually requires opening the abdomen and using special microscopes trying to put the tubes together, it's definitely a place for an expert...your chance of conceiving is about 50% but you also have as much as an 8-10% of having a tubal pregnancy.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Also, the older you are, the lower your chances of conceiving on your own, even if your tubes are ok.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: If you are in your 20's the chance of getting pregnant the month you try, when you're ovulating, is 25%
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: When you're in your 30's, it's 15%
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: (sorry, 20% at 30)
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: 15% at 35
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: and 10% at 40
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: After 45... it's less than 2% each month you try!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: :(

bwana_98 asks: Melanie, how do you deal with the anxiety of the increased chance of having a handicapped baby?
oneworldlive_melanie: I don't think about it very much
oneworldlive_melanie: except for smoking I'm very healthy
oneworldlive_melanie: and I pray to God every day that I have a healthy baby
oneworldlive_melanie: when I had Alexander 15 years ago I was just as scared then
oneworldlive_melanie: as I am now. You can't help it, it's something you never know.
oneworldlive_melanie: so I think the best thing to do is pray and believe you are creating a very healthy baby
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: the wonderful thing about our modern world of medicine, is that we can also test to ensure that at least major abnormalities are not there.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: We can check to make sure the chromosomes are ok, and the pregnancy is not a Down's Syndrome pregnancy, with either CVS done at 10 weeks or amnioscentisis done at 16 weeks. We also have blood tests that can pick up neural tube defects, such as spinabifida, and we have amazing ultrasounds --even in 3D -- that can look for everything from cleft palates to abnormal heart development
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Today, when a doctor says to a woman that her baby looks great.....he or she usually means it!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: :)

geniz_hernandez1 asks: Mel, why do you want another child?
oneworldlive_melanie: Because I love children more than anything in th whole world
oneworldlive_melanie: and I would like to have two children with my husband
oneworldlive_melanie: Because when I said I wanted to have another baby he said that meant he would be the only man I had two children with
oneworldlive_melanie: I would have 3 or 4 with him if I could get pregnant
oneworldlive_melanie: having twins would be great!

wehrlegirl99 asks: Congratulations on all your success! How do you cope with the disappointment you feel when you get your period and you are not pregnant?
oneworldlive_melanie: I just cry...I mean it's a feeling of almost "am I not a woman anymore?"
oneworldlive_melanie: "is all of my female essence, that one needs to have a child...is that gone?"
oneworldlive_melanie: I feel inadequate, like a failure. All of these feeling go through my head
oneworldlive_melanie: But then I pick myself back up and try again
oneworldlive_melanie: The day before yesterday I crashed on my bicycle. I crashed very hard because I was going very fast,
oneworldlive_melanie: trying to pull my garage door clicker out of the pocket in my bicycle
oneworldlive_melanie: I hit a speed bump and landed on my head. Antonio took me to the hospital.
oneworldlive_melanie: When I had to take an x-ray
oneworldlive_melanie: they asked me if there was a possibility that I was pregnant
oneworldlive_melanie: so I said, yes...so they did a pregnancy test
oneworldlive_melanie: and it was negative...it's hard...it's really hard.
oneworldlive_melanie: It feels like so...it's just hard.
oneworldlive_melanie: So Antonio and I had a little moment of just trying to be okay.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: In the years I've been involved in this, I've come to the conclusion that we sort of poo poo [emotions] in fertility and say it's not a medical problem. It's a kind of cancer of the soul.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Just like I feel that miscarriage causes significant mourning for my patients, so does getting an unwanted period.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: And the only wonderful aspect of having seen medicine progress to where it is today, is that I now know that we can help more women rejoice in their soul because they are getting pregnant when in the past, they were told to forget it.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Just so you know, if you get to the point where you go through IVF in your age group, there is about a 16% chance of success vs. that awful 2% chance per cycle I gave you at the beginning of the chat.

nellieadele asks: Dr Reichman, do you recommend freezing ones eggs after 40?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: So get yourself back to the States and get going!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: It's the media that has made a big to do about a handful of babies born from frozen eggs.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: It's still entirely experimental!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: And our success rates with freezing have more to do with sfreezing and storing sperm, or freezing embryoes...i.e. fertilized eggs.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Right now...this is really not an option.
rostmi asks: Melanie, the ability to have a baby does not define a woman. You are fantastic!
oneworldlive_melanie: Thanks for the support, you guys!
sweetfemalejuice_2000 asks: what age is too old for a man to have a baby?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Mmy comment is first they have to GROW UP! ;P--
oneworldlive_melanie: Look at Tony Randall
oneworldlive_dr_reichman:-- and that could take forever.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: But some new information just came out that male fertility actually decreases from the age of 24!
oneworldlive_melanie: It decreases?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: However, we know that sperm can penetrate an egg in men who are in their 60s or even 70s.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: We are slightly concerned about chromosomal problems and most docs will suggest genetic testing if the father is over the age of 55.
oneworldlive_melanie: Does Viagra affect sperm in any way?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: What Viagra has done is allow men who couldn't have erections or ejaculations to get there
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: so in some ways it hasincreased their ability to get women pregnant.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Please note, many insurance companies pay for Viagra but will not pay for birth control...
oneworldlive_host: For more info on this subject featuring Melanie and Dr. Reichman log onto www.oneworldlive.com all this week and next. Dr. Reichman's best-selling books on Woman's Health Issues are available through www.oneworldlive.com
bertie_wooster4000 asks: As you contemplate new motherhood, does it cause you to look at your career differently?
oneworldlive_melanie: Everything is causing me to look at my career differently...
oneworldlive_melanie: I have three children now, and I would love to have three more children
oneworldlive_melanie: I am constantly working on balancing my life
oneworldlive_melanie: and I think that if you have your priorities straight--
oneworldlive_melanie: -- I mean for me, my priorities are my husband, my children then my work
virgo20_28715 asks: MELANIE WHAT MADE U DECIDE TO COME ON A CHAT LINE AND DISCUSS THIS PERSONAL ISSUE WITH OTHER PEOPLE
oneworldlive_melanie: In hopes that I could help somebody
oneworldlive_melanie: If I can help one person by this chat
oneworldlive_melanie: If I can get one person to change their point of view
oneworldlive_melanie: and be open to going to the doctor and getting some advice
oneworldlive_melanie: then it will be worth the entire hour and all the effort
wilson9907302 asks: Are there any differences in racial groups as far having difficulties in conceiving?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Fertility and infertility know no racial bounds.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: We all have the same issues and problems when it comes to getting pregnant.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: ...

lisajax1 asks: Does alcohol play a part in not being able to conceive?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: In addition to my dire warning about smoking, women trying to get pregnant should not be having alcohol or caffeine
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Both of which may decrease fertility and also compromise the pregnancy.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: I discussed all the do's and dont's for each woman who wants to get pregnant in ALL AGES (20-40's) in my book..."RELAX THIS WONT HURT"
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: It's available online in fact, at oneworldlive.com
oneworldlive_melanie: I just talked to Catherine Zeta Jones last night...
oneworldlive_melanie: She went into labor at 9:00 in the morning and she had her baby at 6:00 at night
oneworldlive_melanie: She is so happy and she had a wonderful birth
oneworldlive_melanie: She said, "oh, my God why didn't anyone tell me how much it hurt!"
wilson9907302 asks: Doctor, could you please talk about stress and pressure and how that could hinder having a baby?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Our world is full of stress and pressure, but when we are trying to get pregnant it may be one of the worst stresses we've ever endured.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Ask anyone who's gone thru these shots or in vitro.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Many fertility centers have on-call psychologists to help women deal with this and it may indeed be just as important to address the psychological issues you go through as well as giving the drugs to attain the pregnancy.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: There's one more thing I want to add.
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: At some point, I have found that many women are into the RUN to get pregnant and forget about the very long walk of raising a child afterward. What each woman needs to ask herself if her goal is the Instant Success, or a Longterm one of Raising the child.
ncwiz10 asks: Melanie- In your opinion, what age is too old to have children?
oneworldlive_melanie: I think that's really up to the individual
oneworldlive_melanie: I don't know if a woman at sixty would want to take on having a child
oneworldlive_melanie: I heard a woman had a child at 62...is that right Judith?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: yes, that's right!
oneworldlive_melanie: I think that's fabulous
oneworldlive_melanie: I'm 43 and I'm ready, willing and, hopefully, able to have another child
oneworldlive_melanie: But if I want another child at 63, my child would probably be younger than my grandchild...
oneworldlive_melanie: that would be weird..Judith, what do you think?
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Having raised my two kids and seeing that it NEVER Ends...I now feel that if I were to try and start all over again, I'd have to be committed!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: But I do have two great children, the youngest 21, and I have 4 stepkids!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: We've contributed to society enough!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: :D
oneworldlive_host: Unfortunately we are about out of time today. We had a great response and obviously didnt have a chance to answer all the great questions
oneworldlive_host: Melanie and Dr. Reichman will post some additional answers at www.oneworldlive.com
oneworldlive_melanie: In the next few days, come to my web site www.melaniegriffith.com or www.oneworldlive.com and visit the message boards
oneworldlive_melanie: I'll keep updating my progress
oneworldlive_melanie: I also want you to be aware of a very special Yahoo auction that I'm supporting for one of my favorite charities
oneworldlive_melanie: Go to auctions at yahoo.com and look for the Melanie auction in the Charity section.
oneworldlive_melanie: I contributed an incredible beaded Versace gown that I wore at Donatella Versace's first Paris showing, valued at over $25,000
oneworldlive_melanie: When I last looked, the bid was still under $1,000, so check it out!
oneworldlive_host: Thank you Melanie for your candor today
oneworldlive_melanie: My hope in doing this chat is to help other people to not be afraid to discuss this issue
oneworldlive_melanie: that it's not a bad thing, that it's okay to talk about it
oneworldlive_melanie: that it doesn't mean you're less of a woman
oneworldlive_melanie: in talking to Dr. Reichman that there is hope and that there's a lot of people in the same situation
oneworldlive_host: Thank you Dr. Reichman for helping make these complicated issues understandable
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: Melanie's advice is great. If at first you don't succeed, get yourself a good expert!
oneworldlive_dr_reichman: :D
oneworldlive_host: and thank you all, from www.oneworldlive.com