Fertility advocate/author Julia Indichova weighs in on the current debate sparked by Giuliana Rancic's breast cancer diagnosis in the midst of fertility treatments
WOODSTOCK, N.Y., Oct. 26, 2011 — "TV personality Giuliana Rancic's breast cancer might have been triggered by a number of potential biological markers. To suggest that it's clearly a direct consequence of her IVF treatments would be drawing misleading conclusions," says fertility advocate and author (Inconceivable; The Fertile Female) Julia Indichova. She explains that overall research on the link between ovulation induction and cancer remains inconsistent: Although a 2009 Jerusalem Perinatal Study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology — examining data from 15,030 women who gave birth between 1974 and 1976 — showed a 36% increased risk of developing cancer at any site among women who received treatment, more recent studies fail to support such findings.
Still, Giuliana's fertility story and the stories of other high profile women like Liz Tilberis, the late editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, Saturday Night Live comedienne Gilda Radner and Elizabeth Edwards — all of whom died of either ovarian or breast cancer after multiple cycles of ovulations induction — call for a fertility game-changer toward more sustainable reproductive healthcare. A more meaningful public debate about the nature and root causes of infertility might be a good place to start.
Says Indichova, "If your car begins to break down, chances are you will take it in for repair, rather than force it into higher performance. Doesn't the body deserve similar attention? Wouldn't it make more sense to first address the underlying medical problems that might've triggered a woman's inability to conceive, rather than force the body into doing what it may not be ready for?"
Pioneering a whole-person fertility journey nearly eighteen years ago, Julia Indichova authored Inconceivable, the first book about infertility written from a patient's point of view in 1997. The book — featured on Oprah and Good Morning America and hailed by Library Journal as "an important consumer health resource" — became one of the most popular fertility narratives of recent decades. It documents Indichova's battle with a diagnosis of "hopeless secondary infertility," her health-enhancing healing regime and the consequent birth of her second child conceived naturally at the age of 43.
In 1997, Julia founded http://www.fertileheart.com, a global online community offering support and resources on health-enhancing approaches to fertility. Over the last 15 years, she has shared her story through experiential workshops that are now endorsed by leading specialists in reproductive endocrinology. Hundreds of women from all over the US, Canada and Europe have traveled to the Fertile Heart™ studio in Upstate New York, and/or have participated in Indichova's New York City support groups or international fertility-support webinars.
Louise Lawson and Jana O'Brien are two of the many, many lucky moms who were able to defy the odds by implementing the ideas of the Fertile Heart™ philosophy. After four failed IVF treatments and a dire prognosis, Lawson attended the Fertile Heart™ workshop and conceived naturally at the age of 44. Jana O'Brien searched for alternatives after 2 failed IVF's and also conceived a healthy baby boy shortly after attending Julia Indichova's full-day program.
Giuliana Rancic says her unborn child saved her life. The subtitle of The Fertile Female, Julia Indichova's second book, is "How the Power of Longing for a Child Can Save Your Life and Change the World." Indichova says, "There are many ways our unborn children could be saving our lives. Mostly they're asking us to stop, take a breath and make sure the next step we take isn't guided by desperation or a need to silence the body's call for help."
- Members of the media are invited to attend Julia Indichova's workshops and her support groups in New York City, or call in to the international teleconferences.
- Julia Indichova, former clients, as well as fertility specialists endorsing Julia's work, are available for interviews.
- Link to video clip of Julia's workshop and testimonials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V5TPCCaPuI
"Cultures change because of the courage of individuals. Julia Indichova is one of those individuals." — Christiane Northrup, M.D., bestselling author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom
Contact:
Fern Marcya Edison, Publicity, http://www.fertileheart.com
845.679.5469
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