Stem cells and stem cell research have always been steeped in controversy mainly because the earliest source of stem cells discovered was the human embryo. This led to strong resistance against stem cell research based on ethical, moral, and religious grounds. Over the years, new, less controversial sources of stem cells have been identified, including:

• bone marrow
• umbilical cord
• skin
• breast milk
• fat tissue
• menstrual blood

Recently, Brazilian researchers have reported about another potential – and “politically correct” – source of stem cells – discarded Fallopian tubes.

The Fallopian tubes are the tubes that “catch” the eggs from the ovaries, to be transported to the uterus. Sometimes the tubes have to be removed surgically, an intervention called salpingectomy. In many cases, it is performed in connection with oophorectomy (removal of the ovary) and/or hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) in women with cervical or breast cancer. The researchers found abundant immature cells in Fallopian tubes during surgery, cells which can potentially develop into bones, muscles, and other organs.

Stem cell research is cutting edge technology in the quest for curing many diseases, from cancer, to cardiovascular disorders, to neurodegenerative diseases. Identifying more “ethical” sources of stem cells can give this field of research a boost and hopefully produce results. Currently, a few stem cell-based therapies are undergoing clinical trials.

Hysterectomy is a surgical procedure wherein the uterus of a woman is removed completely. This intervention is usually performed in women with cervical cancer. About 600,000 hysterectomies are performed in the US each year and about 50% of these also include oophorectomy, which is the removal of the ovaries. The reason why surgeons tend to remove the ovaries as well is preemptive – to prevent the development of ovarian cancer.

However, a recent review of clinical studies indicate that this intervention is actually unnecessary, even unbeneficial to the health of the patient that it is supposed to protect.

Once the ovaries are removed, premature menopause sets in. Under such circumstances, women who are at premenopausal age are placed under hormone replacement therapy which, in recent years, has been linked to many health problems.

However, when the ovaries are left alone, they will continue to produce female hormones that provide protection from many of these problems including heart disease, stroke and age-related disorders such as osteoporosis and dementia.

Another advantage of leaving the ovaries in place is the fact that young women can still have children even if they don’t have a uterus. They can still produce eggs which can then be fertilized and implanted in a surrogate mother’s womb.

There are of course women who have high risks for ovarian cancer and for them, this oophorectomy might be necessary. But for a large of number of premenopausal women, ovary removal is not justified, the study says.

Sources:

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jul 16;(3):CD005638

MedicineNet.com, 18 July 2008

When you make the decision to have no more kids, you have plenty of different options on how you can make sure that you won’t wind up pregnant again. There are surgeries for both women and men that will effectively end the chances of another pregnancy, but before you jump into something permanent you should consider a few things:

1. Are you sure? Post-pregnancy hormones can make you say and do a lot of wacky things, and I know from personal experience that I uttered the words, “I’m never doing this again” more than once just because I was so incredibly tired. If you think there may be a chance that you’ll want another baby someday down the road, don’t take any drastic steps.
2. Are you both sure? If you are in a committed relationship, this should be a mutual decision. One person shouldn’t bully the other person into ending the baby-making. It should be something that you both agree upon.
3. Are you quite young? I knew that I was done with having babies after my second child, but by that point I was already in my thirties. Had I made the same decision in my early twenties I may have had to convince my doctors that yes, I was absolutely sure of this decision. As you get older life is inevitably going to change, and so will your wants and desires. If you’re relatively young then you may want to hold off on anything permanent.
4. Talk to your doctor. There may be a bunch of different options available to you, some of which may be semi-permanent yet completely reversible if necessary. After all, there is more to this than vasectomies and hysterectomies.

Keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with making a decision to not have any more kids. It can be a painful decision, but if you’re anything like me you will also find it to be quite liberating.