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Foreword
Reproductive failure and repeated
pregnancy loss is devastating for the patients involved.
The devastation is emotional, physical and financial
and can mean the loss of valuable ovarian time for
the patient, and frustration and disappointment for
the practitioners involved.
There is always a reason for any pregnancy
loss and this book very eloquently lays out the standard
testing. Dr Alan Beer then examines and categorizes
what can be done in the so-called unexplained, and
by inference "hopeless," cases. Once the usual factors
like chromosomal abnormalities, uterine defects, infections
and the hormonal milieu have been excluded, this book
speaks to a group of patients who still have unexplained
loss.
The immune system is at the center
of who we are. It protects us against infections and
abnormal cells that can in some cases become malignant.
Many patients with cancers previously labeled terminal
and untreatable are now being treated by inducing
a favorable immune response to markers derived from
the actual tumors themselves.
It amazes me how long it has taken
fertility practitioners to make the connection between
recurrent failed treatment and recurrent loss, and
the immune mechanism of attack - given the fact that
the implanting embryo is genetically different from
the mother or carrier. Something almost magical happens
to prevent rejection of this graft in the vast majority
of pregnancies. For a small group of patients, this
magical event does not happen and we are left with
immune attack and thrombosis, which either prevents
implantation or causes loss or inadequate intrauterine
nutrition.
Dr Alan Beer has devoted his life
to the investigation and treatment of recurrent failed
treatment and pregnancy loss. I have had the privilege
of knowing him and treating patients with him for
almost 15 years.
In this book, he seeks rational explanations
and lays out modalities of treatment which have helped
thousands of patients who previously had been given
no hope, to receive the precious gift of Parenthood.
Christo Zouves, M.D.
Medical Director
Zouves Fertility Center
Daly City, California
Preface
Infertility, recurrent
pregnancy loss and IVF failure might not be a matter
of chance - your immune system may be the cause.
The worst feeling for
most women, after the physical pain of miscarriage
and the emotional anguish of an assisted conception
failure have long passed, is that of sheer hopelessness.
With no answers to be found and no prospect of achieving
a healthy pregnancy, many sink into total depression.
Living without hope is a soul-destroying existence.
The months and the years pass by. Time may heal, but
the doubts and questions remain: Why has this happened?
What went wrong? Was it my fault?
Having investigated the
area for more than 25 years, Dr Alan E. Beer has uncovered
explanations for previously "unexplained" infertility,
IVF (in vitro fertilization) failure and pregnancy
loss. He has treated over 7,000 couples, and through
his pioneering program has achieved pregnancy success
rates of more than 85% within three natural cycles
or IVF attempts.
Averaging just over 36
years old, his patients could be considered the "no
hopers" of the reproductive populace, having endured
around four failed IVF cycles or pregnancy losses
that have been deemed "unexplained" (or idiopathic)
by mainstream medical practitioners. These are not
young women with relatively minor problems (who would
be more likely to boost success rates), but the battle-weary
survivors of years of infertility treatments who have
usually tried every conventional and alternative therapy;
yet they still manage to achieve success with Dr Beer's
program.
His patients are often
self-referred, having discovered Dr Beer through a
combination of frustration and determination - unable
to accept that no one can explain why they cannot
have a baby, or help them overcome their difficulties.
In a way, they too have become pioneers, forging a
path through new medical territories and making the
journey easier for others to follow. Some have shared
their stories here to in- spire other women who may
be stuck in a hopeless void of unanswered questions.
Dr Beer has identified
five categories of immune problem that can cause pregnancy
loss, IVF failure and infertility. The logic behind
these theories is explained, as well as the way the
immune system works and how imbalances within it can
affect pregnancy outcome. It is then revealed how
these problems can be addressed by temporarily regulating
the immune response to make the body more "baby-friendly."
These discoveries will
finally put many minds at rest by providing answers
to the unanswered questions that can plague couples
experiencing reproductive failure. As Dr Beer says,
"The only way to live with infertility and loss is
to fill your mind with facts. You need to find out
what the problems are, and if they have a reasonably
good chance of being treated. Otherwise you sentence
yourself to an endless punishment of self-blame, sadness,
loss of hope and doubt."
For the first time ever,
this book provides evidence-based facts on a serious
human health concern that has so far been shrouded
in mystery and confusion. Never before has so much
scientific knowledge about pregnancy failure and the
immune system been made publicly available and written
in a way that can be generally understood.
This book represents
the work and the views of Dr Beer, whose contributions
have led to significant developments in the field
of reproductive immunology, now one of the most rapidly
expanding areas of biomedical science. New cutting-edge
treatments are just becoming available within mainstream
medicine and critics of this new science are becoming
increasingly silenced by the sheer weight of supportive
evidence.
For whatever the arguments
and controversies, there is one fact that nobody can
dispute: Dr Beer has succeeded where others have failed
and has enabled thousands of women all over the world
to realize a previously impossible dream - to love
and hold a baby of their own.
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