Sorry. I didn’t forget my promise to read patent applications by Urobiologics. I kept this Saturday evening free just for this. DH and Selena are away to NY to see grands, phew! I couldn’t go, I’m on call.
Elle, glad to know that you got your alternating report on your PreGender samples. What’s up next?
Urobiologics has two patents as mentioned on their website. The first patent is complex and was over my head but the second one (Use of Female Mammal's Urine for Determination of Fetal Gender Related Characteristics - Patent application) got me interested. Out of so many formulae mentioned there I picked one to understand how they may be evaluating urine samples before and after pregnancy. Pay attention only to claims 1 and 36 of the application, placed below. Both are almost exactly same:
CLAIM 1: A method of determining the gender of an unborn child comprising the steps of: (a) measuring levels of testosterone (T), estrogens (E), progesterone (P) and gonadotropins (G) in a body fluid from a pregnant female; (b) calculating [E-(T+P+G)] as the difference between the level of estrogens (E) and the total levels of testosterone (T), progesterone (P) and gonadotropins (G); and (c) determining the gender of the unborn child to be male if the [E-(T+P+G)] value from step (b) ranges from about 300 to about 1,500, or to be female if the [E-(T+P+G)] value from step (b) ranges from about -10 to about -800.
CLAIM 36. A method of determining gender specific compatibility of an ovum released in a menstrual cycle for pre-conception baby gender planning comprising the steps of: (a) measuring levels of testosterone (T), estrogens (E), progesterone (P) and gonadotropins (G) in a body fluid from a non-pregnant female; (b) calculating [E-(T+P+G)] as the difference between the level of estrogens (E) and the total levels of testosterone (T), progesterone (P) and gonadotropins (G); and (c) determining the gender specific compatibility of the ovum released in the menstrual cycle to be male if the [E-(T+P+G)] value from step (b) ranges from about 300 to about 1,500, or to be female if the [E-(T+P+G)] value from step (b) ranges from about -10 to about -800.
What I understand now is this. If I find out the amounts of following hormones in my urine;
a) all the three estrogens (estradiol, estriol and estradiol),
b) Testosterone,
c) progesterone,
d) gonadotropins (i.e. FSH and LH before pregnancy & HcG after pregnancy)
e) and then calculate a value using formula (All the estrogens minus (T+P+gonadotropins), and if I get a positive number with a preconception sample then I have a boy cycle and same way if I get a positive number with a post-conception sample then I’m preggo with a boy. Similarly, if I get a negative number with a preconception sample then I have a girl cycle and if I get a negative number using a post-conception sample then I’m carrying a girl. (wondering why girls mostly get a negative rating, LOL)
f) May be that is the reason they concluded that if one conceives in say a boy phase, the same phase is locked and continues till the baby is delivered. No alternating cycles thereafter.
You got to read this MANTRA with cool head several times to get it. You may have to gallop several cups of coffee, LOL. I did 3.
Their observation that almost all women alternate in every cycle is amazing. That is what Dr. Varma showed me when we visited their place. Whatever limited medical knowledge I have so far, the only way it can alternate may be due to alternating ovulation from left and right ovary. I even searched literature on this and found mixed observations. Some scientists (Side of ovulation and cycle characteristics in normally fertile women) support alternating pattern whereas some don’t. As per this article, a company also evaluated hormone levels from midcycle urine and couldn’t conclude anything relevant. (May be if they use this formula they may find something).
A second study (http://www.reproduction-online.org/c...0/1/7.full.pdf) concluded as follows “In the 25 women studied, with regular menstrual cycles of 28+/-3 days (48 cycles), ovulation occurred most often (87.6%)in an alternating manner. Our present results show that in women with regular menstrual cycles of about 28 days, ovulation would usually alternate between the two ovaries.” This pub also contained a statement which supports the locking or shifting of hormonal environment when a conception occurs. It says,” However, Dukelow (1977) and Hodgen (1982) consider that ovulation in the cynomolgus monkey and rhesus monkey, respectively, occurs alternately as long as the cycles are not perturbed.”
Yet a third publication (Characteristics of human ovulation in natural cycles correlated with age and achievement of pregnancy) concludes: “Human ovulation shows characteristics related to age. The interaction between the two ovaries seems to be most pronounced in the younger years, where ovulations jump from one ovary to the other more frequently than later on in life.”
I don’t intend to write a full thesis but after going through all of above I can say with confidence that Urobiologics makes sense and that they are taking this field to a new level. I don’t see any of these articles mentioned in their hypothesis section though. May be they should have a woman advisor (like me) on their advisory board,:wink:.
I see a lot of negative comments about them on internet. May be they had some errors which are highlighted more often than the correct ones. It is easy to develop a wrong notion about any work without getting ones head into it. You never come to know of anyone unless you deal with him/her. I had the same feeling before I came across this board.
So, it’s not that the testosterone alone controls everthing. It’s part of the story. I think this is why they say “your hormones will do everything for you, just relax”. Makes sense to me. I think the amount of work involved per case justifies the fee they are charging. I do hope my 2-hour effort will help many women in clearing their ideas about this work. These are my personal views about this work and should not be taken as endorsement or anything.
Got a word today from a close senior that I might be promoted with more responsibilities. Yikes. Should think, not twice but thrice, before going for another baby.
Good night.:cheer:
SC, MD
