HEALTH Major Israel Study Sheds Light On Birth Defects I ;3Y HELEN DAVIS Special to The Jewish News Jerusalem--A group of 7,345 re- ligious Jewish women in Jeru- salem has provided a Hadassah doctor with information that L could lead to a dramatic reduction 14 11 birth defects. According to Dr. Susan Harlap, associate professor of epide- miology and public health at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Me- dical School in Jerusalem, her study of these women has demon- strated a definite link between the , time of conception and the likeli- hood of defects in a new-born child. Dr. Harlap's research has pro- , duced two startling conclusions about women who conceive late in their ovulation cycle: first the chances of having a boy jump from the average 51 per cent to 'around 70 per cent; second, and more ominously, the likelihood of having a child with a birth defect is multiplied fourfold. Doctors have long known that birth defects are far more common in boys than girls, and Dr. Harlap - The key to the research was the availability in Jerusalem of observant Jewish women. believes that her study may have provided an explanation for this phenomenon — late conceptions produce both more boy babies and more birth defects. `_--, The key to Dr. Harlap's re- search was the availability in Je- rusalem of a large number of wom- , en who could give her precise in- formation about when they con- ceived. Observant women strictly regu- late the time of their sexual activi- ty and are, therefore, able to tell within a day when they conceive. But the results of Dr. Harlap's re- search, of course, apply to all women. According to Jewish law, sexual relations — indeed, all physical contact — between a woman and ;, her husband must cease at the on- set of menstruation and may be resumed only seven days after it has ended. This, says Dr. Harlap, who is not herself observant, means that for most observant Jewish worn- en, sexual relations resume just before the onset of ovulation. ---' "Jewish law," she says, "fits a woman's physiology perfectly. The chances for conception are highest at this time and the risk of defects lowest." The problem arises for women who ovulate before they are per- -,, milted to resume sexual relations. ,--' These women may, therefore, con- ceive when the egg, which has a lifespan of 72 hours, is already beginning to disintegrate. And it is among this group that Dr. Har- lap has found a significant in- crease in male babies and major birth defects, including mongo- lism and spina bifida. Dr. Harlap's findings raise a large question mark over the ad- vice that has long been given to women who have trouble conceiv- ing. They are told to take their temperature regularly and at- tempt to conceive when it rises. But according to Dr. Harlap, this is precisely the wrong time to conceive as the rise in tempera- ture indicates that ovulation took place 24 hours earlier. When the temperature begins to rise, the structure of the egg may already be breaking down, with the ac- companying high risks of birth de- fects. Instead, she advises women to try to determine when they will ovulate and then attempt to con- ceive just before ovulation occurs: "It's better for the sperm to be waiting round for the egg than the other way around." But until more sophisticated tests are developed, only women with regular menstrual cycles will be able to predict with any preci- sion just when they ovulate — by counting back 14 days from when they expect their next period to begin. "Some women — about 15 ,per cent — actually experience a phy- sical sensation when they ovulate, and for those who can tell it's bet- ter to stop having intercourse for the next few days. "Within 10 years or so, I believe we will have accurate tests to pre- dict when a woman will ovulate. That will be a tremendous break- through in fertility research and — together with the sort of infor- mation we are getting now — could prevent a significant propor- tion of major birth defects." Dr. Harlap's research into con- ception has provided her with the springboard for her next project: twins. In her recent study, she noted a huge increase of twins — from the normal 10 per thousand to 30 per thousand — in late con- ceptions. "We now speculate that there is another kind of twinning than the usual identical/non-identical varie- ties. We think that the egg in the later stages of its life may split and be fertilized by two sperm. "This, we believe, produces non- identical twins who share the genetic characteristics of their mother." Dr. Harlap, 44, is a graduate of the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in London. She immi- grated to Israel after the Six Day War of 1967 and is married to an Israeli. Congress Cites Haym Salomon Los Angeles- (JTA) — Two California Republicans intro- duced the Haym Salomon Memo- rial Act of 1985 in the U.S. House of Representatives this week, cit- ing the Polish-born Jew whose fi- nancial accomplishments helped the United States win its war for independence 209 years ago. The bill was introduced by Reps. Robert Dornan and Carlos Moorhead. Salomon, born in Lissa, Poland, came to the American colonies in 1772 and was a broker in New York and Philadelphia. Through his financial contacts he was able to raise credit for George Wash- ington's Continental Army from France, Spain and Holland. SECRETARIAL SPECIALISTS Temporary Office Services If you would like to return to the working world, we are looking for mature individuals for secretarial positions. 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