Thicker than Blood

It was that time of month again. Cramping and migraines were welcome. The years before menopause provided the chance for increased life expectancy and reduced pain for women in Chloe’s condition.

There had been 28 days of eating foods rich in folate, drinking Almond milk and Soya. The vulva was disinfected, blood was collected in a vaginal cup and then centrifuged to obtain platelet rich blood proteins that were then injected. The process was exhausting, but not so bad that Chloe could not invite Angelie to their favorite Tim Hortons. Afterall, she had offered to drive Chloe to the hospital and this was a great time to catch up, feeling tired or not.

As they walked into the coffee shop Chloe said. “This is way better than the options. The mechanism behind platelet rich plasma – known by those in the know, as PRP injections- is not completely understood. Studies show that the increased concentration of growth factors in platelet-rich plasma may stimulate or speed up the healing process,, shortening healing time for injuries, decreasing pain and look, it is even making my hair grow.”

Angelie stepped up to the counter and ordered a double double coffee, and Chloe while ordering her own steamed almond milk, said “I do miss caffeine, but it inhibits the efficacy of treatment by constricting blood vessels and potentially reduces blood flow, which is crucial for delivering growth factors and nutrients for tissue repair."

Chloe continued, saying “ I drink soy or almond milk because it naturally increases platelet count, plus I eat foods rich in folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and iron, as well as vitamin K, that helps in platelet production. The downside is I have to stay out of the sun. Vitamin D treatment lowers platelet counts."

Angelie was eager to support her friend by listening. As they sat down Angelie put her hand over her friend’s saying, “This is not an easy road. You have turned into a walking encyclopedia.”

Glad to have a receptive and appreciative audience Chloe added, “ I have learned more about food than I ever wanted to. I need to avoid Vitamin E, Flax Oil, Fish Oil, Vitamin A, Curcumin, Turmeric, and Aloe, which is counter-intuitive wouldn’t you say—these are generally considered healing options. Plus, I can't have NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Naproxen, Aleve, Motrin, Advil) for 10 days, so anything feels better."

Chloe had been injured herself in elite competitive sports and the injections were the last-ditch effort before surgery, which had equally unlikely chances of success. Juggling being an elite athlete and starting a family has always been a tricky challenge. After years of being involved in elite competitive sports, Chloe had wasted her years of peak fertility. It had overlapped with her hitting her physical peak. She had not thought about retrieving or storing her eggs.

Chloe and Angelie had both been classmates and fertility issues and stem cell therapy had seemed to be technologies available only to the wealthy. Now more of the population had access to them. The recent cuts to health care made Chloe thankful she had enjoyed a good career and stashed her money, not knowing it would come in handy to deal with her life now that she was read to move beyond finding meaning and purpose in sports.

"How does it feel? " Angelie asked,

Shrugging her shoulders Chloe said, “Better than the options. Since PRP is created from the patient's own blood, there are fewer adverse reactions to the injection, mostly swelling or irritation at the injection site. I am exhausted for a while. But the amazing thing is that it looks like my endometriosis has lessened, and my chances of fertility have increased.”

“Well, that is surprising and great news.” Angelie was a mother of two school aged kids, and she had just assumed Chloe had never wanted kids.

“Zack is super happy” Chloe went on. "I really hope it works. He says he really wants to have one kid, and I had almost given up hope and was worried that me not being able to have kids would be too great a strain on our relationship. Who knows. I am afraid to hold onto my high hopes, but it would make me so very happy to have a baby.”

Chloe had met Zack before the repetitive injuries had taken their toll. They had met because of her involvement in sports but had found they shared much more than her sporting fame. He had been a medical student at the time and had suggested preventative treatment plans, making no bones about telling her about what she had done to hers.

“I owe so much to Zack. He was the one to introduce me to PRP as an experimental treatment. It ticked all of the boxes. It has positive results for healing acute sports injuries of the tendons and post-surgery repair of torn ligaments and is more effective that hyaluronic acid for treating osteoarthritis. It even is touted to be able to regenerate nerve damage in combination with insulin. Now there is this unexpected effect of improving fertility. It is a real bonus."

Angelie and Chloe kept up the regular Tim Hortons time together over the following year. The treatment had reduced the painful symptoms and then, the hoped for miracle happened.

During the pregnancy, Chloe was able to provide enough blood to keep up treatments and healing. The baby was born on her birthday making it the best celebration ever.

The years passed as swiftly, as anyone who gets older knows. Baby Alexa was now a teenager and momma Chloe had to approach her with a request.

“Honey, you are now a woman, and I have to have a woman to woman talk with you.”

“Ok Mom.” Alexa sat down at the kitchen table feeling very grown up.

Chloe held her hand and explained about the PRP therapy adding, “Honey, I am in peri-menopause and need to ask if you would consider helping me out. I have a way to extend my lifespan.”

“How mom,” Alexa asked.

“Well sweetie, PRP has been used as an anti-aging treatment option for tissue regeneration for cellular senescence, which is triggered by DNA damage response and inflammation. It alleviates pain and promotes tissue regeneration and repair which are essential in anti-aging and tissue regeneration strategies.”

The process of PRP was explained. Alexa was delighted that it was easily worth the bother to give a gift that kept on giving.

The years passed. Alexa was all too soon a mother and little baby Simone was a welcome addition on her grandmother’s and mother’s birthday.

Chloe was celebrating her 92nd birthday, Alexa 48, and Simone was 15. The three sat at the kitchen table as Alexa took her mother and daughter's hands and explained PRP treatment. It was decided that Grandma was worth the bother.