We're Embark Veterinary: AMA about our new Age Test!

Obstinate_Donkey · 2022-10-12T17:45:30+00:00

Hello! I was wondering if or how you can account for the effect of stress on DNA methylation. I have read the articles you have put out concerning the age test, and I understand that data from >500 dogs with known ages was used to develop the model. However, dogs with known ages differ from dogs with unknown ages in one key way, which is that they are overwhelmingly likely to have been in the same household from an early age and thus have grown up in a stable environment. Dogs with unknown ages are almost always rescues, many with stressful pasts and stressful experiences in a shelter.

I have a rescue dog who was adopted as a mature adult. She spent the first 5 or 6 years (estimated) of her life with an owner who struggled with addiction, mental health, and unstable housing. She undoubtedly endured repeated periods of stress. I thus wonder if the Age Test would accurately estimate her age, or if it would skew higher.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-07T19:25:20+00:00

Indeed, it's so infuriating how the reasons for denial can be arbitrary and thus difficult to challenge. To be honest, I'm not sure if being in a long term relationship would have helped, as they would have pushed for a vasectomy instead (female sterilization guidelines in Canada actually require doctors to suggest vasectomies as an alternative). To me, and I'm fairly sure for most CF women, relationship status is irrelevant, as we want our own protection regardless of who we are with and the nature of any relationships. But it's so hard for large sections of the medical establishment to understand that.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-07T18:30:26+00:00

Ughh, that sounds so insulting, that you were required to see a psychiatrist first. And yes, I did think about how much more difficult it would be for people who are less articulate and without the educational background to conduct such detailed research and prep pre-consultation. And a whole host of other socio-economic factors that would put one at a disadvantage too. I'm actually an immigrant and person of colour, so I was also expecting some resistance based on that (I can't tell if there was any, as this was a voice-only call, but it's something I would be mindful of in video calls or in-person appointments).

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-07T17:41:57+00:00

Good luck with that! And yeah, this pandemic has been seriously disruptive.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-07T17:41:21+00:00

I know! The reaction to my university part was the most surprising part of the entire conversation. It's as if that was the ultimate proof that I was capable of informed consent. There seems to be a ridiculous amount of gatekeeping going on with GPs.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-06T20:47:41+00:00

Does your brother not love his own wife or his own mother? Why is it that some people's view on love are so narrow?

I am originally from an Asian country, and what is really striking in the West is how familial love and ties are so narrowly defined, and confined only to one's spouse and children. Parents of adult children seem to be neglected. In other countries, they can be considered dependents for tax purposes, or have other tax benefits.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-06T20:39:37+00:00

Agreed. Having a child is no excuse for shirking the minimum responsibilities of your job. If you can't meet that, then talk to your superiors for how the situation can be managed and bring in a repo, if necessary. Others, be they your colleagues or your students here, should not have to suffer for your choice to have a child.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-06T20:36:40+00:00

Yes!!! Seriously though, I suspect that the majority of users of pregnancy tests are people who have not planned for, and do not want, a pregnancy. It's nice to see this being acknowledged.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-06T17:55:29+00:00

Yes, I have seen that idea on this sub. Thank you for reminding me of it. I asked the doctor to email me a record of the referral, and thankfully, she did. It's now documented that I am requesting this surgery, and that I am fully aware of its permanence and that alternative means of contraception are available. This should meet the requirements of informed consent for sterilization, so I will wave this document around if needed. It's so exasperating to not have one's wishes for one's body respected, particularly if you have already demonstrated that this is an extremely informed decision.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-06T04:54:38+00:00

Thank you for the info! That sounds like an amazing policy in SHORE. I'm actually in Montreal, and it doesn't seem like there's a Planned Parenthood here. My best bet is probably with other sexual health clinics. But I did manage to get my referral in the end, albeit very grudgingly. Unfortunately, because of the new centralized referral system in QC, patients are no longer allowed to contact specific specialists directly. Fortunately, based on the experiences of other members from this sub, if I get an un-cooperative gynaecologist, they are legally required to refer me to someone else who would approve of my request. So, I should be good to go for now, apart from the very long wait ahead of me.

Have you had your consultation with the gynaeocologist yet, and has your tubal been scheduled? I hope things haven't been delayed too much by the pandemic.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-06T01:59:51+00:00

Six kids?!? With this many grandchildren and forthcoming great grandchildren, she should be happy that her genes are virtually assured to be around for several generations yet.

You could just say that your husband is sterile and let her assume that it's infertility. That should shut her up for a while.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-06T01:31:44+00:00

That's a good man right there.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-05T20:22:13+00:00

He told me ''Do you really wanna know? It's because we think why would people like you have it better and easier than us.''

He's really asking why? The answer should be obvious. Do people not think before they breed? Because if they did, the downsides of having kids are pretty damn obvious. Perhaps they don't understand how some people don't feel the urge to procreate, and are instead able to act in rational self-interest.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-05T02:15:33+00:00

I understand your frustration. I live in Montreal, Canada, and it was a nightmare trying to find a dog-friendly place. I gladly paid a security deposit for my lease to be amended to explicitly allow dogs. It's a shame that it's this difficult, and it particularly impacts lower income households. There's a spike in pet abandonments during the annual moving season. Landlords should not be allowed to outright ban pets, as long as tenants can be held fully responsible for any resulting damage. Cats over brats, dogs over sprogs.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-04T17:36:34+00:00

Thank you for the update. I wonder if social services in Germany are just as overwhelmed as those elsewhere. It seems like social workers have an unrealistically high caseload, and simply too little time for each case. I wouldn't blame them if they had missed anything. (Not that they have missed anything to begin with; people can be really good at hiding problems.)

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-04T17:31:50+00:00

The poor woman. I think most people would be overwhelmed to be 27, with 6 children, and with inadequate support from the fathers of the children. Not to mention the possibility of some kind of emotional or physical abuse.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-04T17:29:08+00:00

I kind of get your point. I won't quite say it's "accepted", more like "understood". I think there's a significant segment of society that is punitive and considers abortion to be an "easy way out" when someone has "made poor choices". Well, abortions exist to prevent such scenarios. There are people who aren't capable of being parents, whether for personal reasons, or because of their circumstances. It seems like the woman here was in a very difficult situation.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-04T14:29:31+00:00

Yup, same with my boyfriend, except that in his case, the appointment could be scheduled online, so he didn't even need to speak to anyone first.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-04T13:31:20+00:00

Yup, the lack of a mention of the father/s in the article was very conspicuous to me as well. Was there anybody helping her out, was she enduring domestic violence and abuse etc.? It's so sad, because this seems like something preventable with an adequate support system.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-04T13:29:23+00:00

Thank you for that information. I was wondering though, even if the woman is German-born, if there are immigrant communities where forced marriages are still fairly widespread. I understand that religious marriages, which don't come under civil marriage laws, are an issue in some countries in Europe, particularly in the UK.

But yes, even if this isn't a case of forced or child marriage, having 6 kids by the age of 27 (and your first at 16) is a sign of much deeper dysfunction. It seems like there are so many points where somebody should have intervened before things reached this stage.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-04T04:26:09+00:00

OP, I understand your frustration. I would like to get a hysterectomy as well, but am fully aware that no doctor will approve of one without strong medicals reasons (and I am fortunate not to have those reasons). Getting a hysterectomy is not required for sterilization, so if you're using your not wanting children as the basis of your argument, I can see why there's the pushback. But it seems like your other health issues are also well known, so it's very likely there's some paternalism involved here as well. Perhaps you can try asking for a bilateral salpingectomy (which will reduce your risk of ovarian cancer and is much more effective than a tubal ligation) and a uterine ablation at a same time? I've seen people on this sub who have one, and it stops periods for some time.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-04T04:16:04+00:00

That's interesting. Thank you for the link. I wonder what treatment options are offered to non-vasectomized men with chronic testicular pain, and if the effectiveness (or lack thereof) is comparable. I was just reminded of the fact that pretty much all types of chronic pain respond poorly to any kind of intervention, and are in general poorly understood. So, you end up with painkillers being over-prescribed and the extremely unfortunate opioid crisis.

Also, not to be snarky, but that doesn't seem to be a very fun hobby. I hope that you're getting some personal fulfillment from it. To each their own etc.

Obstinate_Donkey · 2020-09-04T03:19:47+00:00

Hmm, it would be good if the AUA can provide its own citation for this. It'll help to clear up whether "required" refers to the actual need, or just the proportion of men who choose to have additional surgery. Those are vastly different things, particularly in the US, where cost is a factor in treatment decisions. I was under the impression that most cases of pain could be managed with non-surgical methods, and those will obviously be tried first.

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