Your Health

In vitro offer:

Up to 200 women seeking fertility treatment can get much of the cost covered through a clinical study in the Chicago area.

The offer is part of a test of a vaginal ring instead of daily injections as a way to supplement progesterone.

The phase III study to measure effectiveness and safety is offered at Fertility Centers of Illinois, with offices across the suburbs.

While the free treatment includes in vitro fertilization treatment valued at $10,000, patients must still pay for other IVF medications, which can run $2,000 to $3,000, plus the cost of additional optional services such as embryo freezing and storage.

For information and how to qualify, see www.fcionline.com. The trial is sponsored by the drug manufacturer DuraMed.

Support heals:

New research shows people with friends and family to support them suffer less pain than those with less community support.

The Journal of the American College of Surgeons reported that patients with the smallest social networks reported almost twice as much post-operative pain intensity as those with the largest social networks.

Those with a smaller support group also had longer hospital stays.

The results were publicized by CarePages.com, which offers free, personalized Web pages for patients and caregivers to build support networks during an illness or trauma - a sort of MySpace for more than 3 million medically challenged people since 2000. The site offers inspirational and heart-tugging stories, prayer circles, local support groups and helpful tips.

Migraine-bipolar link:

A new study shows that people with migraine headaches are at a higher risk for bipolar disorder.

In the study published in U.S. Neurological Disease, Northbrook headache specialist Dr. Lawrence Robbins found 9 percent of 1,200 migraine patients were on the bipolar spectrum - twice the rate of the general population.

Among tension headache patients who did not suffer from migraines, 4.5 percent were found to be bipolar.

Bipolarity and migraine are thought to share common genetic links.

Dr. Robbins believes antidepressants are often prescribed to bipolar patients instead of the mood stabilizing drugs they need. Antidepressants can trigger bouts of mania.

This study suggests that, in depressed patients with migraines, doctors should do a thorough assessment for bipolar disorder.

For more information, see www.headachedrugs.com.