Persistent inequities for Black Americans have been captured by the phrase “Black Lives Matter” which began inauspiciously—a hashtag on Twitter following the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The phrase is provocative by design, and its use conveys both urgency and frustration with the status quo. What is notably […]
TALKING ABOUT INFERTILITY Very often, when couples first start noticing difficulty in trying to conceive, they observe what other people notice as well. “Don’t you want to have kids?” or “As soon as you stop worrying about it, you’ll get pregnant” are common statements that our patients hear. Questions and statements like these, while perhaps well intentioned, can […]
What do we need from the people we love? We frequently talk about what we don’t need from our family and friends when it comes to their commentary or prodding questions about infertility. We talk a lot less about what we do need from them when we feel stress or pressure while we’re trying to […]
The most important people to talk with about your infertility You don’t live in a vacuum. In addition to all the other challenges of infertility, you’re tasked with managing all of your normal relationships. There are internal questions to help you decide what you want to communicate and stay one step ahead of these conversations […]
Often, we focus on evaluating women when couples fail to conceive. Although we know that male factor accounts for 20 – 30% of couples seeking treatment, the treatment remains focused on ovarian stimulation to improve chances for success. With in vitro fertilization, we focus on oocyte retrieval and fertilize these eggs with sperm ejaculated, extracted […]
IVF is the process of fertilizing an egg outside the body and is the oldest and most frequently used ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) procedure and fertility treatment options. Originally designed to bypass diseased fallopian tubes, the number of reasons to do IVF quickly expanded to include male factor infertility, endometriosis, unexplained infertility and other conditions.
Improving pregnancy rates have been the focus of fertility centers since 1978 after the birth of Louise Brown, the first child conceived after IVF cycle treatment. Since then, laboratory advances have improved remarkably and the implantation rates for IVF has increased significantly. Still, the delivery rate may be lower in certain patients. Pre-implantation genetic screening […]
Minimal stimulation IVF, referred to often as, “Mini IVF”, “Soft IVF”, or “Micro IVF,” is a relatively new Advanced Reproductive Technology (ART) technique in the United States that offers a gentler version of ovarian stimulation compared to traditional In Vitro Fertilization. It has been used successfully in Japan for some time with good success. Here […]
