Spread The Word: Great Day Houston

On Tuesday, July 29, Houston Infertility Clinic will be featured on Great Day Houston with Debra Duncan.

The show will include interviews with patients Karen and Cliff Nickel (and their two adorable daughters), as well as new patients Reece and Tracy Klepacz who kindly share with the audience their infertility struggle of many years. Plus, the Klepacz' allowed Great Day Houston crew to film their recent egg retrieval here at Houston Infertility Clinic.

Also included will be interviews with an egg donor from Prime Genetics and Chris Axelrad, Clinic Director of The Axelrad Clinic for Natural Fertility Enhancement & Women's Health. They'll be joining me to talk about the many varied solutions to all types of infertility conditions.

Tune in on Tuesday, July 29th at 9 AM on KHOU Channel 11 for Great Day Houston. If you miss the show, you can watch online on their homepage.

[Edited 8-15-08: You'll find full video online here.]

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You Asked For It: Treating PCOS

In an earlier post, Christy asked about PCOS and its treatment. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a complex diagnosis that is relatively easy to treat.

Here are my responses to Christy's questions:

How do you treat [PCOS]?

PCOS is sometimes referred to now as "metabolic syndrome" because the term more accurately reflects the entire condition. For example, not all women with PCOS have ovaries with many cysts.

The goal of treatment is ovulation. Treatment usually consists of oral medication (clomiphene citrate, more commonly referred to by one of its brand names, Clomid).

In the past, another drug, Metformin, was frequently administered in conjunction with Clomid. A couple of years ago, a large study found no advantages to using Metformin strictly for the purpose of getting pregnant. (I wrote about that finding in my November 2006 newsletter.)

How effective is Clomid? Does it work every month?

Clomid is generally effective within the first three cycles of use. Depending on several factors, I may prescribe the medication be used in conjunction with intrauterine insemination (IUI) or timed intercourse.

If a patient is Clomid resistant, what is the next protocol?

If a patient's ovaries are resistant to Clomid, the next step is often gonadotropins, which are administered by injection. Patients who also have abnormal glucose/insulin levels will be prescribed Metformin.

As a side note, it's important that women with PCOS are made aware of the links between that and more serious health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. I encourage all of my patients to make healthy lifestyle changes as needed, not only to increase their chances for pregnancy, but to promote overall better functioning of their total body.

Technorati Tags: pcos,polycystic,metformin,clomid,womens health,getting pregnant,fertility treatment

You Asked For It: Predicting Ov with PCOS

One of my readers asked me to discuss PCOS, in conjunction with my earlier comments on using ovulation predictor kits at home.

It's true that PCOS and several other ovulatory disorders can make home ovulation prediction a very inaccurate process. If you're determined to use at-home testing kits, try to look at the results as information that is helpful but that may not be giving you the full picture of your ovulatory function.

A very important point here: regular menses does not necessarily mean you are ovulating during every cycle. Women with PCOS come with a range of cycles -- from amenorrhea (completely absent periods) to wildly irregular cycles to fairly consistent menstrual periods.

In short, when a woman has PCOS or other ovulatory disorders, menstruation and ovulation may be different, seemingly unrelated events. You can't always use "Aunt Flo" as an indicator of how well your ovaries are working.

Advances in fertility science spawn new issues - Houston Business Journal:

I was interviewed by the Houston Business Journal's Nicole Bradford at our Sugar Land office for this article on egg freezing. It's in their July 4th issue's special section on Health Care. [Edited 8-15-08: The full article is now online and readable by non-subscribers.]

Advances in fertility science spawn new issues - Houston Business Journal:

This photo of a metaphase II oocyte was taken by our Lab Director, Dr. Neil Stoddart, and used on the front page of the July 4 issue of Houston Business Journal.

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