With understanding of your struggles to achieve one of life's simplest joys, my Thanksgiving wish for all of you is to find treasure in the smallest things. Some of my staff and I will be hopefully helping a few patients do just that as we transfer some embryos to hopeful mothers on Thanksgiving morning.
I am grateful for the opportunities to play a role in the creation of families.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Our Presentation at ASRM: More Pieces of the Pregnancy Puzzle
We were pleased to have our poster presentation accepted into this year's meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The title -- Differential Relationship Between the Total Number of Oocytes Retrieved and the Implantation Rate in IVF and ICSI Patients -- may sound dry, but our results were positive news for patients who need IVF to have a baby.
The Houston Infertility Clinic staff, in conjunction with the Department of OB/Gyn at the University of Sydney in Australia, examined 351 IVF cycles. In each case, patients were using their own eggs and non-frozen embryos. We looked at:
the number of eggs retrieved
number of embryos transferred
results of clinical pregnancy tests
Next we compared those cycles that included ICSI and those that used "conventional" IVF for insemination. These two groups were then split up into three sub-groups, based on the number of eggs that were retrieved (either 1-10 eggs, 11-20 eggs, or 21-40 eggs.)
It might seem a simple question of statistical odds that the more eggs you produce, the better your chances, but...
Here's the good news: We concluded that, at least in our hands, patients using ICSI who were in the 11-20 egg group had the highest implantation rate. Patients using "conventional" IVF w/o ICSI had higher implantation rates when they were in the subgroup producing the most eggs (21-40 eggs).
It's important to note that quality of eggs -- rather than quantity -- is the more important measure. Patients shouldn't be discouraged if their bodies aren't producing a high number of eggs. As our study indicates, the use of ICSI seems to make a noticeable difference in outcome.
On a related note -- in some cases, women's ovaries will produce far fewer eggs than everyone hoped for in an IVF cycle. Different clinics have different policies; many are, frankly, guided by heavy concern about success rate statistics.
Our policy is that if a patient wants to move forward and retrieve the one follicle that her ovary brought forth, we will respect her wishes and do our best to render highest quality care toward the best possible outcome.
We want every patient to have a fighting chance at getting pregnant.
The Houston Infertility Clinic staff, in conjunction with the Department of OB/Gyn at the University of Sydney in Australia, examined 351 IVF cycles. In each case, patients were using their own eggs and non-frozen embryos. We looked at:
the number of eggs retrieved
number of embryos transferred
results of clinical pregnancy tests
Next we compared those cycles that included ICSI and those that used "conventional" IVF for insemination. These two groups were then split up into three sub-groups, based on the number of eggs that were retrieved (either 1-10 eggs, 11-20 eggs, or 21-40 eggs.)
It might seem a simple question of statistical odds that the more eggs you produce, the better your chances, but...
Here's the good news: We concluded that, at least in our hands, patients using ICSI who were in the 11-20 egg group had the highest implantation rate. Patients using "conventional" IVF w/o ICSI had higher implantation rates when they were in the subgroup producing the most eggs (21-40 eggs).
It's important to note that quality of eggs -- rather than quantity -- is the more important measure. Patients shouldn't be discouraged if their bodies aren't producing a high number of eggs. As our study indicates, the use of ICSI seems to make a noticeable difference in outcome.
On a related note -- in some cases, women's ovaries will produce far fewer eggs than everyone hoped for in an IVF cycle. Different clinics have different policies; many are, frankly, guided by heavy concern about success rate statistics.
Our policy is that if a patient wants to move forward and retrieve the one follicle that her ovary brought forth, we will respect her wishes and do our best to render highest quality care toward the best possible outcome.
We want every patient to have a fighting chance at getting pregnant.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Write About Your Experience: Infertility Haiku Contest
The new business called My Fertility Plan has started something unique - a poetry contest about infertility.
They're inviting everyone to submit haiku poetry until November 24, 2008. Entries will be judged by a panel of people in the infertility treatment business and some who blog about it. Your haiku can fall into either a serious or humorous category, but must be in the proper format, syllable-length-wise. For details, see their related webpage.
My Fertility Plan Blog: Your Conception Action Plan
They're inviting everyone to submit haiku poetry until November 24, 2008. Entries will be judged by a panel of people in the infertility treatment business and some who blog about it. Your haiku can fall into either a serious or humorous category, but must be in the proper format, syllable-length-wise. For details, see their related webpage.
My Fertility Plan Blog: Your Conception Action Plan
Monday, November 3, 2008
Article in Houston B.A.B.Y. Magazine
[Edited 11/26/08: We now have a copy of the article in PDF format on our BabyLater.com site. Read it here...]
I'm featured in an article for Houston B.A.B.Y. Magazine, a publication of Houston Family Magazine. The October issue is available in digital format here (click on the cute baby face cover), and you can find print issues at Krogers, and in OB/Gyn and pediatrician offices.
The article is called "From Cancer to Parenthood: Reproductive Expert Helps Survivors Create New Life" and includes a pretty interesting photo of Dr. Stoddart in the lab.
I'm glad the feature highlights my efforts at bridging the gaps between oncologists and reproductive specialists. Patients are the prospective losers if the facts about fertility preservation aren't immediately available at that very first discussion about cancer treatment. Making those physician-to-physician connections well in advance of patient need will be the key to enabling more survivors to become parents later.
Please feel free to share this article with your physicians and friends.
For easy sharing by email and for printing, I recommend this: find the article on page 16, click on the article title words "From Cancer to Parenthood" to display the article in easy-print format. From there, you also have options to post the article on your Facebook, MySpace, and other favorites. (Technology is great, but tricky at times...)
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