According to two studies presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction & Embryology (ESHRE), European women are embracing the idea of egg freezing as a means of having more reproductive control over their lives.
A small Belgian study of women average age 38 years found that half of them planned to freeze their eggs to lessen the pressure they feel to find the best parenting partner. Most foresaw using their eggs for conception after age 40.
A larger study in the UK saw eight in 10 medical students would be willing to freeze their eggs so that career growth could continue to take a front seat.
Women in the U.S. are also warming up to the idea of using assisted reproductive technology even when infertility isn't an issue in their life. Advances in the technology have made egg freezing with IVF more affordable and even covered by some women's insurance plans.
http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/9085/
Friday, July 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Why We Like Beautiful Babies
I've chosen to be a sponsor for the Beautiful Babies contest, a national contest where parents can submit their babies' photos and win up to $5k (not to mention just the simple thrill of bragging rights!)
It may seem awkward, the Houston Fertility Center connecting to a competition where the thing our patients long for -- a baby -- is being celebrated. But I like to think of it as a healthy way to interact with the world. After all, babies -- all babies -- ARE beautiful. That's why we strive so hard to have our own. Aside from their extreme "cuteness factor" we're geared instinctively to appreciate our own offspring over any other of our lives' creations.
The other side of our sponsorship is that after all these years serving infertility patients, many people who come to our Center now are doing so to have another baby. We have a wall full of happy faces, and we thought this would be a delightful way for our patients, past and present, to share their joy (and maybe win big!) It's a lighthearted contest where friends and family are asked to vote for their favorites.
If you'd like to join in the fun, you'll need to submit your child's photo by this Friday, June 25. You can find out more details through this link. http://kiah.tribunepromotions.com/babies/
It may seem awkward, the Houston Fertility Center connecting to a competition where the thing our patients long for -- a baby -- is being celebrated. But I like to think of it as a healthy way to interact with the world. After all, babies -- all babies -- ARE beautiful. That's why we strive so hard to have our own. Aside from their extreme "cuteness factor" we're geared instinctively to appreciate our own offspring over any other of our lives' creations.
The other side of our sponsorship is that after all these years serving infertility patients, many people who come to our Center now are doing so to have another baby. We have a wall full of happy faces, and we thought this would be a delightful way for our patients, past and present, to share their joy (and maybe win big!) It's a lighthearted contest where friends and family are asked to vote for their favorites.
If you'd like to join in the fun, you'll need to submit your child's photo by this Friday, June 25. You can find out more details through this link. http://kiah.tribunepromotions.com/babies/
How Old Is Too Old?
Recently, a local colleague of mine was quoted in the media about having an "an age cutoff" for fertility treatment, specifically IVF. I thought I'd enter the field to air my own thoughts on the question of "how old is too old" for becoming a mom.
In my practice at Houston Fertility Center, I don't use any particular age to determine whether a woman is "too old" to use IVF. Mother Nature will determine when a patient's body is unable to conceive. So we explore the same related variables -- egg reserve, uterine health, hormone levels -- with every patient.
Our primary emphasis is on the health of the hopeful mother-to-be.
As for IVF using donor eggs, which allows women with low ovarian reserve to become pregnant, I find that women in the age range of 48 to 50 are starting to think again about the impact (of carrying a pregnancy) on both their health and the outcome for the baby. We presently don't have enough data to clearly determine all health issues for women over 50 years old who become pregnant. Research has clarified, however, that children born to mothers in their later years have a higher risk of a number of health conditions.
As with virtually every other facet of the conception picture, a woman's age must be taken into consideration, but primarily in the context of her present health condition.
For more of my thoughts on a woman's age and her fertility, see these blogposts, too:
The Other Side of the Age & Fertility Message
Trying to Get Pregnant After 30 - Time to Panic?
ASRM Embryo Guidelines Should Improve Overall Picture for Fertility Patients
In my practice at Houston Fertility Center, I don't use any particular age to determine whether a woman is "too old" to use IVF. Mother Nature will determine when a patient's body is unable to conceive. So we explore the same related variables -- egg reserve, uterine health, hormone levels -- with every patient.
Our primary emphasis is on the health of the hopeful mother-to-be.
As for IVF using donor eggs, which allows women with low ovarian reserve to become pregnant, I find that women in the age range of 48 to 50 are starting to think again about the impact (of carrying a pregnancy) on both their health and the outcome for the baby. We presently don't have enough data to clearly determine all health issues for women over 50 years old who become pregnant. Research has clarified, however, that children born to mothers in their later years have a higher risk of a number of health conditions.
As with virtually every other facet of the conception picture, a woman's age must be taken into consideration, but primarily in the context of her present health condition.
For more of my thoughts on a woman's age and her fertility, see these blogposts, too:
The Other Side of the Age & Fertility Message
Trying to Get Pregnant After 30 - Time to Panic?
ASRM Embryo Guidelines Should Improve Overall Picture for Fertility Patients
Monday, May 24, 2010
A Little Education For Concerned Onlookers
This quick-hit on MomLogic provides a good sampling of the things that
women who are struggling to get pregnant do NOT want to hear. Might be a
nice link to post on certain friends' Facebook walls...
10 Things Never to Say to a Woman Trying to Conceive
women who are struggling to get pregnant do NOT want to hear. Might be a
nice link to post on certain friends' Facebook walls...
10 Things Never to Say to a Woman Trying to Conceive
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Could Your Fertility Problems Be Related to Diet?
May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, so it's a good time to put the word out about how this rather invisible disease might impact a woman's fertility.
The Celiac Disease Foundation has a list of symptoms that could be considered if you're wondering.
The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness offers excellent primer info on the possible connections between the disease and infertility.
Generally, my fertility-focused advice to people diagnosed with celiac disease would include the recommended dietary changes plus any additional fertility treatments, depending on other factors like the woman's age.
The Celiac Disease Foundation has a list of symptoms that could be considered if you're wondering.
The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness offers excellent primer info on the possible connections between the disease and infertility.
Generally, my fertility-focused advice to people diagnosed with celiac disease would include the recommended dietary changes plus any additional fertility treatments, depending on other factors like the woman's age.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Birth Control Pills: Not Necessarily The Culprit
The 50th anniversary of "the birth control pill" has come and gone recently (on Mother's Day, how coincidental!) and an article in U.S. News & World Report focused on the impact that oral contraceptives have had on our world.
Interestingly, the writer stated that, among other results, the pill is responsible for an "epidemic" of infertility.
It turns out that the author is referring to how the use of the pill resulted in delayed childbearing in our society -- on a grand scale, not in terms of individual women. More women are able to put off getting pregnant until it better suits their life, as a direct result of the pill. There's hardly anyone who would call that a bad thing!
But I do have patients who come to me, worried that their years of trying responsibly to not get pregnant have worked against them now that they want to have a baby.
The truth is that studies consistently indicate no direct connections between using oral contraceptives and later infertility. I know that a lot of women, especially those who are diagnosed with unexplained infertility, are still hesitant to believe what research tells us on this point. And to be sure, once they're in my office, it's rather moot.
It's normal to think back to what you might have done differently. It can also aid in diagnosis (and possibly treatment) to review your history thoroughly, looking for answers to your own baby-making dilemma. But dwelling on this particular "common sense" connection (between oral contraceptive use and later infertility) that continues to be denied as fact-based by researchers... just isn't helpful for you. We also have to be careful not to discourage young, responsible women from making smart choices for their reproductive lives.
Interestingly, the writer stated that, among other results, the pill is responsible for an "epidemic" of infertility.
It turns out that the author is referring to how the use of the pill resulted in delayed childbearing in our society -- on a grand scale, not in terms of individual women. More women are able to put off getting pregnant until it better suits their life, as a direct result of the pill. There's hardly anyone who would call that a bad thing!
But I do have patients who come to me, worried that their years of trying responsibly to not get pregnant have worked against them now that they want to have a baby.
The truth is that studies consistently indicate no direct connections between using oral contraceptives and later infertility. I know that a lot of women, especially those who are diagnosed with unexplained infertility, are still hesitant to believe what research tells us on this point. And to be sure, once they're in my office, it's rather moot.
It's normal to think back to what you might have done differently. It can also aid in diagnosis (and possibly treatment) to review your history thoroughly, looking for answers to your own baby-making dilemma. But dwelling on this particular "common sense" connection (between oral contraceptive use and later infertility) that continues to be denied as fact-based by researchers... just isn't helpful for you. We also have to be careful not to discourage young, responsible women from making smart choices for their reproductive lives.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Safe Versus Affordable: Are Couples Forced to Choose?
This article on Australia-based News-Medical.Net reports that increasing numbers of twins and triplets are being born as a result of the global economic crisis.
The increase (in Australia) is due to more infertility patients requesting the transfer of more than one embryo in each IVF cycle. Essentially, in an effort to save money, couples are trying to boost their odds of pregnancy per cycle.
This is an unfortunate state of affairs, since studies have for a long time pointed to several related facts, including the bottom line that multiples and their mothers are at greater risk for numerous precarious health conditions.
Because of the many complex variables at play in each IVF cycle and in each woman's own reproductive condition and functioning, some patients must undergo more than one IVF cycle before successfully achieving a healthy pregnancy. In some cases, one treatment cycle is all that's required.
Now that the combined work of embryologists and reproductive endocrinologists has arrived at a point of making single embryo transfer a viable option for many, and certainly transferring only one or two more embryos to counteract some infertility-causing conditions, my recommendation for struggling couples is to take advantage of seasonal discounts when available.
Rather than boosting your odds per pregnancy, which in turn may boost health risks for you and your hoped-for baby, I encourage patients to time their treatment around clinics' occasional specials. For example, Houston Fertility Center is currently offering IVF for $7,950 per cycle, until June 30, 2010. We've long offered summer price cuts so that patients who typically vacation during summer months can fill their off-time with baby-making. (It's especially popular with teachers, we've learned.) At the discounted rates, if getting pregnant requires more than one cycle of IVF, you'll still be receiving affordable treatment and at a much safer embryo transfer rate.
I know the anxiety that many patients feel, about time passing, about affording treatment, and about possibly never having a baby. But I also know that all of my patients, to a person, want a healthy baby over everything else. Boosting the odds of pregnancy by narrowing down to one IVF cycle with too many embryos is not the safest way to fulfill their dreams.
The increase (in Australia) is due to more infertility patients requesting the transfer of more than one embryo in each IVF cycle. Essentially, in an effort to save money, couples are trying to boost their odds of pregnancy per cycle.
This is an unfortunate state of affairs, since studies have for a long time pointed to several related facts, including the bottom line that multiples and their mothers are at greater risk for numerous precarious health conditions.
Because of the many complex variables at play in each IVF cycle and in each woman's own reproductive condition and functioning, some patients must undergo more than one IVF cycle before successfully achieving a healthy pregnancy. In some cases, one treatment cycle is all that's required.
Now that the combined work of embryologists and reproductive endocrinologists has arrived at a point of making single embryo transfer a viable option for many, and certainly transferring only one or two more embryos to counteract some infertility-causing conditions, my recommendation for struggling couples is to take advantage of seasonal discounts when available.
Rather than boosting your odds per pregnancy, which in turn may boost health risks for you and your hoped-for baby, I encourage patients to time their treatment around clinics' occasional specials. For example, Houston Fertility Center is currently offering IVF for $7,950 per cycle, until June 30, 2010. We've long offered summer price cuts so that patients who typically vacation during summer months can fill their off-time with baby-making. (It's especially popular with teachers, we've learned.) At the discounted rates, if getting pregnant requires more than one cycle of IVF, you'll still be receiving affordable treatment and at a much safer embryo transfer rate.
I know the anxiety that many patients feel, about time passing, about affording treatment, and about possibly never having a baby. But I also know that all of my patients, to a person, want a healthy baby over everything else. Boosting the odds of pregnancy by narrowing down to one IVF cycle with too many embryos is not the safest way to fulfill their dreams.
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