Category Archives: Fertility
05.17.2012
Reproductive Freedom: Why Freeze Your Eggs?
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
When pregnancy is desired, success is expected immediately. Yet, the ability to have a baby is age related and the ‘Biologic Clock’ may run out before the right partner appears. Egg freezing offers young women the potential to preserve their fertility regardless of the age they decide to try and become pregnant. Unfortunately, by the [...]
05.10.2012
Exercise During Pregnancy: How Little is Too Little And How Much is Too Much?
Danielle Vitiello, Ph.D., M.D. Board-Eligible Reproductive Endocrinologist
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released guidelines on physical activity for pregnant women. They advise that healthy, pregnant women may perform moderately intense exercise for at least 150 minutes weekly. Women who exercise vigorously are encouraged to continue doing so as long as they remain in good health. Non-exercising women may [...]
05.03.2012
Acupuncture and Infertility
R. Ian Hardy, M.D., Ph.D. Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Medical Director
In 2002, a fertility center in Germany published “Influence of acupuncture on the pregnancy rate in patients who undergo assisted reproductive therapy” (Fertil Steril 77(4):721-4). In this small study of 80 patients, those receiving acupuncture had a higher IVF pregnancy rate (42.5%) than those without acupuncture (26.3%). Since this publication, numerous studies have been published [...]
04.26.2012
Your IVF Protocol
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
If you and your physician have decided that you need IVF, you will be given a protocol of your upcoming IVF cycle. A protocol is a schedule or blueprint of how your cycle will be done. It includes the medications you will be taking, the instructions on how to take these medications, and the procedures [...]
04.19.2012
Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy After Infertility Therapy
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
I’ve waited so long to become pregnant and have been through so much. Now that I finally am, I’m as sick as a dog. Why is this happening to me? Don’t worry. Your body is not trying to reject the pregnancy that you have worked so hard to have. Nausea and vomiting is extremely common [...]
04.12.2012
Can Vitamin D Now Protect the Health of My Baby in the Future?
Danielle Vitiello, Ph.D., M.D. Board-Eligible Reproductive Endocrinologist
Much attention has been garnered in the exploration of the role of Vitamin D and its metabolites in both health and fertility. Women preparing for pregnancy religious monitor their health and food intake and commit themselves to daily regimens of vitamins, inclusive of prenatal vitamins. Two of the major components are folic acid and calcium. [...]
04.05.2012
Buyer Beware! A Patient’s Guide to Asking the Right Questions When Paying for Fertility Treatment
Brian E. Miller, Ph.D.
For many in the United States, advanced treatments for infertility (for example, In-Vitro Fertilization, or IVF) is not covered by their health insurance. This means that those needing advanced treatment have to pay for the related expenses “out of pocket” if they want to build their family. The cost of treatment can range from $10,000-20,000 (USD) and is often the [...]
03.29.2012
Mitochondria and Embryos
R. Ian Hardy, M.D., Ph.D. Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Medical Director
Simplistically, think of mitochondria as an embryo’s battery. Embryos require energy to develop and divide. Mitochondria are intracellular organelles inside the oocyte (egg). The energy produced from the mitochondria is known as ATP, which serves an embryo’s source of fuel for growth and development. Male mitochondria derived from sperm do not survive after fertilization. Therefore [...]
03.23.2012
When an IVF Cycle is Not Successful
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
When an IVF cycle is not successful it is important to try and understand why given the fact that the odds of success are generally not favorable when it comes to pregnancy success regardless whether IVF is done or not, except in the very best of circumstances when the odds of IVF success are approximately [...]
03.15.2012
Weight Management for Health and Fertility
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Weight management is important when trying to become pregnant. The best chance of success occurs in women of ideal body weight, which is a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 20-28.BMI is a function of height and weight which for example for a woman 5 feet 5 inches tall would be a weight between 120 to 165 pounds. Calorie consumption and expenditure is critical for [...]
