Tag Archives: fertilization
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 [...]
02.23.2012
Growing Sperm from Germ Cells
R. Ian Hardy, M.D., Ph.D. Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Medical Director
Scientists at the Institute of Reproductive Medicine in Munster, Germany recently reported on their ability to grow mouse sperm from germ cells. For men with azoospermia (zero sperm), this technology may, in the future, permit germ cells from a man’s testicle to produce sperm for fertilization. Currently men with no sperm in either the ejaculate [...]
02.16.2012
Natural and Minimal IVF: Caveat Emptor
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Environment friendly business promotions have a receptive audience. Cost consciousness together with ‘green’ polices embracing such terms as ‘small is beautiful’ and ‘less is better’ can be a good thing. However, when these neologisms are applied to In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) using terms like, “Natural Cycle IVF” or “Minimal Stimulation IVF” under the guise of [...]
01.19.2012
Male Fertility: The Other Half
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Approximately 40% of infertility is related to the male. Key to understanding male fertility is analysis of the semen. Semen samples can vary from month to month, or even day to day because it takes about 72 days for sperm to develop within the testicles. Unlike eggs, which are present since you were born, sperm [...]
10.29.2010
BIRDS AND BEES PART V
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Let me tell you ‘bout the “Birds and the Bees” And the flowers and the trees And the moon up above And a thing called “Love” (Herb Newman) On the day of fertilization, still within the comforting confines of the fallopian tube’s ampullary region, the genetic material of the sperm (male pronucleus) and the genetic [...]
08.31.2010
How The Fertility Centers Of New England Selects Embryos For Transfer
Lynette A. Scott, Ph.D. HCLD Director, Assisted Reproductive Technology Laboratories
Just as our physicians treat patients as individuals, the embryologists at The Fertility Centers of New England treat embryos individually. Similar to the physician who uses the patient’s history, physical examination, and laboratory assessment to obtain a specific profile of that patient, we obtain an embryo profile at specific time points following egg retrieval, insemination, [...]
