Tag Archives: IVF
12.29.2011
The Role of Tubal Reconstructive Surgery in the Era of IVF
Danielle Vitiello, Ph.D., M.D. Board-Eligible Reproductive Endocrinologist
Over the last few years, the ease, accessibility and efficacy of IVF has increased dramatically. The success of tubal reconstructive surgery has remained relatively stable although the invasiveness of the surgery decreases. Such divergence between IVF success and need for surgical involvement calls for a reassessment of a cost/risk to benefit ratio whether it may [...]
10.27.2011
RESOLVE of New England’s Annual Conference: Fertility Treatment, Donor Choices, and Adoption
R. Ian Hardy, M.D., Ph.D. Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Medical Director
Resolve, a non-profit infertility patient support-group, will be holding their annual New England conference on Saturday, November 5th, in Marlborough, MA. Resolve provides patients with education, advocacy and support throughout the year; however, this annual conference is unique opportunity with more than 40 workshops and presentations from experts in the New England area. Lynette Scott, [...]
10.20.2011
Making Infertility Treatment More Affordable
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Treatment of infertility, for example in-vitro fertilization (IVF), is expensive. How much you pay depends on whether you have insurance coverage for infertility services including IVF, the amount of your co-pay, and of your deductable. For those without insurance coverage, the prices charged for IVF services vary between regions of the country and even within the same city. According to the American Society for Reproductive [...]
10.06.2011
What About the Soil? Then Endometrium: An Unsung Hero
Danielle Vitiello, Ph.D., M.D. Board-Eligible Reproductive Endocrinologist
Much of our efforts in assisted reproductive technologies, namely IVF and IUI, is focused on cultivation of mature oocytes and generation of quality embryos. However, without a rich environment, these embryos cannot exist. This soil is the endometrium, the lining of the uterus that is prepared monthly and then quickly shed like an afterthought, if [...]
09.30.2011
Become an Advocate for Infertility Benefits
R. Ian Hardy, M.D., Ph.D. Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Medical Director
In 1987, the Massachusetts state legislature mandated that certain infertility benefits be provided by commercial insurers. This notable achievement was accomplished in large part due to the efforts of Resolve, a non-profit patient advocacy organization. Resolve, founded in Massachusetts in 1974, is now a national organization that continues to provide education, support and advocacy for infertile [...]
09.15.2011
Family Building for Same Sex Couples
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Family building options for same sex couples include adoption, foster care, embryo adoption, surrogacy, donor sperm insemination (DI), donor oocyte with gestational carrier, and shared maternity. For male same sex couples the best option to achieve parenthood is a gestational carrier with an oocyte donor using sperm from either or both partners separately to inseminate [...]
09.08.2011
Progesterone Support in IVF
Joseph A. Hill, III, M.D. Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Progesterone is critical for the establishment and continuation of a successful pregnancy. Exogenous progesterone has been given in IVF since IVF’s inception. The reason was thought to be due to the removal of cells from the ovary that produced progesterone at the time of egg retrieval. Later when IVF cycle stimulation included drugs such as [...]
02.17.2011
DONOR OOCYTE PART V
R. Ian Hardy, M.D., Ph.D. Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Medical Director
After the birth of a child is achieved from donor oocyte IVF, parents often ask what they should tell or reveal to their child in later years. The Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has previously recommended that disclosure is ‘‘ultimately the choice of recipient parents’’ but that ‘‘disclosure to off-spring [...]
02.10.2011
DONOR OOCYTE PART IV
R. Ian Hardy, M.D., Ph.D. Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Medical Director
Selection criteria for an oocyte donor are personal and couple-dependent. Some medical parameters may influence a couple’s decision when narrowing their choice from a group of acceptable donors. The donor’s age may be one such variable. In one reported study, for every year increase in donor age, the number of mature oocytes decreased by 0.39 [...]
02.03.2011
DONOR OOCYTE PART III
R. Ian Hardy, M.D., Ph.D. Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Medical Director
If a couple decides to pursue donor oocyte IVF, it is important to insure that other clinical components of the process are in good working order. This includes the function and genetic make-up of the sperm as well as the integrity of the recipient’s uterine environment and surrounding hormones. Transferring a donor oocyte embryo to [...]
