Category: Update in fertility research

I am excited to announce the birth of the first baby in Southern California early this week as a result of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) using a genetically tested and frozen egg by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) (See the announcement at www.prnewswire.com) After treating the first CGH cases in Southern California with IVF for infertility, I […]

There has been confusion over the years about testing for clotting disorders in infertility patients, especially those undergoing IVF treatment. Routine testing for these disorders is not recommended as a part of the initial work up for infertility and prior to or during pregnancy. Unfortunately, there have been overutilization and overinterpretation of these tests (thrombophilia […]

Embryo marker tests have been developed over the years in IVF practices to identify the best embryos for transfer into the uterus, but no test has been found to be 100% reliable. Conventional approach in selecting the better quality embryos still relies on the appearance of the embryos under the microscope by paying attention to […]

The diagnosis of cervical incompetence is usually suspected on the basis of the following history: Second trimester miscarriage or premature birth, in which both bleeding and painful contractions are minimal No prior warning symptoms or signs in most cases Where the bulging membranes often breaks followed by a sudden gush of water per vagina that […]

Over the years, blastocyst transfer (BT) or Day 5 transfer has become increasing prevalent among IVF programs and transfer of good quality blastocysts is associated with high rate of implantation/pregnancy and low rate of multiple pregnancy. Using advanced reproductive technologies (ART), multiple mature eggs can now be recovered from a woman in a single cycle. […]

Women are born with a finite number of eggs (1-2 million in both ovaries at birth) and at the time of puberty the total number decreases to approximately 500,000. At age 37, there are approximately 25,000 eggs left in the ovaries and less than 500 at the time of menopause. A monthly process of using […]

The agonist antagonist conversion protocol refers to a switch in the pituitary suppression drugs during an IVF cycle. We now know that some form of pituitary blockade, either in the form of a GnRH agonist (e.g. Lupron, Buserelin, Nafarelin, and Synarel) or a GnRH antagonist (e.g. Cetrorelix, and Ganirelix) is an essential component in ovarian […]

H1N1 flu (a.k.a. swine flu) has affected many pregnant and non-pregnant women and the management of such cases including vaccination has created concerns and confusion in the general population. Swine flu is most commonly caused by swine influenza virus A and one of its subtypes called H1N1. It is relatively common in pigs and was […]

The concept of blastocyst transfer (BT) is not new to the field of Assisted Reproduction. There have been reports of BT pregnancies in humans as early as 1990, and even earlier in animals. However, the ability to consistently produce a high percentage of blastocysts from cultured embryos is a relatively recent development. The freshly fertilized […]

Patients diagnosed with cancer are typically planned to undergo surgery, chemotherapy or radiation depending on the location and the type of the cancer. In some cases, a combination of these treatment options may be applicable during a time period and in most cases urgent treatment is necessary. Therefore, an immediate consultation with a fertility specialist […]