There is hope for those who have suffered a devastating loss Do you know there is no word in the English language describing the status of a parent who has endured the unbearable loss of a child? We doubt this word exists in any other language either. The pain and sorrow experienced by these parents is indeed indescribable, as well as universal. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Month. Parents around the globe use this occasion to honor the babies lost during miscarriage and stillbirth. On October 15, many lit a candle and released a balloon into the skies...
Breast Cancer & Fertility Preservation Advocacy
Could California Senate Bill 1972 signal hope is on the horizon? At the beginning of this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the American Cancer Society announced some very encouraging news. It reported there were 322,800 fewer deaths from breast cancer between1989 and 2015, representing an almost 40% decrease in mortality. Experts attribute this dramatic drop to both early detections via mammography and better treatments. According to the Young Survival Organization, 12,150 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women under age 40. These women have unique challenges not only in terms of how the disease affects them but...
Breast Cancer & Fertility Preservation Advocacy
Could California Senate Bill 1972 signal hope is on the horizon? At the beginning of this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the American Cancer Society announced some very encouraging news. It reported there were 322,800 fewer deaths from breast cancer between1989 and 2015, representing an almost 40% decrease in mortality. Experts attribute this dramatic drop to both early detection via mammography and better treatments. According to the Young Survival Organization, 12,150 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women under age 40. These women have unique challenges not only in terms of how the disease affects them, but also...
Starting Infertility Treatment with Clomid
Though HRC Fertility provides the full array of high-tech solutions for infertility, many of our patients with ovulatory problems can benefit from simpler, first-step approaches. This includes taking an oral medication, such as Clomid. Hailed as a game-changer when it was first introduced, Clomid is one of the most popular medications in the world to help women conceive. It’s also a cost effective and easy first step. Also known by its generic name, clomiphene citrate, Clomid is marketed as Serophene. Clomid primarily helps stimulate ovulation. It works at the level of the hypothalamus where it blocks estrogen receptors, making your...
Infertility: The Two Week Wait
The Waiting Game The most nerve-wracking part of the infertility journey Whether you are undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF), an infertility treatment cycle consists of many steps. Everyone involved in the process – doctors, nurses, embryologists, and patients – does their part to ensure the cycle will be as successful as possible. Then the waiting begins, euphemistically known in the ‘trying to conceive’ world as the tortuous two-week wait. At HRC Fertility, we try to support our patients and their partners as much as possible during this emotionally turbulent time. The emotional roller coaster does not...
The Two Week Wait
The Waiting Game The most nerve-wracking part of the infertility journey Whether you are undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF), an infertility treatment cycle consists of many steps. Everyone involved in the process – doctors, nurses, embryologists and patients – does their part to ensure the cycle will be as successful as possible. Then the waiting begins, euphemistically known in the ‘trying to conceive’ world as the tortuous two-week wait. At HRC Fertility, we try to support our patients and their partners as much as possible during this emotionally turbulent time. The emotional roller coaster does not...
PCOS Advocacy and Support
Help make PCOS awareness official September is PCOS Awareness Month, a wonderful opportunity to educate the public about polycystic ovary syndrome, the most common hormonal disorder impacting women. According to the PCOS Awareness Association, PCOS affects seven million women in the United States, more than the number of people diagnosed with breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and lupus combined. Though millions of women have this syndrome, public awareness about it is not high and support organizations receive very little funding. As a consequence, it is estimated 50% of women are not diagnosed properly or may not learn they have...
How Many Eggs Should I Freeze?
Answering the question, “How many eggs should I freeze?” Women considering fertility preservation need to understand everything about the process, including the answer to one commonly asked question: How many eggs should I freeze? If you’re thinking “I want to freeze my eggs in California,” you’ll be glad to know that the West Coast is home to some of the best fertility preservation professionals in the world, and none are better equipped to preserve your fertility than the egg freezing experts at our Los Angeles fertility center, USC Fertility. How many eggs should I freeze? Answers vary When you choose...
Dr. Alison Peck: The Benefits of a Healthy PCOS Lifestyle
PCOS is one of the most common hormonal disorders affecting women. Approximately five to 10 percent of childbearing age females have this condition, which can impact their fertility. At HRC Fertility, patients with PCOS comprise a significant part of our practice. We confirm a PCOS diagnosis if a female patient has two of the following three symptoms: absence of ovulation, symptoms of blood levels of high androgens (male sex hormones, such as testosterone) and/or multiple ovarian cysts on pelvic ultrasound. Insulin resistance is a major culprit in creating PCOS symptoms, and it affects 50-70 percent of women with PCOS. Insulin...
Two women, one dream to create a family
In the last several decades, lesbian would-be parents have increasingly sought reproductive assistance to have babies. It is estimated that approximately one-third of lesbian households have children, having achieved motherhood either through non-assisted insemination, fertility treatment, adoption or through prior heterosexual relationships. While two women trying to make a family together equals double the set of reproductive organs, they still may encounter obstacles on their way to getting pregnant and having a baby. If you are part of a same sex female couple, here are some important issues you should consider as you embark on your family building journey. Testing...