By Michael Feinman, MD, FACOG Board Certified, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Since the very first IVF procedure, the theoretical ability to perform egg donation or gestational surrogacy has existed. It took doctors and society a few years to realize this fact and embrace the concept. Considering the wide variation in the legal status of egg donation and surrogacy throughout the world, it is also clear that not all societies have fully accepted these alternatives. In the U.S., especially in California, these procedures are helping many couples have children when they may not have been able to in the past. In...
Treatment Options for Those Who have Failed Assisted Reproductive Technologies
By Bradford Kolb, MD, FACOG Board Certified, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Reproductive medicine has expanded treatment options to many who would otherwise not be able to have children. Despite these advances, many still experience challenges and the emotional distress of unsuccessful treatment. While some continue treatment, others succumb to these stresses and give up pursuing treatment or seek unproven therapies. First and foremost, it is important to stress that the lack of success is not the patient’s fault. Nor does it mean that a carefully thought-out treatment plan will always be successful. Often it is in a couple’s best interest...
Assisted Hatching
By Jeffrey Nelson, DO, FACOOG There are a multitude of factors contributing to a couple’s inability to conceive, including male factor, uterine factor, tubal factor, pelvic factor, and ovulatory dysfunction. The majority of these factors can be circumvented through the application of advanced reproductive treatments like in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The success of IVF depends on three primary components: good quality embryos, a technically uncomplicated embryo transfer, and a receptive intrauterine environment for embryo implantation. When we talk about “good quality embryos” the two most common criteria discussed are rate of embryo growth, and embryo grade. The rate of embryo growth...
Alternatives For Ovulation Induction and Superovulation: SERMs and Aromatase Inhibitors
By David E. Tourgeman MD, FACOG Board Certified, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Introduction Ovulatory dysfunction is one of the most common causes for reproductive difficulty in otherwise fertile couples. Once successful ovulation is achieved, fertility is often restored. For many years, the first line of pharmacologic ovulation induction has involved the use of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), of which clomiphene citrate (CC) has been most extensively studied. The first trial of CC resulted in successful ovulation induction in approximately 80% of women, and ultimately half were able to achieve pregnancy. (1) The use of CC for superovulation in patients...
Annual picnic lets fertility families thank doctors who helped them
By PAUL BERSEBACH / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Doctors from HRC Fertility were reunited with the children they helped create during their 12th annual picnic at the Laguna Hills Community Center on Sunday. More than 600 former patients and their families saw the doctors, some for the first time, since becoming pregnant with the center’s help. “I don’t know what I would have done without it (HRC Fertility),” said Kimberly Root, who gave birth to her daughter Teagan four years ago. “I knew I wanted to be a mom.” HRC Fertility is based in Laguna Hills and has eight offices...
HRC Fertility Baby Reunion Picnic 2012!
HRC Fertility Physicians Dr. Jane L. Frederick, Dr. Daniel A. Potter, Dr. Mickey S. Coffler, and Dr. N. Edward Dourron and staff look forward to seeing you, the family and our littlest miracles for a family-friendly, fun filled day on October 14, 2012! Click here for complete program information!
Thank You for Attending the 2012 Miracle of Life Picnic!
HRC Fertility Encino thanks everyone who participated in this years Miracle of Life Picnic. Despite the heat we had so much fun and look forward to seeing everyone next year!
Dr. Nelson hosted webinar about untangling the term “embryo quality” and the significant traits that impact to pregnancy success using donor embryos.
Dr. Jeffrey Nelson and Embryoadoption.org hosted a webinar 9/19 untangling the term “embryo quality” and the significant traits that impact to pregnancy success using donor embryos. More webinars to come. Registration is required. Click here to view all upcoming webinars on Embryoadoption.org.
Dr. Daniel A. Potter speaks on “Choosing the sex of your baby has become a multimillion-dollar industry” on Slate.com
Megan Simpson always expected that she would be a mother to a daughter. She had grown up in a family of four sisters. She liked sewing, baking, and doing hair and makeup. She hoped one day to share these interests with a little girl whom she could dress in pink. Simpson, a labor and delivery nurse at a hospital north of Toronto, was surprised when her first child, born in 2002, was a boy. That’s okay, she thought. The next one will be a girl. Except it wasn’t. Two years later, she gave birth to another boy. Desperate for a...
Fertility Treatment for Women over 40
By: Jeffrey Nelson, DO FACOOG It is no secret that fertility diminishes rapidly in your forties. USA Today ran an article this year stating that many women lack basic information about aging and fertility and mistakenly believe their fertility extends longer than it actually does. Unfortunately, after about age 35, a woman’s fertility starts to rapidly decline. When a women reaches 40, her chances of getting pregnant naturally drops to only 5% each month. By comparison, a healthy 30 year old women has a 20% chance of conceiving in a month. However, there is a silver lining to all of this....