Many people who are researching the pros and cons of using fresh vs. frozen donor eggs for IVF automatically assume using fresh donor eggs is a better option than frozen eggs. That’s…
Common Infertility Myths that Stress Out Would-be Parents
At Santa Monica Fertility Clinic, we see thousands of patients each year who come in worried and stressed because parenthood hasn’t come as easily as they’d hoped. In the end, almost all of…
Ovarian Reserve
Today I would like to talk to you about Ovarian Reserve. The term ovarian reserve means egg inventory, how many eggs are left in the ovary. When a woman starts menstruating as a teenager she has about 500,000 eggs in her ovaries, and over time batches of these eggs will be released every month. So by the age of 30 a woman only has 10% of her eggs left, and at age 40 she only has 3% of her eggs left. That sounds rather alarming, but the good news is fertility is still quite good when a woman is in her thirties.
Cancer & Fertility- One Patient’s Journey
After a recent conversation with a friend who asked me the probabilities of a breast cancer survivor having children post chemotherapy, I thought a lot this weekend about an article from 2008 in Women & Cancer magazine. For my friend, and all the women who are cancer survivors, I wanted to re-post this article and feature it as my blog topic this week.
The article is the journey one of my patients took as she faced breast cancer, and she chose to preserve her fertility via egg freezing. The article can also be found at CancerConsultants.com, after a Q&A about fertility options for women facing cancer.
What Are Fertility Drugs?
I recently put together an answer to the question “What Are Fertility Drugs?,” for the Sharecare.com online health network hosted by Dr. OZ. I wanted to post my answer her on my blog too to help my own clients understand more about the differences between the various fertility medications they may be prescribed here in my own clinic and practice.
There are a variety of drugs used for fertility treatment. Some are used to produce more ovarian egg follicles. Some are also used to suppress the pituitary gland and prevent ovulation. Others are used to support the uterine lining and early pregnancy.
Read my detailed answer here. . .
What Is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder that affects millions of women in the U.S. The underlying cause of this condition is not known.
Like most medical problems that are referred to as “syndromes”, PCOS is made up of a cluster of signs and symptoms. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome may have some or all of the following features:
The Effect of Alcohol on Fertility
The data regarding the effects of moderate alcohol intake on fertility is inconclusive at this time. The largest prospective studies conducted in Europe indicate that high levels of alcohol consumption are associated with greater difficulty conceiving.
One small Danish study identified a slight delay in conception even with alcohol ingestion of 5 drinks or less per week. However, this research relies on self-reporting of alcohol consumption which may be inaccurate. In many cases, the studies do not fully account for other factors that could be affecting fertility.
Dr. Jain Answers Questions About IVF and The California Octuplets
There has been intense international reaction to the birth of octuplets by a Southern California woman. While the details are not fully available, it appears that several frozen embryos were transferred to the uterus of a 33 year old woman resulting in the birth of 8 infants. Dr. Jain has been interviewed by news agencies from around the globe for his comments and perspective. The following is a summary of the most common questions and excerpts from his interviews:
