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Tag Archives: IVF
The Embryoscope Time Lapse Video monitoring that I talked about here made the US NBC Evening News! Here’s a link to the NBC News report which provides very interesting video showing how Embryoscope works and what doctors see as its primary benefits: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/50997885/#50997885 Although the medical reporter … Continue reading
Posted in Czech, Fertility News, IVF Success Rates, IVF Treatment Abroad, travel, Treatment protocols
Tagged Embryoscope, India, IVF, miscarriage, Spain, time lapse video monitoring, UK, US
Comments Off on NBC News Report on Embryoscope Time Lapse Video Monitoring
Over the next few days, I will be traveling throughout Czech visiting the most popular IVF clinics and hearing all about their latest advances and technologies on the horizon. We’ll be talking about own egg IVF treatments, ICSI, PICSI, IMSI (for any … Continue reading
Posted in Czech, Donor Egg IVF, donor embryos, egg donor, embryo donation, IVF Vacation, Male Factor, travel, Uncategorized
Tagged aCGH, frozen donor eggs, IVF, PGD, PGS, prague, travel
Comments Off on Journey Through Czech
A study that appeared in the May 2012 New England Journal of Medicine explored the risk of birth defects when using reproductive technology. That story had the media and infertility circles buzzing, and lots of my clients asking questions. Is IVF safe? Is … Continue reading
Posted in Czech, Fertility News, Male Factor, Treatment protocols, Uncategorized
Tagged birth defects, Czech Republic, fertilization, Hana Krasna, ICSI, IVF, New England Journal of Medicine, ReproGenesis
Comments Off on ICSI – Is It Really Safe?
I often get asked why people choose to go to the Czech Republic for IVF, donor egg IVF, and donor embryo treatments. My friends Kathryn Kaycoff-Manos, MA and Lauri Berger de Brito over at Global IVF have recently been traveling in Europe speaking at a conference on … Continue reading
Posted in IVF Treatment Abroad, IVF Vacation
Tagged brno, cross border reproductive care, czech, Czech Republic, donor egg ivf, donor embryo, Global IVF, IVF, ivf vacation, Kathryn Kaycoff-Manos, Lauri Berger de Brito, prague
Comments Off on Why IVF in Czech?
Recently, I have been in communication with a clinic in the Czech Republic that is using Embryo Monitoring in their IVF practice both for non-donor egg IVF and for donor egg IVF treatments. They have reported that they are seeing about … Continue reading
Posted in Donor Egg IVF, Endometrial scratching, Fertility News, IVF Success Rates, IVF Treatment Abroad
Tagged czech, donor egg ivf, embryo, embryo monitoring, EmbryoSense, fragmentation, IVF, IVF Success Rates, nuclei, pronuclei, Unisense FertiliTech A/S
Comments Off on Embryo monitoring improves IVF success rates
Today, Pfizer issued a recall for certain lots of birth control pills. It affects Lo/Ovral and generic Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg tablets. The full list of affected medications and lots can be found here: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm289770.htm You may wonder … Continue reading
Posted in Donor Egg IVF, Fertility News, Treatment protocols
Tagged birth control pills, donor egg ivf, IVF, Pfizer
Comments Off on Could the Pfizer bcp recall affect your IVF treatment?
Recently I’ve been asked on several occasions about how the frozen donor embryo programs abroad compare to what is available in the US. So, I thought I would share a bit more about the similarities and differences. Generally speaking, the embryo … Continue reading
Posted in Donor Egg IVF, donor embryos, IVF Treatment Abroad
Tagged affordable, CGH, Czech Republic, donor egg ivf, donor embryo, donor embryos, donor sperm, embryo adoption, embryo donation, FET, frozen donor embryo, frozen embryo transfer, genetics, IVF, low cost, PGD, same sex couples, SMC
2 Comments
A recent Spanish study showed a 7% increase in birth rates when two embryos were transferred together. When only one embryo was implanted, the survival to birth rate was 76%, vs 83% for a twin pregnancy. The study, published in the January … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged ASRM, donor egg, elective single embryo transfer, embryo, eSET, IVF, multiple pregnancy, Obstetrics and Gynecology, twin
2 Comments
Statistics….in fertility, everyone seems to love to talk about statistics. And when it comes to IVF and donor egg IVF treatments, often it is one of the factors most relied on when selecting a doctor or clinic. And for a good … Continue reading
Posted in Donor Egg IVF, IVF Treatment Abroad
Tagged CDC, donor egg, donor ivf, embryo, embryologist, eSET, FET, frozen embryo transfer, IVF, IVF Abroad, IVF Success Rates, IVF treatment, pregnancy rates, SART
Comments Off on Comparing clinic IVF success rates
Biological clocks – they aren’t just for women anymore. A recent article referencing a male factor infertility study showed that there is a decline in male fertility after age 41, and it points to an even sharper decline after age 45. … Continue reading
Posted in Fertility News, Treatment protocols
Tagged DNA fragmentation, donor eggs, IVF, SCSA test, semen analysis, Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay
Comments Off on Male Biological Clocks
A recent New York Times article posed the question “Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue“? It went on to describe how making decision after decision can wear people down, sometimes resulting in poor choices or a different choice than may … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged acupuncture, decision fatigue, donor egg ivf, donor embryos, frozen donor eggs, international, IVF, own egg, PGD, POAS, progesterone
1 Comment
Although it sounds counter-intuitive, in the past few years, several studies have shown a marked increase in IVF implantation/success when patients have undergone an endometrial biopsy (also known as LEI – luteal phase endometerial injury) prior to IVF treatment. In the initial Israeli … Continue reading
Posted in Endometrial scratching, Uncategorized
Tagged biopsy, Brazil, donor ivf, Dr. Dekel, Dr. Fernando Prado Ferreira, embryo, endometrial biopsy, failure to implant, Federal University of Sao Paulo, FET, frozen embryo transfer, implantation failure, Israel, IVF, IVF implantation, LEI, luteal phase endometrial injury, Santa Joana Maternity Hospital
Comments Off on Endometrial Biopsies (LEI) or Uterine Scarring to improve success rates?
Sometimes when the first plan for family building isn’t working out, plan B can be perceived by some a bit like a “consolation prize” or a less optimal choice. Recently I was thinking about how so many of us in infertility land go through the pain … Continue reading
I recently read this really terrific blog post about if and when to POAS (pee on a stick – or take a home pregnancy test) after an IVF treatment. The author, Lisa Rouff, Ph.D., is a psychologist specializing in infertility and adoption. You … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged donor ivf, embryo, embryo quality, home pregnancy test, implantation, implantation failure, IVF, IVF treatment, own egg IVF, POAS
4 Comments
Recent news of Elton John’s surrogate baby, Nicole Kidman’s “gestational carrier”, and Kelly Preston’s introduction of her new baby seems to have the media and bloggers alike all a-flutter about the current state of fertility options and infertility treatments. What I’d … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged donor sperm, egg donor, Elton John, fertility, frozen embryos, gestational carrier, gestational surrogate, infertility, IVF, kelly preston, nicole kidman, surrogate
1 Comment
The path of infertility is so often filled with disappointments and sadness, that it is easy to misplace the hope you had when starting on this path. And the more treatments that don’t result in a positive outcome, the harder … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged donor eggs, donor sperm, hope, infertility, IVF, IVF Abroad, miscarriage, pregnancy, pregnancy loss
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The blogosphere is all abuzz about a recent NY Times article by Melanie Thernstrom, a woman who used egg donation and surrogacy to have her two children “twiblings”. She very openly discusses their journey to parenthood and their choices for building their … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged egg donation, family building, IVF, IVF Abroad, Melanie Thernstrom, NY Times, surrogacy, twiblings
1 Comment
In the past year several countries have made pretty significant changes to their legislation related to third party reproduction – particularly IVF with donor eggs or surrogacy. Some have been progressive, and sadly, some made access to treatment more difficult … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged donor, donor ivf, Elton John, fertility, IVF, Neil Patrick Harris, surrogacy, surrogate, third party reproduction
Comments Off on What Advances Will 2011 Hold?
As I sat in my doctor’s office I was reading an article today and came across a new word that struck me. Saudade. It is a Portuguese word that supposedly means longing, incompleteness and desire – all in one. In the … Continue reading
Oprah and the mainstream media seem too often to focus on the horror stories of surrogacy abroad. That is not what this post is about. Doing IVF Abroad in combination with using a local surrogate (local to where you live) can … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged affordable surrogacy, cheaper surrogacy, donor ivf, family building, gestational carrier, gestational surrogate, intended parent, IVF, IVF insurance, surrogacy, surrogacy cost, surrogate
Comments Off on IVF Abroad and Surrogacy
I recently discovered this wonderful book for toddlers and children conceived through IVF with donor eggs. It provides a great basis for parents to begin a natural conversation about “their birth story” with their children. The author, Kim Noble, very delicately handles this topic and focuses on … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged amazon, childrens donor egg book, disclosure, donor egg, donor ivf, IVF, Kim Noble, One More Giraffe, stepanie gibson
1 Comment
Well now, that’s a mouthful. It’s no wonder the medical community comes up with all of these acronyms. PDG – so much easier to say. This is also sometimes referred to as PGS – pre-implantation genetic screening. So, we continue … Continue reading
I’ve participated in some rather interesting discussions recently of what prospective parents (especially those using assisted reproductive services such as IVF or donor egg IVF) might want to consider for genetic screening prior to conceiving. It turns out, there really aren’t any … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged CGH, comparative genome hybridization, DNA, DNA testing, donor eggs, egg donor, Fragile-X, genetic testing, gestational carrier, IVF, karyotype, mother, PGD, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, Sickle Cell Anemia, SMA, spinal muscular atrophy, surrogate, Tay Sachs
3 Comments
Over many years and many cycles, I started compiling a list of things to help maintain sanity while enduring the excruciatingly long 2ww (2 week wait – the wait from when you have an IVF transfer until when you can … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2ww, IVF, IVF Abroad, IVF travel, ivf vacation, two week wait
Comments Off on Distractions for the Two Week Wait
The recent volcano and resulting travel nightmares emphasizes the importance of having contingency plans – particularly when traveling for medical treatments. Those safeguards and contingency plans will help make things easier if you are stranded by a volcano, hurricane or some … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged cancelled flights, donor ivf, flight delays, Iceland Volcano, IVF, IVF Abroad, IVF Europe, medical tourism, medical tourism travel insurance, travel insurance, trip cancellation insurance
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So many doctors have differing opinions about which type of progesterone is best for your IVF cycle. Each doctor seems to have their favorites or the ones they use for their practice. But have you ever asked your doctor why … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged crinone, donor ivf, endometrin, IVF, IVF Abroad, IVF Europe, ivf vacation, progesterone, prometrium, utrogestan
3 Comments
After someone decides to do donor egg IVF, one of the very first decisions to make is anonymous donor, known donor, or something in between (sometimes called semi-known). This one question will help determine which clinics you can use and what … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged anonymous donor, de ivf, donor egg, donor egg agency, donor egg ivf, fertility, IVF, IVF Abroad, ivf vacation, known donor, parents via egg donation, PVED, semi-known donor
Comments Off on Egg Donors – anonymous, known, semi-known?
Yesterday I talked about how loathe I am to have government legislation involved in my fertility decisions. I promised today I would finish that train of thought with “how old is too old” for IVF. So, what about age limits on fertility … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged British IVF, donor egg, donor ivf, how old is too old for IVF, IVF, IVF after 40, IVF after 50, IVF Europe, IVF legislation
Comments Off on How old is too old?
The recent news of the milestone birthday of the Octuplets, and the story of a 59 year old British women electing to do IVF seems to have the online world all a-buzz about fertility regulation. And so many people are coming … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged British IVF, donor egg, donor ivf, e-SET, how old is too old, IVF, IVF Abroad, IVF Europe, IVF legislation, IVF over 50, my body, my choice, Octomom, single embryo transfer
2 Comments
Well, I’m back after a long radio silence. Do you ever just need some time to process and re-group? Well, that’s my excuse. So, I’m back, but this time, I’ve decided to take a slightly new approach to this blog. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged ART, designer baby, donor egg ivf, donor embryo, fertility, IVF, PGD, reproductive, tourism
Comments Off on Back after a long radio silence
The two week wait is full of hope and fear. And though there is really nothing one can do to impact the outcome of the impending pregnancy test, the question nags: shall I test early, or not? In one camp, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged beta, home pregnancy test, HPT, IVF, negative, not pregnant, POAS, positive, pregnant, test early test often
1 Comment
Wow, there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed after being away from home. I can’t decide if the trip to Europe feels longer, or the one back – I’m pretty sure it is the one coming back though. … Continue reading
I went to the local Czech acupuncturist today – the same one I saw last time I was here. She’s a bit of a trip. She is not exactly the soothing, supportive type; she’s more the shake her head negatively … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged acupuncture, czech, IVF, moxa, permanent needle, transfer
Comments Off on Got a nail in my ear
I made the journey from Prague to Brno yesterday. I was a bit sad to leave Prague, it is such a gorgeous city! That architecture and skyline is just amazing. It was only a 2 1/2 hour bus or train … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged brno, bus, czech, friends, Grand hotel, IVF, prague, restaurant, smoking, train, tram
Comments Off on Hello Brno
I have no idea how I waited this long for my embryo update without going crazy. I guess keeping busy is a good thing. I had missed the Thursday update, the Friday update, and then I missed the window of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged acupuncture, brno, egg retrieval, embryo transfer, fertilization, implantation, IVF, massage, transfer
Comments Off on Embryo Update
Arrived in Prague – the weather is almost perfect – 80s during the day, 60s at night. Occasional clouds in the sky. The trick for me to European travel is to stay awake until bedtime in the city where I … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged eggs, embryos, fertilization, IVF, petri dish, prague, sperm
1 Comment
Although I’m no Bo Derek, I always wanted to be a perfect 10. But today, I was never so happy to hear I was an 8. My lining that is-8mm. Now, for a little background. Last cycle, my lining was only … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged endometrium, IVF, IVF travel, lining, reproductive endocrinologist, ultrasound
Comments Off on A perfect 8
About 7 days from right now I should be landing in Prague. Wow, time flies when you’re having fun. Seriously though, I go back and forth between “I thought this day would never come” and “yikes, how did this date … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Czech Republic, IVF, IVF travel, prague, Reprofit
Comments Off on Countdown
I wish it were simple – instructions for building the perfect lining. But not so. Ask 20 people for their recommendations, and you’ll likely get 20 different answers. I am amazed that this one element is so critical to a successful … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged acupuncture, brazil nuts, delestrogen, diet, estrace, estrogen, IVF, lining, pineapple, wine
Comments Off on Building the perfect lining.
Flights are booked. Hotels are confirmed. Plans are in place, and I’ve started the good medications. It seems like I’m forgetting something…or lots of things. This seems too easy this time – far less stressful than my last trip to … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged brno, czech, grand hotel brno, IVF, ivf vacation, prague, Reprofit
2 Comments
When I was a teenager, LEI was a brand of jeans. Today, I found out what it means as an IVF patient, Luteal phase endometrial injury. Big ominous sounding name, right? Actually, it’s a rather new technique that is gaining … Continue reading
Posted in Endometrial scratching, Uncategorized
Tagged czech, donor ivf, europe, fertility, infertility, IVF, ivf vacation, LEI, luteal phase endometrial injury, reproductive endocrinologist
Comments Off on What does LEI stand for?
Life really has been getting in the way of my travel planning lately. I think it is time to get serious though and get my hotels booked at the very least. It is hard to believe that I’m leaving in … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged brno, czech, donor ivf, europe, fertility, grand hotel brno, IVF, ivf vacation, prague, Reprofit
Comments Off on Travel plans
The rollercoaster has left the platform, and my medications have started. It reminds me of those few moments after you get strapped in to a rollercoaster and start slowly creeping away from the platform in that slow climb to the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged czech, donor ivf, europe, fertility, IVF, ivf rollercoaster, ivf vacation, Reprofit, surrogacy
3 Comments
Who knew that a google search late one night would lead us halfway across the world in our quest for a baby? Our story actually started several years ago. My husband and I were married a bit later in life … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged czech, donor ivf, europe, fertility, infertility, IVF, ivf vacation, Reprofit
Comments Off on It all started one night on Google