About 2 years ago, I consulted with a couple who presented with many
years of infertility due exclusively to severe male factor
[/blog/male-infertility/](sperm count= 1.0 million/ml; sperm motility=
Anti-Müllerian hormone also known as AMH is a protein that, is
encoded by the AMH gene located on chromosome 19p13.3,. There is an
important interaction between AM and its receptor AMHR2 on chromosome
12. AMH is a glycoprotein hormone secreted by Granulosa cells in
developing follicles. AMH blood levels in a woman’s blood is an
indicator of the
Fragile X syndrome occurs in individuals who carry the gene, FMR1 on
an X-chromosome. This condition is inherited as a dominant X-linked
disorder. With a dominant disorder, the condition results when there
is only one copy of the altered gene in each cell.
Fragile syndrome occurs twice as frequently in males (1:1,200) as
compared to females (1:2,500) A striking characteristic of X-linked
inheritance is that fathers can…
Molar pregnancy or hydatidiform mole — is a benign tumor that occurs
in the uterus. It starts when an egg is fertilized, but instead
developing into a normal, conceptus + placental tissue, the placenta
tissue develops into a mass of small cysts. Here, the root system
(trophoblast) of the embryo which under normal conditions develops
into the placenta that connects the baby to the mother. With molar
pregnancy, the roots of the trophoblast (chorionic villi) un…
Molar Pregnancy: What is it and How Should it be Treated? Read More »
There are about 1.0 million infertile couples in the United States,
for whom IVF offers the only rational opportunity to have a baby.
About 10% of these women (100,000) undergo approximately 150,000 fresh
IVF cycles annually. This represents a significant underservicing of
the demand. The fact that more than onehalf of all IVF procedures are
conducted by fewer than 10% of the programs, with the remainder being
divided among the rest of the clinics means that m…
Confronting the real cost of IVF Treatment Read More »
Surrogacy involves conception and the subsequent birthing of a baby by
one woman (the surrogate) for another individual or couple. There are
two primary types of surrogacy – Traditional (Classical) and
Gestational (IVF).A traditional surrogate is a woman who is
artificially inseminated with sperm, carries the baby and then
surrenders it to be raised by the aspiring parent(s) to be. In this
arrangement, the traditional surrogate is the baby’s biological
mothe…
Surrogacy: For some, like Tyra Banks, the only road “from Infertility to Family” Read More »
When considering IVF, cost is a major consideration. Patients tend to
compare the cost of treatment at one center with that of another.
While it is understandable for cost per IVF procedure to be
considered, the focus should rather be on the cost of having a
baby…not on the cost per procedure. Moreover, aside from financial
considerations there is another cost factor to be taken into account
and that is the enormous emotional cost associated with IVF. For bo…
Cost of IVF Treatment Read More »
The dictionary defines “evidence based medicine” as follows:
“The practice of medicine in which the physician finds, assesses,
and implements methods of diagnosis and treatment on the basis of the
best available current research, their clinical expertise, and the
needs and preferences of the patient…….
This definition does not suggest that adoption of new advances be
co…
It is inevitable reality that all women will at some point or another,
experience a progressive decline in their reproductive potential. This
occurs as their ovarian egg population falls below a theoretical
threshold. Ultimately once it is all but depleted, a total cessation
of ovulation and menstruation (the menopause) ensues making the chance
of having a baby with own eggs virtually impossible. This decline in
so called “ovarian reserve” usually star…
Human embryo development occurs through a process that encompasses
reprogramming, sequential cleavage divisions and mitotic chromosome
segregation and embryonic genome activation. Chromosomal abnormalities
may arise during germ cell and/or preimplantation embryo development
and represents a major cause of early pregnancy loss. About a decade
ago, I and my associate, Levent Keskintepe PhD were the first to
introduce full embryo karyotyping (identification of all 46
chromosomes) through pr…
