Elective Single Embryo Transfer (eSET): is it right for you?
The fertility community would certainly like to see more singleton pregnancies...in contrast with the multiples that so often arise in our practices (or in the newspapers). The challenge is to balance...
View ArticleIVF: choosing the best embryo, and the best day for embryo transfer
The "perfect" embryo for transfer depends on the couple, their embryos, and the lab itself. This post describes embryo selection, grading, and the decisions that go into selecting embryos for transfer
View ArticleExpert Panel in Ontario supports IVF funding
The Ontario government convened the Expert Panel on Infertility and Adoption to create funding guidelines for Ontarian seeking fertiilty treatments. We hope the recommendations will be implemented; the...
View ArticlePre conception folic acid
For years, we have been encouraging women to take folic acid, or folate, while they are trying to conceive and through the first trimester of pregnancy. Folic acid helps cells to divide and grow. In...
View ArticlePrions and fertility medications
In Canada, the main three injectable medications, in alphabetic order, are Gonal F, Menopur, and Puregon. In different countries, they will have different names (in the USA for example Puregon is...
View ArticleFertility regulations in Canada: yes they are difficult to understand
From time to time you may bump up against the some of the rules and regulations that govern our particular field. For example, you are probably asked to sign a “Section 8″ consent when you first walk...
View ArticleSperm and Eggs for everyone? Not yet, but when we succeed with mice, the...
The fundamental building blocks to fertility success include good quality eggs and sperm. For patients afflicted with either very low ovarian reserve or azoospermia (no sperm), choices today are...
View ArticleAre fertility treatments safe for babies?
Babies conceived through IVF may have increased risks for preterm births and other complications. It may be worth considering how such risks may (or may not) apply to you...especially if you are...
View ArticleAMH: why it is so useful
There are many tests of ovarian reserve but the best one is AMH. This post describes why we like it so much. While no one test is the be-all and end-all, AMH is extremely helpful.
View ArticleHow to improve your egg quality
If you are fortunate, you may already know that you have good quality eggs. However, if you have reason to doubt the situation, then you may wish to try to "maximize" egg quality. Lifestyle matters:...
View ArticleHypertension and Pregnancy
We break fertility into eggs, sperm, tubes, uterus and overall health. Part of overall health is healthy living, including a good diet, good sleep patterns, well maintained weight, a healthy approach...
View Article“Does premenstrual spotting mean my eggs are low quality?”
“Premenstrual spotting”, also known as luteal phase spotting, may be as a result of lower-than-normal progesterone levels. And yes, egg quality and progesterone can be related. However, egg quality...
View Article“How do you measure egg quality?”
We look for five factors: Your age. Nearly all women under 35 will have good eggs. The vast majority will have good eggs until they’re 38. Over age 38, everyone is different. The average age beyond...
View Article“What’s the general process of fertility treatment like?”
Your fertility journey begins with your care plan. Of course, we all hope that we won’t have a “journey”, that we’ll achieve pregnancy quickly, on our own, like so many friends and neighbours and...
View Article“My septum was removed, but I still can’t get pregnant. Now what?”
The best non-surgical test for assessing your uterine cavity is a 3D sonohysterogram. If you’re post-operative and well healed, it may be worth exploring. Sometimes, a septum is large enough that it...
View Article“How serious are those scary statistics about a woman’s fertility as she ages?”
Age does predict egg quality with greater accuracy than any other factor. That’s why IVF success rates are usually sub-categorized by the woman’s age. The oldest patient I helped achieve pregnancy...
View Article“I have vaginismus, but I want to get pregnant…without a clinic. Now what?”
Vaginismus is a frustrating condition that, fortunately, can respond very well to treatments. In the meanwhile, if you can tolerate it, home inseminations are an option. Here’s how it works: Your male...
View Article“What’s my ovarian reserve and what do all those tests mean – FSH, AFC, AMH?”
Your number of eggs is your ovarian reserve. That’s a measure of quantity, not quality, and of course quality matters too. But when you have a good ovarian reserve, you most likely will have some good...
View Article“My sperm morphology results say 75% are abnormal. Help!”
25% normal morphology is low. But depending on how your clinic processes samples, morphology can often come out low-normal or low. Something to try: Ask to have the test repeated, along with a DNA...
View Article“Why did my semen analysis numbers suddenly drop this month?”
Sperm counts actually do change dramatically from month to month, and most of the time we don’t know why. You can ask your reproductive endocrinologist if there are significant white blood cells—this...
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