When should a patient move past intrauterine inseminations (IUI) to IVF? The short answer is that every patient’s circumstances are different and the key is finding a good physician to guide you. But here are a few checkpoints at which you might want to stop and consider next steps with your doctor. If your obstetrician [...]

An embryologist’s holiday often begins in the lab. After all, you can’t really put sperm and egg to bed (so to speak) and leave them alone for the weekend or holiday. Some labs close down for the big holidays and don’t cycle patients. This often makes patients unhappy because around the holidays, especially the longer [...]

Remember that great scene in the movie, The Graduate, where Dustin Hoffman plays Benjamin Braddock, a young man concerned about his future and he receives this memorable advice from one of his parent’s friends, Mr McGuire? “Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you – just one word. Ben: Yes sir. Mr. [...]

Remember “Octomom” Nadiya Suleman? She was the IVF patient who conceived eight babies in July 2008 after a large number of fresh embryos were transferred. The total number of embryos reported to be transferred has varied from 6 transferred (two split into twins) or 12 transferred and 8 implanted. In any case eight babies were [...]

A positive blood test for HIV used to be a death sentence. With the development  of highly active antiviral therapy (HAART), patients are able to decrease their viral load to non-detectable levels. HAART therapy is the use of at least three different antiviral medications from two different class types  in daily doses to depress viral [...]

You may want to buy your dear husband a lap desk for his laptop PC or Mac to protect his sperm from overheating. In a new study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, use of a laptop computer directly on the lap was associated with scrotal hyperthermia or an elevation of scrotal temperature of [...]

A new study by Professor Barbara Luke of Michigan State  looked at 300,000 IVF cycles in the US. Professor Luke’s study showed that 36% of women became pregnant after one cycle of IVF. Of women who went on to a second IVF cycle after the first cycle failed, only 12% more conceived (48%) in the [...]

I love embryology and IVF and realize it has opened new possibilities for people to have and raise children that didn’t exist 35 years ago. But I also know IVF is not the answer for every person with infertility problems. Sometimes we fall in love with a technology and expect too much from it. In [...]

Did I mention I love getting blog topic suggestions from my readers? I get in a rut too. So I was happy to find this request in my inbox. “Carole, please could you discuss the various stages and the required number of cells the fertilized egg goes through up until it is vitrified on day [...]

Is IVF safe? Every patient who is considering using IVF probably asks themselves this question before they start treatment. Before you start treatment you will be asked to sign a consent form which outlines the risks, benefits and alternatives of proceeding with IVF. Most consent forms do an adequate job of outlining potential immediate risks [...]