Consult For Miscarriage: Tips On Making The Most Of Your Visit

in

Preparing for your first visit with a provider to discuss recurrent miscarriage can be stressful. You are meeting someone new who may or may not be compassionate, you’re going to have to talk about the miscarriages, you’re nervous they are going to tell you something scary, and so on. Being prepared for what to expect and taking a list of questions with you can decrease your anxiety and make the visit more productive. Here's how to prepare for your visit.

Read More

7 Questions You Should Ask Your Fertility Doctor

in

If you’re planning to see a fertility doctor, you’ll get the most out of your visit if you come prepared. Discussing issues like egg quality, sperm count, timing sex, and treatment options can leave anyone feeling a little dazed and confused. And getting started on the right foot will make what can be a stressful, confusing process go much more smoothly. This list of questions is a great thing to take along with you to your next visit—and don’t forget to bring something to take notes with!

Read More

Closer to Designer Babies Than Ever Before: Update on Genetics

in

In September 2016 NPR broke a story about gene editing of embryos that caused quite a stir in academic, ethic, and multiple media circles. NPR was the first to tell us all about Fredrik Lanner, a Swedish biologist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm who is editing the genes of healthy human embryos. This is not the first or the last time we will hear about science experiments on human embryos, but this story really hit a nerve in the scientific community. Here’s what happened.

Read More

5 Ways to Support a Friend After Miscarriage

in ,

As a recurrent pregnancy loss specialist, part of my job is to talk with my patients about their emotional as well as their physical well-being. Having a miscarriage can be an isolating and devastating experience, and when many of my patients come in, they are in the middle of grieving a recent loss. They describe the strain this can place on relationships with friends and family—people can unintentionally be hurtful when trying to be supportive. Many of my patients start to feel isolated from their family and friends, which is unfortunate, because going through a miscarriage is one of those times when people need support more than ever.

Read More

"Can you Clone Michael Phelps?" And Other Genetics Questions for a Fertility Specialist

in

Michael Phelps won his 23rd gold medal in the Rio Olympics in 2016, and Katie Ledecky broke world records in multiple events, leaving the rest of the world’s greatest swimmers in her wake. The success of the world’s elite athletes is not only due to drive, determination, practice and persistence, but also to physical traits that allow them to crush their competition. Height, muscle mass, joint flexibility and other genetic traits have all been mentioned in media coverage of Michael Phelps’s world domination of swimming. As a fertility specialist, I talk about genetics every day with my patients. The ability to screen embryos for genetic defects has been around for over 20 years, but the use of genetic screening in IVF has multiplied astronomically in the last few years due to advancements in technology and a decrease in cost. With an increase in use, there is an increase in misconceptions about what we can do with genetics in 2016. Here are answers to the many genetics questions I answer every day.

Read More