Arlington Heights, Illinois, November 2, 2023 – As a leading provider of innovative, evidence-based fertility treatments in the Chicago area, InVia Fertility is proud to announce that our new ... read more
We are proud to announce Sigal Klipstein, MD, FACOG is the 2023 recipient of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award for Practicing Physicians given by the American Society for ... read more
There are a few things that I would really like patients to know about PCOS and infertility. Yes, it is upsetting to get this diagnosis. However, I find this diagnosis is the BEST of all infertility ... read more
A cycle day-3 follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level and anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) level are commonly used to evaluate ovarian reserve. FSH level generally predicts pregnancy rates with in vitro ... read more
Morning sickness in pregnancy is common. In fact, over half of women will vomit during pregnancy, and 80% will have some level of nausea. In most cases, these symptoms improve by the end of the first ... read more
Many patients who have been through an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle have blastocysts that have been frozen. These blastocysts are cryopreserved by a process known as vitrification, which is a ... read more
I met with a group of people last week who were considering using donor eggs to start or grow their families. My impression was that they were all in various stages of the decision-making process. ... read more
As a nurse doing consultations before IVF treatment, I'm often asked, "Does it hurt?" The IVF process can be intimidating, and many patients naturally have a fear of the unknown. To help ease this ... read more
The sudden resurgence of COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant has once again upended our lives. In recent months, medical and media attention has been on the impact of COVID infection on ... read more
Embryo freezing has become common practice, and we have been doing it successfully for more than thirty years. Previously, the technique used for embryo freezing utilized computerized freezers with ... read more
The treatment of male factor infertility was revolutionized in 1992 when Palermo and co-workers introduced intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). With ICSI, embryologists use a micromanipulator to ... read more
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a relatively common hormonal disorder that is one of the leading causes of infertility. Some women who have PCOS develop insulin resistance. This occurs when the ... read more
If you're undergoing or researching IVF, you may have learned that not all embryos are able to implant, and therefore sometimes the decision is made not to transfer an embryo to the patient after an ... read more
The male partner can sometimes be overlooked when couples try to conceive. Approximately 15% of couples pursuing a pregnancy experience infertility. Within these couples, a “male factor” is the sole ... read more
It is not uncommon for women with PCOS to have a problem with ovulation. Typically, the over-the-counter ovulation predictor kits do not work for PCOS patients because many PCOS patients will get ... read more
A common question patients ask is, “what is the difference between IUI and IVF?” To some that may come as a relatively easy question to answer, but without the background knowledge of either term one ... read more
One of our routine tests is to evaluate egg quality is a day-3 follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level. A high FSH level indicates diminished quality of a woman's eggs (ovarian reserve). Patients ... read more
The time between your insemination or embryo transfer and the pregnancy test result can be stressful. Here are some tips that may help you get through this potentially challenging period. read more
My husband Kevin and I met in 2000 and got married in 2008. We knew we always wanted children but were in no rush. When the time came to start trying, our mentality was “whatever happens, happens”. ... read more
In a previous blog we discussed the expected ultrasound findings in a normal intrauterine pregnancy. Variations from the expected pattern of development are worrisome or, if major, definitive for ... read more
Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) level is now routinely used to evaluate ovarian reserve. AMH levels decrease with age and are a more consistent predictor of “ovarian age” than antral follicle count on ... read more
One of the hardest parts of being an embryologist is having to tell a patient that, after all their hard work getting their eggs ready for retrieval, there is nothing good to report the next morning ... read more
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a reasonable first step in patients with unexplained infertility, minimal or mild endometriosis and mild male factor. The pregnancy rate with IUI vs. intercourse in ... read more
There are many choices to make in starting a family as a gay male couple. Let's say you've chosen a fertility clinic that has a track record of success serving same-sex couples, and you've secured an ... read more
Single people and same sex couples that would like to have children that are theirs, biologically, can use this blog as a guide to starting the single and same sex parenting process. read more
For same-sex male couples, planning a family starts with a lot of questions—about getting an egg donor, surrogacy, and other fertility treatment options. Some of these questions can be answered by ... read more
Much of fertility treatment focuses on the needs of women-- but men play an important role, too! Keeping yourself healthy means looking after your own fertility-- and that means taking care of your ... read more
Nothing should stop any individual or couple who wants a family from achieving that dream. There are several fertility treatment options for same-sex couples and potential single parents to grow ... read more
Early pregnancy monitoring is a topic that has generated a lot of questions from readers of this blog. Early pregnancies are usually monitored with a combination of serial blood tests and ... read more
An anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) level is a test now routinely used to evaluate ovarian reserve. AMH levels were believed to NOT vary during the menstrual cycle and can be drawn any time. In a recent ... read more
So, you've been through an IVF cycle. Your doctors have retrieved a good number of eggs with a good number reaching the blastocyst stage. Having counseled about the advantages of SMART IVF, you ... read more
It is now more than 30 years since the first live birth after transfer of a frozen (cryopreserved) embryo (Zeilmaker et al., 1984). The ability to successfully freeze embryos had a profound impact on ... read more
Approximately one in every seven couples in the United States has problems conceiving. Male infertility accounts for half of these cases. Even with these statistics infertility evaluations have ... read more
Pregnancy loss is mentally and physically traumatizing, especially for patients who have a history of infertility. The stressors of miscarriage can have both short- and long-term effects. Short-term ... read more
At InVia Fertility Specialists, a small but significant percentage (? 5%) of our patients are taking antidepressants. The commonest medications being used are the selective serotonin reuptake ... read more
Feeling stress is part of our biological survival mechanism as human beings. It is a signal that danger is impending and action must be taken to seek safety. While it is a simple matter to obey ... read more
It’s a scary, unexpected thing, when as an egg donor you have your hormones drawn and an ultrasound performed, and then are told you don’t qualify medically for an egg donor program. In addition to ... read more
“I’m using an egg donor to have a good, high quality egg, should I be concerned about my partner’s age?” Is there a connection between male age and donor egg pregnancy rates? read more
In a recent issue of Fertility and Sterility, Dr. David Meldrum from Reproductive Partners Medical Group, Redondo Beach, California discussed the different facets of preventing ovarian ... read more
I have previously discussed the impact of the thyroid gland on female reproduction. Hypothyroidism (“low” thyroid) is fairly common and according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination ... read more
If you are having trouble getting pregnant and are a poor ovarian responder, you may have heard that ovarian response can be increased with testosterone during IVF. The possibility of using ... read more
With the use of COVID-19 (COVID) vaccines, we are slowly recovering from the COVID pandemic. There, however, remain a significant percentage of individuals that refuse to take the vaccine due to ... read more
One of the commonest questions I get is from women with low AMH (anti mullerian hormone) levels who are having trouble getting pregnant. These women are often frantic and worried that they will never ... read more
Women are born with all the eggs that they will ever have. In fact, when a female fetus is only 5 months along, she has approximately seven million eggs in her ovaries. By the time that baby girl is ... read more
Endometriosis happens when the lining of the uterus (womb) grows outside of the uterus. It affects about 5 million American women. Endometriosis is especially common among women in their 30s and 40s; ... read more
I’m often asked by donors how many cycles they are allowed to do and the answer is always six. But where did that number come from? Did we make it up? Can they go somewhere else and do more? read more
Endometriosis is a condition where the uterine lining (endometrium) is found outside the uterus. It is a common, chronic disease that typically presents with pelvic pain, infertility or an ovarian ... read more
Endometriosis is a condition where cells that normally line the uterus begin to grow on the outer surface of the uterus and can invade the ovary, causing blood-filled cysts called endometriomas. ... read more
While many people understand why and how endometriosis causes infertility, fewer know whether endometriosis can cause cancer. This is one of the key questions addressed by a group of experts from The ... read more
In order to maximize pregnancy rates in an egg donor program, it is very important that a good egg donor is selected. You may already know that it's important that the egg donor be in good health, ... read more
You've been waiting for this for so long and at last your pregnancy test after IVF is positive. Now what happens? Well, in spite of the fact that you might want to shout the good news from a rooftop, ... read more
Endometriosis affects one in ten women in the United States, and can cause fertility problems. At InVia Fertility, we have treated many women who have this condition over the years. Here are the top ... read more
One of the questions I get asked the most is about our donor screening. How thoroughly do we screen our donors? What does the screening entail? read more
Fertility treatment can be stressful on your emotions, your schedule and your finances. Fortunately, you have someone in your corner the entire way: your fertility nurse! Your fertility nurse is here ... read more
In many cases couples decide to cryopreserve their remaining embryos after an in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. They could freeze the embryos right after treatment before proceeding to a ... read more
Many times women are concerned after experiencing failed IVF with a fresh embryo transfer if it is best to move right along into another cycle for a frozen embryo transfer. They wonder if there are ... read more
In a previous blog post, I discussed how a thin uterine lining may reduce IVF success rates. In this post, we will discuss management of a thin uterine lining in the context of artificial cycles ... read more
Successful embryo freezing dates back to 1984. Since then hundreds of thousands of babies have been born from successful frozen embryo transfers. Embryo freezing usually occurs when there are excess ... read more
AMH or anti mullerian hormone level testing and ovarian reserve testing are frequent topics of questions from people who are having trouble getting pregnant. Since my last blog on this subject, a lot ... read more
Freezing sperm, or sperm cryopreservation, is a simple procedure used to store sperm cells for future use. Here are the top 5 questions patients usually ask regarding freezing sperm: read more
Egg freezing is now an option available for patients to preserve their fertility. It was initially used for fertility preservation in cancer patients. It is now widely used for non-medical, social ... read more
Let me be the first to say that before infertility smacked me in the face, I may have hurt or offended others by asking insensitive or even ignorant questions about their fertility struggles. I want ... read more
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has as part of its practice guidelines that a couple wishing to engage in an egg donor recipient cycle must visit with a mental health professional. ... read more
Most IVF cycles fail after embryo transfer when the embryo fails to implant. The three factors that can cause implantation failure are: Problems with the embryo (e.g. embryo abnormalities, ... read more
Want to get pregnant? Maybe you have been trying on your own for a year (six months if you are more than 35 years old) and nothing has happened. You may have been keeping track of ovulation with an ... read more
2023 has begun with a new COVID variation to be concerned about: the highly transmissible XBB.1.5 variant. While this variant is not yet causing a wave like the one caused by Delta and Omicron in ... read more
Today it has become increasingly common for women to achieve their educational goals, find a partner, and establish a career path before they consider having children. It often takes years to obtain ... read more
Bleeding during pregnancy is scary, particularly when you have been trying to get pregnant for a long time with the help of a fertility specialist. In this post, I’m going to look at different ... read more
It is very scary to be told you have fibroids in your uterus. It’s even more scary not to know what they are or how they can affect you. Fibroids are more common than you might think. read more
10 days!? 12 days!? I have to wait how long to find out if I’m pregnant or not!? While patients engaged in IVF are scheduled as early as possible for their serum (blood) hCG level (pregnancy test), ... read more
Clomiphene citrate (Clomid, Serophene) is a common medication used to treat infertility. It has been used in the United States since 1967. In patients that do not ovulate, clomiphene citrate is used ... read more
