New Hope Fertility Center is happy to announce that we are currently using EmbryoScopes which have been described as a new hope for couples who want to conceive.

EmbryoScopes, approved by the FDA in 2011, are incubators used for monitoring developing embryos.

This technology is only currently available in about 15 reproduction centers around the country according to NBC news.

So why is this cutting edge technology important?

Unlike conventional monitoring methods which only capture single static observations, Embryoscopes come with a built-in camera that can be set to capture images at set intervals.

The images can be strung together to create a time-lapse video, documenting the development of the embryo over time, until it is ready for transfer (usually at the blastocyst stage).

This technology is helpful in making the best embryo selection decisions and some believe it will also contribute to higher IVF treatment success rates.

At New Hope, we are committed to your success.

CGH, or Comparative Genomic Hybridization, is a valuable tool we offer during IVF to ensure you’re getting the most from your treatment here at New Hope Fertility Center.

Although we’ve been offering PGD testing since 2004, we’ve partnered with PGD experts, Reprogenetics, in the last couple of years to provide you with the latest in embryo-testing technology.

Unlike the past — when PGD was used for gender selection and finding only specific chromosomal abnormalities — our latest CGH testing is the most comprehensive test you can use in an effort to detect significant genetic abnormalities.

If you or your partner have experience with genetic disorders in your family or simply need the security that comes from utilizing the best resources available, it is important to consider the use of CGH testing during your treatment. Not only does this state-of-the-art technology make IVF safer, as we’re reducing the risk of pregnancy loss, but also reduces the chance (and cost) of multiple cycles since we’re transferring only the healthiest embryos.

The availability of CGH testing also allows our center to highlight the benefits of our less is more philosophy, which focuses on single embryo transfers to reduce the chance of multiple pregnancies. Transferring multiple embryos and resulting multiple pregnancies/births are stressful on the uterine environment, significantly decreasing the chance of a healthy pregnancy and increasing the chance of premature births. With CGH, we virtually wipe out these concerns, since we’re selecting, freezing and transferring only the most mature and robust embryos that are undoubtedly free of chromosomal abnormalities.

We’d say “welcome to the future of IVF,” but it seems we’re already there!

For more information on our minimally invasive approach to IVF with CGH testing, please visit us on the web to schedule a consultation.

photo credit: iStock.com

For those of you who have experienced the pain of loss in the form of miscarriage or failed IVF cycles, the idea of trying again or moving on to another cycle can be a grueling.

As if infertility itself were not enough to deal with, the build up of hope and subsequent loss of your IVF cycle is devastating. For many women, trying again is simply not an option — financially or emotionally. But for some, like Celine Dion, not trying again is unimaginable. When it comes to a dream like motherhood, it’s understandable that many women and couples just don’t give up.

Below, you’ll read our recent IVF success stories from women who failed multiple IVF cycles and finally succeeded. As we welcome 2013, we also welcome the inspiration stories like these bring to those of you struggling with the decision of whether to try again or not. At the end of the day, it is your world and entirely up to you!

Our first success story comes from Ms. 30, who arrived at New Hope dealing with infertility related to her endometriosis. Completing a few Mini-IVF™ cycles to freeze several embryos, she subsequently underwent a cystectomy to remove unwanted endometrial cyst from her right ovary. Ms. 30 had not 1 but 2 unsuccessful cycles before finally getting pregnant on her third — and it was a single embryo transfer!

Our second success story is from Ms. 35. Ms. 35 came to New Hope struggling with secondary infertility — problems conceiving with a second child — and completed several cycles to freeze multiple embryos. After her first frozen embryo transfer she got pregnant, but miscarried after 12 weeks. Choosing to press ahead, she returned to complete another Mini–IVF™ cycle and transfer and got pregnant. She also had four fertilized eggs to freeze until a later date.

Congrats to our two recent graduates!

These days, it’s not uncommon for women and couples to wait to get pregnant.  Compared to the generations of our parents and grandparents, factors like career and tough economic times contribute to the decision to wait on building a family, with many women deciding to have children in their 40s.

Unfortunately, biological factors will make it harder for some women to get pregnant in their 40s. In fact, for many women, fertility begins to decline at a faster rate after 35 years of age; however, this does NOT mean all women will have difficulty getting pregnant in their 30s and 40s. Another good way to judge if you’re ready to start taking steps towards having children is to ask your mother when she began menopause. According to recent research, this can give women an idea of when your chances of getting pregnant will rapidly decline.

We’ve helped a lot of women in these age groups here at New Hope Fertility, and actually hold a notable amount of experience in this category. For many of our patients in their 30s and 40s, Mini-IVF™ proves a viable option in helping them get pregnant while preventing over-medication common with conventional protocols.

We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate a recent patient who supports our ability to help women in their 40s get pregnant. After a Day-3 Fresh Embryo Transfer following her minimal stimulation cycle, she got pregnant and just reached out to let us know she delivered a healthy baby girl. And to top it off, she’ll be returning soon to use her remaining embryos to give her daughter a sibling.

Congrats Ms. 43!

As seen in this morning’s Wall Street Journal article titled “New Strategy May Help Success of In Vitro Fertilization,” recent studies within the fertility care field are linking frozen embryo transfers with an increase in healthy pregnancies following IVF treatment.

The “3 separate randomized and controlled studies involving 633 women with an average age of 35″ fairly represent the group of couples we’ve helped get pregnant with frozen embryo transfers: New Hope’s latest SART statistics show 44% of our patients age 35 and under achieved a healthy pregnancy following frozen embryo transfers, and 64% of our patients got pregnant using frozen donor embryos.

Frozen embryo transfers (FET) have indeed produced high rates of success at our clinic, and we continue to encourage the practice when counseling our patients.  Not only do FETs increase chances of healthy pregnancy and live births, but the process with which we freeze them also contributes to the health of embryos.  Vitrification, a flash-freezing method we’ve utilized since our center opened in 2004, has a 98% thaw survival rate here at New Hope, giving our patients peace of mind with every frozen embryo transferred.

The practice of frozen embryo transfers also encourages the practice of single embryo transfers. Because frozen embryos increase the chance of pregnancy, FETs subsequently decrease the need to transfer more than 1 embryo at a time.  Single embryo transfers, along with our minimal stimulation protocols like Mini-IVF™ and Natural Cycle IVF, significantly decrease risks associated with multiple births.  At the hands of our experienced team of fertility specialists, we’ve been able to prove time and again that with these methods combined, IVF can be safe and more cost-effective for patients wishing to get pregnant without overstimulation.

Read more of our success stories involving frozen embryo transfers here.

At New Hope, we have the pleasure of helping many women get pregnant who have either failed multiple treatments elsewhere or even had unsuccessful attempts at our own clinic. For those undergoing fertility treatments, we understand giving patients false hope is not beneficial for either party as they begin their treatment — especially for those beginning their treatment again.  On the other hand, our team of fertility specialists pride themselves in being able to treat even the most difficult cases, which is where customizing our protocols comes into action.Through our individualized fertility care programs, we’ve been able to help women who have failed IVF before get pregnant, all while using minimally invasive techniques.

One such case involved a 36-year-old who arrived at New Hope after failing IVF multiple times at other centers in New York.  With the special approach of Dr. Chang, who has experience with “IVF non-responders,” he was able to discover Ms. 36 had an embryo rejection issue.  With this knowledge he made adjustments to her protocol, and despite her diagnosis, she got pregnant from a Natural IVF cycle transfer (no medications) from her embryo created through Mini-IVF™!

Another notable case involving a woman with a history of failed IVF was 43 when she arrived at New Hope.  Again, understanding her IVF history helped our fertility team adjust her protocols accordingly, and we’re happy to announce she got pregnant through an injection-less protocol and a fresh embryo transfer!

If you’re trying to conceive after experiencing multiple IVF failures, there’s still hope.  We have the team and protocols available to reach success even under the most “difficult” circumstances. Schedule a consultation today.