IVF & Same Sex Couples – The ‘Same’ Subjects?

With the government recently announcing the legalisation of marriage for same sex couples, it’s understandable that many parties are taking on a number of stances. Whilst religious believers question the nature of same sex marriage, another ‘hot’ topic has also made the headlines with the NHS raising the age limit for IVF treatment from 39 to 42.

Two very different, but altogether, intensely related and dependable matters that do not only raise their own questions, but also those that are entwined.

Hitting The Headlines

With both of these issues, come’s the unavoidable ethical queries; Should it be allowed? Does it breach our moral fibres? What are the damaging effects? But whilst these can be argued and debated till the end of time, the reality of the situation is that IVF treatment and same sex marriage are two very real concepts in today’s modern society.

Since the ‘birth’ of In Vitro Fertilisation back in the late 70’s, many a couple have been able to experience the feeling of parenthood in the face of infertility. Providing couples with the chance to raise a family of their own has always been a resounding factor. But in the instance of same sex couples, many people do appear to be missing the point.

Two Topics, Both Alike

As well as occupying the concept of fairness and equality, IVF allows same sex couples – both gay and lesbian – to also experience the realms of parenthood from a situation where the ability to conceive is not conventionally possible. But whilst heterosexual couples turn to IVF when infertility is an issue, it is not the fertility of same sex couple that is of concern, but the lack of ‘integral’ parts.

In conventional types of IVF treatment, ovarian stimulation and fertility-inducing drugs are used in order to increase the chances of a fertile egg. The presence of such drugs does come with some side effects such as nausea, fullness and diarrhoea to more serious and threatening complications such as multiple luteinised cysts within the ovaries due to Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome.

Unnecessary Risks

When fertility is not the underlying issue, it does not make sense to expose donors and couples to such health risks, which is why Natural or Mild-stimulation IVF techniques must be adopted. Mothers and donor mothers can conceive naturally through the collection of an egg during the woman’s natural menstrual cycle without the use of drugs.

This not only eliminates the side-effects and complications that can arise from using such drugs, but also removes the risk of any long-term effects to both the mother and child. This is especially the case when the effects of using fertility inducing drugs in the long term are still relatively unknown. Whilst some studies proclaim that the long term effects are minimal to non-existence, is the life or your baby, donor or even your own life worth the risk?

Whilst the ethics, beliefs and scientific will continue to be a source of debate, the implementation of Natural or Mild Stimulation IVF treatments for same sex couples is one that could not be more black and white.

Research, Develop, Pro-create

With many same sex couples reliant on the development and accessibility of IVF to experience the joys of parenthood, the emphasis on devising, developing and advancing more natural and ‘drugless’ methods of conception could not be of more importance. Institutions such as the International Society for Mild Approaches in Assisted Reproduction (ISMAAR) have made substantial steps in evolving our understanding and integration of naturally astute procedures and with more funding, it can continue to develop its research.

Is it a coincidence that these two heavily debated subjects have recently been in the news? Or is it an eye-opening opportunity for us to contemplate two subjects that, in terms of science, could not be further apart? Yet, what really stands out is the way that they are seamlessly conjoined by life and its wondrous and unpredictable nature.

Create Health Clinic are renowned for their innovative and forward-thinking approach to providing Natural and Mild IVF treatments. Their commitment and work alongside with ISMAAR has allowed them to develop a range of IVF treatments and fertility test which are focused towards patient care and quality as oppose to a dependance on ovarian stimulating drugs.

We’re pleased to see a familiar face in our office these days — our very first CGH patient, who kindly shared her original IVF success story with New Hope after the birth of her first child in 2011.

She first came to our clinic with a history of miscarriages — one of which occurred after carrying for 18 weeks — and turned off by aggressive protocols at other clinics. Attracted to New Hope’s holistic approach to fertility care, she proceeded treatment with a Natural Cycle transfer — the embryos collected from a few Mini-IVF™ cycles in order to increase her chances of collecting more than one healthy egg during treatment.

She opted for PGD with CGH testing in order to detect any genetic abnormalities that may be present, since she suffered from an autoimmune disorder. If genetic abnormalities exist within an embryo during IVF treatment, this can lead to miscarriage.  She eventually became pregnant and Edward was born in December of 2011.  She was the first case in which we used genetic testing to pick only the healthiest embryos for use during her minimal stimulation protocol.

Ms. CGH is back to try for a sister for Mr. Edward at the age of 44. We can’t wait to help you again and add another baby to the New Hope Family!

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CGH, or Comparative Genomic Hybridization, is a service we offer during treatment to make sure you’re getting the most from your cycle here at New Hope Fertility Center.

Although we’ve been offering PGD testing since our opening, we’ve partnered with Reprogenetics  to ensure we’re providing the latest in embryo-testing technology.

In the past, PGD was used solely for gender selection and finding specified chromosomal abnormalities.  The current CGH testing is the most comprehensive test to detect significant genetic abnormalities in existence to date.

For more information on CGH testing, please visit us on the web to schedule a consultation.

We’re pleased to announce the Grand Opening of our center in Macau, China!

New Hope Fertility Macau is officially the only private IVF center in the region offering customized fertility care and our holistic IVF treatments, Natural and Mini-IVF™.

Dr. June Cheang, whose publications have been in the highly esteemed medical journal Fertility and Sterility, will lead our Macau team.

We’re excited to see our new clinic thrive and thrilled to have Dr. Cheang and team as part of the New Hope family.

Here’s to a successful 2013!

Like most events in our lives, the process of in vitro fertilization is emotionally charged. Not only are you embarking on a life-changing journey, but choosing a path unfamiliar and different than those taken by your female counterparts. Tack on the financial burden of treatment and IVF is considerably more mentally challenging than you thought before.

That’s where New Hope Fertility comes in. Understanding the internal struggles presented during someone’s first, second, or third cycle, we’ve developed customizable IVF treatments that not only reduce the cost of treatment, but significantly reduce the mental and physical stress involved in the process.

Mini-IVF™ and frozen embryo transfers are just a couple examples of how New Hope helps our patients get pregnant through minimal stimulation (less medication) at a lower cost. Recent research suggests that frozen embryo transfers — freezing embryos from one cycle and transferring them in a subsequent cycle — decrease the chance of failed transfer or miscarriage since the embryo is being transferred into a less-stimulated uterine environment.  Less medication and taking less risks during an initial cycle (when an egg is retrieved and transferred in the same rotation) increase the health of a woman’s uterine environment and therefore increases the chance of success with her first batch of embryos (rather than placing fresh embryos into an overstimulated environment).

We recently had a couple women have success with Mini-IVF™ and frozen embryo transfers. Both 36-years-old, these two patients arrived at our center suffering from primary infertility. Each woman completed 2 Mini-IVF™ cycles in order to freeze embryos and after their (single) frozen embryo transfers, got pregnant. Congratulations to both Ms. 36s!

For more information our treatments, that can reduce the stress and cost of IVF treatment, please 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!

As recent fertility care news is littered with stories of high risk multiple births, doctors losing licenses, and a push in the fertility treatment field for more customized care, experts are beginning to shed new light on emerging IVF treatments that are more health and cost effective.

Many fertility care centers are showing promising results through the use of more minimally evasive IVF treatments.  New Hope Fertility Center saw a number of difficult cases result in healthy pregnancies through the use of minimal stimulation IVF.  In July alone, the center reported several women in their early to mid-forties suffering from primary infertility and/or a history of miscarriages who came back with positive pregnancy tests after undergoing Mini-IVF™ treatments.  Other centers are also starting to utilize more minimally invasive techniques under various coinages such as Green-IVF, IVF-lite, and MS-IVF (minimal stimulation IVF).

Mini-IVF™ couples close monitoring of the individual patient with lower dose medication protocols to avoid the over-stimulation often produced under conventional IVF treatments.  Mini-IVF™ relies on the woman’s physiological processes, along with minimal stimulation from a daily Clomid pill (versus daily injections used in traditional IVF), to produce eggs similar to how the body typically produces them in a natural cycle.  By reducing hyperstimulation, patients reduce the health risk and high cost of taking too many IVF drugs while still producing viable eggs for implantation.

You can hear more on this emerging IVF treatment through the Fertility Authority here, and hear success stories from new moms who used Mini-IVF™ here.