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.

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!

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!

Many women and couples we treat come to New Hope with what physicians call idiopathic infertility.  Also known as unexplained infertility,  couples can get a complete infertility examination — from FSH tests to sperm count tests, only to be told there is no tangible explanation as to why they are having difficulty conceiving.

While an undeniably frustrating situation, there is an upside to unexplained infertility.  Simply stated, being diagnosed with unexplained infertility means you’ve ruled out a majority of the serious stuff.  Conditions like PCOS or endometriosis, for instance, cause issues other than infertility that disrupt the lives of many women due to their symptoms, including hormone imbalances or painful periods.

If you’re struggling with unexplained infertility, you’re not alone.  According to RESOLVE, “one in five couples will experience unexplained infertility despite completing a full infertility work-up.” Besides the physical toll this unexplained diagnosis entails — infertility — it also takes an emotional toll.  Many women and men hide their shame and think it must be their fault somehow, the “real” problem yet to show itself and tell them why they really can’t get pregnant.

Despite its exhausting nature, you can get pregnant if you’ve been handed a diagnosis of unexplained infertility.  At New Hope, our fertility specialists have helped several women and couples who can’t get pregnant and don’t know why.  Just recently, we helped a 43-year-old get pregnant who, other than having a high FSH level, was extremely healthy and having trouble conceiving on her own.  Considering her healthy status, her doctor understood she did not need an aggressive approach to IVF that would require medications and injections, so they chose to proceed with Natural Cycle IVF.  Using the protocol’s simple monitoring techniques, a healthy egg was retrieved, fertilized, and transferred, and she got pregnant.

If you’re struggling with unexplained infertility, don’t give up.  There’s still hope — so give us a call!

There are many myths concerning male factor infertility that arise when couples are having trouble getting pregnant — chief among them that infertility is more than likely a female issue.

Male factor infertility actually accounts for 30 percent of all infertility-related issues, according to RESOLVE.  At New Hope, we have many couples who come in to get help regarding their fertility status and discover the male party is suffering from low sperm count or azoospermia (when there is no sperm in the ejaculate).  But just like our female patients who struggle with the emotional pain of feeling “barren,” we discourage our male patients from entering into destructive thinking concerning their fertility.

If you’re azoospermic or have a low sperm count, it certainly does not make you less of a man, nor does it make you less deserving of fatherhood.  If anything, your resilience to get you and your partners’ infertility issues resolved is something more men in your position should take note of.

We were able to assist a couple recently who were struggling with infertility related to male factor.  Using our trademarked Mini-IVF™ treatment and sperm retrieved from her husband, Ms. 34 got pregnant from her injection-less protocol and even had 4 quality embryos frozen following her treatment.  Because of her age and her partner’s willingness to have his sperm tested, all her eggs were of high quality and her chance of getting pregnant again with the embryos she froze are very high.

Congrats to this couple on their first pregnancy.  If you suspect you’re having trouble conceiving due to male factor infertility, get your sperm tested.  There’s no use in waiting when it comes to building your family!