NWW Photo Caption Contest No. 7

Glad to see last week’s photo didn’t scare anyone away! But this week's may!

Time for Nearly Wordless Wednesday! It’s our weekly photo caption contest where anyone anywhere can enter to win by submitting a clever caption for the photo of the week. Try it and you’ll soon be addicted to the fun. And what infertile couple, or generally stressed out person, can’t use a fun distraction? Come on and play!

Each week, the winner gets a gift card. It’s our little thank you for playing our game.

This week’s contest winner will get a Dunkin Donuts gift card. What breakfast or lunch combo is calling your name? (Make mine a jelly donut and coffee, please!) Win this contest and the gift card is yours!

But first let’s announce last week’s winner: Curtis! Congrats! Boy was there stiff competition last week. Lots of great entries. So please keep trying!

Who could forget that stud in the bathroom...

Anti-Valentine's Day

Ugh. Valentine’s Day…another rough day for many infertile couples.

Sure you can have a romantic night alone. But too often, the “alone” part takes the “romantic” part away.

Enough of the alone time. Don’t you want to scream “I love you honey, but I really just want a snotty, crying, feverish baby to keep me up all night instead!”

It doesn’t help when you have to listen to your friends with kids complain how they don’t want to stay home with their little ones and can’t wait til the sitter arrives tonight so they can toast each other over a peaceful candlelight meal. Especially when you’d like nothing more than to have a kid hanging on your neck as you pay the Dominos delivery guy.

You can’t win. You don’t have the kids yet. And the emotional and financial stresses of infertility take the romance out of your time alone. So what do you do?

Well, you can take VD to the extreme...

Was Whitney Houston a Good Mother?*

If … a big if…it turns out that Whitney Houston died of an overdose of drugs and/or alcohol, would you call her a bad mother?

Can any parent be a good parent if they use drugs?

This is a controversial topic to throw out to an infertile audience. (So if you were looking for another “rainbows and unicorns” tribute to a fallen celebrity, click away now.)

I am always surprised at the way celebrity deaths are processed by many Americans.

Especially in cases where it could be argued that the celebrity wasted their life and God-given talent, or got involved with drugs or alcohol, or had brushes with the law. 

I don’t mean to sound cold. Really. I was a big fan of hers back in the day. 

I cry every time I listen to “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard soundtrack.  Same waterworks whenever I hear her Olympic song “One Moment in Time”. It kills me. And that’s part of the...

The Man's Role in IVF

What are the man’s responsibilities in IVF? Well, guys can be as involved or detached as they choose. So please choose involved. Yes, it’s scary and overwhelming at first. But everyone’s here to help you and your partner get through this. You really CAN learn to do the injections. I promise. So, be a player, not a spectator.  Not just because it’s the right thing, but because if you choke at the big moment, you may just be forgiven. (Read on for a great tip on taking the stress off of the big moment):

Dr. Kreiner has seen it all. Read on for his perspective:

Many husbands complain that they feel left out of the whole IVF

process as all the attention and care is apparently directed towards

the woman. If anything they may feel that at best they can show up

for the retrieval at which time they are expected to donate their sperm

on demand. If you should fail at this then all the money,...

Getting Pregnant with Clomid

If doing IVF compares to swimming the English Channel, then Clomid is like dipping your toe in the water. You’ve got to get your feet wet somewhere when moving on from conceiving naturally to conceiving with assisted reproductive technology, and Clomid is that first step for many women. Dr. David Kreiner answers all your questions about Clomid therapy: It has become commonplace for women who have been frustrated with repeated unsuccessful attempts to conceive naturally on their own to see their gynecologist who often times will try clomid therapy on them. Clomid, the traditional brand name for clomiphene citrate, is a competitive inhibitor of estrogen. It stimulates the pituitary gland to produce follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) which in turn will stimulate the ovaries to mature follicle(s) containing eggs. Estrogen normally has a negative effect on the pituitary: Clomid blocks estrogen and leads to pituitary FSH production and ovarian stimulation. Infertility patients — those under 35 having one year and of unprotected intercourse without a resulting pregnancy and those over 35 having six months without pregnancy — have a two to five percent pregnancy rate each month trying on their own without treatment. Clomid therapy increases a couple’s fertility by increasing the number of eggs matured in a cycle and by producing a healthier egg and follicle. The pregnancy rate with clomid therapy alone is approximately ten percent per cycle and 12 -15 percent when combined with intrauterine insemination (IUI). Women who are unable to ovulate on their own experience a 20 percent pregnancy rate per cycle with clomid, the equivalent to that of a fertile couple trying on their own. Clomid and Your Cervical Mucus Women who are likely to conceive with clomid usually do so in the first three months of therapy, with very few conceiving after six months. As clomid has an anti-estrogen effect, the cervical mucus and endometrial lining may be adversely affected. Cervical mucus is normally produced just prior to ovulation and may be noticed as a stringy egg white like discharge unique to the middle of a woman’s cycle just prior to and during ovulation. It provides the perfect environment for the sperm to swim through to gain access to a woman’s reproductive tract and find her egg. Unfortunately, clomid may thin out her cervical mucus, preventing the sperm’s entrance into her womb. IUI overcomes this issue through bypassing the cervical barrier and depositing the sperm directly into the uterus. However, when the uterine lining or endometrium is affected by the anti-estrogic properties of clomid, an egg may be fertilized but implantation is unsuccessful due to the lack of secretory gland development in the uterus. The lining does not thicken as it normally would during the cycle. Attempts to overcome this problem with estrogen therapy are rarely successful. Side Effects Many women who take clomid experience no side effects. Others have complained of headache, mood changes, spots in front of their eyes, blurry vision, hot flashes and occasional cyst development (which normally resolves on its own). Most of these effects last no longer than the five or seven days that you take the clomid and have no permanent side effect. The incidence of twins is eight to ten percent with a one percent risk of triplet development. Limit Your Clomid Cycles Yet another deterrent to clomid use was a study performed years ago that suggested that women who used clomid for more than twelve cycles developed an increased incidence of ovarian tumors. It is therefore recommended by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine as well as the manufacturer of clomiphene that clomid be used for no more than six months after which it is recommended by both groups that patients proceed with treatment including gonadotropins (injectable hormones containing FSH and LH) to stimulate the ovaries in combination with intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization. Success rates For patients who fail to ovulate, clomid is successful in achieving a pregnancy in nearly 70 percent of cases. All other patients average close to a 50 percent pregnancy rate if they attempt six cycles with clomid, especially when they combine it with IUI. After six months, the success is less than five percent per month. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a successful alternative therapy when other pelvic factors such as tubal disease, tubal ligation, adhesions or scar tissue and endometriosis exist or there is a deficient number, volume or motility of sperm. Success rates with IVF are age, exam and history dependent. The average pregnancy rate with a single fresh IVF cycle is greater than 50 percent. For women under 35, the pregnancy rate for women after a single stimulation and retrieval is greater than 70 percent with a greater than 60 percent live birth rate at Long Island IVF. Young patients sometimes choose a minimal stimulation IVF or MicroIVF as an alternative to clomid/IUI cycles as a more successful and cost effective option as many of these patients experience a 40 percent pregnancy rate per retrieval at a cost today of about $3,900. Today, with all these options available to patients, a woman desiring to build her family will usually succeed in becoming a mom. * * * * * * * * * * * ** What was YOUR clomid experience like? Photo credit: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=4854&picture=blister-pack [more]

NWW Photo Caption Contest No. 6

Hey, love! Ready for the Nearly Wordless Wednesday Valentine’s photo challenge? It’s time for our weekly photo caption contest where anyone anywhere can enter to win by submitting a clever caption for the photo of the week. Try it and you’ll soon be addicted to the fun. And what infertile couple, or generally stressed out person, can’t use a fun distraction? Come on and play Nearly Wordless Wednesday!

Each week, the winner gets a gift card. It’s our little thank you for playing our game.

This week’s contest winner will get a McDonald’s gift card. Their hot chocolate or mocha frappes are great. And their fries are legendary. Who wouldn’t love a drive thru the golden arches right now? Win this contest and the gift card is yours!

But first let’s announce last week’s winner: Tiffany W! Congrats! First two-time winner!

Remember that old man with the football, leaping over a boy lying...

Long Island IVF Free Seminar Tonight! Bring a Friend and Get a Starbucks Card!

Ready to mingle with the best IVF team on the Island? (Only the best outings are planned for Tuesday nights, you know!)

So how about a change of plans for tonight?

Instead of plopping down on the couch and digging into a box of Valentine chocolates before it’s fashionable, why not grab a friend* and come down to meet some of the team… and we’ll give you a Starbucks card for yourself? (Still a treat, but without the guilt and candy wrapper evidence!)

Can’t get your friends to come with you? Well, you still have US…and we’re the best friends someone suffering from infertility could ask for…we understand AND can help! You’ll get riveting, cutting edge fertility information from some of the most respected doctors, embryologists, and staff members in the reproductive medicine business. You could even make a new friend.

As if that’s not enough…we’ll have cookies. That’s right....

The Infertility Superbowl

When comparing the Superbowl to IVF, IUI, or just TTC on your own, there are plenty of similarities.

For many without coverage, saving up to do IVF is similar to trying to get to the Superbowl. It can take years and, when you finally get there, there’s all the hope of your greatest dream coming true…and all the stress and worry about the effort falling short.

There’s drama. Elation or devastation of a level only those who’ve walked that path can comprehend.

The real Superbowl can be a welcome diversion from the daily stress of infertility treatment. Especially for the guys. Did your man (or you) get to relax yesterday and escape the ever-present thought of having a baby for just a few hours? If so, did you notice how good it felt to have just a few hours of fun? (I’m assuming, of course, that no one ruined it by nagging you about having a baby.)

Never underestimate the power of...

Six Superbowl Party Tips for the Infertile

So, the Superbowl is upon us. New York Giant fans are pumped. And even those who don’t care about the Superbowl beyond the half-time show and the commercials are pretty ready to party.

Are you?

Well, in parties in general, can be a drag when you’re TTC without success. Especially if there’s a ton of babies and kids there.  (Actually, it only takes one cutie to pretty much kill it, right?) You’re sad, mad, [insert whatever other unhappy emotion you’re feeling here]. The only celebration you really want to go to is your own long-awaited baby shower. I get that.

But let’s consider the Superbowl. It really is one of those parties that could potentially not have any (or many) kids there. It’s a pretty late start, and depending on the crowd, it often includes loads of beer. Don’t forget the five foot hero, hot wings, and super spicy chili.

So here are six tips on surviving Superbowl...

What are YOU Shopping for in a Sperm or Egg Donor?

This past year, I crossed paths with a fellow attorney who’d been an egg donor back in law school. She happens to be beautiful. Obviously intelligent. And right after I thought about how generous she’d been, I thought how lucky the recipients were to have her genetic traits in their children. A few months later, I learned that she is unethical, a criminal, disgraced, and is currently awaiting sentencing. Wow. Ya just never know, do you?

That got me thinking about what my own “trait shopping” experience would have been like if I’d gone down that path to parenthood. Would I have tried to meticulously match the donor to my own traits, or my husband’s? Maybe I’d try to weed out an undesirable family trait…on his side, of course! What would I consider as the most important factors? Good health, first. But then what? Education? Athletics? A particular look or ethnicity? How about moral...