Fertility Treatments and Options: Different Paths to Parenthood
When deciding on fertility treatments, knowing what these options are can help in making informed decisions on achieving your family-building goals. 1. Fertility MedicationsFertility medications can help stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs and regulate menstrual cycles. Common medications include: Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid): Helps with ovulation by influencing hormonal balance. Letrozole (Femara®): Often used for […]
Breaking Down IVF
There are many steps to invitro fertilization (IVF). Your fertility specialist will work with you to establish the appropriate fertility care and will determine if IVF is part of the treatment. Once IVF has been established as part of the treatment, it will be customized to the individual or couple. Here is a general summary […]
Understanding Unexplained Infertility: What You Need to Know
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), 10 – 20% of couples in the United States are affected by unexplained infertility. Unexplained infertility is diagnosed when a couple has been unable to conceive after a year of regular unprotected intercourse with no clear identifiable cause for infertility. Although the causes of infertility are […]
The Role of FSH in Fertility
In women, FSH plays a key role in the growth and development of follicles, which are small sacs in the ovaries that contain immature eggs. FSH levels rise at the start of the menstrual cycle, which triggers follicle growth and estrogen production. As estrogen levels increase, the follicles grow larger, and one dominant follicle will […]
The Impact of Sexual Transmitted Infections on Fertility
A growing concern is the rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the US within the last year. Preliminary data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reveal 2.5 million reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in 2021 “with no signs of slowing”. Experts state that the spike in STIs over the last couple […]
Q&A: Genetic Carrier Screening
Dr. Maya Barsky, a female infertility specialist answers the question, “What is genetic carrier screening and when is it needed?” Answer: Preconception genetic carrier screening is a tool that patients have to evaluate if they are carriers for certain genetic disorders. There are many different companies offering these tests often having 200+ genes they are […]
Dr. Dolores J. Lamb: 2021 Kavoussi Family Outstanding Teacher Award
Dr. Dolores J. Lamb, is this year’s recipient of the Kavoussi Family Outstanding Teacher Award at the 2021 American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) meeting. Currently at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Lamb serves as the Vice Chair for Research in the Urology Department, the Director of the Center for Reproductive Genomics, and a Dow Professor […]
Reassuring studies reveal COVID 19 vaccination does not have an adverse impact on female or male fertility
Although the mechanism of action of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID 19 mRNA vaccines did not raise a scientific concern for an impact on fertility, reassuring studies have been published that prove there is not a significant concern. Dr. Shahryar Kavoussi and Dr. Parviz Kavoussi discussed the data in these scientific publications on Fox 7 […]
Fertility Considerations for Older Women
Infertility clinics have seen an increasing number of women desiring children in their 40s and 50s. In addition, men aged 60 and even into their 70s desiring to father a child are becoming more common. In vitro fertilization (IVF) rates using a women’s own eggs in her 40s dramatically decreases even in patients with a […]
Westlake IVF welcomes Kenneth I. Aston, Ph.D., H.C.L.D. as IVF and andrology laboratory director
The team at Austin Fertility & Reproductive Medicine/Westlake IVF is very pleased to welcome Dr. Kenneth I. Aston as the IVF and andrology laboratory director. Dr. Aston is well recognized and accomplished in the field. He completed his Ph.D. in Animal Science/Reproductive Physiology at Utah State University as well as a post doctorate degree at […]
