April 30th, 2009
Robin Musiak - Executive Director
I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Kubik on being selected as one of Pittsburgh’s “Top Doctors”. This honor is well deserved and I feel that I am experienced enough to speak about this, having worked for Dr. Kubik for over twenty years now.
I have been fortunate enough to witness Dr. Kubik’s professional abilities from many different perspectives over the years. I can say without hesitation that she loves what she does and it shows in the manner in which she treats her patients and employees. She is always respectful, willing to offer guidance, quick to take an opportunity to educate and always evaluating the latest news and research in the field of infertility. She is able to provide an honest perspective to her patients - giving them the best chance for a positive outcome.
My respect and admiration for Dr. Kubik has only strengthened over the years. I feel very fortunate to still be working for her after all these years and to be a part of Reproductive Health Specialists.
Again, congrats Dr. Kubik!
Tags: Dr. Kubik, Infertility, Pittsburgh, Reproductive Health Specialists, Top Doctors
Posted in Uncategorized
2 Comments »
March 20th, 2009
Dr. David Ball, Lab Director
The recent lifting of restrictions on stem cell research would seem to hold promise for advances in this important area of medicine. And, without a doubt, this change of political policy will allow scientific advancement to run its course. The question now becomes, where will that run take us? The promise is clear - potential for cures of widely variant diseases such as diabetes, spinal cord injuries, cancer, burn victims, even blindness. The realization of these promises will not happen today or next week, but progress is more likely to happen more quickly with these political changes.
Having said this, the source of these stem cells should be kept in mind. Having mentioned the political, medical and scientific arenas above, this area of discussion touches on the moral side of stem cell research. The origin of these cells should be kept in mind - they are derived from culture of human embryos, typically those embryos that have been designated for research use by the “parents” whose gametes created them. This would seem to be a very humane use for these embryos that would, in many cases, otherwise be destroyed or remain in storage for decades.
It will be interesting to see where society strikes a balance on these various issues and decides how far open the door should be opened to allow stem cell research advancement. We have all seen that some in society have strong convictions that life begins at conception and that, once created, these embryos should be assigned all the rights associated with living that a full term infant has. On the other extreme, there are those that find no moral issues with creating human embryos for the sole purpose of research use. In some ways, these issues are more difficult to reconcile than those posed in the medical, scientific or even political arena. As with all else in life, time will tell.
Tags: human embryos, stem cell research, Tags: Stem cells
Posted in Uncategorized
No Comments »
March 16th, 2009
Jayme Hadley, winner of RHS’s IVF giveaway, talks about her and her husband Dave’s fertility journey and the hope they have for a child of their own.
After our first year of marriage, Dave and I began actively trying to start our family. We tried unsuccessfully for about a year and a half. Deep down, I knew something was wrong, but was scared to death to find out there was something wrong with one of us. At an annual gynecologist appointment (about 2 1/2 years ago), I mentioned our struggles, and my doctor immediately started the testing process on both Dave and myself. A few months into the testing process, Dave’s sperm analysis came back with a count of zero. After several repeat tests, Dave was diagnosed with azoospermia. It was a devastating time for both of us!
We were directed to a urologist. He performed a biopsy where we learned that Dave did produce sperm. At that realization, they performed surgery and found his reproductive system had scar tissue built up and his vas deferens was severed. We later learned that this, most likely, happened during a surgery he had as an infant. During the surgery, they were able to reconnect one side but the other side was too badly damaged to fix. He gave us a 40% chance that the surgery would be successful in allowing the sperm to move through his system. We were asked to wait a full 9 months to see results. Unfortunately, all tests during and after that time have come back with the same results as our first analysis.
During our visit with RHS, we learned more about our options of IVF with ICSI and IUI with donor sperm. We both really wanted to try IVF, but didn’t ever know if we’d be able to afford the procedure. Since then we’ve done a lot of thinking, saving, and praying and have gone through just about every emotion imaginable. When I received the phone call from RHS letting me know we had won the scholarship, I was overjoyed. After such a long struggle with infertility, the idea of having children of our own seemed more and more impossible. This is the first time in a really long time that we’ve had any hope that our dream of having a family would become a reality.
We are SO grateful to RHS and all those involved in putting this scholarship together. We feel extra blessed to be given this opportunity!
Tags: azoospermia, ICSI, Infertility, IUI, IVF, IVF giveaway
Posted in Uncategorized
No Comments »
March 6th, 2009
Dr. Judith Albert, Medical Director
It’s hard to avoid thinking about octuplets these days. Nadya Suleman’s predicament is fascinating and frightening, and images of her are everywhere-on the morning news shows, on the Internet, on the minds of my patients. Not surprisingly, my friends and acquaintances want to know, “So what’s YOUR take on the octuplets?”, assuming I would have some point of reference, given what I do for a living. I struggle with an answer, because everything about this case is an aberration. A single mom with six children goes to the infertility clinic because she wants to have more children and they thaw and transfer all of her embryos at once?? Nope, I can truly say I have never seen anything like that before.
I will strongly advocate for the reproductive rights of women everywhere, but as a practicing Reproductive Endocrinologist, I also have to use sound medical judgment to guide decision-making regarding the choices made in ART. Chock it up to the differences between California and Pittsburgh, or any other explanation you like, but I think that our patients suffering from infertility “get it”-having one child at a time is their goal. RHS’s average number of embryos transferred for patients under 35 years of age is 1.8. Fortunately, the vast majority of IVF clinics that report their data also get it.
OK, reality check completed, let’s get on with helping patients get the best treatment available to achieve their goals!
To read Dr. Kubik’s take on the octuplets, check out her quotes in the Tribune Review’s coverage of the story: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_611387.html
Tags: ART, embryos, Infertility, infertility clinic, IVF clinics, Nadya Suleman, octuplets, Reproductive Endocrinologist, reproductive rights
Posted in Uncategorized
No Comments »
December 16th, 2008
Dr. Carolyn Kubik, Medical Director
I made it through Thanksgiving and I’m getting ready for the end of the year holidays. This is usually a happy time full of excitement and preparation, but also lots of stress, especially for the couples that I see in the RHS office. Everybody knows that holidays are especially stressful for couples who are experiencing infertility - overly helpful relatives, exposure to friends and relatives with children or babies on the way, the list goes on. I wish I had a solution with how to deal with the extra added stress that infertile couples experience at the holidays, but as with most things, there is no effective remedy that works for everybody. So, instead, I would like to offer some words of encouragement.
The pictures of the babies and children that we post on our walls at this time of year come from couples that were in your situation not that long ago. Not all the babies are the result of IVF - happily, some of them come along all on their own - Mother Nature’s way of reminding us of who is in control. Others have been adopted by loving parents - parents for whom medical science hasn’t found an effective remedy to overcome the barrier to conception. The other babies are the result of a variety of treatments that are provided in our offices. We at RHS know that, unfortunately, our treatments will not work for everyone, but we are thrilled that so many of our patients will be successful. I hope that rather than only feeling sad at being reminded of the difficulty that you are having by seeing the pictures, you might also feel a little bit encouraged that everybody at RHS will do everything we can do to make your dream of having a baby come true.
Tags: Conception, having a baby, infertile couples, infertility and the holidays, Reproductive Health Specialists
Posted in Infertility
No Comments »
October 22nd, 2008
Robin Musiak, Executive Director
This week marks National Infertility Awareness Week. As you can imagine, this is an exciting week for those of us who work in the field of infertility. We are pleased to be recognizing NIAW by offering a free cycle of IVF to a qualifying individual. For complete information about the giveaway, please visit the RHS website @ http://www.ivfpittsburgh.com/ and click on the link from the homepage. Entries will be accepted until 12/31/08 and the drawing will be held in January 2009.
For additional information and events in recongition of NIAW, you can also visit the Resolve website @ http://www.resolve.org/.
Tags: Infertility, IVF giveaway, National Infertility Awareness Week, NIAW, Reproductive Health Specialists, Resolve
Posted in Infertility
No Comments »
September 24th, 2008
Amanda Wray, RHS Clinical Administrative Assistant
I first came to RHS with infertility back in 2001. I was a patient on and off for the last seven years and have been an RHS employee for two and a half years. I started in the Assay and Andrology lab and now work in the Donor Egg Program.
Dr. Albert saw me through some major hurdles during my fertility journey, and finally this past May, my husband I were blessed with boy/girl twins through IVF. I continued working up until 3 days before delivery, and received tremendous support from my RHS “family.” They enjoyed watching me grow bigger and bigger every month, wondering how long I would keep working and nagging me to tell them the names I picked out.
RHS provides a warm, caring environment during a stressful and emotional time. You will not find better one-on-one attention from a physician anywhere else. Dr. Albert and Dr. Kubik are fantastic! I recommend RHS to any of my friends who are struggling with infertility.
Long ago, my husband asked his mom what she did at work, and she said, “I make money,” so he thought she really MADE money, in a printing factory or something. Actually, she was a private nurse for terminal cancer patients, so the real answer was that she helped people.
So I don’t think of going to work to make money. That’s only part of the reward. The real reward is that I go to work to create and bolster hope for people wanting a family. Speaking from experience, hope is what we need to hang on to in order to make it through this struggle.
Tags: Donor Egg Program, fertility journey, In-Vitro Fertilization, Infertility
Posted in Donor Egg Program
No Comments »
September 12th, 2008
Brett and Dawn, RHS Finance Office
A reminder to everyone about the importance of knowing your insurance benefits as you proceed with infertility treatment. Every insurance policy is different, even among the same insurer. Prior to your initial visit with RHS, contact your insurance customer service number on the back of your insurance card in order to obtain your benefit information. We will be more than happy to review your benefits with you once you have the information.
No one needs additional stress as they begin treatment - being well informed and prepared when it comes to understanding your insurance benefits can help you to take control of one aspect of your treatment!
Tags: infertility treatment, insurance benefits
Posted in Infertility
No Comments »
September 8th, 2008
Robin Musiak, Executive Director
We had our last Nutrition and Wellness lecture on September 4th. Lauri did a cooking demonstration of “Beans and Greens” that was delicious! We were all a little sad to see the series end. Lauri provided everyone with so much useful information. Many of the staff as well as patients have committed to making changes. I think we all have a better understanding of why it is so important to eat well to live well and how good nutrition can impact our well-being. We are hoping to have Lauri back to provide us with some reinforcement to the changes that we have made. Keep checking the blog and our website for information. Should anyone be interested in more information about nutrition or Lauri Lang, R.D, LDN you can visit her website at http://www.laurilang.com/.
Tags: Nutrition, wellness
Posted in Nutrition
No Comments »
July 2nd, 2008
Debbie Rossi, RN, BSN – IVF Coordinator
Congratulations RHS!!!
Congratulations to Drs. Kubik and Albert and the entire RHS team for our eight successful years of making patients’ dreams comes true. RHS will mark our eight-year anniversary on July 1st, 2008. Over the past 8 years, RHS has been a part of over 650 births through the IVF (in-vitro fertilization) program.
I have been working with Drs. Kubik and Albert for the past 6 ½ years and truly enjoy working closely with the physicians and being part of such a successful team. We look forward to many more years of success and making our patients dreams come true!
Tags: birth, In-Vitro Fertilization, Reproductive Health Specialists
Posted in Reproductive Health Specialists
No Comments »
