Posts Tagged ‘Infertility’

Book Review: A Spiritual Path to Overcoming Infertility

Monday, June 15th, 2009

RHS patient shares her thoughts as a guest blogger.

If you have come across this posting, you have already made a step in the right direction- you are seeking out support from those who speak from experience and are here to share information throughout our individual journeys. Life’s ultimate lesson is that we are all here to help one another. We will transcend infertility!

I recently read a book, A Spiritual Path to Overcoming Infertility, Creating Your Miracle Family Now by Dr. Matthew McQuaid. Through reading this book, I was able to make a smooth transition into the stage of acceptance in the course of infertility.

The author of this book speaks from his and his wife’s personal experience through IVF. He discusses the journey they have taken as a couple to build their spiritual well-being while on the path of infertility.

I enjoyed the approach Dr. McQuaid takes emotionally connecting to his reader through honest and heart-felt experiences. He stresses meditation, visualization, yoga, and manifestation of the goal throughout his book. At the conclusion of each chapter, he gives recommendations for the reader to apply to their situation and stage in the IVF process. I found these recommendations to be extremely helpful and spiritually connecting. This book inspired me and helped me reflect on my IVF experience so that I truly realized that it takes more than science to have a baby. Throughout my journey and the emotional stages of infertility I found myself questioning God. Dr. McQuaid discusses these feelings and helps the reader to not take on the stance of a victim, but rather someone who waits for something greater. He stresses that there is an underlying lesson to be recognized throughout your experience with infertility.

I strongly recommend this book to couples undergoing IVF. I read the book before my husband and then we discussed our reactions to it individually and how we could apply what Dr. McQuaid discussed to our situation as a couple.

I found this book at a half priced used bookstore. I have Googled it and called a few local bookstores in the hope that it may be easier for you to find. However, their databases are unable to find it. So, I am passing on the contact info that was located in the back of the book. I know you will enjoy this book!

From one grateful couple to another

Through this site you can order a book, view a sample chapter, and contact the author.
www.miraclefamilynow.com

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Congratulations to Dr. Kubik

Thursday, 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!

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Giveaway Winner Embarks on Her Journey

Monday, 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!

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The Octuplets: A Reality Check

Friday, 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

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RHS Offers IVF Giveaway!

Wednesday, 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/.

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From IVF Patient to Employee

Wednesday, 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.

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A Blog Post for the Men

Friday, June 27th, 2008

Jen Hamilton, Lab Manager

Oftentimes the coordinators at RHS get the infamous question: “Why do I have to collect my semen sample in the office and not at home?”

Since we, at RHS, deal with this issue on a daily basis we sometimes tend to forget the embarrassment or awkwardness that our male patients may feel about coming into the office for such an appointment. But there are several reasons that we ask that our male patients collect in the office and one of those reasons is not to torture you!

The only way to check a male for infertility is to collect semen for evaluation. Your semen sample provides valuable other information rather than just a sperm count. Multiple characteristics are studied such as ejaculate volumes, motility, and the ability of the sperm to swim forward. We also have the ability to do additional testing on the semen sample to further complete the diagnosis.

Since sperm motility is highly sensitive to alterations of time and temperature we ask that this semen sample be collected in our collection rooms near the laboratory. This is the main reason that we ask that you collect your semen sample in the office. As a rule, the semen sample is analyzed within one hour of collection. The interval between sample collection and analysis should be as short as possible since motility declines with time. This is especially crucial if the specimen has a low motility to begin with. Also, if further tests of sperm function are to be performed it is critical that the spermatozoa be separated from the seminal plasma within one hour of ejaculation. We also prefer that you collect in the office for identification purposes. We must photo ID you at the time we check you into the collection rooms. We have a big responsibility to ensure that we have the right semen specimen from the right patient at all times. This is another reason that we ask that you collect your specimen in the office.

So, even though you may have anxiety or embarrassment of collecting your semen sample in the office we can assure you that you are not alone. Many of our male patients feel this way! Please remember that you are always welcome to bring any materials from home which may help you during the collection process.

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Fertility Awareness Month

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008


Robin Musiak, Executive Director

June has been designated World Fertility Awareness Month by WorldFAM, an international organization that works to raise awareness about infertility. WorldFAM was founded to reduce the stigma that accompanies infertility, providing guidance for men and women who suffer its effects as well as a vehicle for education and information. Approximately one in ten couples have difficulty conceiving, and infertility affects about 6.1 million women and their partners in the U.S. alone. The message of World Fertility Awareness Month is clear: you are not alone. Infertility is a global issue, and it is being addressed on a global scale.
RHS will be wearing flowers this month to honor World Fertility Awareness Month. Our choice was to wear our representative flower, the Gerbera Daisy. The flowers are meant to bring awareness by prompting patients to ask about the flowers, which provide an opportunity for staff to inform and educate patients about the worldwide impact of infertility. RHS is committed to helping every patient to have a baby through treatment and education.

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