As a doctor who’s been doing this for over a decade, I want to give you my top 9 tips for how to be the most prepared patient. Why? Preparation will help set the stage for your best retrieval experience. Any why wouldn’t you want that?!
Many infertile patients, are erroneously advised by their physicians to first try IUI several times before resorting to IVF. It is important to be aware that such an approach is often ill-advised as there are circumstances where IUI is very unlikely to be successful.
Ob/Gyn Shannon M. Clark, M.D., an associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch and founder of BabiesAfter35.com, knew she wanted to be a mom. But she didn’t anticipate that her road to parenthood would be so rocky.
For many people trying to have a baby in their late 30’s and early 40’s, the journey can involve a few unexpected twists and turns. The journey might involve multiple IUI and IVF cycles and eventually result in exploration of using an egg or sperm donor or gestational carrier or surrogate.
Fortunately, infertility has made me stronger in some ways. Although it has been by far the toughest thing I have ever had to go through, I know myself well. I know I will be OK no matter what happens. I want you to know that.
As a fertility specialist, the conversations in my office are never dull, but when a couple is faced with infertility, our conversations can become quite overwhelming. Despite one’s best intentions, the pressures of life leave many of us creating our families later and later.
Counseling can greatly improve the lives of individuals and couples struggling with infertility in a number of ways. Infertility is a major life crisis that is often unrecognized. Taking care of emotional health is as important as taking care of physical health during the process.
We discuss that PGT testing is not perfect and estimates are that when an embryo is identified as normal through PGT it is accurate about 97-99% of the time. The challenge is when embryos are identified as abnormal.
As a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, I deal with all things pregnancy-the good, the bad and the complicated. As a result, I have diagnosed and counseled many women over the years with a positive pregnancy test but never had a pregnancy develop.
All too often popular culture makes IVF seem like the miracle cure-all for fertility problems, especially as women age. We are bombarded with images of glowing celebrities in their 40s, or even older, cradling their baby bump or with a “miracle” newborn in their arms.
Factors that determine if a woman is a good candidate for IVF how long she has been unable to conceive naturally, her age, her overall health status, inability to conceive with other fertility treatments, a family history of genetic abnormalities and pregnancy loss history.
As a high-risk obstetrician, I should have realized the significance of that milestone in my life, but I didn’t. Like many career women, I put my career plans first and had convinced myself that NOT having children would be OK.
I am a double board certified ObGyn and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist. I have worked at a large academic center in academic medicine as a clinician, educator and researcher since 2004. I am currently a tenured Professor and actively manage patients with high-risk pregnancies.
The best way to contact me about debunking social media content is to send that content to me in a DM on my Instagram account @babiesafter35. You can also email me.
I do not do private consults or review medical records submitted by patients.
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