It’s easy to describe pregnancy: it occurs when a sperm fertilizes an egg. But the process that brings it about is not so simple. For a man to get his partner pregnant:

• He must produce a large number of healthy sperm and deliver them close to the woman’s cervix.
• The sperm must be active enough to reach the egg and then strong enough to penetrate the egg.

Infertility can result if there’s a hitch in sperm quality, production or delivery. People often assume that infertility is solely a woman’s problem. But male factors account for about 40 percent of infertility cases. Luckily, treatment can help a couple overcome male-factor infertility.

Treatments for male infertility

The right treatment will depend on what is causing infertility. Often surgery or medication may be tried first.

• • Varicocele (a varicose vein in the scrotum)
  • Blockage in the ducts that carry sperm
  • Structural defect present since birth or caused by infection or surgery

• Surgery can be done to fix common problems such as a:

Surgery can often be done using tiny incisions that cause only minimal pain and scarring.

• Medications may be used to treat some men. For example, hormones can be used to correct a low testosterone level. And antibiotics may help if infertility is caused by an infection.

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Tags : infertility, ivf, male

LOS ANGELES—Blue Cross of California complied with state law when it offered only $2,000 in annual coverage for fertility treatments and was not obligated to cover the entire cost, a California appellate court ruled. At issue in Wednesday’s ruling by the state appellate court in Los Angeles was a renewal package offered by Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Blue Cross of California to Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Westmont College. The offer included paying a maximum of $2,000 a year for half of the cost of treating a group member for infertility, which complied with a state mandate that obligates insurers to offer infertility coverage, according to the ruling in Deborah Dunn Yeager vs. Blue Cross of California.

Westmont refused to buy the coverage, in part because of its high cost. Ms. Yeager, a Westmont employee, was unable to become pregnant without medical assistance and could afford only limited infertility treatment, which proved ineffective, according to the decision.

She sued Blue Cross in 2006, alleging unfair competition and false advertising. Ms. Yeager sought recovery for her out-of-pocket expenses for the infertility treatment above Blue Cross’s $2,000 annual limit and “for her pain and suffering from losing her chance to bear a child.”

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Tags : infertility, insurance

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI) is one of the first centers in the U.S., to offer a new and more advanced method of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), a technique that can detect and eliminate abnormalities and genetic disorders in children such as Down Syndrome, Turners Syndrome, Kleinfelters Syndrome and more. The new technology called Microarray, is far more thorough and accurate than previous methods of testing.

Used in conjunction with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), PGD is a cutting-edge technique that screens embryos for chromosomal abnormalities and genetic disorders prior to implantation. Such genetic conditions can interfere with Embryo Implantation, result in pregnancy loss, or the birth of a child with physical problems, developmental delay or mental retardation.

This new technology screens all 24 chromosomes and provides rapid results, eliminating the need to freeze embryos which can sometimes harm viability. Previous methods of PGD could only test a maximum of 9 – 12 chromosomes, leaving 12 or more untested. This caused 1 in 4 cases of aneuploidy – a chromosome abnormality - to be missed and if transferred, embryos that were unlikely to create healthy pregnancies.

Dr. Angeline Beltsos, reproductive endocrinologist with Fertility Centers of Illinois explains that this new PGD technology will provide better information to help select the best embryos for transfer during IVF. “The ability to test all 24 chromosomes and more accurately identify abnormal embryos may drastically improve pregnancy outcomes for ‘at risk’ couples, as well as significantly increase their odds of a healthy pregnancy and baby,” she adds.

Candidates for PGD testing include those experiencing recurrent miscarriage, previous unsuccessful IVF cycles, unexplained infertility, male factor infertility, or women of advanced maternal age.

Link to Article

Tags : abnormalities, infertility, ivf

Springfield, MO) — Traffic, work, family, these are all things that can give us stress on a daily basis. But you might not know that stress can also make it harder for you to get pregnant.

A new study from the University of California, Berkley found that when we experience high levels of stress, our bodies create a type of hormone that suppresses our ability to reproduce. Locally, doctor’s say that’s something they’ve always suspected, but now they have proof.

Amy is an attorney with a successful career, a stable marriage and a nine year old daughter. A year and a half ago she & her husband decided to try for another, but they were having trouble. “It’s really strange because anything I wanted in my life I’ve been able to do,” said Amy.

Amy didn’t want to show her face for this interview because she’s uncomfortable in front of the camera. And she thinks there’s a stigma attached to words like infertility. “It’s quite devastating because you walk around in the grocery story and you see the mom’s and the babies and then your friends have baby showers and its like, well why can’t I do this,” said Amy.

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Tags : Conception, infertility, stress

Like many other women, Cheryl Hall was afflicted with infertility. After taking one leave from work, and requesting a second, to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF), she was fired. Does Title VII, the main federal anti-discrimination law, prohibit an employer from firing an employee under these circumstances? In a recent ruling, Hall v. Nalco, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit said yes.

Conflicts between Reproduction (Including Infertility Treatment) and Work

There is no inherent conflict between reproduction and work. But certainly pregnant women sometimes face challenges at work, whether posed by environmental conditions, like chemicals, radiation, or infectious disease; or by physical movements that can be difficult to perform, like standing for long periods of time, stooping over, climbing stairs or ladders, or lifting heavy objects; or, finally, by job conditions, like irregular hours, shift work, or psychological stress. As I have written in previous columns such as this one, the law protects against pregnancy “discrimination,” but provides little in the way of forcing employers to accommodate the women’s condition, and ameliorate the conflict between being pregnant and fulfilling certain job conditions, in these situations.

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Tags : infertility, job loss

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A new research study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine and led by noted men’s health researcher Dr. Paul Turek has a powerful conclusion: that men diagnosed with infertility suffer intense negative sexual, personal and social strains that might be considered typical for other medical illnesses, including cancer.

Traditionally viewed as a “silent disease” in men, the psychological toll infertility takes on men’s health was previously not well known by medical researchers. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco, in collaboration with Dr. Turek, a nationally recognized urologist, male infertility specialist and founder of the renowned Turek Clinic in San Francisco, conducted the study.

“Since male infertility is such a common problem, it is important to understand the real impact it has on male health and relationships,” Dr. Turek said. “This study makes clear, for the first time, that male infertility is a ‘disease’ like any other, silent or not, and can have a serious effect on the overall well-being of the individual, the couple, and the family.”

The study shows that the diagnosis of infertility increases social strain in male partners of infertile couples. Male partners in couples with perceived, isolated male factor infertility have a lower sexual and personal quality of life compared to male partners of couples without perceived male factor infertility.

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Tags : infertility, male

What other projects are you working on, books or otherwise?
Right now, I’m finishing up a work of fiction. I needed something lighter and less research driven this winter/spring. As I complete that project and release that, I have three more non-fiction ideas that I’m tossing around. It is interesting because at the same time, I thought up four non-fiction projects that sat well with me and four fiction projects. So I would love to weave back and forth between the two — with the heavier topics being balanced by the lighter ones.

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Tags : adoption, infertility

Tags : infertility, obesity

Simple test could tell women how likely they are to get pregnant, helping them decide whether or not it is worth undertaking IVF treatment The 30,000 women a year who undergo IVF may in the next few years be able to use a new blood test to tell them how likely they are to get pregnant, a conference heard today.

Scientists disclosed that they have discovered genetic markers in the blood which provide a fertility “fingerprint”. Although the research is still at an early stage, it could lead to women who are having fertility treatment being able to take a simple test that would help them decide whether or not it was worth undertaking treatment, which is expensive and both physically and emotionally demanding.

Researchers told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) that the genetic markers showed activity patterns in more than 200 genes which were different in women whose IVF treatment had succeeded or failed.

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Tags : infertility, ivf

London, July 1: A new study has suggested that minor weight loss in obese women could boost their chances of getting pregnant.

Professor Bill Ledger, from the University of Sheffield, and colleagues said conducted a three-month study of 40 obese women who were not ovulating.

Many of them suffered from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

The group’s average age was 29 and their body mass index (BMI) was around 40. Health service guidelines do not recommend IVF treatment for women with a BMI of above 30.

The women were given weight loss drugs to help them lose 5 percent of their body weight over a three-month period.

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Tags : infertility, obesity