To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"This is one of the "surprises" in the state of Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The law in Virginia has become very strict regarding using third party reproduction for ALL couples.

Maryland is very tolerant in its policy regarding this issue.

I would encourage couples wanting to use these services to contact our Bethesda office.

The procedure may be done in D.C. but the contract HAS to be under the Maryland jurisdiction."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"There are very reliable and reproducible methods available to freeze eggs from these patients.

We, at Columbia Fertility Associates / Mid-Atlantic Fertility are presenting our study of pregnancies achieved from cryo-preserved eggs at the ASRM (American Society of Reproductive Medicine) annual meeting in New Orleans later this month (October 2006).

Our data report a 50% pregnancy rate in patients with frozen eggs.

There is no reason to consider this option in young women with the diagnosis of Breast Cancer. The treatment for cancer is not delayed more than 4 weeks while the patient is doing an IVF cycle.

Obviously this decision cannot be made in a vacuum. It requires a multidisciplinary approach between the surgeon, medical oncologist and the reproductive endocrinologist."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"There have been several reports of decreasing ovarian function and low pregnancy rates in the literature.

The earlier studies were about runners and ballet dancers.

The effect is related to the lack of body fat in athletes.

A certain amount of body fat is critical in establishing the onset of puberty and in maintaining normal cycles."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"As the report indicates, there are several mechanisms for this decrease in fertility.

One of the most significant is that due to the obesity there is a decrease in Testosterone production secondary to elevated estrogen levels in the adipose tissue.

Furthermore the incidence of secondary factors such as Diabetes and Hypertension account for decreased blood flow to the end organs and account for problems leading to erectile dysfunction."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"Both sperm and eggs are capable of being frozen today.

But this article actually suggests that frozen mice can be used for sperm collection instead of just freezing the sperm.

Although sperm are hardier cells compared to eggs, this is exciting if the techniques could be extrapolated to Oocytes freezing.

All the present techniques involve freezing cells, but it is likely that with great advances being made in this field of Reproductive medicine, that we will soon be able to prolong the fertility cycle for women."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"Several patients fall into this category. But the most important factor is to choose the correct patient for expectant management. Certainly, intrauterine inseminations with natural cycles are a good option but not for all patients.

Controlled ovarian hyper-stimulation is indicated in older patients or those who have spent several years trying to conceive.

It is important that the treating doctor makes the decision of what is best suited to the patients" needs."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"This is a very promising study but far from reality at this time.

Certainly, once this process is clearly identified and replicated, there will be less demand for assisted reproductive techniques such as Donor Eggs or Egg freezing.

Further data needs to be collected."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"This article confirms a well documented link between stress and infertility. The reproductive system is very sensitive to stress hormones.

The ovaries are controlled by FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) and LH (Luteinizing Hormone). These are impacted by rising levels of stress hormones leading to disturbances of ovulation.

Recent studies have shown the beneficial effects of alternative therapy like Acupuncture, Yoga and meditation exercises.

Many IVF centers now encourage patients to take a more holistic approach to treatment. Managing stress may not be the only way to get pregnant but it certainly helps."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"This article illustrates the great strides being made in the field of Genetics and identification of certain diseases.

PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis) can identify certain genetic disorders like Tay-Sachs, Cystic Fibrosis and Sickle cell Anemia. But this technique goes further in screening embryos for almost any illness that is genetically identifiable.

As the authors indicate it is still in the early stages but shows great promise for the future."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"This is a relatively new area of research.

Until recently it was commonly thought that men were immune to the aging process as far as reproduction was concerned. However new data confirms that sperm are as susceptible as the eggs to the aging process."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

Megan Griswold is beautiful and bright, with a thriving acupuncture practice in Seattle and degrees from Columbia and Yale. She is also single.

Griswold, 37, had envisioned herself married with children by age 36. But as millions of women from the "Sex and the City" generation know all too well, relationships fail, plans change, and sometimes finding Mr. Right or climbing the corporate ladder takes longer than expected........

New Technology Expensive, Not Foolproof

Egg freezing -- the scientific term is oocyte cryopreservation -- isn't an entirely new concept, having several years ago become a way for women to try to preserve their fertility after chemotherapy. Back then, however, the procedure's success rates were low because, unlike a fertilized embryo, the egg cell is filled with water. When frozen, the egg forms ice crystals that then damage its integrity when thawed.

That changed in 2005 when scientists in Italy, spurred on by the country's strict laws restricting the freezing of embryos but permitting the freezing of unfertilized eggs, found a new method of freezing and thawing the eggs that kept them more intact..

The discovery has set off a sort of Manhattan Project among fertility doctors around the world, many of whom are conducting their own clinical trials in an attempt to perfect the thawing method. These doctors are seeing about a 40 percent to 50 percent success rate in getting patients pregnant using frozen eggs, approximately the same as for in vitro fertilization.

Yet despite this progress and the fact that many fertility clinics now offer egg freezing to any woman who wants it, the technology is still brand new. For some doctors, too new......"

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"Delayed childbearing is on the rise in the industrialized countries of the world.

The technique of oocyte cryopreservation has been around for several years. Although currently used primarily for women who are candidates for chemotherapy and radiation, there has been intense interest in refining the procedure for women interested in preserving their fertility for other reasons.

The new technique of vitrification has enhanced the success rates for thawing and survival. Several centers  including ours have had success with this technique.
 

The American Society of Reproduvctive Medicine (ASRM) has not accepted it yet for general clinical use. This is because of the lack of controlled trials. There is realization though, that science is rapidly moving in the direction of fertility preservation.
 

Sperm and embryo cryopreservation have been around for years. Now with the advent of oocyte cryopreservation, women will  soon have the chance of extended fertility."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

Because many single women have waited years, hoping the right man would come along, and because the majority use sperm that has been frozen, they are disproportionately at risk for fertility problems when they finally decide to have children. Many report being stunned that their fertility was so fragile. "I thought I could have kids until my period ended, and menopause is 50, right?" said another woman I met at a Single Mothers by Choice meeting in Washington, who began trying to conceive at 44. The sense of not having been informed, of being too late, is so often expressed by would-be single mothers in their 40's that it has doubtless spurred some younger women in the Single Mothers by Choice network to act more precipitously. (I interviewed two women who conceived while still in their 20's.) Still, the near-miraculous success of some older mothers can give hope — often unrealistic — to those still fighting the odds. Most doctors refused to take the 44-year-old Washington woman except as an egg-donor patient, but one did — and she became pregnant with a girl who is now almost 4. Another woman in the D.C. group went through 16 attempts and a miscarriage, using both IUI and I.V.F., before her son was finally born...... "

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"It is hard to make sure that your fertility potential will be good when the perfect match comes along.

In addition to using donor sperm as an option, freezing of eggs is now making other choices available to younger women. However egg freezing is a very new technique and not generally available yet. It is still experimental, but in a few years this should expand a woman's reproductive life span by allowing her to use her eggs at a later time in her reproductive life."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"Egg freezing is a new option available to women who are trying to preserve their fertility potential. It is still in the early stages, although several successful pregnancies have been reported, including at our center."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

Comment by Dr. Abbasi:

"This is a relatively new technique that offers hope to couples not only for recurrent miscarriage but also to screen embryos for both single gene disorders and aneuploidy. Single gene disorders are inherited diseases like Tay-Sachs, Hemophilia, Sickle Cell Anemia, Cystic Fibrosis and Huntington's Muscular Dystrophy.

Aneuploidy includes conditions that are chromosomal abnormalities like Down's Syndrome (47 chromosomes), Turner's Syndrome (45 chromosomes) or trisomies 13,16,17,18. These are commonly associated with repeat miscarriages. Additionally, it can also be used for sex selection.

This technique has been successfully used at our center, with good results."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

"It is a well known fact that environmental factors can significantly impact both eggs and sperm. In this article the deleterious impact of nicotine is outlined. Additional factors influencing the fertilizing capacity of sperm include marijuana, excessive alcohol consumption and even some medications. Patients are encouraged to discuss their concerns with their physicians."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

"Maryland is one of the few states with coverage for infertility treatments. The employer can offer mandated infertility coverage if there are large groups(500 or above). The policy has to be written in Maryland. The employee may live in MD, VA or DC.

This is why we offer a 100% refund program for patients who qualify but do not have insurance coverage. This is done in order to minimize the out of pocket expense for the patient. A medical committee reviews each candidate to decide inclusion in the program."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.

"It is a well known fact that environmental factors can significantly impact both eggs and sperm. In this article the deleterious impact of nicotine is outlined. Additional factors influencing the fertilizing capacity of sperm include marijuana, excessive alcohol consumption and even some medications. Patients are encouraged to discuss their concerns with their physicians."

For further information, please contact Dr. Abassi using our Web Contacts page.

To read the complete article, please select this web link.