Get Pregnant Fast with Unexplained Infertility

Unexplained infertility is frustrating but there are fertility treatments to help you get pregnant fast.



Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV



Unexplained infertility is perhaps the most frustrating diagnosis to have. You have been trying to get pregnant, have done a whole bunch of tests and everything comes back normal. So what do you do? Find out on today’s episode of infertility TV



First make sure you have completed all of the standard infertility tests. You should have checked to make sure you ovulate, that your uterus is normal and fallopian tubes are open, that your ovarian reserve is normal, an ultrasound of your pelvis is normal, your thyroid is functioning as it should and your husband has a normal semen analysis and CapScore



If all of those tests are normal, then you can consider a few different treatments to speed up the time it takes for you to get pregnant. All of these treatment have two things in common. They use some kind of fertility medication and some method to increase the chance of getting his sperm to meet your egg.



Let's start with the easiest treatment. This uses the fertility medication called Clomid or clomiphene citrate. The idea here is that normally you release only one egg each month. USing Clomid, you can increase the number of eggs released and have a better chance that one of those eggs will get fertilized and implant in your uterus.



 It's very important that your doctor monitors you to determine when you ovulate. At the time of ovulation, instead of just having intercourse alone, consider having an IUI or intrauterine insemination. This will increase the number of sperm that gets into your fallopian tubes and increase the chance for pregnancy. This is true even if your partner has normal sperm testing.



You can try clomid with IUI up to four times. If you are still not pregnant, consider moving to a different treatment.



Another option is to use injection of fertility medication instead of clomid. Injections, like Follistim or Gonal F are more potent than Clomid. It is common to get more eggs to develop. As a result, the pregnancy rates with injections are higher than for Clomid. You should also do IUI with injections.



A word of caution here. The pregnancy rates are better which is great but there is a higher risk of having a multiple pregnancy compared to Clomid. And we are not just talking twins. There is a higher chance for having triplet quadruplets or even more.



One of the best treatments for unexplained infertility is IVF. The pregnancy rates are higher than they are for any other treatment. An added advantage is you get more control over your risk of multiple pregnancy. The best IVF programs in the world in 2019 put one embryo at a time into the uterus and so the risk for a multiple pregnancy is only a few percentage points.



There you have it! Three great tips for how to get pregnant fast with unexplained infertility.





#unexplainedinfertility #infertilitytreatment  #fertilitytreatment



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

More tips for 1st Time IVF Success

I have been getting a lot of Email from patients asking for more tips to increase their chances for first time IVF success. Here is our 2019 edition



IVF Success tip 1

Optimize the stimulation of the ovaries  - To get the best quality eggs, the ovaries need to be stimulated with two different hormones - FSH and LH. FSH is the hormone found in medications like Follistim and Gonal F. Either of these medications will work great for your IVF protocol.



LH however is a little trickier. When FSH is injected into your body, it lasts a long time - very stable. When LH is injected, however, the body breaks it down very quickly. So if you are using a source of LH like Menopur, its difficult to know if you will get the LH effect that you want.



Here is a little secret. LH is very similar to the hormone hCG. They both act at the same receptors in cells. In many cases, LH and hCG do the same thing. hCG however has a little extra piece that LH doesn’t have. That extra piece makes hCG more stable. When you inject hCG it lasts a long time in your body.



As a result, IVF protocols that combine FSH and hCG may work better than FSH and LH. So ask your doctor for the low dose hCG protocol. Oh and one other advantage, hCG is a lot cheaper so you can save a few thousand dollars in medication costs



IVF Success tip number 2

Use the right kind of progesterone. You already know from our last video on first time IVF success that you should be doing a frozen transfer instead of a fresh transfer. To do a frozen embryo transfer, you first prepare the uterus with two medications - estrogen (to get the lining thicker) and progesterone to make the lining receptive to an embryo. It does not seem to matter what kind of estrogen is used. It can be oral estrogen, vaignal estrogen, estrogen patches or even estrogen injections. Doesn’t matter.



The type of progesterone does matter however. This last year, a study was presented involving about 1000 women who were doing a frozen embryo transfer. They were split into three groups. Group 1 took vaginal progesterone only. Group two used vaginal progesterone and a daily injection of progesterone. The third group used vaginal progesterone and a progesterone injection every three days.



What they found is that the group using vaginal progesterone only had lower pregnancy rates. So much so that they stopped adding patients to that group even before the study was over. There was no difference detected in whether injections of progesterone were added every day or every three days.



So for this tip make sure you are taking both types of progesterone. Vaginal progesterone every day and injections of progesterone every 3 days



IVF success tip number 3

Timing the embryo transfer. It turns out that not only does it not matter what type of estrogen you use, it also doesn’t matter how long you take the estrogen. The amount of time for progesterone however is very improvement. Progesterone changes the uterine lining to make it receptive to an embryo. For most women, the optimal time to place a blastocyst stage embryo into the uterus is on the 6th day of progesterone. There are some women, however, where the timing is different. For those women, it might be better to put the embryo into the uterus before or after the 6th day. To determine the correct timing, we need to do a test called an Endometrial Receptivity Array or ERA. To do this test, a woman must take her estrogen and progesterone the same way she would if she was planning to do an embryo transfer. But, instead of doing an embryo transfer, her doctor will take a sample of her uterine lining for the ERA.



Not all women should have this test before their first attempt. This test is best for women who have already have had multiple failed transfer attempts. However, there are some circumstances in which it might make sense to do it before a first attempt. Women who are obese, with a BMI over 30 have a higher rate of timing problems. They should consider the ERA before their first attempt. Another group would be couples who only have one embryo for transfer. Just to do everything to maximize their chances for what might be their only attempt.



OK there you have it, three new tips for maximizing the chances for first time IVF success.

Exploding 5 Infertility Myths - Infertility TV

Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV



Dr. Morris here. As an infertility expert, I see lots of couples trying to conceive and I hear and see a lot of myths. You have enough stuff to worry about without having to follow ridiculous advice which complicates your life.



Myth number 1

Position during sex matters. You on top? Him on top? Sitting? Standing? Remember these four words. It just doesnt matter. There has never been a single shred of serious scientific evidence that says position during sex matters. Have intercourse however you like. Just make sure he ejaculates inside of you.



Myth number 2

You have to keep lying down after sex. Does not help. Get up and go to the bathroom if you want!



Myth number 3

You have to have intercourse multiple times. Wrong! There is a three day window. Two days before ovulation. One day before ovulation or on the day of ovulation. If you have intercourse on any of those days, you will maximize your chances for pregnancy that month. Not sure when you ovulate? Use an ovulation predictor test!! Can’t afford one? OK. If you have sex every other day, three times around the time you think you ovulate, you will still maximize your chances



Myth number 4

Men have to wear boxer shorts to get you pregnant. Not true. It actually doesn’t matter what type of underwear he wears. Don’t believe me? Check out this video!



Myth number 5

There are fertility Super Foods! This is the silliest myth of all. I went to the top 15 YouTube videos claiming to have the keys to conceiving quickly. I can tell you with certainty that none of the following foods will do anything special for your fertility. Chickpeas. Pomegranate. Pumpkin seeds. Almonds. Chili peppers or Bananas



OK. I hope I have been able to simplify your life. Have you heard about some tip that is supposed to help you get pregnant? Let us know in the comments and we will cover it in a future episode





Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

10 Tips To Get Pregnant in 90 seconds

Need to know how to get pregnant fast? Dr. Morris gives valuable tips to get pregnant.  If you are having trouble getting pregnant, this will be the best 90 seconds you will spend today



Dr Randy Morris MD is The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV



#tipstogetpregnant #howtogetpregnantfast #ttc



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Will IVF PGD testing help you conceive in 2019?

PGD involves testing embryos for abnormalities during IVF before they are transferred into the uterus. Will it help you conceive and deliver? Stay tuned to find out.



The type of #PGD testing that is most common and the type we are going to be talking about today is sometimes referred to as #PGS, #CCS or PGT-a. This type of testing looks to see if an embryo has the correct number of chromosomes.



What is the correct number? 46. A normal, healthy embryo has 46 chromosomes. There are 23 pairs of each chromosome. Sometimes, however, mistakes are made so an embryo might have an extra chromosome or a missing chromosome. Sometimes, embryos can have a bunch of different chromosome abnormalities.



We know a lot about embryos with abnormalities in the number of chromosomes. First, these embryos are a lot less likely to implant in the uterus. So the chance for a positive pregnancy test goes way down. Second, if an embryo does implant, the chance for a miscarriage goes way up.



The big question is...will selecting an embryo for transfer that has a correct number of chromosomes using PGD, increase the chance that the embryo will implant in the uterus. The answer is well agreed upon by all doctors. It will absolutely make the chance for implantation higher.



The next question is, in general, will selecting embryos with PGD improve the chances that women doing IVF will have a live born and healthy baby? This answer is a little trickier. The quick answer is that it may not help everybody.



Lets take the example of younger women. Younger women make less abnormal embryos. Doing PGD is less likely to change which embryo the doctor selects for transfer so there is less overall benefit for testing the embryo.



Older women make more abnormal embryos. The higher her age, the higher her percentage of abnormal embryos. So in this group there is a definite benefit to doing PGD.



What constitutes old? At IVF1, we recommend women consider doing PGD if they are 37 years of age or older.







Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

PGS? PGD? 3 Different Types Of Embryo Testing To Help With Infertility

If you’re a couple with infertility considering IVF, you may have heard that genetic embryo testing is an option. There are different types of embryo testing with names like #PGD and #PGS 

It has become really confusing. I am going to clear this up for you.



In the beginning, all embryo testing was called PGD which stands for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis



Later, when different types of tests starting becoming popular, some additional acronyms were introduced



PGD was used to refer to testing embryos for mutations one specific gene. A common example is the disease cystic fibrosis.



PGS was used to refer to testing that looked at the number of chromosomes that an embryo had. A normal, healthy embryo has 46 chromosomes but often times, embryos will have extra or missing chromosomes. PGS Testing for these missing or extra chromosomes is the most common type of embryo testing that is performed today.



When the technology for testing embryos improved, and we were able to look at all 23 pairs of chromosomes instead of 5 or 6 pairs, many doctors started using another acronym instead of PGS. the new acronym, CCS stands for comprehensive chromosome screening.



Recently, one of our professional organizations has advocated changing these designations again. Its enough to make your head swim!!



Today, most people still use PGD to refer to any type of embryo testing. If you are considering #IVF with embryo testing just make sure that you understand what you are testing for and that you and your doctor are on the same page.





Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

ICSI - Is it your key to IVF success?

it's

like having your own fertility5-10% of couple doing IVF will fail fertilization. If you are thinking about doing IVF, you better learn about ICSI and ask your doctor about it. It could hold they key to your IVF success.



ICSI stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Its actually a very simple process. You should know that during IVF, eggs are removed from a woman’s ovaries and are fertilized outside the body in a laboratory. Instead of putting hundreds of thousands of sperm outside an egg and hoping that one sperm will be able to fertilize it, #ICSI uses one sperm and injects it directly inside the egg. The stuff inside an egg is called the cytoplasm so ICSI stands for intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection.



Why was ICSI a revolution for IVF? Well many couples with infertility have sperm problems. Sometimes the sperm number are low, other times the movement of sperm is poor or the sperm are shaped abnormally. Before ICSI, couples with these problems frequently had failure of their eggs to fertilize. The couples with severe male problems were considered poor candidates for IVF and had low pregnancy rates.



ICSI changed all that. Now couples who were considered poor candidates were all of a sudden great candidates for IVF. In fact, the worse the sperm problems were, the higher the couples chance for pregnancy using ICSI!



So which couples being treated with IVF should have ICSI?  One group of patients that all doctors would agree should have ICSI is couples with men who have an abnormal semen analysis. No controversy there. Also, couples who need to do genetic testing on their embryos, need to do ICSI to prevent the DNA from extra sperm from messing up the results.



But what about men who have a normal semen analysis? Well, as it turns out, studies have shown that men with a normal semen analysis may still fail to fertilize eggs in IVF 5-10% of the time. That’s not a high percentage but if you are that 1 in 10 couples who goes through an IVF cycle and then finds out that none of your eggs fertilized because of some undetected problem with sperm, it can be pretty devastating.



So I agree with the group of doctors who recommends ICSI for all couples doing IVF whether they have an abnormal semen analysis or not. But not all doctors agree with this approach.



By the way, ICSI doesn’t increase the chance for a pregnancy to occur over the older methods of fertilization. It just reduces the chances of fertilization failure so that a couple will have embryos to use to attempt pregnancy.



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



#IVF #intracytoplasmicsperminjection



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Varicocele - Is it killing your fertility? Learn what to do

Any man that has low sperm counts or poor sperm movement could have a problem known as a varicocele



A #varicocele is the presence of enlarged or dilated veins in the blood vessels of the scrotum.



Do varicoceles cause #infertility in men?

The answer is...sometimes. Watch for a complete explanation



We are not entirely certain how varicoceles cause infertility. Some evidence points to the increased temperature 



Another theory is that in men with varicoceles, the testicular fluid which carries sperm has an increased concentration of chemicals which can damage sperm.



So how do you know if you have a varicocele?

The most obvious cases can be seen by just looking at a guy’s scrotum.



Ultrasound of the scrotum can be used to diagnose a smaller, less obvious varicocele. Some advanced types of ultrasound can even measure blood flow in the veins of the scrotum.



Let’s say you have infertility and you have been diagnosed with a varicocele. What can you do?



There are a number of different ways to try to get rid of a varicocele. Watch this video for all the methods.



Finally, another alternative instead of improving the sperm is to try to make better use of the sperm that a guy does have. If his sperm problem is mild, an IUI or intrauterine insemination can increase the number of sperm that makes it into the fallopian tubes where fertilization happens. For guys with more severe sperm problems, IVF is a very effective treatment.



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and #IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Infertility Journey - Kathy and Brian - Surprise results after failed FET

After a failed FET cycle, Kathy and Brian's Infertility Journey let to a test called the Endometrial Receptivity Array or ERA. Abnormal results led to a change in protocol and....well, watch to find out the rest!



Infertility Journey explores the process of that couples go through who learn they have infertility, undergo fertility testing and begin fertility treatment.



Episodes of Infertility Journey are told by the patients themselves, in their own words, as they recount the difficult and sometimes emotional steps in the struggle to have a baby.



#ERA #FET #infertilityjourney



Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Azoospermia - Male infertility due to no sperm - How to get pregnant

Some cases of male infertility are due to azoospermia - no sperm - Learn the causes and ways to help your partner get pregnant.



There are two main categories of #azoospermia: Failure to produce sperm and complete blockage of sperm



Failure to produce sperm can be due to genetic or chromosome abnormalities, suppression from testosterone supplements or hormone problems.



Blockage can be from surgery (vasectomy) or being born with the necessary tubes needed to get sperm out.



In many cases, sperm can be obtained by surgery or needles aspiration of the testicles or nearby tubes.



These sperm can be used with #IVF to produce pregnancies.



#nosperm



Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Our Infertility Journey - Kathy and Brian - Emotional decision!

Cathy and Brian conceived the 1st time easily. For #2, they ran into difficulty and found Brian had low sperm counts. Faced with different options, how should they proceed?



For this episode of Our Infertility Journey, Kathy and Brian have to decide between treatment for Brian, which would be less invasive but could take several months... or proceed with IVF treatment.



They both did a ton of research and came up with a decision.



Infertility Journey explores the process of that couples go through who learn they have infertility, undergo fertility testing and begin fertility treatment.



Episodes of Infertility Journey are told by the patients themselves, in their own words, as they recount the difficult and sometimes emotional

All about egg donation - Pt 2 - For Egg Donors

Everything a potential egg donor needs to know about egg donation from the IVF egg donation expert - Dr Randy Morris



If you are a woman looking to donate your eggs or a woman who is looking for an egg donor, check out  IVF1Match       It’s completely free to use.



This video covers:



-- Who would make a good egg donor?



-- What do you need to do to become an egg donor ?



-- What does the entire process of egg donation entail?



-- What are the risks of egg donation ?



#eggdonor #eggdonation #ovumdonation  #IVFeggdonation #donoregg #ivf #donorrecipient  #donatingeggs #donoreggivfjourney #donoreggivf #donatedeggs #eggdonationprocedure  #eggdonorsurgery  #eggdonationsideeffects #eggdonationprocess  #eggdonationrequirements

Our Infertility Journey - IVF - We got 5 embryos at age 42! - Kirsten an...

Follow Part 2 of their Infertility Journey. With Kirsten now 42, they decide to try IVF. Despite some big hurdles, they have a surprising outcome.



After a successful IUI at age 40, Kirsten gave birth to their son, "Chance". They wanted to try for a sibling for Chance but now they had even more obstacles than before.



Kirsten had been plagued with auto-immune problems, recurrent miscarriages and now was looking at turning 43!



Her friends and support groups told her to prepare for failure but she decided to pursue treatment anyway.  Find out what happened...



#infertilityjourney #ivfjourney #ourinfertilityjourney



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

All about egg donation - Pt 1 - For Egg Donor recipients

Everything an egg donor recipient needs to know about egg donation from the IVF egg donation expert - Dr Randy Morris



If you are a woman looking to donate your eggs or a woman who is looking for an egg donor, check out www.ivf1match.com

It’s completely free to use.



Egg donation can be considered in several different situations. The most obvious is when a women who wants to become pregnant does not have ovaries. This usually occurs because she has had surgery to remove her ovaries but there are also situations in which a woman could be born without ovaries.



Women who have ovaries may also, at times, need an egg donor. Common situation include



-- Advanced   age

-- Poor ovarian reserve

-- IVF problems

-- Genetic problems



The first step in the process is to select an egg donor. An ideal egg donor is young, healthy and does not have a history of infertility herself. Donors can be someone you know such as a relative or friend or they can be anonymous. Once you have selected a possible donor applicant, she must go through extensive testing to look at her ovarian function and make sure she does not have any potential infectious diseases.



For you, it is important to have a good evaluation of your uterine cavity. This can be accomplished with a hysteroscopy or a saline ultrasound.



The actual egg donation treatment can be completed in a number of ways. The donor will take fertility medications to stimulate the maturation of multiple eggs in her ovaries at the same time. After several days, the eggs will be retrieved and fertilized with the sperm of your partner or a sperm donor. The embryos are left to develop in the laboratory for several days.



At this point, an embryo can be transferred into your uterus provided your uterus has been prepared with medication to receive an embryo at that moment. This requires precise synchronization of your cycles with the donor cycle



Another option is to freeze the embryos so they can be placed into you uterus at any convenient time. This way, you don’t have to worry about synchronization.



It is also possible to freeze the donated eggs before fertilization. There are a few egg banks where you can get frozen donor eggs but this is a pretty expensive option.



Pregnancy success rates with egg donation are very high provided that the donor you selected is a young donor. We generally recommend donors under the age of 25.



The risk for multiple pregnancy is higher with donor eggs so you should never transfer more than one embryo at a time to you uterus. Donors generally produce a lot of eggs so there is a good chance for having extra embryos that can be frozen for your own future use.



Pregnancies conceived with donor eggs may have a higher risk for blood pressure problems. Be sure you discuss that with your doctor.



This is a big topic, I could probably talk about it all day. Instead, why don’t you let me know what specific questions you have about egg donation in the comments and dont forget to subscribe to InfertilityTV for weekly tips to guide you on your infertility journey.



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Our Infertility Journey - Trying to Conceive at 40 - Kirsten and Chris

Every Infertility Journey is different.  Chris and Kirsten openly discuss their inspirational struggle trying to conceive after miscarriages with Kirsten turning 40 years old.



Follow the Infertility Journey of several couples on InfertilityTV



Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly #TTC tips on InfertilityTV



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540



#infertilityjourney #IUI

Acupuncture for IVF Success - Infertility TV

Learn the latest scientific proof (2019) about acupuncture and IVF Success. You will be surprised!



As an IVF expert with a busy clinical practice, I am constantly asked about other things that a couple can do to increase their chances for #IVF success. Questions about #acupuncture are the most common.



If you do a search in the National Library of Medicine, you will find over 100 articles about acupuncture and IVF success. But, if you narrow that down to only clinical studies in which real acupuncture was compared to fake or sham acupuncture, you get a much more manageable number.



Perhaps the best study to date was was conducted at 16 IVF centers in Australia and New Zealand and involved over 800 women undergoing a fresh IVF cycle. This makes it one of the largest and best designed clinical studies.of acupuncture and IVF success.



The results? Acupuncture did not result in any higher pregnancy rates. In other words, for improving IVF success, acupuncture failed. These results match those of a Danish study of over 600 IVF couples and a Chicago study of 160 patients and well you get the idea.



However, don’t click away yet. These studies did not reveal lower IVF pregnancy rates with acupuncture, they just weren’t any better. In other words, acupuncture didn’t harm the chances for IVF success, it just didnt help. Also, many patients found the experience pleasurable or relaxing.



So bottom line IVF patients: If you are thinking of doing acupuncture solely to increase your chance for pregnancy, then save your money. If you are thinking of doing acupuncture for fun or relaxation, go ahead, it won’t lower your chance for success





Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the #TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Tubal Pregnancy - This video could save your fertility & your life!!

Tubal pregnancy can be a really dangerous problem. Expert Dr Morris discusses causes, symptoms and treatments. Must view!



Bleeding from a #tubalpregnancy causes almost 10% of pregnancy related deaths. It is the number one cause of death in the first trimester of pregnancy. Diagnosing and treating a tubal pregnancy before it starts bleeding can literally save your life.



Tubal pregnancy is not as common as early miscarriage. About 1 in every 50 pregnancies in the US is a tubal pregnancy. However, certain women may have a much higher risk for tubal pregnancy.

Smokers have four times as many tubal pregnancies as non-smokers so their risk is about 1 in 12.

If you had a tubal pregnancy before, your risk for having another tubal pregnancy is about 1 in 5.

If you became pregnant after you had your tubes tied, your risk for tubal pregnancy is 1 in 3

Other factors that increase the risk for tubal pregnancy include

-- Being over age 35

-- Having a history of infertility

-- Surgery on a fallopian tube

-- Scar tissue in the abdomen (from infection or surgery or endometriosis)

-- Previously having a sexually transmitted infection

-- Having multiple sexual partners

-- Getting pregnant when using an IUD (intrauterine device)



Not all women who have a tubal pregnancy will have symptoms. Those who do have symptoms commonly report vaginal bleeding and pain. The pain could be just cramps or be more severe. The pain could be in the abdomen or pelvic region or even back pain.



Unfortunately, these are the exact same symptoms of early miscarriage. Without ultrasound, it is impossible to tell the difference between a tubal pregnancy and an early miscarriage. So getting an ultrasound is really really important. I can’t stress this enough. If you are pregnant and having pain and or bleeding, contact your doctor to be evaluated right away.



Once a tubal pregnancy has been diagnosed, there are a few different ways it can be treated. If the tubal pregnancy is already bleeding or causing lots of pain, then surgery is going to be needed. If its a very early tubal pregnancy, that is not yet causing any problems, then a medication called methotrexate can a be very successful treatment.



One thing to be aware of regarding methotrexate. It can stay in your body for a long time so you won’t be able to attempt pregnancy again for several months. So if you are anxious to get pregnant again quickly, even if you are not having any problems, you might want to consider surgery.



There's no way to prevent an #ectopic pregnancy, but here are some ways to decrease your risk:

-- Limit your number of sexual partners.

-- Always use a condom during sex to help prevent sexually transmitted infections

-- Don't smoke. If you do, quit before you try to get pregnant.



If you have had a previous tubal pregnancy or multiple tubal pregnancies, you might want to consider treatment with IVF. It won’t eliminate the chances of a tubal pregnancy, but it will lower the risk significantly



Women who have #ectopicpregnancy particularly if they have been attempting to conceive for a long period of time, often ask whether the pregnancy can be removed from the tube and then transplanted into the uterus where it might grow normally. Unfortunately, this is not possible with present medical science.





Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Early miscarriage - 25 things to know when trying to conceive

Dr Randy Morris MD teaches everything you should know about Early Miscarriage.



Stay tuned to the end for advice about getting pregnant again after an early miscarriage.



#earlymiscarriage #miscarriage #ttc



The first and maybe the most important thing to know about early miscarriage is that is extremely common. Between 50 to 60% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Of those, about half are very early miscarriages which often occur before a woman even knows she is pregnant.



An early miscarriage is defined as a pregnancy loss that occurs during the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. But really, most early miscarriages occur before your doctor can see a fetus with heart motion on an ultrasound which is typically around 7 to 8 weeks.



The good news is that if you have an early pregnancy and are experiencing vaginal bleeding, but your doctor can see fetal heart motion on ultrasound, 95% of those pregnancies will go on to result in a viable baby.



A slow heart rate on ultrasound, however, is a concerning sign. A slow heart rate is seen in nearly 70% of early miscarriages. Stated another way, the likelihood of having an early miscarriage is 30 times higher if the ultrasound shows a low heart rate. A slow heart rate in combination with vaginal bleeding is seen in 85% of early miscarriages. How slow is slow? If the measured heart rate is less than 110 bpm, then that is of concern



A number of things can cause an early miscarriage. The most common cause is the embryo or fetus does not have the correct number of chromosomes. A normal fetus has 46 chromosomes, 23 from each parent. 60-70% of early miscarriages are found to have an incorrect number of chromosomes. As women get older, this number gets higher. So older women are more likely to have a miscarriage and any given miscarriage is more likely to be from a chromosome problem.



Other things that probably increase the- risk for early miscarriage include:

-- Smoking

-- Drinking Alcohol

-- Caffeine

-- Obesity

-- Taking supplements (other than prenatals)



Things that do NOT cause early miscarriage include

-- Stress

-- Having sex during pregnancy

-- Exercise during pregnancy

-- Using birth control before pregnancy

-- Falling during pregnancy

-- Getting hit in the abdomen

-- Morning sickness



In fact, women with morning sickness have a lower risk of miscarriage. 



The most common signs and symptoms of early miscarriage are vaginal bleeding and cramping. However, these symptoms are also pretty common in women who do not go on to have an early miscarriage.



If you are pregnant and have bleeding, please contact your doctor for further evaluation. Your doctor will want to get a blood test to measure your hCG levels and an ultrasound. This is important to do because some women with early pregnancy bleeding may actually have a tubal pregnancy which is less common but much more dangerous.



One of the most common questions I get asked is: Can an early miscarriage be prevented? The answer depends on whether your are already pregnant. If you are not pregnant and you are trying to prevent an early miscarriage in your next pregnancy, then there are a number of things you can do.



Stop those bad habits, Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine. If you are overweight - lose weight. If you are older, ask your doctor about IVF combined with testing the embryos for chromosome abnormalities.



If you have had multiple early miscarriages, meaning three or more, see you doctor to be evaluated for recurrent pregnancy loss. There may be treatable problems that can be found



If you are already pregnant, besides the things I discussed before, there is probably not much you can do. Bed rest will not help. Avoiding stress will not help though it may make you feel better. Taking progesterone supplements have been recommended in the past but there really is very little evidence that it will reduce the chance for an early miscarriage. But, it probably won’t harm anything.



Another question I get all the time is: How soon can you try to conceive after having had a miscarriage? In the past, doctors told patients, without any evidence, to wait at least three months. However, we have solid scientific data that shows; attempting pregnancy again right away, as soon as you start ovulating will increase the chance for a successful pregnancy. This could happen within a few weeks of an early miscarriage.



Finally, if you need fertility treatment to conceive, we recommend that you evaluate the uterine cavity before starting treatment again.





Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com





Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Do cell phones or EMF affect your fertility or miscarriage risk?

Are cell phones a cause for your infertility or miscarriages? What is EMF? Find out from Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV



Cell phones produce low level EMF or electromagnetic fields. We have cell phones on our body pretty much all day. Could that be the reason you are having trouble getting pregnant or staying pregnant?. Stay tuned to find out.



First, lets talk about the guys. Most of the studies on cell phones have studied men and their sperm. Many studies have found a link between cell phone use and some abnormality in a semen analysis. The trouble is not all studies have found an impact.



Studies that did show an impact on sperm, didn’t always show the same problem. For example, some showed lower sperm counts while others showed a lower percentage of moving sperm. One of the best studies to date, out of Boston, tried to account for as many cell phone related variables as possible like information on how much time was spent on the phone, whether a headset or earpiece was used, where on the body they carried the phone. They also tried to account for other variables like smoking, diet and obesity.



Bottom line? They did not find an impact of cell phones on any sperm numbers.



What about women? They use cell phones too. My research turned up four studies that all concluded that increased exposure to EMFs resulted in an increase in the risk for miscarriage. The more exposure the greater the risk.



One problem in looking at these studies is that there are so many sources of EMF besides cells phones from microwaves to vacuum cleaners. However, one study compared over 200 women who had an unexplained miscarriage to an equal sized group who did not have miscarriage. This study found a statistically valid relationship between cell phone use and miscarriage.



For example, women in the miscarriage group averaged 9 and a half minutes of talk time each day.. The non miscarriage group averaged only 3 minutes. The miscarriage group was three times more likely to keep their phones in their pockets and more than twice as likely to use their phone for other stuff besides talking.



Remember, that just because the cell phone use and miscarriage are linked does NOT mean that cell phones cause miscarriage. Finally, and I can’t stress this enough. There is no evidence that buying an expensive cell phone EMF shield does anything but make your bank account lighter. 



So until we have better data, you could take some reasonable precautions and put away your cell phone but before you do, tap or click here to subscribe



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Testosterone TRT and Fertility - The 3 most important things to know in ...

Are you a bodybuilder? Or have you been diagnosed with Low T testosterone? Watch this video if you ever want to have kids



First, to produce normal amounts of healthy sperm, a man must produce the correct hormones from the pituitary gland and testosterone from the testicles. This is an extremely important point. Men need a really high level of testosterone INSIDE THE TESTICLES for sperm production but testosterone alone cannot start or maintain sperm production



If a man is taking #testosterone supplements by ANY method #trt  patches, gels, shots whatever, they will suppresses the production of the pituitary hormones which in turn, causes the high levels of  testosterone inside the testicles to plummet.



The resulting testosterone levels in the blood are not nearly high to produce sperm but even if they were - there are still no hormones from the pituitary gland to help out.



This results in a suppression of sperm production so pronounced that it can actually be used as a male contraceptive. Let's put that another way. If a group of men is taking testosterone supplements, the sperm production will drop to 0 in nearly 90% of them. That’s no sperm. At all.



#fertility



The good news is that most men who have no sperm will recover after they stop using. But most is not all. Even a year after stopping, some men will still have no sperm or very low levels of sperm leaving them infertile.



Rescue medications like Clomid, hCG and hMG may help speed up the time it takes to resume sperm production but it doesn’t work for everybody. The longer you used and the higher dose, the greater the chance that you might not recover.



What’s the take home? If you are thinking about having children in the future, try to stay off testosterone supplements. If you must take T. Use as low a dose as possible for as short a time as possible. Go off of testosterone several months before you want to attempt pregnancy.



You can get great videos like this one delivered to your phone or computer every week. For free! All you have to do is tap or click right here. It couldn’t be easier. Its like having your own fertility specialist in your phone. Go ahead, try it!

Smoking and Infertility - 5 Things You Didn't Know

Its no surprise that smoking causes infertility. What is surprising is how much impact it has. I may have some good news at the end for you smokers



#1 Here’s a message I got from my website: Dr. Morris why do you have so much information about smoking? Nobody smokes anymore. Oh really? Even in 2018, about ⅓ of men and women of reproductive age in the United States are smokers. Despite all the warnings and public service announcements. One in three!



#2 Think cigarette smoke is only in the lungs? Think again. A recent study in IVF patients found breakdown products of nicotine in 100% of the follicular fluids of infertility patients undergoing IVF. The more they smoked, the higher the levels were found. In other words, if you are a smoker, your eggs are soaking 24 hours a day in cigarette smoke breakdown products.



Even more alarming? In that same study, 84% of women who were non-smokers and whose partners were non smokers, also had nicotine by-products in their follicular fluid. In other words, the people who smoke at your job are compromising your fertility!



#3 Smokers, you are going to run out eggs sooner. Cigarette smoking has been shown to accelerate the loss of eggs from the ovaries. One of the blood tests we use to measure how many eggs are left is the hormone FSH. Higher FSH levels mean less eggs remain. You commonly see this as women get older. Guess what? Smokers have 66% higher FSH levels than non-smokers. You are likely to go through menopause at an earlier age.-



#4 Smoking also affects IVF success. I know what you are thinking: I’ll just do IVF. Everybody gets pregnant with IVF right? Agreed, IVF is a very good treatment for most types of infertility. However, smokers doing IVF needed higher doses of those expensive fertility injections, but they still ended up with more cycles getting cancelled, less eggs when they weren’t cancelled, more cycles with failed fertilization and overall had a much lower pregnancy rate.



#5 Fine Dr. Morris. You have succeeded in stressing me out, I’m never going to get pregnant, I might as well just have another pack of cigarettes. Wait! Stop! I actually have some good news. Quitting smoking will improve your fertility. In fact, ex-smokers have similar fertility to non-smokers.



OK. That’s 5 things. For more information on smoking and fertility, go to my website at ivf1.com

But first, hit that subscribe button. Its right here! You’ll get fertility tips every week! Its like having a fertility specialist in your phone!

This Is Us - Kate and Toby IVF analysis by Dr. Morris S3 Ep. 2-5

Recap

Kate and Toby had a miscarriage and then experience secondary infertility. They decide to do IVF. For my full analysis, watch my complete review of Season 3 Episode 1



Episode 2

So Kate and Toby have started the medical treatment phase of IVF. Kate is taking fertility medication injections. In the Uber on the way to Kevin’s movie premier, Kate gets hot flashes. Is this accurate? Well possibly… There are a few type of IVF medication protocols. In the older protocol, called a Down Regulation protocol, women take a medication called Lupron to suppress the pituitary gland. The reduces the chance of premature ovulation or ovulation before the eggs can be retrieved. Most women will need to take this medication for a couple of weeks before starting the actual fertility drugs which stimulate the ovaries. During this time, the estrogen levels from the ovaries get very low and this will commonly result in hot flashes.



These days, many IVF experts will use a shorter protocol in which the medications to prevent ovulation are given at the same time as the fertility drugs instead of beforehand. As a result, there is no decrease in estrogen levels so this protocol does not result in hot flashes



The big drama in this episode is when Kate’s mom, Rebecca discovers that Kate and Toby are doing IVF. This occurs, when Miguel goes into the refrigerator and accidentally discovers Kate’s medications. For this, the show gets good marks. Many of these medications have to be kept in the refrigerator. I know many stories of patients trying to hide the medications when guests are over.



The show also hits the right mark when dealing with Kate’s concern about her family finding out. Many of my IVF patients, do not reveal to their families what they are going through until after the fact.



Skip ahead to Kevin’s movie premier. Toby, who usually gives Kate her injections, is nowhere to be found. Kate is freaking out because she has been told that the medications have to be given at an exact time. A newly convinced Rebecca ends up giving the injection to Kate. The reality is that is overly dramatic. With one exception, these medications do NOT have to be timed to the minute. Generally speaking, we talk about these medications being given in the morning or the evening. There is a few hour leeway.



The one exception to that is that injection that is given before the eggs are retrieved. This is known as the trigger injection. This injection has to be given at a precise time according to the doctors injections. We know that this wasn’t Kate’s trigger injection however, because if it was, then Kate would have had the egg retrieval two mornings after Kevin’s premier - which she did not.



So Rebecca ends up giving Kate her injection in the bathroom of the movie theater. Love this scene! Many patients have told me stories about the odd places that they have had to given injections. Movie theaters, restaurants, weddings they were standing up at and even in airports and airplanes during flights. Where was the oddest place you gave or received fertility injections? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter #InfertilityTV and #milehighclub 



I do have a bone to pick about the location of the injection on Kate’s body. Rebecca gives the injection in Kate’s thigh muscle. Almost all fertility medications these days are given with a tiny needle under the skin - typically in the abdomen. Plus, most women do these injections themselves. But I’’ let them slide on this one because I loved Rebecca’s turn around on this.



One thing I didn’t like. Kate was drinking alcohol at the movie premier. A number of studies have found that alcohol use is associated with decreased success rates with IVF. At IVF1, we recommend to our patients that both partners stop alcohol use a month before starting the IVF medications.



Finally, this episode brings up the issue of risks. Specifically, Rebecca asks “Have you guys really considered all of the risks?”. I think she is not just talking about IVF here but about the risks of pregnancy in general. The biggest risk that Kate face with IVF is simply that it won’t work. The other risks associated with IVF egg retrieval like all procedures include infection, bleeding, damage to nearby organs and most importantly for Kate, anesthesia risk.



However, there are many more risks to pregnancy. These risks are magnified in women who have a history of infertility and women who have a high BMI. If Kate gets pregnant it will be interesting to see whether she has problems with gestational diabetes or the high blood pressure problem known as pre-eclampsia.



Episode 3



In this episode, Kate finally gets to the point of having her IVF egg retrieval but not before getting into an argument with Randall in which he suggests that maybe she and Toby should be adopting instead of doing IVF. Kate hits him with my favorite line in Season 2. She states “How dare you throw adoption in my face right now, and how dare you make me defend wanting this.”



I love this because it is something that infertility patients hear commonly. It's an absurd comment to make because it implies that women who have infertility have a greater responsibility to adopt children than anyone else does simply because they have a disease process which requires them to have medical treatment to be able conceive on their own



Now on to the egg retrieval. I should point out here that 90% of the time, the anesthesia that is given for an egg retrieval is administered through an IV in the arm and that’s all. In Kate’s case, however, she gets Intubated. This means that the anesthesiologist buts a tube down her windpipe. This allows a deeper level of anesthesia to be given and at the same time allows the anesthesiologist to help her breathe if any problems come up during the procedure.



This is an excellent idea for women who are very obese, like Kate and at higher risk from anesthesia.



Next we learn that Kate’s IVF specialist, Dr Jasper, was able to retrieve 8 eggs and tells Kate that’s a good number. But is it? At IVF1, the average number of eggs retrieved for a 36 years is 14 but obese women do not respond as well to fertility medications and commonly get less eggs so 8 is probably doing pretty good



Incidentally, it seems Kate was lucky to get her own doctor to do the egg retrieval. It’s Dr Jasper who comes into the recovery room after Kate wakes up from anesthesia to tell her the number of eggs. We know from episode 1 that Dr Jasper is part of a larger group. With large groups, the doctors will commonly take turns each day. So one doctor would do all of the egg retrievals for a given day whether its for her patients or another doctor in the group. However, when we see the picture of Kate and Toby’s embryo later it says the Doctor was Dr. Arroyo. Production error ir was Dr Jasper trying to take credit for Dr Arroyo’s work?



Episode 4 is all about Jack in Vietnam so lets skip to Episode 5



This is the embryology episode. We learn that out of the 8 eggs, there were only 3 that fertilized. This seems a little low. An average fertilization rate is 70 percent. However, we are never told how many of the eggs were actually mature, healthy eggs that had Toby’s sperm injected. If we assume 5 mature eggs, then having three out of five fertilize seems closer to an expected number.



One confusing thing happens here. Dr Jasper calls Kate and Toby, the day after the egg retrieval to tell them they have three fertilized eggs but the picture they post on their refrigerator of the “Three Amigos” is of embryos at the 4 cell cell stage which is 2 days after the egg retrieval which is possible but most IVF labs don’t check or photograph embryos at that stage.



From the three fertilized eggs, only one embryo develops and is available for transfer. Is this typical? Actually, yes. Most of the the embryos that a woman produces either on her own or with IVF are not viable embryos that do not have the ability to produce a live born baby. In many cases, embryos will stop dividing or even degenerate.



The one embryo remaining, to which Toby sings, “One Singular Sensation” is an 8 cell embryo which means that Kate’s embryo transfer occurred on the 3rd day after the egg retrieval.  The picture says its Day 9 which is impossible so this is likely just another tiny production error.



Finally, we learn that Kate had a positive pregnancy test. Before getting the official news from Dr. Jasper, Toby wisely tells Kate to avoid doing a home pregnancy test which is a great idea because as Kate says, these home tests are not accurate enough when done this early in pregnancy and could quite possibly cause “emotional chaos.



Yay! Kate is pregnant. Will she miscarry again? Will she experience pregnancy complications? Did the embryo split and produce twins? Or Triplets? And most importantly, will the medical information presented on the show be accurate? Tune in to This is Us and Click that notification bell so you dont miss any future episodes of Infertility TV.

Does men's underwear matter for fertility ? - Boxers vs briefs - Inferti...

Today in InfertilityTV we are going to discuss underwear. Specifically male underwear. Stay tuned for 60 seconds to get my fertility recommendations



The following statements are well agreed upon facts. The testicles are located outside the body in the scrotum. The temperature of the testicles is a couple of degrees lower than inside the abdomen. When the scrotum is exposed to heat over a period of time, this will have an adverse of effect on sperm production.



Based on these facts, several practical questions comes up. Will wearing tight underwear increase the scrotal temperature? Several studies have looked at this but the results have been inconsistent.



The next question that scientists have tried to answer is - does the type of underwear that a man wears influence sperm production? Several studies have also looked at this but again there are conflicting results. Some studies say yes but other studies say no. A recent study, one of the largest ever performed, found a 17% decrease in sperm numbers when men chose non boxer type of underwear.



Why all the uncertainty? Well. for one, like most lifestyle questions, it’s pretty difficult to rule out all other variables and to say with certainty that one factor, such as underwear choice, makes a difference. Second, there is a huge variation in the type of underwear that mean wear. It’s not just a difference between boxers and briefs but the length of the underwear and how tightly fitting it is. The material is also important, cotton, nylon, silk, polyester, flannel-- all may have a different impact. Finally, studies show that up to ⅓ of men will change their underwear to a different type before going to bed!



 Here are my InfertilityTV recommendations for men

If you like boxer shorts, knock yourself out. No one has ever suggested any adverse effect from boxers

If you like briefs, keep wearing them. There isn’t sufficient evidence that this one factor, by itself, will make you less fertile. In fact, the largest study to look at actual fertility potential found no impact of underwear type.

Essential Oils - Should you avoid them while trying to conceive - TTC ?

Should essential oils be avoided when you are TTC? Some essential oils are endocrine disrupters that may affect normal development or cause endometriosis. Listen in as Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert explains on InfertilityTV



#essentialoils #ttc #endometriosis



One of the latest fads to sweep the internet are essential oils. If you are not familiar, these are liquids that are chemically extracted from various plants and then released into the air through a vaporizing device and then inhaled into the body. In this respect, they are similar to E-cigarettes.



Hang on for another 45 seconds to hear my very important recommendations about essential oils for couples trying to get pregnant.



The first thing to understand about essential oils is that there is nothing essential about them. Your body does not need these chemicals as opposed to things it does require such as essential amino acids.



While these oils were initially utilized to provide a pleasant scent, more recently they have been promoted as healing therapies and are promoted on the internet as a cure all for everything from allergies and asthma to cancer prevention. 



Although the names sound benign, these oils contain mixtures of dozen or hundreds of chemicals. These oils, and therefore the chemicals that make them up, are very concentrated and can have very real effects on the body.



Recently, scientists were investigating why some young men who were exposed to these oils grew breasts, a problem called gynecomastia.



They discovered that a number of the chemicals that are found in dozens of oils act as endocrine disrupters. This means that they interfere with the action of hormones in the body.



Hormones are involved in the process of reproduction and pregnancy. Studies of various environmental endocrine disrupters have found they can negatively affect the growth and development of eggs in the ovaries, interfere with normal hormone production and affect the development of a fetus in the uterus.

There is evidence that endocrine disrupters may lead to the development of endometriosis.



In men, it can interfere with normal sperm production.



Until we studies about the safety on these powerful chemical mixtures, it is my recommendation that both women and men avoid exposure to essential oils if they are now attempting to conceive or plan on trying to conceive in the near future.



Women who are pregnant or think they might be pregnant should also avoid them as well as women who are nursing.



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Infertility Treatment for Women - IVF -

Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV



No discussion of infertility treatment for women would be complete without a discussion of IVF or in vitro fertilization. IVF is a totally unique and successful infertility treatment for women



First off, many people confuse #IVF with #IUI. IUI or intrauterine insemination is when sperm is injected into the uterus at the time of ovulation. IVF or in vitro fertilization is when eggs are removed from the ovaries and fertilized outside of the body. Later on, embryos are placed into the uterus. 



There are many different ways to do IVF. Today, we are going to discuss the most common method used by the most advanced IVF centers such as IVF1. 



In order to obtain many eggs, women are first given injectable fertility medications for 10 to 12 days. During this time, she will visit the IVF specialist’s office for every few days or so to have blood tests and ultrasounds.



The results of these tests are used by the doctor to make adjustments to the treatment and to determine the appropriate time to remove the eggs.



The eggs are removed in a process called an egg retrieval. This is done under anesthesia by passing a long needle into the ovaries under ultrasound guidance. It takes about 15-20 minutes.



The eggs are then fertilized by adding sperm and then allowed to grow in the IVF laboratory for several days. The embryos can then be placed into the uterus or frozen for future placement. This is known as an embryo transfer. 



The embryo transfer is an easy procedure which does not require anesthesia. In fact, at IVF, we set up a special ultrasound monitor for the patient and her partner so they can watch the transfer as it’s being done.



Then comes the longest wait of your life. It takes a while for an embryo to implant into the uterus and a little time after that before a pregnancy test will be positive. 



So the final step is to keep your fingers crossed



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Infertility Treatment for Women - Fertility Drugs - Infertility TV

This is part 3 in our series on Infertility Treatment for Women. This Episode covers Infertility Drugs. Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV





Fertility drugs are the most commonly used #infertility treatment for women. Today, we are going to discuss how these medications are used.



Fertility medications are used for three purposes:

1) To get women who don’t ovulate on their own to ovulate

2) To increase the number of eggs released in women who do ovulate and

3) In preparation for IVF.



For inducing ovulation, oral medications are usually used first since they are less expensive, easier to use and don’t require as much monitoring.



#Clomid is the most commonly used medication. Typically, your doctor will start with a lower dose such as 1 or 2 pills a day for five days. After monitoring, if the doctor determines that you did not ovulate, then your dose can be increased by 1 pill per day. So if two pills a day for five days didn’t work then you go up to three pills a day and so on. You usually wouldn’t go higher than five days but in rare cases you might take the Clomid for 7 or 10 days.



Injectable medications are a more potent #infertilitytreatment for women. Typically, you will see a higher percentage of women who will ovulate and more will get pregnant. Commonly used brands of these medications are Follistim or Gonal F. 



Like the Clomid, if you are trying to induce ovulation, the doctor will usually start on a lower dose and increase only if necessary. The exact dose is going to be determined by a number of factors however such as your age, the results of hormone testing and the response you had to any previous treatments.



Because they are more potent, the injections require closer monitoring with blood tests and ultrasounds in the doctor’s office every few days.



When being used to get multiple eggs in women who already ovulate, or for IVF, the dose of medications may be higher than when it’s used to induce ovulation.



There are side effects and complications that occur with the use of fertility medications so make sure you have an experienced fertility specialist to oversee your treatment.



Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Infertility treatment for women - Surgery - InfertilityTV

What types of surgery can be used as infertility treatment for women? Find out on this week's episode of InfertilityTV with Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips



Infertility treatment for women - Surgery



Surgery, as an infertility treatment for women is not nearly as common as in the past. There are still some cases in which surgery is a good treatment for women with infertility. Make sure you stay to the end for the complete story.



#Surgery for infertility can be divided into two main areas. Surgery inside the uterus and surgery outside of the uterus



#Hysteroscopy

Surgery inside the uterus is performed with a fiber-optic scope called a hysteroscope. The doctor looks inside of the uterus through the hysteroscope which is attached to a video camera with a monitor.



The types of problems that can be fixed with a hysteroscope includes growths like fibroids or polyps, scar tissue and abnormalities in how the uterus developed. Once common example of this is something called a uterine septum in which tissue divides the uterus down the middle so that the uterus is split into two smaller halves.



Hysteroscopy is a non-invasive surgery. It does not usually require an overnight stay in the hospital and most women will be able to return to their normal activities by the next day.



#Laparoscopy

Sometimes problems can occur outside the uterus which can interfere with fertility. The most common problems are endometriosis, scar tissue and blocked fallopian tubes. Surgery for these problems can also be treated with a fiber-optic scope called a laparoscope.



Instead of going through the vagina, this scope is inserted through the belly button through a 1 cm incision. Additional instruments can be placed through additional incisions near the pubic hair line.



Depending on how much is being done, some women might end up staying in the hospital overnight but most of the time they can go home right after the surgery. The amount of time they will need for recovery is also going to vary on how long the surgery took and how much was done. Most women will need at least a few days before returning to normal activities and some might require a week or more.





Infertility TV is your weekly source for the best medical information if you have infertility, recurrent miscarriage or are just trying to conceive. (TTC). InfertilityTV covers infertility testing, fertility treatments such as Clomid, Follistim and Crinone and fertility treatments like IUI and IVF (in vitro fertilization)



One of the most popular playlists on InfertilityTV are the TTC tips which are great even you are not struggling with infertility



Dr Morris is a practicing IVF and infertility expert who sees patients at IVF! located in the Naperville Fertility Center.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  ™



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

Infertility treatment for women - IUI - 7 facts you should know

There are many infertility treatments for women. Is IUI the right infertility treatment for you? Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED fertility expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV



#IUI #infertility #infertilitytreatment



Infertility treatment for women is a big topic to cover. I am going to break it down into some broad categories to make it easier to understand. In today’s episode, I am going to explain IUI.



 IUI is also called intrauterine insemination or sometimes artificial insemination. It’s the process of putting sperm directly into the uterus.Why would this help you get pregnant?



When you have intercourse, sperm are deposited into the vagina. Most of them promptly die. Some leak out of the vagina. Most of the sperm that aren’t killed, get trapped in the sticky mucous of the cervical canal. The end results is that very few sperm make it into the fallopian tubes where fertilization happens.



With IUI, you put the sperm directly into the uterus. That way you get a lot more sperm into the tubes and the chance for pregnancy is higher. This is true even when a man has a normal amount of moving sperm on his semen analysis.



Of course, in order for IUI to work, a woman must ovulate and have at least one fallopian tube that is open.



Fertility medications are often used with IUI to further increase the chance for pregnancy.



Men who have really low sperm numbers, such as less than a million or two are not the best candidates for IUI and should instead consider IVF.



IUI does not increase the chance for a multiple pregnancy but the use of fertility medications will increase that risk.



Compared to other fertility treatments, IUI is pretty reasonable priced. Usually, it somewhere in the few hundred dollar range for each month.







Increase your "Infertelligence"  TM



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

IVF Procedure - How Long Does It Take? | InfertilityTV

How long does it take to complete the IVF procedure? Find out from Dr Randy Morris MD-The BOARD CERTIFIED IVF expert with weekly TTC tips on InfertilityTV



#IVFProcedure #IVF #invitro



The IVF procedure - how long does it take? The answer is anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on what type of IVF procedure you do and what protocol you use.



To figure out the length of time that IVF will take, you first need to know what type of IVF medication protocol you are going to use. There are two main types: The long protocol and the short protocol.



The long protocol uses a medication called Lupron to stop you from ovulating during the treatment. Most women will need to be on Lupron for two to three weeks BEFORE they then start the fertility medication to stimulate the ovaries.



The short protocol uses a different type of medication to prevent ovulation. Two common brands are called Ganirelix and Cetrotide. The medications are given DURING the time that the fertility drugs are being given.



Most women will need to take fertility drugs for 10 to 12 days. At IVF1, we have seen some women who only needed 8 days and others who needed 16 days but most are somewhere between those extremes.



The egg retrieval is performed two days after the last dose of fertility medication.



So if you are doing the long protocol, you are up to 4-5 weeks. If you are using the short protocol, you are at about two weeks.



The next thing to figure out is whether you are doing a fresh transfer or a frozen transfer.



A fresh transfer is going to be performed three to five days after the egg retrieval. However, most of the really good IVF programs these days are no longer doing fresh transfers. At IVF1, we freeze all of the embryos and then put the embryos in the uterus at a later time.



Check out this video for more info on fresh versus frozen transfer.



Frozen embryos transfer will definitely add some time to the process. First, it will take about a week and a half for you to get your period after the egg retrieval. At that point, you will need to prepare the uterus for the transfer. How long this part takes will again be dependent on the protocol your doctor puts you on.



If you are using Lupron again, figure another 4-5 weeks. If not figure about two weeks.



Increase your "Infertelligence"  TM



Subscribe to Infertility TV now!!!

A new episode of Infertility TV is broadcast weekly every Thursday afternoon



or visit our website at IVF1.com



*******************************************

Do you want to become a patient at IVF1?

*******************************************



Register online here:

https://patient.ivf1.com/PatientPortal/NewPatient



Or call:

630-357-6540

This Is Us | Real Infertility / IVF Doctor Analysis

Are you a #ThisIsUs fan? We are! Season 3 Blockbuster: #katepearson has #PCOS! Toby has low sperm counts! They need #IVF! #DrMorris gives an in depth analysis of Episode 1. See what they got right! See what they got wrong. How did you feel as #infertility patients? Let us know in the comments #invitrofertilization #Polycysticovarysyndrome  #RandyMorrisMD CAUTION: Spoilers!