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FERTINATAL™, the Much-Anticipated First DHEA Supplement for Female Fertility, Hits the Market

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Posted by Marie on April 13, 2012 at 10:38 am

FertinatalApril 13, 2012 (New York, NY) – FERTINATAL™, the first and only dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) nutritional supplement designed to enhance female fertility, has entered the market today.

The launch took longer than expected, because Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC – which developed the supplement – made unusual efforts to ensure that FERTINATAL™ DHEA for women would fulfill all of the required specifications which the product was designed for, with consistency across every tablet, according to Fertility Nutraceuticals. The required repeat rounds of quality-assurance testing at independent laboratories delayed the launch, initially scheduled for January.

“It was extremely frustrating, especially since we have seen increasing demand since we announced FERTINATAL last December,” notes Yu Kizawa, the company’s Director of Marketing and Sales. “Now, we are excited to be able to offer probably the most reliable micronized DHEA product on the market, and the only one specifically designed for women who have a difficult time conceiving.”

FERTINATAL™ was developed with strict adherence to the specifications of the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR, http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com), a research-driven fertility center in New York City that introduced DHEA supplementation for women with diminished ovarian reserve. Because of the high quality standard of FERTINATAL™, CHR, the only holder of female fertility-related U.S. patents for DHEA supplementation, endorses FERTINATAL™.

“Over-the-counter DHEA products can be very inconsistent in quality, even within the same brand,” explains Norbert Gleicher, MD, medical director of CHR. “Based on the unique quality control process of FERTINATAL™, we are confident that this new product will deliver the kind of consistency and quality we, up to this point, have been able to achieve only through pharmacy-compounded DHEA by prescription.  We, therefore, feel confident in endorsing FERTINATAL™.”

FERTINATAL™ is available for purchase at $69.50 per box (a one-month supply), online at http://www.fertinatal.com.

 

About Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC
Fertiltiy Nutraceuticals, LLC, is a company specializing in nutritional supplements for women in reproductive years. The company is dedicated to developing highest-quality nutritional supplements for women with fertility problems, trying to achieve healthy pregnancies. FERTINATAL™ is the company’s first product, with additional products planned for rollout throughout 2012.

Posted in: DHEA, Fertility, Infertility, Pregnancy in Older Women
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Few cancer patients seek fertility preservation options

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Posted by Franco Cignelli on March 28, 2012 at 2:50 pm

Fertility PreservationA recent ABC.com article indicated that a high percentage of cancer patients do not receive advice by their physicians about fertility preservation options. For those who do, it is not timely enough. Patients are often too overwhelmed by the diagnosis, and are focused on immediate treatment to think of anything else.

A new research study found that few women with breast cancer chose to preserve their eggs before going through chemotherapy and radiation treatment. This is different than egg donation NYC programs.

Fertility preservation for cancer patients needs to be performed as quickly as possible. Patients who do not have timely access to a properly equipped fertility center may lose the chance before their cancer treatments start. According to the study, all fertility preservation patients should receive priority, and given same, or next day appointments.

Egg freezing remains the dominant method of fertility preservation for cancer patients, However, specialists can also freeze embryos. Embryo freezing (and use of frozen embryos) has a much longer history in the context of in vitro fertilization and other regular fertility treatments, and the available data is more reliable. However, embryo freezing would require a partner. The only real alternative to these two methods is freezing of the ovary.

It is difficult for an oncologist to predict whether a woman will be infertile after her cancer treatments, but age and the type and dose of chemotherapy are a factor.

A good working relationship is needed between the oncologist and the fertility preservation specialist.

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Egg Donor Embryos Used for Stem Cell Research

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Posted by Amanda Rahi on December 30, 2011 at 3:16 pm

According to a Fox New report this week, some U.S. fertility clinics don’t tell egg donors that embryos made from their eggs could be used in stem cell research. These findings are based on a government survey.

What they found was that among 100 fertility clinics two reported that they didn’t have a consent form for women donating eggs.

Among the 66 clinics that had a consent form that used excess embryos for research, only 20 clinics informed women about this, while only 38 clinics that used embryos for stem research disclosed that to donors.

Based on the findings of this study, bioethicists are now questioning whether disclosing this information to egg donors would have an effect on a women’s decision to donate.

That’s despite widespread opposition to such research, which is considered morally offensive by a third of Americans, researchers write in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

They found that among 100 fertility clinics, two said they didn’t have a consent form for women donating eggs.

Of the 66 clinics that sent in a consent form and said they used excess embryos for research, just 20 told women about that. And only three of 38 clinics that used some embryos for stem cell research in particular disclosed that to donors.

Posted in: Fertility, Infertility

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New York Infertility Treatment Center Receives Second DHEA Patent Regarding Use in Female Infertility

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Posted by Marie on December 20, 2011 at 9:25 am

CHRDecember 20, 2011 (New York, NY) – New York’s Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) is pleased to announce that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has approved a patent application for infertility treatment, serial number 8,067,400, titled “Androgen Treatments in Females.”

The claims of this allowed application – the second received based on CHR’s research of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in women with infertility – are directed to methods of decreasing aneuploidy rates (chromosomal abnormalities) in human embryos, decreasing time to pregnancy and increasing pregnancy rates by administering an androgen for at least two months.

In layman’s terms, this means that DHEA has been recognized (in this second patent issued to CHR) as an infertility treatment to increase pregnancy rates, reduce time to conception and reduce chromosomal abnormalities in embryos. DHEA is thus the first agent ever recognized to reduce chromosomal abnormalities in human embryos. Since approximately 85% of all human miscarriages are believed to be due to chromosomal abnormalities, DHEA can also be assumed to reduce miscarriage rates.

CHR investigators have already observed reductions in miscarriage risk after DHEA supplementation [Gleicher et al., Miscarriage rates after dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation in women with diminished ovarian reserve: a case control study. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2009;7:108].

“This second patent awarded to CHR only confirms the increasing importance of DHEA supplementation in female infertility, which we had the opportunity to observe through our research for over seven years,” notes Norbert Gleicher, MD, CHR’s Founder and Medical Director as well as one of the inventors listed on the DHEA patents.  He further points out that “acceptance of the claim that DHEA reduces chromosomal abnormalities in embryos offers exciting new opportunities because this observation suggests that DHEA supplementation may benefit not just women with infertility.”

Picking up on this thought, David H. Barad, MD – CHR’s Director of Clinical IVF and a second inventor listed on the patents – notes that “chromosomal abnormalities in embryos increase as women age. Therefore miscarriage rates rise in parallel. DHEA supplementation may, therefore, also be useful in older women with normal fertility who are trying to conceive on their own.” He adds that “the prenatal multivitamins of the future may also contain a little bit of DHEA.”

 

About CHR
Center for Human Reproduction (http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com) is a leading infertility center in New York City with worldwide clientele, well-recognized for its major clinical research program.  The program has contributed a number of essential breakthroughs to the IVF process. Dr. Gleicher is available for further comments.

Posted in: DHEA, Fertility, Pregnancy in Older Women
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Low Cost Donor Egg Program at CHR Uses Frozen Donor Eggs to Make Treatment More Affordable

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Posted by Marie on November 7, 2011 at 9:49 am

November 07, 2011 (New York, NY) —As an alternative to its standard Egg Donation Program, the EcoDEP discount donor eggCHR program offers patients an opportunity to receive donor eggs at a much lower total cycle cost of $14,950. The cost of a standard egg donation cycle is approximately double this cost.

“Because CHR, likely, offers the largest and most diverse pool of carefully selected egg donors in the world, and because of the program’s excellent pregnancy rates, CHR’s standard Egg Donation Program has served a worldwide clientele successfully for years,” explains Norbert Gleicher, MD, Medical Director of CHR. He adds: “The large number and diversity of available egg donors allow CHR, uniquely, to match donors closely to patients, and with practically no waiting period.” However, CHR recognizes fertility patients’ current economic realities. Dr. Gleicher continues: “Traditional egg donation is expensive. Looking for a less costly alternative, we created a radically different low cost donor egg program. EcoDEP, the new frozen donor egg program, utilizes frozen-thawed donor eggs instead of fresh donor eggs, and instead of giving one recipient all of the eggs from a donor, the program splits one donor’s eggs amongst up to three recipients.”

In the EcoDEP donor egg program, donor eggs are frozen after retrieval in batches of at least five. Once a recipient chooses a donor with frozen eggs as her “match,” a batch of five frozen eggs is thawed, fertilized with partner sperm, and resulting embryos are transferred to the recipient’s uterus.

Although a number of recent studies from around the world reported comparable pregnancy rates from fresh and frozen donor eggs, the use of frozen eggs is still widely, including at CHR, considered “experimental.” As such, patients will be required to sign an informed consent, acknowledging the experimental nature of EcoDEP. Like all in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes at CHR, EcoDEP outcomes will be closely monitored, serially reported to CDC and SART, but also immediately published to the public on CHR’s website, as soon as statistically valid numbers become available.

“Choosing between standard egg donation and the new lower-cost EcoDEP requires careful consideration of advantages and disadvantages,” says David H. Barad, MD, CHR’s Director of Clinical ART. “If costs were not an issue, traditional egg donation would be the first choice of most patients, since it offers broader donor selection and higher cumulative pregnancy chances.” Dr. Barad continues: “But, only too often, second best choices have to be made in life, because first choices are unaffordable. EcoDEP will give many women their first access to egg donation. This may also be the first chance at pregnancy for these patients – and ultimately, this is what CHR stands for.”

About Center for Human Reproduction

Center for Human Reproduction, or CHR, is a leading fertility center in the United States with a worldwide reputation as a “fertility center of last resort.”  Under the leadership of Drs. Norbert Gleicher and David H. Barad, CHR is now offering the EcoDEP program for finding an affordable egg donor.  For more information, visit http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com or CHR’s YouTube Channel.

Posted in: Fertility, Pregnancy in Older Women
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Rise of Pregnancy in Older Women Will Have Societal Consequences, Warns Fertility Specialist

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Posted by Marie on October 19, 2011 at 6:45 am

In the United States pregnancy in older women is becoming progressively more common. For a number of years, US national birth data has demonstrated that women above age 40 Pregnancy in Older Womennow represent the most rapidly growing age group having children.

Different societal developments contribute to this development. More women are in the work force, there are fewer and later marriages, higher divorce rates and, of course, medical progress has allowed older women conceive into their 50s either with their own eggs or via egg donation.

Norbert Gleicher, MD and Medical Director of New York City’s Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) – a leading clinical and research center in infertility – has recently brought attention to the rising number of older women becoming mothers. In a blog published by CHR he notes that a number of media reports recently presented the pros and cons of pregnancy in older women. All reports, however, missed the most important conclusion to this seemingly sudden societal development (which in reality has been growing quietly for over a decade): the developed world is in the midst of a reproductive social revolution in which we will increasingly see older, and often single, women becoming mothers.

So far, the medical profession, academia and government have failed to address potential societal consequences of an increase in older mothers. The public and medical establishments are similarly skeptical and to a degree hostile to what some have derisively called “grandmothers having children.” Yet, Dr. Gleicher notes, “The trend [of pregnancy in older women] is irreversible, and can only be expected to accelerate.”

Dr. Gleicher further points out that at CHR the median patient age, which a decade ago was around 35 years, passed 40 in 2011. Egg donation, mostly utilized by older women who no longer have use of their own eggs, is CHR’s most rapidly growing in vitro fertilization (IVF) program. Trends also can be seen nationally based on Center for Disease Control and Prevention data. Between 2004 and 2008 percentages of IVF cycles as a proportion of all IVF more than doubled above the age of 42. By 2008, egg donation cycles already represented 12.3% of all IVF cycles in the US.

“Medicine is not ready to manage pregnancy in older women safely and society is not ready to help them cope with older motherhood,” warns Dr. Gleicher. “Affected medical specialties have to develop the necessary expertise, whether they agree with patients’ decisions to be pregnant at advanced ages or not.” Feeling strongly about the subject, he concludes, “As we do not withhold care from smokers with lung cancer or from overly obese diabetics, it would be unethical to withhold care from older women desirous of motherhood.”

About CHR
Center for Human Reproduction (http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com) is a leading infertility center in New York City treating patients worldwide.  CHR is well-recognized for its major clinical research program, which has contributed a number of essential breakthroughs to the IVF process. Dr. Gleicher is available for further comments. Visit CHR’s YouTube Channel for more information.

Posted in: Egg Donation, Fertility, Infertility, Pregnancy in Older Women
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Fertility Diet: Three Foods for Fertility

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Posted by admin on September 21, 2011 at 12:26 pm


Though it might seem like a minor factor in the struggle against infertility, your diet may be far more important than you think. Although it might seem irrelevant to your infertility treatment it is crucial to make a few changes to your diet to help improve your chances of conceiving. The reason behind this is logical: having a fertility diet can help regulate your hormone levels and help you lose any excess weight that will seriously reduce your chances.

1. Scream for Ice Cream: It turns out that foods for infertility aren’t all that bad. A 2007 Harvard study found that women who consumed high-fat dairy products such as ice-cream actually increased their chances of conceiving. The best explanation that the scientists could come up with was that this high-fat dairy food in some way improved ovarian function. However, being overweight is a serious problem if you are trying to conceive, so don´t take this advice too far.

2. Think orange: A fertility diet should involve more orange and yellow vegetables which are full of Beta-carotene and anti-oxidants which can help with hormone imbalance, therefore reducing the risk of miscarriage. Beta-carotene also helps to regulate your menstrual cycle. So if you suffer from an irregular cycle try and eat more carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash to help regulate your menstrual flow and increase your fertility.

3. Brown is the new white: Iron and vitamin B are known to help enhance fertility hormones. It is easy to incorporate foods rich in iron and vitamin B into your diet by making a few swaps: white bread for whole grain brown bread, lettuce for dark, leafy greens, and white chocolate for good quality dark chocolate ( in moderation!). And one more thing: combine foods rich in iron with vitamin C which helps with iron absorption.

For more information from an infertility clinic visit: www.centerforhumanreprod.com or head to the Center for Human Reproduction’s YouTube Channel.

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Stress Can Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure and Infertility

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Posted by Marie on August 26, 2011 at 10:13 pm

Stress can wreak havoc on a person’s mind, but it can have a strong effect on their health as well.  Studies show that stress can increase your blood pressure as well as boost your risk having a heart attack.  Surprisingly, it can also compromise a woman’s fertility.

How Stress Affects Your Heart
Stressful situations can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure, but research strongly suggests a link between stress and long-term high blood pressure.  Scientists aren’t sure about the mechanisms by which this happens, and some argue that it’s possible other factors associated with stress – like alcohol or insomnia – are causing the increased blood pressure.  Others believe that the hormones emitted during periods of stress damage the heart and arterial walls.  The most solid reasoning for the link between stress and long-term high blood pressure is that the blood pressure spikes briefly while a person is under stress, and many episodes of short-term blood pressure increases can lead to long-term damage.

The hormones of everyday stress can also cause affect the functioning of the veins in the circulatory system, which many blame for stress’ influence on heart disease.  Long-term stress also increases blood levels of cortisol, a stress hormone of which cholesterol is a byproduct.  This means higher cholesterol levels with long-term stress.  And of course, short-term stress is a common cause of a heart attack – a shock or fright can easily cause immediate heart problems in someone with a weakened heart.  Individuals with high-stress lifestyles are more likely to require heart surgery northwest Florida procedures, such as carotid artery stenosis treatment.

How Stress Affects Your FertilityInfertility
A new study at the University of California found a link between infertility and stress levels that’s unique to women.  It deals with women’s subconscious response to stress compared to men’s – while men experience a “fight-or-flight” response, women’s response was more likely to be what the researchers called “tend-and-befriend.”  Women are more likely to respond to a stressful situation by nurturing their offspring and forming close bonds with other people.

This bonding means increased levels of the hormone oxytocin during periods of stress.  Oxytocin, however, can be bad for fertility – excessive amounts in the body can disrupt the menstrual cycle, which reduces a woman’s ability to conceive naturally and may also cause miscarriages.  Women with stressful jobs are advised to consider lightening their workload during pregnancy.  Another study found that women who were having trouble becoming pregnant were 40% more likely to actually conceive once they reduced their workloads.  Consider going easy on yourself for a healthier pregnancy and a healthier heart later on.

Posted in: Fertility, Infertility, Miscarriage
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High FSH Explained By Experts in Video

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Posted by RobynNazarRN on June 9, 2011 at 12:07 pm

Follical Stimulating Hormone (FSH) has been a standard measurement of ovarian function for many many decades. Those familiar with infertility know that having high follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) can significantly impact your ability to become pregnant. In this video Dr. Norbert Glicher from Center for Human Reproduction explains everything you need to know about high FSH and fertility.

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Top 7 Worst Things for Your Fertility

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Posted by RobynNazarRN on June 3, 2011 at 10:20 am

If you are thinking about getting pregnant there are certain things that you can avoid to help boost your chances of conceiving a child. Check out these top 7 reasons in the article Seven Simple Things to Avoid for Fertility

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