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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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New Genetic Test Predicts Better Egg Production for Women with Poor Ovarian Reserve, Study Shows

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Posted by Marie on March 19, 2012 at 9:05 am

March 19, 2012 (New York, NY) – A genotype of the FMR1 (fragile X mental retardation) gene preserves a woman’s ability to produceCHR eggs (oocytes) well into the 40s, according to an ovarian aging study just published in the medical journal PLoS One1.

Conducted at the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), a fertility center in New York City specializing in fertility treatments for older women, the study compared egg yields during in vitro fertilization (IVF) in women above age 40 with varying FMR1 genotypes and sub-genotypes.

In women with very poor ovarian reserve (i.e., women with the poorest ovarian function), the FMR1 sub-genotype het-norm/high (normal CGG repeat count on one allele, abnormally high count on the other) produced significantly more eggs than other genotypes and sub-genotypes. This observation suggests that the het-norm/high FMR1 sub-genotype preserves a woman’s ability to produce a good number of eggs at older ages even if the ovarian reserve is severely reduced.

“From our previous research, we knew that the het-norm/high sub-genotype was responsible for slow recruitment of eggs into maturation process at younger ages than other genotypes and sub-genotypes,” explains Norbert Gleicher, MD, lead author of the study and Medical Director of CHR. “Because these women ‘use up’ fewer eggs from their egg reserve, we suspected that they may have more eggs left when older. This study confirmed this hypothesis, demonstrating that women with this sub-genotype performed better in IVF cycles than even women with normal FMR1 genotype.”

These findings further enhance the understanding of genetic control over the process of ovarian aging, and further refine prognostication in older women undergoing fertility treatments. Given that oocyte yields in IVF cycles usually correlate with pregnancy chances, older women with extremely low ovarian reserve, therefore, appear to have better chances of success if their FMR1 sub-genotype is het-norm/high.

 

1Gleicher N et al. The impact in older women of ovarian FMR1 genotypes and sub-genotypes on ovarian reserve. PLoS One 2012:e33638. [http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033638]

 

About Center for Human Reproduction

Center for Human Reproduction, or CHR (http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com), is a leading fertility center in the United States with a worldwide reputation as a “fertility center of last resort,” specializing in treatment of infertility in women with diminished ovarian reserve, including younger women with premature ovarian aging (POA) and older women with physiological ovarian aging. Dr. Gleicher is available for additional comments.

Posted in: Pregnancy in Older Women
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Diminished Ovarian Reserve Expert Releases Tip Sheet for Timely Infertility Diagnosis for Young Women

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Posted by Marie on March 7, 2012 at 10:50 am

March 07, 2012 (New York, NY) – Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), a leading New York fertility center specializing in fertility CHRtreatment for women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), has issued a fertility tip sheet for young women with DOR. Younger women with DOR often spend months or even years before receiving the correct diagnosis, resulting in significant delays in appropriate fertility treatments.

“Detecting DOR is not difficult,” says Dr. Gleicher, Medical Director and Chief Scientist of CHR. He continues: “Ovarian reserve can be easily measured by simple blood tests, like follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH).  High FSH and/or low AMH suggest a diagnosis of DOR but both need to be assessed in an age-specific way.”

However, many fertility centers, unused to treating younger women with premature ovarian aging (POA; a term coined by CHR to describe younger women with DOR), often overlook this condition. “They overlook the diagnosis,” explains Dr. Gleicher, “because they do not utilize age-specific cut off values for FSH and AMH.”

Normal FSH ranges increase and normal AMH ranges decrease as women age.  If all women of all ages are assessed with universal cutoff values, younger women will never be diagnosed in timely fashion. “Unfortunately,” says Dr. Gleicher, “this is what is still done in many fertility centers.”

Once diagnosed with POA, like older women, women with POA have little time to lose since there is no telling how quickly their POA will progress. Though very rapid progression is rare, according to Dr. Gleicher, CHR physicians have seen women go into full menopause in a few short months after diagnosis.

Dr. Gleicher continues: “There isn’t a day when we don’t hear our patients say ‘doctor, I wish I’d known about your center months ago, when I was doing such and such…’ The earlier we can start treatment, the better, of course, our chances of helping our patients with POA!”

CHR’s tips for younger women with POA to receive timely diagnosis and treatment include the following:

  • Be very skeptical of the pseudo-diagnosis of “unexplained infertility.” Especially in younger women, this diagnosis only means that a diagnosis of POA was missed.
  • Insist on age-specific ovarian reserve testing with FSH and AMH.
  • If your age-specific FSH and/or AMH values are abnormal before age 40, you likely suffer from POA.
  • If that is not clearly spelled out to you, your physician may have little experience with diagnosis and treatment of POA, and it may be time for a second opinion.
  • Remember that with a diagnosis of POA, time is crucial, because nobody can predict how quickly your ovarian reserve will further decline.

 

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,” specializing in treatment of infertility in women with diminished ovarian reserve, including younger women with premature ovarian aging (POA) and older women with physiological ovarian aging. Dr. Gleicher is available for additional comments.

Posted in: Pregnancy in Older Women
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Premature Ovarian Aging Expert Issues Fertility Tip Sheet for Women Interested in Pregnancy Over 40

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Posted by Marie on March 1, 2012 at 3:37 pm

March 1, 2012 (New York, NY) – Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), a leading New York fertility center specializing in pregnancy CHRin older women, has issued a fertility tip sheet for women trying to get pregnant after age 40. With a growing number of women interested in pregnancy over 40, timely evaluation and diagnosis of infertility are becoming ever more important.  However, they remain elusive for many patients.

“It’s important to recognize the urgency of aggressive fertility treatment when you are above age 40,” says Dr. Gleicher, Medical Director of CHR, which released the tip sheet. As women get older, their ovarian reserve (a measure of ovaries’ ability to produce good-quality eggs) declines. Because this process of ovarian aging speeds up significantly after age 40, timely diagnosis of infertility becomes crucial especially after age 40. Every fertility treatment loses efficacy rapidly with declining ovarian reserve.

As a “fertility center of last resort” for patients with diminished ovarian reserve, CHR sees a large number of women over 40 with premature ovarian aging.  Dr. Gleicher continues: “There isn’t a day when we don’t hear our patients say ‘doctor, I wish I’d known about your center years ago, when I was doing such and such…’ The earlier we can start treatment, the better, of course, our chances of helping our patients! This is why we are issuing this fertility tip sheet.”

CHR’s fertility tips for women trying to get pregnant after 40 include:

  • Recognize the urgency of aggressive fertility treatment when you are above age 40.
  • Insist on rapid diagnosis and a structured treatment plan.
  • Insist on specific treatment goals that meet your expectations.  For example, do not agree to treatment with clomiphene citrate and intrauterine insemination (IUI) if the expected pregnancy chance sounds ridiculously low.
  • Do not agree to endless testing to “wait for the right results” – time is not on your side, and results will only get worse!
  • It never hurts to get a second opinion.

 

About Center for Human Reproduction

Center for Human Reproduction, or CHR (http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com), is a leading fertility center in the United States with a worldwide reputation as a “fertility center of last resort,” specializing in treatment of infertility in women with diminished ovarian reserve, including younger women with premature ovarian aging (POA) and older women with physiological ovarian aging. Dr. Gleicher is available for additional comments.

Posted in: Pregnancy in Older Women
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Could Ovarian Stem Cells Help Older Women Become Pregnant?

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Posted by RobynNazarRN on February 27, 2012 at 4:17 pm

Contrary to more than a half a century of scientific belief that women will never have more eggs than the number they are born with, new research says that stem cells in the ovaries may be actually capable of creating new eggs later on in life.

 

This development could be the key to achieving pregnancy older women, who no longer have enough eggs to reproduce.

 

According to the study, published today in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital used stem cells discovered in the ovaries of Japanese women to effectively create healthy human egg cells.

 

“This is a beginning of perhaps something that could bring in new opportunities,” told Dr. Avner Hershlag, chief of the Center for Human Reproduction in Manhasset, N.Y. to Health Day.

 

Up until now it has been believed that women are born with a set number of eggs, which slowly decreases with age. By the time may women reach 35 years of age the supply is diminished enough to create difficulties becoming pregnant. Therefore, getting pregnant at 45 with a woman’s own eggs, or in some desired cases at age 50 or more, presents a significant challenge.

 

Although this research is promising, experts say that it is still a long way off before we know if these eggs grown from stem cells will actually be healthy enough to create human babies. Furthermore, the cells used in this study were collected from women in their 20′s, not from older women who are usually the age group seeking infertility treatment.

 

“Detection of stem cells in ovaries of young women does not necessarily mean that such stem cells can also be found in ovaries of older women,” Dr. Norbert Gleicher of the CHR in New York point out. However, he added, “in a more optimistic interpretation of this study’s results, one can, however, also conclude that presence of these stem cells opens tremendous new opportunities for research and potential clinical applications in women with aging ovaries.”

Posted in: Pregnancy in Older Women

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Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC Launches FERTINATAL Micronized DHEA Supplement for Enhanced Female Fertility

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Posted by Marie on December 22, 2011 at 9:28 am

FertinatalDecember 22, 2011 (New York, NY) – Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC – a company specializing in nutritional supplements for women and female fertility enhancement – is announcing the launch of FERTINATALTM micronized dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplement.  The high-quality DHEA supplement is designed to augment female fertility.

Intrigued by anecdotal evidence received from one of their patients, physicians at New York’s Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) – a leading fertility and research center – initiated research on the relationship between DHEA supplementation and enhanced female fertility.  Although research on the effects of DHEA is still limited, the published results of CHR’s studies are encouraging.

FERTINATALTM was developed to offer the public exactly the same kind of DHEA utilized by CHR in the center’s research studies.  The product features the highest quality control standards, including a triple-step testing process with batch-testing by independent laboratories.  Furthermore, FERTINATALTM is micronized to the same particle sizes as used in those studies. The product’s three-step testing process ensures that FERTINATALTM delivers on its three promises: a plant-derived DHEA product of highest quality, micronized to appropriate sizes for good absorption.

FERTINATAL™ is the first DHEA supplement exclusively designed for women and female fertility enhancement.  To improve convenience, it is uniquely packaged in individual blister sheets, each containing seven (7) rows of three (3) daily tablets, representing one week of the suggested supply of DHEA supplementation.  Each box of FERTINATALTM contains four of these blister sheets (a four-week supply).  FERTINATAL™ is not intended for individuals under the age of 18, and potential side effects are described on the product’s packaging.

FERTINATALTM will become available exclusively through Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC in January 2012.

 

About Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC
Fertility Nutraceuticals, LLC is a newly established company exclusively dedicated to nutritional supplements for women and enhanced female fertility.  FERTINATAL™ DHEA supplement is the company’s first product, with as many as 2-3 additional products expected to arrive throughout 2012.  For more information, visit http://www.fertinatal.com.

Posted in: DHEA, Miscarriage, Pregnancy in Older Women
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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.

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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.

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Rise of Pregnancy in Older Women May Have Societal Impact

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Posted by RobynNazarRN on October 19, 2011 at 1:38 pm

Like many other societal trends, the increasing commonality of pregnancy in older women hasn’t raised too much concern – until now.

According to a statement released by the well-known New York infertility treatment and research clinic, Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), Americans need to start paying attention to the potential impact that the flood of older mothers may have on our society.

In the statement, which discusses pregnancy in older women experts address how women ages 40 and up represent the fastest growing group of new mothers. On top of that, reproductive technology is allowing women to conceive children well into their 50s.

Is the CHR right? Has medicine really prepared itself for how they will cope with a new group of older high-risk pregnancies or how children will adjust to homes where the parents are 40 or 50 years older than they are?

This statement certainly raises some interesting questions and is well worth the read.

Further Reading: Pregnancy In Older Women Catching US Off Guard?

Posted in: 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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