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• May 10, 2018
Healthy Hudson Valley
productive endocrinologists take advanced training in assisted reproductive technologies and advanced surgical techniques to help them provide specialty care for infertile men and women. At The Albany Center of Boston IVF, a fertility team is committed to educating and empowering patients to make the best choices for their fertility health. The Center’s website lists 28 indicators of potential problems to look for when unable to conceive. Any combination of these multiple conditions can prevent pregnancy from occurring, so it’s always recommended that both partners undergo diagnostic testing and proceed with prescribed treatment. Women take a standard blood test which is analyzed for possible imbalance in four hormones: AMH, FSH, Estradiol and LH, each having critical functions in the release and implantation of healthy eggs. A hystrosalpingogram (HSG) procedure exposes fibroids, polyps, adhesions, open fallopian tubes and uterus shape. A standard ultrasound can reveal other conditions in the ovaries, uterus and follicles. Because 40 to 50 percent of all infertility cases are caused by problems in the male reproductive system, it is obvious why testing is also required of men. A semen analysis measures sperm count, sperm motility, acidity, shape and volume. Genetic testing might be done, along with testing of hormone levels: FSH, LH, TSH and testosterone. And then the fun begins. The first line of treatment at The Albany Center is intrauterine insemination of sperm from a partner or a donor. From the website: “Statistically, IUI doubles the success rates of natural intercourse, but no two patients are exactly alike.” Lead endocrinologist Dr. Sonia Elguero and her team assess the chance of success depending on: age, sperm count and other contributing factors. IUI is easy. The procedure takes minutes and
Ulster Publishing Co.
requiring no anesthesia or surgery. In vitro fertilization (IVI) is the next step should IUI not be successful. More time-consuming, IVF involves ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval — still, an in-office procedure, embryo growth and development in the lab, and embryo transfer into the uterus, with the overall process, called a cycle, taking about two weeks. IVF can utilize a couple’s sperm and egg sample or those of donors. This makes it possible for women with damaged fallopian tubes, endometriosis, or polycystic ovary syndrome to become impregnated, and offers lesbian couples with infertility or gay couples using a gestational carrier “to make a baby.” The logistics of timely fertilization make for great sit-com scenarios. Think of the hurried attempts for a busy professional man and woman to fit sex into their overpacked schedules during the right window of opportunity. Consider the humor in a husband’s exhaustion at needing to perform stud service on demand. Or his silly self-consciousness over producing a container of fresh “product” under less than seductive circumstances. There are real-life stories of couples racing against the clock up the New York State Thruway with a vial of warm sperm in hand. And the comedy inherent in any woman’s experience of losing all modesty, along with all sense of personal boundaries, as she exposes her nether parts to continuous poking and prodding and examining and proceduring. A return to laughter is always a good thing. Still, people should be aware of certain downsides to taking the medical route to become parents. Although The Albany Center and Boston IVF performs up to 4000 IVF cycles a year and claims a strong rate of success, treatments are expensive and results are not guaranteed. When the pull of heartstrings compel the continued opening of pursestrings — sometimes for repeated procedures that end in failure to conceive — a couple
Toy SUVs at Northern Dutchess
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oung children at Northern Dutchess Hospital can now roll into the operating room behind the wheel of a miniature Mercedes SUV remote-controlled toy vehicle, recently donated to the by the NDH Mothers’ Club — a community group of volunteers. The aim is to make the moment children leave for the operating room less stressful and more fun. “When the children drive off in the vehicle, their reaction is priceless. They just light up,” surgical services assistant nurse manager Liz Rosa said in a HealthQuest press release. “And, the nurses are actually controlling the mini-car with a remote, so our staff has fun, too.”
Northern Dutchess Hospital now provides mini-SUVs for its youngest patients to ride to appointments, making their visits something to look forward to.
COURTESY OF HEALTH QUEST