The Thin Pink Line (ART Compass Blog) – In our context represents the struggle, and strife of the “infertility warrior” trying to make sense of and create order out of the chaos of infertility – doctors, diagnoses, meds, and IVF cycle information.
The thin pink line between two black fields also pays respect to all the “loss” that goes into infertility care- from failed cycles, to failed FETs, “biochemical” pregnancies, blighted ovums, miscarriages and more.
Lastly, the thin pink line also references the line infertility warriors walk everyday- between hope and despair- between being a parent or not (typically abbreviated to “PUPO” or pregnant until proven otherwise in infertility forums).
Infertility research priorities have been proposed for 2021. Healthcare professionals, people with fertility problems and infertility researchers (healthcare funders, healthcare providers, healthcare regulators, research funding bodies and researchers) were brought together in an open and transparent process resulting in an article that was published in Human Reproduction in November 2020 outlining the top future infertility-related …
The COVID-19 vaccine does not cause sterility! Misinformation spread on social media and false reports circulated have raised questions about whether the COVID-19 vaccine causes female sterility. As a result, there has been a concerning increase in vaccine hesitancy in reproductive-age women. Rest assured, these are unfounded claims. New research has proved that the vaccine …
The importance of the embryologist’s role in embryo freezing, also called cryopreservation, has grown with the rise in pre-implantation genetic testing and “freeze-all” strategies. Embryo cryopreservation and maintenance is considered to be a standalone sub-discipline of reproductive medicine. Embryo cryopreservation allows women undergoing IVF to have just ONE cycle, but continue to have embryos to …
Sperm Preparation for ART is necessary! When sperm is ejaculated it is surrounded by fluid (seminal fluid). A typical ejaculate contains cells, debris, dead and damaged sperm, and healthy, motile sperm. Healthy sperm is critical to the success of ART procedures and so we use sperm preparation techniques to separate functional spermatozoa for IUI, IVF, …
Male Fertility and Lifestyle Factors are present in up to half of couples. The prevalence of male infertility makes semen analysis one of the most important fertility tests, and it should be performed prior to any female therapy. Male infertility means that a man may not deliver the appropriate quantity or quality of sperm to reach and …
In some individuals, spermatozoa may not be present in the ejaculate. This condition is called Azoospermia. This can be either due to problems in sperm production itself or due to obstruction to the flow of semen during ejaculation. Reproductive tract obstruction can be acquired – as a result of infection, trauma, and iatrogenic injury which …
Cleavage Stage Embryos, What happens on Day 3 of an IVF Cycle? We take the embryos out of the incubator to feed them (change the media they are growing in) and check on them. We give them grades at this time and update the physician on the status of the cleavage stage embryos. In the …
IVF and ICSI have many similarities. However, the differences between them are very important. This post is dedicated to defining the differences between IVF and ICSI. The introduction of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has resulted in a choice of fertilization methods between conventional in vitro fertilization by insemination (IVF) and fertilization by ICSI. Fertilization by …
Anxiety and Mood Swings Life’s challenges are part of the human condition and yet none are immune from the ravages of existence. They arise for reasons you cannot comprehend and leave you feeling like a wounded bird, with broken wings. Is anxiety associated with IVF? Does IVF cause anxiety? Are there certain medications that cause …
Once the ovarian follicles have achieved an adequate size and stage of development, a trigger injection is given to induce the final maturation of the eggs. The timing of this injection is very important to the outcomes of your in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle and needs to be precise. Mini-STIM, Natural Cycle FET, and Vaginal …
Egg retrieval day is an exciting and anxious time. The success or failure of an IVF cycle depends on this moment. Embryologists know that everything the patient has gone through up to this day; from the first negative pregnancy tests to the infertility diagnoses, every shot, all the stimulation medications, all the financing, and trauma …
