When Victoria Raphael was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33, she was in “total shock” — which makes perfect sense. At 33, she certainly didn’t fit the profile of a typical breast cancer patient. Raphael didn’t immediately think about the need to consider fertility preservation ahead of treatment, but, as she quickly learned, that’s something many young breast cancer patients need to think about (on top of the realities of facing the disease, of course).  “The fact that my fertility might be affected [by treatments for breast cancer did not cross my mind at all,” she...

Zara Hanawalt • Feb 25, 2024

Whether you’re just starting your fertility journey or you have completed multiple IVF cycles, it’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed with all of the information to consider and the unfamiliar medical lingo being thrown at you. We’re here to help you make sense of it all.  Before we get into the side effects of Menopur, let’s explore its uses and how the medication actually works. What is Menopur? MENOPUR® (menotropins for injection) is a medication most commonly used during in vitro fertilization (IVF) to stimulate and develop your ovarian follicles, with the goal of retrieving...

Blair Sharp • Nov 28, 2023

PGT-A, or preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, is a test that can be performed on embryos to see if they have the correct number of chromosomes. These embryos, also known as “euploids,” are more likely to lead to a successful pregnancy, which makes PGT-A a useful selection technique. PGT-A involves biopsying a tiny piece of a blastocyst, freezing the embryo, and sending the biopsy to a lab to have its DNA tested. Once the results are in, the embryo is thawed and transferred to the uterus. The decision to do PGT-A is usually made before an...

Sean Lauber • Sep 26, 2023

When it comes to fertility preservation, you may already know that age matters. The number of eggs you are ultimately able to freeze will largely depend on how old you are and how well you respond to ovarian stimulation medications during IVF.    But did you know it may be helpful to go into the egg-freezing process with some idea of how many children you’d like to have one day, ideally? While this number doesn’t have to be set in stone (because let’s be real, plans change), it can help you and your team of doctors come...

Brighid Flynn • Sep 21, 2023

The journey to building a family can be an emotionally and financially taxing one. Fertility treatments and procedures, while offering hope to many, can also pose a significant financial burden. Recognizing this, many employers are now providing fertility coverage as part of their employee benefits packages. This not only helps alleviate some of the financial stress for independent parents, but it also fosters a more diverse and inclusive workplace regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or single or partnered status. Sounds like a win-win, right? Well, not all companies have caught on yet. If that describes where...

Jennifer “Jay” Palumbo • Sep 13, 2023

You’ve probably heard of the term “ovarian reserve,” but maybe not “antral follicle count (AFC).” Well, put simply, AFC is another way to determine your ovarian reserve, and, in combination with bloodwork, it can provide a helpful snapshot of your fertility potential.  So, how do you find out what your antral follicle count is and what it means for you? We spoke with Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Specialist Dr. Jessica Ryniec to help break it all down, so you know what all of the numbers and acronyms mean when you head to your next fertility appointment. ...

Brighid Flynn • Aug 27, 2023

Ovarian cancer is, put simply, when abnormal cells grow and multiply in the ovaries, destroying healthy body tissue. These cells can also originate in the fallopian tubes or peritoneum, the membrane that lines the inside of your abdomen and pelvis. The American Cancer Society predicts that nearly 20,000 women will receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2023. Sometimes known as the “silent killer,” ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women.  One of the reasons this particular disease carries the unceremonious title of “silent killer” is because ovarian cancer isn’t always easy to detect.  As...

Sarene Leeds • Aug 16, 2023

When I first saw the description of The Retrievals, a podcast from the New York Times, I was horrified…but I wasn’t exactly shocked. The podcast details the stories of patients who sought out IVF treatments but experienced excruciating pain during their egg retrievals. The pain persisted after these patients went home…and for a while, no one could understand why. As it turns out, a nurse at the clinic was stealing fentanyl and replacing it with saline. This is a specific story with a particular culprit. It happened for a simple reason: Someone tampered with the narcotic...

Zara Hanawalt • Aug 12, 2023

Most people going through IVF will have their embryos frozen, so just how long can embryos be frozen for? Put simply: 27 years at least, but probably longer. Freezing embryos is an essential part of IVF, and not only prevents the waste of excess embryos, but can help to reduce the risk of the potentially life-threatening ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, or OHSS.  Before we get into how long embryos can be frozen, let’s first talk a bit about how embryos are frozen. Embryos are frozen almost exclusively by a process called vitrification. What is vitrification? Vitrification involves...

Sean Lauber • Jul 24, 2023

Egg freezing can be a financial stressor to say the least, especially since it’s usually not covered by insurance unless it’s offered through your employer or you were given a medical diagnosis, such as cancer, that renders you infertile.  Ideally, this will change in the near future as more women are turning to egg freezing to preserve their fertility while they look for the right partner, invest in their career, or simply wait to have kids.  The total cost of freezing your eggs can range anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 when you add up all the...

Caroline McMorrow • Jul 19, 2023