Tune in and watch PFC’s Dr. Liyun Li on KTVU Channel 2 News tonight at 10p.m!  She will be talking about fertility treatment and twin births.  Don’t miss it!

According to Resolve, Rep. John Lewis (GA) introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives on November 30 that would provide eligible taxpayers a tax credit for the out-of-pocket expenses associated with infertility medical treatment. 

The “Family Act of 2011,” HR 3522, is a companion bill to S 965 which was introduced in the U.S. Senate in May 2011.  Advocates can now push for action on the two bills including bipartisan co-sponsorship, Committee hearings, and a vote in both chambers.

If you would like to support this bill, contact your U.S. Representative and ask them to co-sponsor HR 3522.  According to Resolve, you can do this by completing the following:

Contact your Representative right now.  It takes 3 minutes through RESOLVE’s Action Alert System. PLEASE review the online letter and personalize it with your story.  Personal content is far more impactful than a form letter.

To learn more about The Family Act 2011, visit the Resolve website today! 

How does metabolism affect fertility? PFC’s Dr. Liyun Li may be able to shed some light on this interesting question. She has studied extensively a key hormone regulater of body weight and appetite called ghrelin, and found that its levels in the ovaries may affect egg and embryo quality.  Her work has just been published in the peer-reviewed and the highly respected journal Fertility and Sterility.

For abstract, see here.

Tune in for a Channel 5 news special! The story shares the journey of Dino, a single restaurant owner, and his quest to have his own son. The special also features PFC’s Dr. Carl Herbert.

The two part special will air on Channel 5 on Wednesday, November 16th at 11pm and Thursday, November 17th at 6pm.

You won’t want to miss it!

PFC is proud to announce that all 5 Pacific Fertility Center Partner physicians have been named top reproductive endocrinologits on the U.S. News Top Doctors list.  Drs. Philip Chenette, Carolyn Givens, Carl Herbert, Isabelle Ryan, and Eldon Schriock were selected as top doctors based on a peer nomination process by U.S. News Top Doctors and Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.

Congratulations to each of you for this incredible honor!

In case you missed Dr. Carl Herbert on the Fertility Forum radio show, you can download the Podcast on iTunes or the MP3 version from the Fertility Forum website.  Hear Dr. Herbert talk about the History of ART, Genetics, Fertility Preservation, Egg Banking, and other topics in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technologies. 

We hope you enjoy!

Tune in and listen to PFC’s Dr. Carl Herbert talk about the History of ART, Genetics and ART, Fertility Preservation and Egg Banking on The Fertility Forum radio show Monday, October 17^th from 6-7 pm PST.

To listen, you can call in live to 877-864-4869 or go to The Fertility Forum webpage and listen there.  You can also click the LIVE CHAT button on the website to IM live during the show!

If you can’t tune in on Monday, you can download the audio AFTER the show from either the site above OR iTunes.

Don’t miss it!

Infertility & Reproductive News featured Pacific Fertility Center and interviewed Dr. Herbert for their August newsletter issue. 

Click here to read the article in Infertility & Reproductive News.

Dr. Chenette was honored as Fertility Doctor of the Month by FertilityAuthority.com!  Below is the story they featured.

Philip E. Chenette, MD, Pacific Fertility Center, San Francisco, CA

July 2011

FertilityAuthority.com is pleased to honor Philip Chenette, MD, as Fertility Doctor of the Month.  We recognize San Francisco fertility doctor Philip Chenette for his progressive and patient-focused practice at Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco, CA, and his philosophy of individualized care for the fertility patients he treats.

“Our focus in on the individual patient,” says Dr. Chenette.

From the diagnostic regimen to fertility treatment to holistic services such as acupuncture, mind-body and nutritional support, the entire process is tailored to the patient’s specific needs. “My 9 a.m. patient, she’s my boss, and I have to get the job done with her,” Dr. Chenette adds.

Involved from Beginning to End

At Pacific Fertility Center, the fertility doctors are the ones who do their patients’ ultrasounds, egg retrievals and embryo transfers for IVF cycles. “It makes a real difference in outcomes,” Chenette says. “I’m the one who knows you the best and I can see things my partners may not see.

“There are so many details in fertility — all the pieces of the puzzle that have to come together,” he continues. “And those things don’t happen by themselves. As a doctor, you can’t entrust that to chance. I have to be there in the mix — guiding things, lending my 20-plus years of experience to keep things on a good path.”

Age-Related Infertility

From a clinical perspective, Dr. Chenette’s emphasis is on age-related infertility, including diminished ovarian reserve and aneuploidy (chromosomal abnormalities). He has seen improved success rates and reduced multiples in those patients.

“We’re now working on fertility preservation,” Dr. Chenette says. He is a champion of egg freezing and says that randomized control studies indicate that it’s a viable option for preserving fertility.

“Fertility preservation is a route to reproductive choice,” Dr. Chenette says. “Not everyone gets married young and can have children young.”

One of his goals is to drive some critical mass around fertility preservation. That includes contacting and building relationships with Ob/Gyns and other physicians who see patients with diminished ovarian reserve to encourage them to talk with their female patients about fertility preservation. He’s currently involved with putting together a program at a local hospital where an advisory group will help guide best practices in the area.

Inspiration in New Technology

For Dr. Chenette, the new technology involved with fertility treatment was what sparked his interest in a career in the field early on — and it is what continues to drive him today. He talks about the important insights we’re starting to gain about the genetics of eggs and embryos, and early embryo diagnostics.

“For the first time we’re starting to understand what makes a healthy egg — and that’s such wonderful information,” he says.

Nominate Your Fertility Doctor

FertilityAuthority.com features a dedicated fertility doctor (reproductive endocrinologist) each month. You can nominate your favorite fertility doctor by clicking here. We will contact you if your fertility doctor is chosen to be our Fertility Doctor of the Month.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced The Family Act of 2011, S 965 to the U.S. Senate just 2 weeks ago.  This bill will provide a tax credit to offset the high costs of some infertility treatment for those trying to have a family. There is a significant financial burden associated with  infertility because of the lack of insurance coverage.   This bill would help thousands of people diagnosed with infertility overcome the financial burdens of family building. 

According to RESOLVE, they are now working to secure Senate co-sponsors for this legislation.  This does not happen unless members of Congress hear from their constituents. A letter from you to your Senators is critical.

What YOU can do

1. Contact your two U.S. Senators right now.  It takes 3 minutes through RESOLVE’s Action Alert System. PLEASE review the online letter and personalize it with your story.  Personal content is far more impactful than a form letter.  You can add as much or as little information as you want in the body of the letter. The RESOLVE Action Alert System will do the rest!

2. Ask your friends and family to send letters too! Forward this link so they can take action today.  www.resolve.org/taxcredit

3. Share the information about the tax credit on your Blog or Facebook page! 

To learn more about The Family Act of 2011, S 965, visit RESOLVE now!