Imagine a website that allows you to search for the very latest information on fertility. Well, it’s here and it’s called fertilitywire.com.

PFC is proud to present fertilitywire.com as a completely unique website that offers real-time and fresh information on fertility and infertility related topics. It’s a resource for people engaged in the process of becoming pregnant through fertility treatments or people studying this field who want to explore it.

And, it’s a unique resource in that it’s powered by a type of search called “browsing or universal search,” which is how we’re able to pull together all of the content for any given search term you see. You are able to see, in one place, the latest fertility related news, blogs, tweets, videos, images, articles and books.

We are excited by the positive feedback we have been receiving about fertilitywire.com. Here is one testimonial that sums up the experience very well:

“This website has a friendly approachable tone. It also covers so much, by the time I was done navigating, fertility issues seemed not intimidating but manageable and that there is a world that one could enter, (your center) and not be a stranger. At the same time, it seems like there is hope; if not here and now–it is being developed right around the corner.”

— Michael Lynn, PFC Patient

Visit fertilitywire.com. We hope you find everything you are searching for!

News broke earlier today about the death of a 69 year old mother who had undergone fertility treatment at age 66. She gave birth to twins in December 2006.

This is a very unfortunate incident and we express condolences to the loved ones, especially the children who are left behind. However, it is necessary to clarify that Pacific Fertility Center was not involved in the treatment of this patient. The AP article printed the name of the clinic as “Pacific Fertility Center”, which is an error of ambiguity since there are two fertility clinics with similar names. The fertility clinic where this woman received services was Pacific Fertility Center-Los Angeles. Our center, which is located in San Francisco, has no affiliation with the clinic in Los Angeles. While our names are similar, our standards of practicing medicine are much different. To begin, here at Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco, it is standard procedure to verify the identity and age of the persons being treated at every visit.  Our physicians would not have treated a woman at the age of 66, since we believe this to be unethical. At Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco, we believe it is our foremost and ethical responsibility to assure the children that are a result of our services are provided loving and caring families.

In southern California last month, a set of octuplets were born via Cesarean section. The mother, Ms. Nadya Suleman, recently divulged that this pregnancy resulted after undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Most previous cases of high-order multiple births have occurred after treatment with injectable fertility drugs combined with intrauterine insemination (IUI). This case is unusual in that the treatment was IVF, where the number of embryos transferred back to the patient is a conscious decision on the part the patient and her physician. We are reassured to hear that Ms. Suleman and the octuplets are thus far doing well, but certainly the potential complications of premature birth may not present themselves until much later in each of these octuplets’ coming days, months, or even years.

We are very concerned that such an event of a high-order multiple pregnancy has occurred, and would like to reiterate that PFC takes the issue of multiple gestation very seriously. PFC has been taking steps to minimize the risk of multiple pregnancy for several years. Balancing high pregnancy rates with low pregnancy risk improves pregnancy outcomes. Achieving that balance and reducing the risk of multiple pregnancy is our goal. In all treatment cycles that we perform here at PFC, our ultimate aim, and any recommendations we provide, are with the hope of achieving a singleton pregnancy- the safest pregnancy.

Fertility physicians are very aware that one of the most important side effects of fertility treatment is multiple gestation. Our governing organization, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), as well as the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) have worked steadily to formulate evidence-based guidelines for the number of embryos to be transferred in assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles. These guidelines were first established in 1996 and were updated in 2006 to reflect improved success rates with ART. Over the past decade we have seen a significant decrease in the number of high-order multiples in the US.

We at PFC adhere to the ASRM and SART guidelines. These guidelines provide the flexibility to give each patient treatment individualized to her needs, and her best chance to become pregnant; while minimizing the risks of a high-order multiple pregnancy.

SART member clinics are committed to following these guidelines, although it would appear that the guidelines were not followed in Ms. Suleman’s case.

Interested in self-diagnosis of fertility? The ability to screen for fertility in private, on one’s own schedule, with an at home diagnostic kit is an appealing option. A company from the UK, Genosis, has developed such a kit, called Fertell.

Fertell is a testing kit that offers a basic assessment of male and female fertility.

Fertell for the male is a specimen collection and testing kit that measures the concentration of motile sperm. A sperm specimen is collected into a cup and allowed to liquefy and then warmed to body temperature. Motile sperm pass through a filter and are colored red by exposure to a gold-coated antibody. Appearance of two red lines in a testing chamber indicates a sperm count over 10 million total motile.

Fertell for the female is a conventional urine test strip very similar to an ovulation prediction kit. The female places the absorbent tip in her urine stream for 5 seconds. FSH in the urine reacts with antibodies on the test strip and shows as a red line in the result window. The intensity of this line reflects the FSH concentration (the darker the line, the more FSH present in urine). High FSH levels are indicated by two dark red lines.

Traditional semen analysis measures sperm volume, count, and motility. Multiplied together, these numbers yield the total motile sperm count, that is, the number of moving sperm in the ejaculate. Total motile sperm count is a reasonable predictor of fertility for men. Fertell establishes that the sperm count is over a specific value of 10 million total motile, a reasonable threshold for male fertility.

The male test kit is not able to determine subtle gradations of male fertility. It cannot detect the effects of treatment or change in lifestyle that may cause improvement in sperm count, nor can it detect alterations in sperm morphology (shape). More sophisticated testing is available at a sperm lab.

The female test kit is used as a screening test, and cannot detect subtle gradations in FSH levels, or the relationship of FSH to other important hormones such as estradiol. Such issues have dramatic effect on the patient’s prognosis.

Neither of these tests can replace an expert’s opinion. An expert’s ability to interpret test results with a broad knowledge base and experience remains the best way to diagnose and treat infertility problems.

Of primary importance is that, while both test kits have been correlated with existing assays, neither has been evaluated for its ability to predict pregnancy. Such research takes time, and hopefully will be forthcoming. For now, Fertell is an interesting option for those seeking a private screening assessment of their fertility.

Philip Chenette, M.D. has spent over a decade specializing in the treatment of patients with complex infertility diagnoses, especially in women with decreased ovarian reserve and women over 40.