SANF June 2009 : Page 103
JUNE 2009 SAN FRANCISCO 103 PHOTOGRAPH AT LEFT BY NAVID BARATY Left: Women receive personalized instruction at Club One. Right: Reproductive science is leading to successful pregnancies for many women. We encourage transfer of just enough embryos to produce a good pregnancy rate. If a patient is under 35 years old and has good embryo quality, transfer of a single embryo will yield just as good a pregnancy rate as with transfer of multiple embryos—and with much lower risk. If the patient is over the age of 40, transfer of more embryos is reasonable, since fewer embryos implant in this age group. Improvements in fertility technology have made it not necessary to transfer more than that for a successful birth. As for “designer babies” that is not a term with much meaning in reproductive medicine. There were news reports about a clinic that tried to select hair and eye color. This is simply not the direction we are headed and frankly, it can’t be done successfully.We deal with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD—in other words, genetic testing before the embryo transfer.We are able to screen the embryo for diseases like Down Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis and can determine which embryo will have the best chance at being healthy. In the past, this kind of testing was done during pregnancy. By selecting healthy embryos before pregnancy, we can improve the pregnancy results for patients at risk of these illnesses.” Q: I’ve just turned 40 and I haven’t been able to get pregnant. When is it time for me to see a fertility doctor? And, does IVF work for someone in her 40s? Dr. Marcelle Cedars, Director of the Center for Reproductive Health at UCSF, says: “If you are over 35, and you have been trying to get pregnant for six months and you haven’t had success, it’s a good idea to seek a doctor’s assistance. Invitro fertilization has a 20 to 40 percent chance of helping a woman older than 40 get pregnant, depending on the number of eggs she produces. However, I’m of the opinion that you shouldn’t skip the simple steps, such as oral medications and insemination—a process where we use a small catheter to place sperm in the woman’s body—before moving to IVF. The biggest factor in a woman’s ability to get pregnant is age. As we age, our eggs develop abnormalities, making it more difficult to con- ceive. That’s why doctors are concerned about these at-home tests that claim to be able to predict fertility. These tests cannot measure the quality of a woman’s eggs, and that’s what’s important. Many women have waited to have a baby, and you shouldn’t have a child before you are ready, because it’s a lifetime commitment. The good news is that if you need help, there is something you can do.” Excercise Q: I know I should exercise, but I’m usually tired and always short on time. Do you have any suggestions? Hallie McClave, Club One exercise physiologist says: “Exercise has a myriad of benefits—one of which is that it gives you more energy. So, if you make time to exercise, you will have more energy, which will likely allow you to do more in a day. Other health benefits include lowering your risk of diabetes, stroke, and cancer. As for making time for exercise, I’m of the ‘something is better than nothing’ school. A lot of time-challenged people find circuit training to be really effective. For example, try doing 10 bicep exercises, 10 tricep exercises, and 10 rows—then repeat three times. Not only does this build muscle, but it raises your heart rate for calorie burning. You can also try interval training to get your heart rate up. When you are training, just work hard for two minutes and then more slowly for one minute—this is a fast way to exercise and it’s good for losing weight. I’d also suggest making exercise a social activity. Having a workout buddy helps increase your commitment to exercise, and it also kills two birds with one stone. If it’s been awhile since you were in exercise mode, try tapping into your gym’s resources to help out. At Club One, we have some great
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