Conquering Infertility

‘Infertility is a state, not a disease, that can be changed and, in so many cases, solved.’ — Dr. George S. Taliadouros, Delaware Valley Institute of Fertility and Genetics

PARENTING VIEW THE PRINT ADS
	Adoptions From The Heart
	All Bright Country Day School
	AuPairUSA
	Cedarville Country Day Camp
	Centra State Health Care System
	Chapin School
	Child Care Connection
	Christa M. Stokes, LCSW
	Del. Val. Fertility & Genetics
	Frogbridge Catered Affairs
	Huntington Learning Center
	Ice Land Skating Center
	Just Dance
	Kiddie Academy
	Laser Park
	Learning Partners
	Music Together
	Oak Crest Day Camp
	PACKET Magazines
	Princeton Day School
	Princeton Eye Laser Center
	Princeton Junior School
	Robert Wood Johnson OB/GYN
	Roberts & deMarsche Orthodonics
	Ski Barn
	Swingset and Toy Warehouse
	The Hun School of Princeton
	The Jewish Center
	The Lewis School
	The Waldorf School
	Triangle Arts
	University League Nursery School
	Villa Victoria Academy
	Waldorf Summer Camp/Art Workshop
	YMCA – Hightstown & East Windsor
	YWCA Princeton

   THE
dream is for a child, an affirmation of life. And for so many, that dream is realized.

   But there are also those who struggle to reach that yearned-for goal. Estimates are that at least 15 percent of all couples experience infertility at some point, with infertility defined as the inability to become pregnant from unprotected intercourse for a year or more. And for those couples, what commonly begins is a ride on an emotional roller coaster.

   "We like to think of the condition as ‘sub-fertile,’ " suggested Dr. George S. Taliadouros, founder of the Delaware Valley Institute of Fertility and Genetics, which has offices throughout the region, including in Lawrenceville and Bordentown.

   "We like to emphasize that what we think of as infertility is a state, not a disease, that it can be changed and, in so many cases solved," said Dr. Taliadouros.

   The question most couples anguish over when they cannot conceive and sustain a pregnancy is "why?" The answers are complex.

   "Part of the problem even appears to be environmental," said the Institute founder. "There are lots of substances in the environment that may cause the problem, but for now, our knowledge is limited."

   Also implicated in some cases are family history, ovulatory dysfunction, fallopian tube blockage, and the age of the female, with fertility decreasing after the age of 35, and more precipitously after 40.

   "In some ways, this is a societal problem," suggested Dr. Kimberly Beth Gleason, director of DVIF&G’s Reproductive Laboratories, noting that for some women, the decision to advance a career may lead to fertility problems.

   It is also now understood that about 50 percent of fertility problems involve the male partner. A prior groin injury, certain medications, and even smoking may contribute to the problem. Another common male problem that affects fertility is a condition in which varicose veins around the testicles make conception difficult. Happily, the condition is easily corrected through a minor surgical procedure.

   Treatments for infertility vary, with promising breakthroughs steadily improving the odds for sub-fertile couples, according to Dr. Taliadouros. Medications that help regulate ovulation are useful, along with other pharmaceutical interventions. Most dramatic of all is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), now two decades old, and an approach that continues to make babies a reality for countless couples.

   The process itself is complex. In basic outline, it involves harvesting the woman’s eggs and fertilizing them in a laboratory with her partner’s sperm. The embryos are then implanted in the woman’s uterus where the hoped-for result is a viable pregnancy.

   The success rate is extremely promising, according to Dr. Gleason — so successful that about 35 percent of those who undergo IVF at the Institute end up with a multiple birth. New technologies and advances in culture systems are destined to cut down on that incidence, suggests Dr. Gleason.

   The emotional aspects of facing fertility issues are not ignored at DVIF&G. Dr. Geoffrey D. Nusbaum, director of the Institute’s Medical Psychotherapy and Biomedical Ethics Service, is an integral part of the process. Dr. Nusbaum sums up what couples face:

   "They not only have to mourn the loss of not being able to conceive right away," suggests Dr. Nusbaum. "These often bright, achieving people were taught that if they put their minds to it, they could do anything. Now they feel powerless and frustrated."

   Dr. Nusbaum’s general advice to couples:

   • Express your feelings;

   • Don’t shut out your partner;

   • Educate your family and friends so that they’re not insensitive;

   • Make a commitment to stop blaming yourself or your spouse.



For more information about the Delaware Valley Institute of Fertility & Genetics, call (609) 895-0088
or visit its Web site at www.startfertility.com.