Celebrating the Choice Mom This Mother’s Day |
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Friday, 07 May 2010 15:56 |
On Sunday, May 9th over 82.5 million mothers in the United States will be honored for being the wonderful mothers that they are, and their unconditional love, devotion and guidance will be celebrated with family and friends everywhere.
In recognition of the special day, this year we are spotlighting a new and unique kind of mother: the Choice Mom. Otherwise referred to as single mothers by choice, these modern day moms are courageous and unique women who - either through adoption or sperm donation - choose to take on the sole responsibility of parenthood and become the nurturer, provider, and complete parenting unit for a child. We recognize this undertaking deserves both acknowledgement and recognition, and are paying special homage to the Choice Mom this Mother’s Day.
Dr. Maria Fournier, former FCI patient and new Choice Mom, is ecstatic and forever grateful for her nine month old son John Nicholas. Maria explains that she knew she could always get married, but that she wouldn’t always be able to have a baby. “I treasure every minute that I have with my son, and my first Mother’s Day as a new Mom will be a very special day for me and my entire family,” she adds.
To learn more about the new trend of Choice Motherhood, see below for some interesting info and statistics. Interestingly enough, at FCI we have seen the number of single women pursuing fertility treatment to either begin or build their families, triple over the last decade.
- There are 13.7 million single moms and dads currently raising their children in the U.S.
- Mothers represent 82.6% of all custodial parents
- The typical Choice Mother is in her 30’s or 40’s, makes $40,000-$60,000+ annually and has a post-graduate degree
- FCI physicians have noted a significant trend of single women seeking fertility treatment at a younger age (under 35) than ever before
On behalf of everyone here at FCI, we celebrate and honor all mothers, including choice moms, everywhere this coming Mother’s Day. Thank you for all that you do and Happy Mother’s Day to all!
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Celebrations! FCI Patient Becomes the First in Midwest to Give Birth Using the Latest Genetic Screening & IVF Technology |
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Tuesday, 20 April 2010 15:56 |
FCI is thrilled to announce the healthy birth of the first IVF baby in Chicago and the Midwest, born using the most advanced genetic screening techniques available, developed to help prevent disease and abnormalities in unborns. This exciting birth (although every single healthy birth is simply wonderful) represents a major industry breakthrough and highlights the potential of this new technology to further help infertile couples and all of our patients fulfill their family building dreams.
Referred to as Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) and Microarray Analysis, these new techniques are the most cutting-edge and advanced form of genetic screening or to be extra technical, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) available. Here’s a bit more background to help you further understand the process and its use: prior to In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), all embryos undergo a thorough screening of all 23 chromosomes to detect any abnormalities that may potentially result in miscarriage, health complications or genetic disease. Once unhealthy embryos are identified through the screening process, the most viable embryos are selected for IVF transfer. Previous methods only tested 9-12 chromosomes, leaving a large chance of genetic abnormality going undetected. Impressed? Read on for more info on how this process made the parenting dreams of one FCI patient come true…
After trying numerous fertility treatments without success, Kathleen Hayes, one of FCI’s latest success stories and mother of the first baby born, underwent screening amid concerns of the prevalence of genetic abnormalities in pregnancies in women of her age. Like most women past the age of 40, Kathleen did not want to risk an unhealthy pregnancy, nor lose valuable time in the IVF process and thus decided to pursue these advanced PGD techniques and did so with great success. As Kathleen explains, “Given my age, I knew a successful pregnancy was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. This process allowed the opportunity to find the most viable, healthy eggs to use, while saving valuable time, emotion and energy in the process. I am over the moon with my healthy and happy new baby.”
On behalf of everyone at FCI, we wish Kathleen, and her new bundle of joy the very best on their journey as a family!
Here’s some eye opening statistics to show you just how important and useful this new technology is:
- Research shows that genetic abnormalities and pregnancy complications increase greatly with age
- There is a 1 in 100 chance a child will be born with Down Syndrome and a 35% chance of miscarriage with a mother at age 40
- Of the 4 million babies born each year in the U.S, 3-4% are born with a genetic disease or major birth defect
- 1% of babies born each year will have a genetic abnormality causing physical problems and mental retardation
- More than 20% of infant deaths are caused by birth defects or genetic conditions
- Advanced genetic screening technology tests embryos for hundreds of genetic diseases
- 1 in 5 women has her first child after age 35
We currently have almost 100 cases using these new technologies, with early results proving promising towards successful births. To learn more about the latest genetic screening technologies, please call 877-324-4483.
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The MLB Drug Scandal: How Steroids and Other Drugs Hurt Male Fertility |
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 15:52 |
The drug scandal surrounding some of baseball’s greats including Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Alexander Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and more - has sparked discussions about the short and long term effects these drugs will have on their overall health. What has not been addressed and is often not known is how much these illegal drugs, as well as everyday prescriptions such as Paxil, can damage male fertility.
How Drugs Can Harm Male Infertility:
- Certain drugs can cause the following: impotence, erectile dysfunction, ejaculation difficulty, low sperm count and function, changed Hormone patterns, low libido, disruption of the pituitary gland and its Stimulation of the Testicles, toxic effects on the testes and decreased overall fertility.
- However, these effects can begin to reverse immediately once drug use has stopped.
- It will take 12 months for sperm count and function to return to normal after abusing Anabolic Steroids.
Medications That Hurt Male Fertility Include:
- Anabolic Steroids; Paroxetine (trade names Seroxat and Paxil); Antibiotics containing Nitrofurans and Macrolides; Sulfasalazine, found in anti-diarrheal medication; Ketoconazole, found in anti-fungal medication; Labetalol (trade names Trandate and Normodyne); Marijuana; Nicotine.
Quick Tips for Preserving Male Fertility
- Keep the laptop off your lap
- Restrain from lengthy bike rides
- Limit use of saunas, hot tubs and hot showers
- Stay cool - the optimal temperature for the scrotum is 95 degrees F, whereas normal body temperature is around 98 degrees F
- Avoid smoking - nicotine can damage sperm DNA and cause birth defects
- Limit alcohol intake as excessive drinking may cause impotence
At FCI we encourage an open dialogue regarding medication in order for fertility treatment to be as effective as possible. If you have any questions as to whether your current medications may affect fertility treatment, call us at 866-606-2830 to discuss.
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Fertility Centers of Illinois Launches In House Egg Donor Program |
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Friday, 19 February 2010 19:11 |
We are excited to announce that the Fertility Centers of Illinois has officially launched an Egg Donor Program, making us the only in house program in Chicago offering third party reproduction options, fertility treatment, fertility counseling and more in one place.
Why Our Program Is Different
While most programs require appointments at various locations such as an Egg Donation office, fertility clinic, psychiatrist office and medical testing facility, we provide all services in one place, as well as 10 clinic locations to choose from. This allows intended parents and donors to move through the process quickly and conveniently without the involvement of an outside agency.
Dr. Jane Nani of FCI serves as the Director of the Egg Donor Program, and works very closely with both donors and couples during the entire screening and donation process. All donor psychological evaluations and fertility counseling services for couples are provided by FCI Psychologist, Dr. Marie Davidson. Dr. Davidson has worked in the area of fertility counseling for more than 18 years.
Setting the New Industry Standard in Donor Selection
All donor applicants undergo an extensive screening process that far exceeds the requirements of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) prior to being entered in the donor database, a crucial step not practiced by other agencies until the intended parents have selected an egg donor. This saves intended parents time, stress, money and the inconvenience of starting from scratch should a donor be found to have screening complications which prevent moving forward.
Donors are first asked to fill out an application to be considered. Should they pass the application, they are asked to complete a full day of screening which involves a psychological evaluation, genetic testing for fragile X and cystic fibrosis, a physical and gynecological exam, STD testing, an Ultrasound to determine ovarian potential and the requirement of a current pap smear within 24 months.
Making Fertility Treatment Affordable for Everyone
In an effort to help all patients afford treatment and significantly boost their chance of pregnancy success, Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI) offers the Attain IVF Refund Program; a unique treatment option designed to increase the odds of a baby for Infertility patients by offering an affordable course-of-treatment approach. The program promises patients pursuing a child via egg donation a baby or 100% of their money back.
For more info on the FCI Egg Donor Program go to www.fcidonor.com or call 877/ 324-4483 to schedule an appointment today. |
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