Congratulations to Celine Dion Who Welcomes Twin Boys

Frozen Egg Bank in affiliation with West Coast Fertility would like to congratulate Celine Dion and her husband, Rene Angelil, on the birth of their fraternal twin boys on October 23, 2010. The twin boys are healthy and weigh in at 5 lbs., 4 oz., and 5 lbs., 10 oz.

The couple achieved their first pregnancy in 2001 following an IVF treatment and decided to freeze their extra embryos for a later time. These embryos were frozen for 8 years before Celine and her husband decided to try to have a second child. After multiple IVF attempts to grow their family, they were finally successful.

photo courtesy of Lilly Pamberger/Celebrity Photo

Prior to receiving any infertility treatment, Rene was diagnosed with cancer. Before starting any chemo-radiation, he froze his semen because of his desire to one day have children with Celine. Having a family was something very important to both Celine and Rene, and with their quick thinking they were able to plan ahead and preserve their fertility.

Fertility Preservation is an important option for single men, women and couples who desire to fulfill professional and personal goals while putting off plans to have children. As a woman increases in age, the number of her available eggs will start to exponentially decrease. Not only will this number decrease but so will the quality of these eggs while the chances of genetic abnormalities will start to drastically increase. It is important to consider preserving your fertility when you have a higher chance of freezing better quality eggs. Fertility Preservation is also an important option to consider for patients just like Rene that have received an unfortunate diagnosis and must undergo chemo-radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is very damaging to both egg and sperm production and can result in fertility problems unless the patient considers fertility preservation prior to receiving any treatment.

Until very recently, patients were only given the option to freeze their embryos, but now there is a new option available. Single women now have the ability to freeze their eggs, just as a single male can freeze his sperm. Patients can choose to freeze their eggs/embryos/semen today and save this precious gift for sometime in the future. Once frozen eggs/embryos/semen can remain stored for much longer than 8 years, as in Celine and Rene’s case.

Watch video of Celine's Infertility Struggle on ABC News

Read more on Egg/Sperm Freezing www.EggFreezing.com

Read more about IVF procedure www.ivfbaby.com

Defusing the Genetic Time Bomb

The Story: Brian and HK are like many other young couples. Bright, energetic people who wished to fulfill their lives by starting their family. The couple achieved pregnancy but sadly, five devastating pregnancies were lost, dashing the couple’s goal of having children.

The couple sought help from their OB/GYN doctor who referred them to West Coast Fertility Centers in Orange County, California. At West Coast, they met with Dr. David Diaz, who directs the Center’s Assisted Reproductive Technology program.

The Nightmare: Dr. Diaz carefully reviewed the couple’s medical records and discovered that both Brian and HK were carriers of an extremely rare and deadly genetic condition called Sly Syndrome with an incidence rate of 1:250,000. The most severe to deadliest form of the syndrome results in deformities of the bones and heart, mental and visual problems and premature death.

In Sly Syndrome, the defective genetic code is carried in the chromosomes, tiny fragments DNA which are passed from parents to their children, carrying the codes for eye color, height, intelligence and the overall health of each person. Sly Syndrome is transmitted as an Autosomal Recessive disease meaning that when each parent is a carrier, the disease is dormant. However, when two autosomal recessive genes combine, the result is a mixture of offspring that may also be carriers or they may manifest the deadliest form of the disease.

The Solution: Dr. Diaz determined that by using Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), he might help the parents using their DNA to create embryos with In-Vitro Fertilization and screen them in his laboratory. Collaborating with a specialized Genetic Center, special molecular probes were custom designed to identify the deadly gene sequence. By combining the probes with the embryos, the Center identified the abnormal embryos from the healthy ones. After two embryos were placed in her uterus, HK and Brian left overseas to begin their work as teachers.

The center has an “in-house” PGD laboratory where strict quality control can be maintained by the Center’s scientists. The tissue samples are examined on site avoiding risky transport of the delicate material. This in-house capability enables a rapid 24 hour turnaround time to obtain the PGD results promptly and efficiently. The results are reviewed individually with the parents who are counseled and are given precise follow-up instructions.

Optimism began to build two weeks later when the pregnancy test was positive. However, caution prevailed until an amniocentesis was performed by removing fluid surrounding the baby at 4 months into the pregnancy. To the couple’s delight, they were blessed with a healthy baby girl, free of the deadly disease. Overjoyed, the proud dad contacted the West Coast Fertility team to share their joy and express their gratitude.

“Dear Dr. Diaz and Staff. Here is a picture of our family. You can add it to the “wall of fame.” Seriously, we are very happy and thankful for your help. We look forward to working with you again, perhaps in February.” Sincerely, Brian HK and Ella

More information about PGD can be found at www.ivfbaby.com

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer Patient Freezes Eggs to Preserve Fertility—Learn How Egg Freezing Liberates Women from the Biologic Clock

The Nightmare: Being told that you have cancer can be one of the scariest diagnoses a patient will ever receive. Young patients that haven’t had the opportunity start a family may fear losing their ability to one day have children. Although chemotherapy and radiation can be life saving, they may also cause difficulties becoming pregnant when a patient wishes to start her family.

The Story: Brie is 23 years old and was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma 3 weeks before her first visit with West Coast Fertility Centers (WCFC). She wished to learn more about our egg freezing process and was interested in preserving her eggs prior to starting chemotherapy.

Hear Brie's Story on YouTube

The Solution: Since Brie was due to start her chemotherapy later in the month, she decided to proceed with her stimulation protocol immediately. During her frequent visits to WCFC, she was truly a delightful patient and our staff developed a great deal of respect for this courageous young patient. She persevered through 14 days of injectable fertility medication with remarkable good humor. Ultrasounds and blood tests were performed to assess her follicle development.

During this period, there was ongoing communication to and from her oncologist to assure her cancer treatment was not compromised. On the day of her egg harvest, 13 eggs were retrieved and of these eggs, 11 were mature enough to freeze. Although Brie has a long road ahead of her, she was able to start chemotherapy knowing that her ability to one day have children is not compromised.

West Coast Fertility Centers offer egg freezing services to patients who have unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer. WCFC helps by reducing some of the costs while working closely with Fertile Hope (affiliated with Lance Armstrong Foundation), a non-profit organization that offers emotional support to cancer patients. Our industry partner, EMD Serono, provides free medications to our patients. This helps make egg freezing more affordable to these patients whose medical treatments may pose a risk of infertility.

The Events: On September 1st, 2010, West Coast Fertility Centers will sponsor a unique educational seminar to educate and empower women on the topic of preserving their fertility. Whether for medical reasons or personal choice, women can learn how to liberate themselves from the biologic clock.

Seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended. To secure your place at this life changing event on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 from 6-8 PM at our West Coast Fertility location in Fountain Valley, please contact us directly at 714-513-1399.

Dr. David Diaz will also host an informative webinar on Egg Freezing on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 5 PM (PST). Please register for the webinar directly online by clicking here.

The Incredible Science of Egg Freezing

To help women preserve their eggs when they are healthy and robust, the laboratories of West Coast Fertility Centers (WCFC) have refined the technique of shielding the eggs from the effects of freezing. A unique set of freezing fluids, known as the Landa Freezing Technology, was developed over the past ten years, giving women the option of harvesting and storing their eggs indefinitely.

David Diaz, MD, FACOG, a fertility expert with 22 years experience, will explain how to determine who is a candidate for egg freezing; how patients are selected and a brief overview of the egg freezing technique at WCFC. Dr. Diaz and the members of his team will lead the discussion with visual presentations and the opportunity to meet a patient who had a healthy baby after egg freezing. A private tour of the surgical suite and accredited laboratories at WCFC will also be given.

Those who may benefit from egg freezing include:

• young, single women diagnosed with cancer that can preserve their eggs from chemotherapy and radiation
• young women who wish to preserve their fertile eggs until they are ready to start their family
• women undergoing IVF who prefer to freeze unfertilized eggs versus embryos for ethical reasons
• women whose only option for pregnancy is with young healthy donor eggs stored at the Frozen Egg Bank

The Egg Freezing Program at WCFC has resulted in the births of 54 healthy babies, more than any program in the Western United States. Eight additional pregnancies are also on-going as of August 2010.

Direct link to our Press Release

Direct link to our Egg Freezing YouTube video

www.EggFreezing.com

Volcanic Eruption in Iceland Threatens Fertility Treatment

The Story: This specific case involves a fertility treatment that was at risk because of the volcanic eruptions in Iceland. The intended mother from overseas needed donor eggs because it was unfeasible to have egg donation where she lived. She requested that we obtain donor eggs for her and that she would fly to our center and receive the embryos that were created from fresh donor eggs. There is a critical time where the embryos should be transferred and therefore our patient was scheduled to arrive at a specific date for the implantation.

The Nightmare: The prior weekend to her arrival, the volcano in Iceland erupted bringing a halt to all flights overseas. Since the cloud was beginning to spread to her direction, we advised her to make preparations immediately to depart from her home country to arrive in California in time for the implantation of the embryos. This patient sprung into action and made reservations sooner than she anticipated.

The Solution: Recently, we have witnessed an increased occurrence of natural upheavals and disasters which disrupt our daily lives. For certain medical procedures, this is important but especially for time critical fertility treatments, it can mean the difference between success and failure. Both natural disasters and man-made disruptions have the potential to upset the most carefully made plans for well-synchronized fresh donor egg cycle (check out story above on “Tattoo Ruins Fertility Treatment”).      

Patients who are planning to use fresh egg donation should be informed about the option of frozen donor eggs which can minimize many of the unknowns and mishaps that occur when trying to synchronize the ovarian cycle of a fresh egg donor with the uterine cycle of the intended mother.

To learn more about using frozen donor eggs to start a family, please visit  www.eggfreezing.com     

To find out what happened to our near miss Volcanic  nightmare, please return to our site soon.

Sperm Collection Disasters During IVF

The Story: Individuals and couples struggling with infertility find it stressful for both the man as well as the woman, even though the woman undergoes most of the testing and interventions in preparation for IVF. Hormonal injections are given and monitoring with ultrasound is performed for about two weeks to maximize the egg yield. Once the eggs are harvested, there is a crucial time period to inseminate them with the sperm sample which is usually produced by the male partner on the morning of the egg harvest.

The Nightmare:  Not infrequently on the egg harvest day, the excitement and fear of the unknown can be at an all time high. In fact, the male partner may experience such stress levels and performance anxiety that he may not be able to produce the sperm sample. Everyone’s anticipation is that the male can easily provide the sperm sample “on demand.” Unfortunately, the added pressure on the male can result in the inability to ejaculate the semen sample leading to frustration and more anxiety. Hours may pass in the “collection room” without success, causing the male to feel inadequate and depressed.  As the woman emerges from the egg collection anesthesia, she may be shocked or angry that the semen sample is not available.

If the mature harvested eggs are not inseminated within 3 hours of harvesting, deterioration begins, which places the entire IVF cycle in jeopardy leading to disappointment and bitterness between the couple. We can at times allow the male to return home (or a hotel room) and try semen collection in a more favorable environment but sometimes even this is futile.

The Solutions: 

Frozen Sperm Back-Up:  We understand that fertility treatment requires an emotional and financial commitment from our patients. Tremendously high hopes are riding on an IVF cycle to produce the desired pregnancy and a new baby. Open and honest discussions should be had with the couple regarding sexuality to anticipate semen collection problems for the male. Sometimes cultural and religious beliefs make this a delicate topic, but it truly needs to be addressed. There should be arrangements such that a “back up” semen sample should be frozen a few weeks before the egg retrieval in case the husband is unable to produce a fresh sample. Knowing that his back up sample is in place itself can lessen the anxiety felt by the male. In case of a history of low sperm counts, multiple samples may be frozen.

Emergency Egg Freezing:  At West Coast Fertility Centers, we have perfected the art of egg freezing which can be used to rescue the IVF cycle in cases where the man has declined frozen sperm back up and may not be able to ejaculate the fresh semen sample. This is one of the many useful applications of our Landa Freezing Technology used to freeze unfertilized eggs. Once the eggs are frozen, the couple can return the next cycle when the eggs are thawed and inseminated with the male’s sample. The resulting embryos are then transferred to the uterus as in a typical IVF cycle. In fact, egg freezing at WCFC has resulted in the birth of 54 healthy babies from frozen eggs.

Anticipating and avoiding potential mishaps is one of the hallmarks of an experienced IVF Center like West Coast Fertility Centers, celebrating 22 years of Excellence in providing fertility services to its clients.