In vitro fertilization (IVF)

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Just a few years ago, infertility was a battle that many struggled with in silence and yet 1 in 8 couples have taken on the journey to overcome infertility. Thanks to companies like Ferring, and the opportunity for couples to share their infertility journey has helped increase awareness.  This August, Ferring provided the opportunity for couples who had struggled with infertility and used Ferring fertility products to help them conceive through the Heart to Heart, Share Your Story Video Contest. Entrants submitted a short video with a focus on “Every Step of the Way”.

Heart to Heart Video Contest Prizes

  • Grand Prize: a $15,000 educational fund
  • Runner Ups: $2,000 educational fund (4 prizes awarded)

Vote for Your Favorite

The video with the most votes will win the grand prize. An individual can vote for 1 video, 1 time per day now through October 21st, 2013.

Heart to Heart Video Contest Finalists

There are 5 finalists this year and Shady Grove Patients, Aren Dodge and her husband, Jeff,  are in the running! Aren and Jeff had their daughter in January after 4 IVF cycles and a rocky infertility journey.

To vote for your favorite video, please visit: https://hearttoheartcontest.com/

Want to share your story? https://www.shadygrovefertility.com/share-your-story
If you would like to discuss your fertility options or to schedule an appointment at Shady Grove Fertility, please speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons at 877-971-7755.

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Fertility Treatment – Question & Answer

Dozens of women and men reached out to our patient panel with their fertility treatment questions. One question in particular – about how to live with the uncertainty of the unknown – resonated with everyone.

Question: “Hi. I am on birth control and about to start the injections for my first try at in vitro fertilization. How did you deal with the anxiety of the unknown? That’s the hardest part for me. What if it doesn’t work, what are the shots and my hormones going to be like when I’m on the drugs, all of that…..I just don’t want to drive myself crazy.”

Answers from the Fertility Treatment Patient Panel

Lindsay S: OK, so the unknown is definitely pretty scary. You don’t want to drive yourself crazy, but sometimes you just can’t help it! If you have been at this a long time, it starts to take over your thoughts and you are thinking about it all the time. We did 4 IUIs and 2 IVFs, and I am currently 7 weeks pregnant from the 2nd IVF. You can’t really let yourself go to the “what ifs” – that will really drive you nuts. Just remember why you are putting yourself through this and what the result will be. Also, the best thing that we ever did was join a support group. We were able to talk to people who had been through EXACTLY what we were going through because they were experiencing it too. In addition, I think my hubby liked being able to connect with other men who were going through stuff too. We ended up meeting 2 other couples who we became super close with and still hang out with a lot. We all had different stories, but the same desire. We could go out and do things and if the infertility thing came up, we’d talk about it, but if not, we had new friends who we enjoy being with. Good luck!

Tara: I had a situation where I never ovulated on my own and very abnormal menstrual cycle. I did get pregnant on my own and lost the baby at 13 weeks. I had been to other fertility clinics and did multiple cycles of IUI and I never conceived 🙁 then I found Shady Grove Fertility…I met with the doc and I had a very slim chance I decided to not think about it. I went in with an open mind and for once did not stress or worry. I did my shots, took my medicine and went to my appointments. Me and my husband stayed busy, nights out with friends, movies and just had a lot of fun! Drank plenty of water and ate healthy! I made sure to rest and really take care of ME. When they day came I went in and did the procedure and did not stress! I had a clear open mind and was at peace with whatever happened! This 1st round of IVF brought me my sweet little boy 🙂 all of the other times (IUI’s) I would just stress and say “what if this doesn’t work”…I went in with a completely different mindset and it paid off! I am praying for your miracle. 🙂

Jenn: I had a big problem with this too and absolute hate not knowing what to expect or what will happen. My advice would be to ask as many questions as you need so you understand everything that will happen. Don’t ever feel bad or silly for asking any question of your doctor and/or nurse. I also did a lot of googling, which can be both a good and bad thing. I found that as I started going to each appointment and found out what it was like and started each med and learned what that was like my anxiety would decrease. I also found a lot of support on the Shady Grove Fertility Facebook page where you can ask others to share how they reacted to a certain medication. Everyone reacts differently but it was nice to know what I might experience. Lastly, I think I just had to focus on the end goal and learn that all I could do was follow the instructions and do what I was supposed to and the rest was out of my hands. I learned to figure out a way to deal with things as they came up.

Christine: I just took it day by day, procedure by procedure and focused on one thing at a time. There was a lot of anxiety but I tried to focus on what I could control at the time. Each time I finished my shots felt like an accomplishment. I was concerned about the hormones but I was lucky and did not really have any side effects from any of them.

Kathleen: I got used to the cycles and the anxiety became easier to manage over time. Try to stay busy with work or exercise or a hobby.

Holly: Hi. We started our process back in March of this year and there was not a day that went by that I did not think “what if”, “am I supposed to feel this way”, “are we doing the shots correctly”, etc. It’s all NORMAL, I think at some point we just said “we are in this together. My hormones might get crazy, I might not feel well, when will we know but our end goal never changed and we knew we would walk to the ends of the earth for a baby. The one piece of advice (which is the hardest to do..) Stay off the internet!!!! My nurse was amazing and there were days that I emailed her multiple times and she always had an answer. She helped me keep my sanity!!! We are still patients at Shady Grove Fertility but to be honest…they helped us through and continue to help us every day…

Julie: As for the anxiety… I tried my best to keep myself busy with other activities to keep my mind off my fertility treatments. It didn’t always work, but it helped. As for the meds, don’t assume they will make you crazy! They had no emotional affect on me.

Yuliya: Our diagnosis was “unexplained infertility”, so nothing was wrong with either me or my husband, but for some reason, I couldn’t get pregnant. I was 29 when we came to Shady Grove Fertility. I was very anxious when we were going through our treatment. I couldn’t talk to anyone about it because I felt like baby making was such a private experience. At some point though, I couldn’t keep it to myself any more, and I found out that talking really helps. None of my friends were in a situation like mine, but they were very understanding. I also talked to one of the Shady Grove Fertility social workers. They are trained to talk about these issues and mine actually struggled with infertility in the past too. It was a relief being able to talk my fears out. I think it’s also helpful to try to keep yourself stress free, but somewhat busy with nice relaxing activities like yoga, reiki, acupuncture, massage, swimming, or whatever else helps you relax!

Megan: The best thing to do is stay positive and take it day by day. Try and have other things you enjoy doing to focus your time on. The days will feel endless if you constantly think about the what if’s. The shots are hard to deal with, but just make it a part of your daily routine and you will get used to them. Try icing the spot where you take the shot for a few minutes before hand, it makes getting the shots each day more manageable. Overall the drugs didn’t change my hormones too much. But try and stay as stress free from other things going on in your life. IVF can be stressful itself, so keeping the rest of your life as calm as possible will help. Again, stay positive and try to have fun with your family and friends who are supporting you through this process. Always keep in your mind that you are doing this so you can have a baby. The end result is worth it.

Shavon: There’s been a lot of pictures out there lately, keep calm and carry on and many variations and I’d like to say it’s going to be that easy but it won’t. Trying to get pregnant can be the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do.

I’d say take this challenge in steps. Step 1, actual diagnosis… woo-hoo. Step 2, your plan. Notice, I said your plan and not the plan from your team, but your plan. You need to figure out what’s next and how to tackle it, be it IVF, IUI, timed sex, surrogacy… what is your plan? There will be many things that you won’t be able to control during the process, how your body responds, how may eggs you’ll produce, whether or not you’ll get pregnant, but you can control your plan. Plan how many times you’ll check online for symptoms, plan how many people you’ll keep in the loop, plan time to just not think about, but come up with a plan and stick to it. It’s your plan and only you will know when you’ve had enough and only you will know when to move on.

But remember it’s such a wonderfully scary process that you tend to forget that every day gets you one step closer, so as hard as it will be, just enjoy it and the moment. Be scared, be joyed, be freaked out and just be and then carry on.

Our 1st IVF cycle didn’t work. It ended with me having a myomectomy to remove several fibroids. The hardest part was not that it didn’t work. The hardest part was my husband, his mother and my mother just so determined that it would work. I couldn’t just grieve when I knew that it hadn’t worked. I had days of calls from both moms telling me to hold on, but I had all of the signs saying to let go. I also hadn’t prepared myself for the what if. I didn’t have a plan. I just knew it would work, and then it didn’t and finally I made a plan. We decided to limit what the moms knew, and we decided how much we wanted to share online, and we decided to keep trying. So keep calm, make a plan, be in the moment, and keep trying…. Hopefully that all fits on a picture 🙂

If you would like to discuss your fertility options or to schedule an appointment at Shady Grove Fertility, please speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons at 877-971-7755.

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In February 2009, at age 32, my fertility journey began. My husband and I had been trying to conceive for over a year with no results. So I went in to see my OBGYN. He did some tests which all came back normal and gave me a prescription for Clomid to see if it would help. Needless to say after three months of Clomid and still nothing, I was on my way to Shady Grove Fertility.

I never thought my weight would be an issue…

My beginning weight was 225 in May 2010. I never really thought my weight would be that much of an issue, since I had seen so many people much heavier than me get pregnant with no problems at all.

After meeting with Dr. Simon Kiperzstok, our plan was to try IUI first. Our first cycle in June 2010 was canceled due to a cyst and in July we had our first failed IUI. Dr. Kiperzstok decided our best bet for success would be IVF so we pushed forward.

In September we started our first IVF cycle, which ended with a pregnancy, but unfortunately I miscarried at seven weeks. As you can imagine I was devastated and like most people I am a stress eater and I put on some pounds. We tried IVF for the second time in February 2011 with negative results.

After more testing it was determined I had poor ovarian response/reserve. I wasn’t responding to the medication like most people would. I only had one more IVF attempt covered under my insurance, but four more IUI’s, so we decided to continue with stimulation cycles doing IUI instead of IVF, if my follicle count was low. Well all the IUI’s were failures. I was only producing one to three mature follicles with each cycle.

My hopes of becoming a mother was quickly slipping away. The emotional toll the failed attempts took contributed to the 25 pounds I packed on in a year. With only one IVF attempt left, Dr. Kiperzstok advised me I needed to lose the weight to increase my chances of a successful cycle. So I took a break from stimulation for a few months to try to get the weight off.

Tools for Success – Low Calorie Diet

I have always struggled with losing weight and a friend of mine was having a lot of success with a low calorie diet. I began the diet weighing 252 lbs and in the first week I had lost 5 lbs. I couldn’t believe it! I liked that I saw instant results and that kept me motivated to stick with it. I was also going to the gym one to two times each week doing 30-40 minutes of cardio and a little strength training here and there. After 45 days I was down 30 pounds and ready to start my cycles again.

In July 2012, I started stimulation medication again and to my surprise I produced five mature follicles – the most in over a year! I was excited but also incredibly scared. This would be our last attempt at IVF. The team retrieved five eggs, four of which fertilized. On day 3 we transferred three embryos.

Two weeks later, to my surprise I had a positive pregnancy test. I couldn’t believe it, my prayers had finally been answered. On March 27, 2013, I gave birth to my beautiful daughter, Maybree!

I have already started back on my diet to get rid of the pregnancy weight and hopefully much more this time. Already down 9 lbs!

Dr. Simon Kipersztok sees patients at the Shady Grove Fertility office in Waldorf, MD. If you have been trying to conceive without success and would like to schedule a new patient consultation, please call 1.877.971.7755.

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This month, Suburban Life magazine in Philadelphia, released their “Best Physicians” edition featuring an article highlighting the newest Philadelphia fertility center – Shady Grove Fertility.

Expanded Fertility Services in Philadelphia

In the year that Shady Grove Fertility has been in the Philadelphia area, it has expanded the fertility services and financial options available to the region.

The Shared Risk 100% Refund Guarantee for IVF and Donor Egg Treatment offers qualified patients 6 rounds of fresh (or stimulated) treatment as well as all the subsequent frozen embryo transfers for one flat fee. Patients will deliver a baby or receive a 100% refund – it’s that simple. More on Shared Risk >

While donor egg treatment is becoming more widely available, Shady Grove Fertility offers patients the Shared Donor Egg Program, which makes donor egg treatment more affordable. By splitting the eggs of one donor between 2 or 3 recipients, the costs of treatment can be cut in half. More on Shared Donor Egg >

Also available at the Chesterbrook IVF Center (the regional IVF and Donor Egg Center for the Philadelphia area) is the EmbryoScope. Only a dozen centers across the United States currently have access to this technology which allows the medical team to monitor embryos via video, helping them to select the strongest one for transfer. More on the EmbryoScope >

Philadelphia Fertility Center

Last summer, Shady Grove Fertility opened the doors to new offices in Pennsylvania, including Chesterbrook (Philadelphia suburb) and Reading. This year, SGF has opened another office in Bala Cynwyd, PA and expanded services in Harrisburg, PA.

Isaac E. Sasson, MD, PhD, a Yale Medical School graduate who performed his clinical fellowship for reproductive endocrinology and infertility at University of Pennsylvania, is available to see new patients at the Bala Cynwyd and Chesterbook locations.

Abraham K. Munabi, MD, a long time member of the Philadelphia fertility community, built a thriving practice prior to joining Shady Grove Fertility. Dr. Munabi is available for new patient consultations in Chesterbrook, Reading, and Harrisburg.

Also available for consultations in Harrisburg are Dr. Melissa Esposito and Dr. Jason Bromer, who also each see patients in Frederick, MD.

If you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss your fertility treatment options, please speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons at
877-985-2266.

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I will never forget my journey at Shady Grove Fertility. I remember going into the office just thinking my only challenge would be my age and the fact that I had a tubal ligation. Since I had conceived naturally three times prior, I thought this time would be a cinch.

Well during my initial consult, Dr. Simon Kipersztok gave me a shocker: I needed to lose weight because my BMI was over the allowable amount for IVF. That first day I expected to hear anything but “I needed to lose weight.” It was devastating to me. I knew I was overweight but I never thought it would affect my ability to have a child. I mean hey, what’s a few pounds? I see plus size women pregnant all the time! Heck, I had been one three times in the past.

Tameenah1a

Over the next year (yes, YEAR) I struggled with weight loss. Since my goal was only 10–15 pounds, I thought it would be a piece of cake. Boy, oh, boy was I wrong. I would lose a few pounds, then schedule a follow-up. By the time I got to the office, the pounds just magically reappeared! Almost like the scale in the office was permanently registered at “overweight.” I would leave in tears feeling devastated to get turned away once again. Dr. Kipersztok would always smile and just say, “Tameenah, you will get there. Just a little more work to go.” He believed in me more than I did.

Tools for Weight Loss Success

Everyone at SGF was like my own personal cheerleading team. One day while leaving the office I noticed a sign about the SGF Facebook page. I checked it out and started participating. I found out that I wasn’t the only one struggling and realized how losing weight gave other women success. Through the page I gained a sisterhood with women who understood my path. Some of them had either lost weight or needed to lose weight. It was great!

We joined My Fitness Pal online and tracked our daily caloric intake and exercise. I cut back my carbs, started eating six small meals a day, cut out all beverages except for water, started exercising three days a week for an hour and said goodbye to the McDonalds double cheeseburger! There’s also a daily calendar on the SGF facebook page where we post our steps in the infertility journey and cheer each other on. I wanted so badly to have my name posted, so it was a great motivator. And in June 2012, my name was on listed!

When I went into the office, Dr. Kipersztok said I was ready, and I felt like I won the lottery. I had lost the weight. The other “Shady Grove Sisters” (that’s what we call each other on the page) were so excited, it felt great. I was on my way!

So now it seems like Cinderella should get the glass slipper, right? Unfortunately, my first IVF turned into a non-viable pregnancy, plus being on the medications prescribed, I packed on a few pounds. When Dr. Kipersztok spoke with me to discuss my results I said, “Okay, it gives me time to lose some more weight.” I lost additional weight and within 60 days I achieved my miracle! I am now 29 weeks pregnant with a girl rightfully named Journey Semira which translates to ‘Journey Fulfilled.’

Thanks to SGF for encouraging me to change my lifestyle, I am beating the odds. I am in advanced age now with diabetes and hypertension, but have had a completely normal, healthy pregnancy! No complications, no illness, not even morning sickness. My OB told me just two weeks ago how I am one of the best patients to have ever come through.

I will be forever grateful to the staff at SGF for their encouragement and support. Those changes I made — I still keep up today! I don’t even miss that double cheeseburger!

Patient Story Update
After a year of trying, Tameenah gave birth to her daughter, Journey.

Watch Tameenah on NBC4 discuss her journey.

Dr. Simon Kipersztok sees patients at the Shady Grove Fertility office in Waldorf, MD. If you have been trying to conceive without success and would like to schedule a new patient consultation, please call 1.877.971.7755.

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CNN Story Recap: A family from Iowa was looking to grow their family through adoption when they heard about embryo adoption. Intrigued, they looked into the process, and found that embryo adoption would be a perfect match. Knowing that not all the embryos might result in a healthy pregnancy, the couple decided to put back two embryos. Today, the happy couple is pregnant with triplets.

What is embryo adoption?

In some cases, men and women that have gone through the IVF or donor egg process, might have unused embryos after treatment. In which case, there is a decision to make: freeze and save the embryos for future use, discard the embryos, or donate them.

Is embryo adoption really adoption?

No. In most states, adoption only refers to the placement of a child after birth. Legal agreements are established to oversee the process of embryo donation to help protect the recipient parent’s relationship with the child. However, according to Dr. Paulette Browne of Shady Grove Fertility’s Fair Oaks, VA office, “this is solely dependent on the family law and family judges in each state. This could potentially leave the intended parents unprotected if the genetic parents change their minds in the future.”

Does Shady Grove Fertility allow for embryo adoption?

SGF patients that have unused embryos are welcome to donate them if they no longer would like to store them and do not want to discard the embryos.

SGF does not accept the use of adopted embryos in our laboratories. In addition to the potential legal matters, there is significant screening necessary to use donated/adopted eggs, sperm and embryos. Often times, genetic parents won’t go through the appropriate screening because at the point in time in which the embryos were created, they themselves were the intended parents.

Egg donors and sperm donors go through extensive screening to ensure the health of any resulting child as well as the woman carrying the pregnancy.  This screening is required by law.

Would you like to learn more about embryo adoption?

If you are interested in placing your embryos for adoption, please contact the National Embryo Donation Center or Night Light’s Snowflakes® Program.

If you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss your fertility treatment options, please speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons at 877-971-7755.

2026 Shady Grove Fertility

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