MDNews - Tennessee Valley

+++++++++++++++ FERTILITY +++ +++ First Frozen Egg Pregnancy in Chattanooga Achieved at Local Clinic from advanced reproductive technologies. Her pregnancy is progressing on schedule, and she has returned to her doctor for obstetrical care. This milestone comes after years of success with frozen T sperm and frozen embryos at the Fertility Center, which has offices in both Chattanooga and Knoxville. The human egg is a delicate, comparatively large cell. Traditionally, attempts in the research world to freeze a retrieved female gamete turned the egg into a fragile, glass-like state that could not survive the thawing process. Fertility Center partnered with leading experts in oocyte cryopreservation who fine-tuned the freezing process. Now the Fertility Center has confirmation in its own Chattanooga lab for freezing eggs before fertilizing with sperm. As needed, the eggs are thawed and fertilized to create embryos that are then transferred to the uterus for a pregnancy attempt. With HE FERTILITY CENTER reports the very first pregnancy in the area for a patient who conceived using frozen eggs in an assisted reproduction cycle. The woman was referred to the clinic to benefit this method, fewer extra embryos are created or need to be stored. More patients are favoring this option, which avoids ethical dilemmas surrounding frozen embryos. Reproductive endocrinologists Joseph S. Bird, M.D., and Barry W. Donesky, M.D., and embryologist Susan Walker are available to discuss this cutting-edge infertility treatment and related procedures. Pregnancy rates with the new method compare very favor- ably to success rates with frozen embryos. Cryopreservation can suspend the biological clock for eggs, so to speak, and keep the quality of those eggs from diminishing while in frozen storage. Along with women diagnosed as infertile, others who can benefit from this technology include those who have not yet found a life partner or are not ready to conceive but are concerned about their decreasing chances for pregnancy after age 35. Additionally, cancer victims can safeguard their chances for motherhood before undergoing surgery, radiation or chemotherapy treatments that might damage the ovaries or even cause sterility. For more information, visit MyFertilityCenter.com. n +++++++++++++++ + +

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