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  • Why TFC? Education

    When a patient of mine recently moved to California, she asked me to refer her to a specialist who could continue her care.  Drs. Vaughn, Hansard, Burger, and I have each noticed that when we provide our patients with a couple of names, they frequently ask us why we chose those particular specialists over many others in the same area.  This made us realize that many couples with infertility in Central Texas may be thinking the same thing about TFC – why should they come see us?  WHY TFC?  In an attempt to answer this question, we wrote an article that you can find on the home page of our website at www.txfertility.com.  I have taken the liberty of breaking this article down into smaller blog entries so that patients can read it at their leisure.  In this seventh blog, I will tell you a little about our philosophy about giving back to our field in the form of offering educational programs to our colleagues and our patients, several things that make us very different from other doctors who practice infertility.

     

    Education

     

    All of our physicians have been actively involved in medical education, training medical students and residents, since fellowship.  After completing their infertility fellowships, Dr. Vaughn served on the faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Dr. Silverberg served on the faculty at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Since 2004, TFC has been responsible for the Reproductive Endocrinology training of OB/GYN residents at Brackenridge Hospital sponsored by the University of Texas – first from the Galveston branch and now from Southwestern Medical School.  As part of their education, we have a second year resident assisting us in the office and in the operating room every day.

     

    The TFC physicians host continuing medical education programs for the OB/GYNs in Austin at least four times per year, where we discuss the latest advances in the treatment of infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, reproductive surgery, and in vitro fertilization.  We also founded the Texas ART Society in 1991.  Originally composed of the physicians who perform IVF in Texas and started as a way to share information between our practices, this society has now grown to include physicians, embryologists, nurses, mental health professionals, and practice administrators from around the country.  Our annual meeting, the Southwest Fertility Forum, features expert speakers from around the country and attracts hundreds of attendees for a weekend focused on improving the success of IVF.

     

    Most importantly, we host monthly educational seminars for our patients.  Our IVF orientation is very well attended, and offers our patients the opportunity to learn about ovarian stimulation protocols, egg retrieval, and embryo transfer from our physicians, and laboratory procedures including ICSI, laser-assisted embryo hatching, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis from our embryologists.  Our Fertility 101 seminars provide new and future patients with information about the basic causes, evaluation, and treatment of infertility. Again, only TFC provides resident training, continuing medical education for Central Texas OB/GYNs, a nationally renowned IVF meeting, and this level of education for our patients.

     

    Stay tuned for this weekly series on Why TFC? Or if you prefer to read the article in its entirety, please visit

    http://www.txfertility.com/why-texas-fertility-center.php

     

     

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    Kaylen Silverberg, M.D.

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  • TFC Celebrates Our 26th Annual IVF Baby Reunion

    The physicians and staff at Texas Fertility Center and Austin IVF celebrated our 26th Annual Baby Reunion Sunday at the Dell Jewish Community Center. It was a fun-filled celebration that included bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, a clown and pictures galore! Over 400 parents and children attended, which provided an amazing opportunity for us all to see how many families have succeeded in overcoming the challenges of infertility!

    We were pleased to have KVUE join us and help share our joy and success with our community. Over 24,000 babies and counting….

    Texas Fertility Center is happy to announce that with the establishment of the Fertility Foundation of Texas, a new charitable foundation conceived by TFC, we will soon be able to enlist the assistance of individuals and companies throughout Central Texas to help us raise awareness about infertility as a curable disease. The foundation has three main purposes: to raise awareness about infertility, to provide funding to patients who cannot otherwise afford fertility treatment, and to fund research related to the diagnosis and/or treatment of infertility.

    For more information, please visit http://www.txfertility.com/default.php

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    Wendy Blocker

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  • Why TFC? Mental Health and Acupuncture, Research

    When a patient of mine recently moved to California, she asked me to refer her to a specialist who could continue her care.  Drs. Vaughn, Hansard, Burger, and I have each noticed that when we provide our patients with a couple of names, they frequently ask us why we chose those particular specialists over many others in the same area.  This made us realize that many couples with infertility in Central Texas may be thinking the same thing about TFC – why should they come see us?  WHY TFC?  In an attempt to answer this question, we wrote an article that you can find on the home page of our website at www.txfertility.com.  I have taken the liberty of breaking this article down into smaller blog entries so that patients can read it at their leisure.  In this sixth blog, I will tell you a little about our partners in mental health and acupuncture, as well as our award winning research department, which make us very different from other doctors who practice infertility.

    Mental Health and Acupuncture

    We recognize that fertility diagnosis and treatment can be stressful, and we therefore work with Central Texas’ leading counselors who are there to help you every step of the way.  We specifically do not have a counselor on our staff as we recognize that different couples have different needs; we want you to seek care from someone with whom you do connect, rather than someone with whom we think you should connect.  We also encourage the use of ancillary services such as acupuncture.  Again, we work collaboratively with the leading acupuncture specialists in the greater Austin area and communicate directly with them in order to successfully integrate their recommendations into your treatment.

    Research

    The field of infertility is not static.  Things change dramatically and rapidly.  In order to keep us on the cutting edge, we established our own Research Department in 1995.  Since that time, we have worked with every leading company in the fertility field in order to help develop and test medications, new treatment protocols, and new surgical techniques that directly benefit our patients.  These research studies – in addition to providing valuable information to the manufacturers and governmental agencies that oversee these studies –have enabled hundreds of our patients to receive free or low-cost treatment that has lead to the successful delivery of hundreds of healthy babies.  Just as we provide comprehensive fertility diagnosis and treatment, we also perform comprehensive research.  We help to develop the actual research protocols, we perform the research, we present our findings at national and international meetings, we publish our research findings in professional journals such as Fertility & Sterility and Human Reproduction, and we testify before the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to encourage the approval of beneficial products and treatments.  In addition to publishing our research in peer reviewed journals, each of our partners also write book chapters in the leading textbooks of infertility and IVF.  Specifically, we write the chapters on Endometriosis and Adenomyosis, Sperm Evaluation, the significance of tubal disease prior to IVF treatment, and Unexplained Infertility.  Our chapters are considered to be authoritative works, and are routinely referenced by other international fertility experts in their own publications.  Much of our research has received national and international recognition, and our physicians are routinely asked to present our findings at major infertility meetings throughout the world.  Only TFC conducts, presents, publishes, and has been recognized for outstanding research in the Central Texas area.

     

    Stay tuned for this weekly series on Why TFC? Or if you prefer to read the article in its entirety, please visit

    http://www.txfertility.com/why-texas-fertility-center.php

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    Kaylen Silverberg, M.D.

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  • Poor Ovarian Reserve and IVF Outcomes

    In general, women with low ovarian reserve will have difficulty in achieving pregnancy. But what about in advanced reproductive technology (ART) such as IVF?

    Ovarian Reserve

    Let’s first discuss what the term ovarian reserve means. Ovarian reserve refers to quantity, or number, of eggs remaining that are available to achieve pregnancy. We are unable to measure this exactly, but there are tests that can give us insight into ovarian reserve. Abnormally elevated cycle day 3 labs, or estradiol and FSH, indicate that the brain has to work harder to stimulate the ovaries each month for ovulation to occur. As women get older or approach menopause, FSH levels will increase suggesting that the number of eggs remaining has begun to decrease, thus indicating decreased ovarian reserve.

    Poor ovarian reserve and IVF stimulation

    Women with poor ovarian reserve will have a decreased chance for a successful conception each month. Unfortunately this does not change with infertility treatments. However, IVF may provider a higher chance for pregnancy than relying on spontaneous conception or lesser fertility treatments. As the brain is already working harder to attempt to stimulate the ovaries on its own, you may require higher doses of medications to achieve an appropriate response for IVF. Your doctor may also choose to create an alternate IVF protocol to maximize your ovarian response.

    What to expect

    It’s important for a woman with known decreased ovarian reserve to be aware that her stimulation results may not be as vigorous as women who are younger or have normal ovarian reserve. Also, as ovarian reserve decreases, there is a higher likelihood that egg quality may be decreased as well, adding to the difficulty in conceiving and increasing the risk of unfavorable pregnancy outcomes. Remaining realistic about success rates is the safest approach.

    For more information please visit our website at www.txfertility.com or call us at (512) 451-0149.

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    Kellye Cruz, RN

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  • Why TFC? Surgery and Our Clinical Staff

    When a patient of mine recently moved to California, she asked me to refer her to a specialist who could continue her care.  Drs. Vaughn, Hansard, Burger, and I have each noticed that when we provide our patients with a couple of names, they frequently ask us why we chose those particular specialists over many others in the same area.  This made us realize that many couples with infertility in Central Texas may be thinking the same thing about TFC – why should they come see us?  WHY TFC?  In an attempt to answer this question, we wrote an article that you can find on the home page of our website at www.txfertility.com.  I have taken the liberty of breaking this article down into smaller blog entries so that patients can read it at their leisure.  In this fifth blog, I will tell you a little about our approach to surgery and our clinical staff, and some of the things that make us different from other doctors who practice infertility.

    Surgery

     For those women who need surgical correction of their infertility, such as treatment of uterine fibroids, endometriosis, intrauterine or pelvic adhesions, or genetic abnormalities, each TFC physician is qualified to use any advanced technique required to optimally correct the problem.  We all prefer to use surgical lasers through the laparoscope rather than older methodologies, such as electrosurgery or cautery, in order to lessen the risk of causing pelvic adhesion (scar tissue) formation.  We also remove fibroids microsurgicaly, whether through the laparoscope, the da Vinci Robot, or through a small lower abdominal incision, in order to minimize the development of scar tissue, shorten your post-operative recovery, and get you back to full function as fast as possible.  We have privileges at all of the main hospitals and surgery centers in the greater Austin area, from Cedar Park to South Austin, and we have contracts with all of Central Texas’ major insurance plans, in order to minimize the financial toll that fertility treatment can take on our patients.

     Clinical Staff 

    As noted above, however, there are many reasons other than our technical expertise that will hopefully lead you to choose TFC.  Every patient is assigned to a specific office nurse who, working seamlessly with your physician, is well versed about the many factors involved in your particular clinical situation.  Patients who need treatment with either IVF or donor eggs have an additional nurse assigned to their case to specifically answer all of their questions about these more complex treatments.  Our billing team benefits from the presence and expertise of several staff who used to work for insurance companies.  Their experience often proves invaluable in helping our patients optimize their insurance benefits.  Our team of outstanding embryologists and andrologists is lead by Tom Turner, who has been our Laboratory Director since 1993.  Tom performed the world’s first GIFT procedures in the 1980’s, and is recognized world-wide as a true pioneer, thought leader, and problem solver in the IVF field.  We strongly believe that our clinical staff is one of our true strengths, and helps make us one of the leading fertility practices in the country.

     

    Stay tuned for this weekly series on Why TFC? Or if you prefer to read the article in its entirety, please visit

    http://www.txfertility.com/why-texas-fertility-center.php

     

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    Kaylen Silverberg, M.D.

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  • TFC Pauses to Remember Acts of Sacrifice this Memorial Day

    This Monday, America recognizes the men and women in uniform who died in service to their country. We at Texas Fertility Center regularly share news and coping strategies for dealing with infertility in this space. On this day, we dedicate our message to remembering, and encourage you to observe a moment of silence on Memorial Day at 3 p.m.

    The “National Moment of Remembrance” was passed by resolution in 2000 to remind us that today is not simply the end of a three-day weekend. To date, more than 1.1 million have died in the nation’s wars. Memorial Day honors their memory.

    Texas Fertility Center doctors and staff members plan to mark the solemn occasion at events all across Austin: Sons of the American Revolution service at the Texas State Cemetery at 10 a.m.; the San Marcos Memorial Day service at the Hays County Veterans Memorial at 10 a.m.; Memorial Day service at Assumption Cemetery; and the Killeen Memorial Day service at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery.

    There is the ultimate sacrifice, as well as the sacrifices that the men and women of the United States Armed Forces make every day. You may not be aware of the impact that deployment has on fertility. At Texas Fertility Center, we have been providing sperm, egg and embryo cryopreservation (freezing) to military families for many years. These services have helped many families conceive despite the fact that they may be separated for long stretches of time.

    Many of our men and women in uniform have limited access to fertility services and advanced reproductive technology (ARTS) such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Texas Fertility Center helps fill this gap.

    We are proud that the U.S. Department of the Army awarded Dr. Kaylen M. Silverberg, M.D., and Texas Fertility Center a Certificate of Appreciation for “selfless and dedicated service” to female soldiers within the Fort Hood area.

    Please take a moment today to remember the fallen and to show respect, gratitude and support for the Fort Hood community, and our other deployed soldiers all over the world.

    Texas Fertility Center has committed over three decades to helping the Austin community, including our military families, overcome infertility and pursue their own American dreams of starting families. Contact us here to find out more about infertility diagnosis and treatment.

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    Texas Fertility Center

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  • Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

    Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is an over response to the use of ovulation induction medications, especially injected medications. Women with OHSS have enlarged ovaries and an increase of fluid leaking from the blood capillaries causing fluid to accumulate in the abdomen. Onset of OHSS symptoms typically occurs soon after egg retrieval and can last a couple of days to a week or two depending on the severity.

    What should I be looking out for?

    A mild form of OHSS occurs in 10% to 20% of cycles and almost always resolves without complications. Common symptoms of mild OHSS include lower abdominal discomfort, bloating, mild nausea and vomiting. On rare occasion, about 1% of cycles, the severe form of OHSS will occur. Symptoms of severe OHSS include abdominal pain, rapid weight gain, decreased urine output, abdominal distention (swelling) nausea and fatigue.

    How is OHSS treated?

    Treatment of OHSS would consist of increasing fluids, electrolyte supplementation, and a decrease in physical activity. Almost always bed rest is not recommended because it may increase the risk for a blood clot. It is important to report any symptoms of mild or severe OHSS as soon as possible. Your physician may want to monitor your blood levels and perform an ultrasound for appropriate treatment to be given. Never self treat OHSS with diuretics, as you may become dehydrated or have an electrolyte imbalance.

    Who gets OHSS?

    Some risk factors for OHSS include being young, having a low body weight and having been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS.)

    For more information about IVF, please visit http://www.txfertility.com/04invitro-fertilization.php or call us at 512-451-0149.

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    Billie Christopher, RN

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  • Preimplantation Genetic Screening and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: What is it?

    For some patients, the need to transfer genetically normal embryos is paramount. To help achieve this, preimplantation genetic screening (PGS), also known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), is an option to test embryos prior to transfer.

    Who needs PGS/PGD?

    PGS/PGD is not necessary or even recommended for all couples. However, in some cases, it is an important tool to assess the genetic makeup of the embryos. Couples in which one or both are carriers of diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, sickle cell disease, muscular dystrophy, polycystic kidney, Tay-Sachs, and hemophilia may opt to test embryos prior to transfer to determine if they are positive for the disease. Couples with a single gene defect, a situation in which one partner either has the disease or is a carrier for the disease, can utilize PGS/PGD through a genetic probe to determine if the trait has been passed on. PGS/PGD can also be used for couples with recurrent miscarriage, recurrent IVF failure, women over 40, and genetically normal couples with balanced translocation.

    How is it done?

    The eggs are first obtained via retrieval and are exposed to sperm. On day 3 after the retrieval, the resultant embryos are observed under the microscope to determine which have fertilized and how many can be biopsied. A single cell from the embryo is removed and sent to the reference lab for genetic testing. By day 5 after transfer, the results are received from the lab and a decision can be made about how many embryos are approved for transfer.
    As with most fertility treatments, PGD/PGS is not a perfect science. But it can help identify and decrease the risk of passing along genetic defects to offspring. To read more about this technique and watch a fantastic short video of an embryologist from Austin IVF performing PGD, please visit http://www.txfertility.com/07PGD.php.
    For more information please visit our website at www.txfertility.com or call us at (512) 451-0149.

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    Kellye Cruz, RN

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  • Why TFC? Fertility Preservation

    When a patient of mine recently moved to California, she asked me to refer her to a specialist who could continue her care. Drs. Vaughn, Hansard, Burger, and I have each noticed that when we provide our patients with a couple of names, they frequently ask us why we chose those particular specialists over many others in the same area. This made us realize that many couples with infertility in Central Texas may be thinking the same thing about TFC – why should they come see us? WHY TFC? In an attempt to answer this question, we wrote an article that you can find on the home page of our website at www.txfertility.com. I have taken the liberty of breaking this article down into smaller blog entries so that patients can read it at their leisure. In this fourth blog, I will tell you a little about our fertility preservation program, and some of the things that make us different from other doctors who practice infertility.

    Fertility Preservation

    For nearly three decades, TFC has been providing sperm freezing services to men who have been diagnosed with cancer or other serious medical illness. They contact TFC in order to bank sperm before they are treated with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, as they know that each of these treatments can significantly impair their future fertility. Many of these men have come back to us for fertility treatment after surviving their disease. Fortunately, due to the expertise of our embryologists and andrologists, we have been able to help an overwhelming percentage of these men conceive healthy children. We have also been providing sperm freezing services to many men in the armed forces who want to bank sperm prior to military deployment. Although they are still fertile when they return from active duty and hopefully will never need to use the sperm that we have for them, they still benefit from peace of mind knowing that their partner has access to their sperm should they desire to use it. We were all overwhelmed when we were recently presented with a certificate of appreciation from the United States Department of the Army in recognition of the service that we have provided to our men and women in uniform.

    In addition to offering services to men, with the success of our oocyte vitrification program, we are also now able to offer fertility preservation services to women. We can freeze eggs for women who have been diagnosed with cancer or other serious medical illness prior to their treatment with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. Once they are cured, they can return to use their eggs. We also partner with the Komen Foundation for the Cure as well as Fertile Hope through the Livestrong Foundation, in order to provide these services to seriously ill men and women at a significantly reduced cost. Although many fertility programs may tell you that they can “freeze eggs”, TFC is the only program in Texas that has had healthy babies delivered from both patient and donor eggs that we have frozen in our laboratory.

     

    Stay tuned for this weekly series on Why TFC? Or if you prefer to read the article in its entirety, please visit

    http://www.txfertility.com/why-texas-fertility-center.php

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    Kaylen Silverberg, M.D.

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  • Why TFC? Embryology and Andrology

    When a patient of mine recently moved to California, she asked me to refer her to a specialist who could continue her care. Drs. Vaughn, Hansard, Burger, and I have each noticed that when we provide our patients with a couple of names, they frequently ask us why we chose those particular specialists over many others in the same area. This made us realize that many couples with infertility in Central Texas may be thinking the same thing about TFC – why should they come see us? WHY TFC? In an attempt to answer this question, we wrote an article that you can find on the home page of our website at www.txfertility.com. I have taken the liberty of breaking this article down into smaller blog entries so that patients can read it at their leisure. In this third blog, I will tell you a little about our embryology and andrology programs, and some of the things that make us different from other doctors who practice infertility.

    Embryology and Andrology

    Our CLIA-certified andrology laboratory performs all types of sperm evaluation and sperm function testing to determine the optimal treatment choice for men with low sperm count or poor sperm function. Our laboratories are recognized for excellence and in fact, our laboratory director, Tom Turner, and Dr. Kaylen Silverberg actually write the chapter in the Textbook of Assisted Reproductive Technology on sperm evaluation. Our andrologists also prepare sperm specimens for intrauterine insemination (IUI), choosing from among several different preparation methods in order to maximize the total number of rapidly moving sperm for insemination. In cases of severe male factor infertility, our andrologists and embryologists work together to isolate and prepare even extremely low numbers of sperm for fertilization or injection directly into eggs. In the most extreme cases of male factor – those following previous vasectomy or for men with genetic obstructions or other abnormalities – our embryologists work with Central Texas’ finest urologists to produce babies from cases in which we have had even fewer than twenty total sperm to work with.

    When couples need advanced treatment using the assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), they can be comfortable knowing that Central Texas’ largest IVF program is again prepared to offer anything that they need. From frozen eggs – where we are the only program in Texas to have produced healthy children from both donor and non-donor vitrified eggs – to novel stimulation protocols, laser-assisted embryo hatching, and complete genetic embryo screening, TFC has proven time and again to be a worldwide leader.

    Stay tuned for this weekly series on Why TFC? Or if you prefer to read the article in its entirety, please visit

    http://www.txfertility.com/why-texas-fertility-center.php

     

     

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    Kaylen Silverberg, M.D.

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