Monthly Archives: February 2018

Revolutionary Breakthrough: New Needle-Free IVF Protocol

Since being introduced in the 1970s, Conventional IVF treatment has relied heavily upon high dosages of fertility medication – as many as 60 injections per cycle. Look: New Hope Fertility Center is the first program in the world to offer Needle-Free IVF. Why does this matter? It is now possible for women to undergo IVF without the need for injections or blood draws.

Revolutionary Needle-Free IVF only at New Hope

We have achieved another first by introducing Needle-Free IVF. This revolutionary holistic IVF protocol eliminates the fear, pain, and anxiety many patients experience with injections and blood draws – while at the same time, lowering the cost of fertility medications.

We are proud to offer our patients this new, simple and convenient Needle-Free IVF treatment protocol. The best part? Our Needle-Free IVF protocol stimulates a woman’s ovaries into producing multiple egg follicles through the use of oral fertility medications. That’s not all. Hormone levels are measured through urine and saliva tests during a Needle-Free IVF cycle.

Needle-Free IVF Benefits

Through Needle-Free IVF, patients are able to administer hormone stimulation in a less-invasive manner.

No shots
No needles
No injections
No blood draws

Needle-Free IVF Protocol

How is Needle-Free IVF patient-friendly?

Improves patient safety
Improves patient compliance with medication regimen
Reduces possibility of error in medication administration
Eliminates the risk of accidental needle sticks

drjohnzhang, February 27, 2018. No Comments. Category: Needle Free IVF.

Why More Women Over 40 Are Having Babies

According to a 2018 Pew Research Center Study, a majority of single women in their 40s are giving birth to at least one child by the time they reach 44. Look: Given the social and cultural shifts being experienced in America today, more women will be postponing childbearing into their 40s. Today, 55 percent of single women in their 40s have a child. Two decades ago, only 31 percent of women in their 40s gave birth. Why is this important? Because more women are having children later in life, they will face fertility challenges when trying to get pregnant and should consider IVF.

Women Over 40 Having Babies

Because women are increasingly delaying motherhood into their late 30s and early 40s, they are typically placed on the fast-track to Mini-IVF™ Treatment. IVF is the First-Time, Go-To plan for achieving a successful pregnancy for women between the ages of 38 and 42.

**IVF as a First-Time GoTo Treatment Option**

Most women are waiting to plan their family later in life because they are more secure in their career and finances than their 20-something counterparts. Time is of the essence. Moving quickly past traditional first-line treatment options – such as Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) – and going straight to IVF has been proven to increase an older woman’s chances of conceiving faster.

Recent IVF Research

In the case of older couples – between 38 and 42 – with unexplained infertility, a recent study favored going straight to IVF treatment.

IVF is the most cost-efficient treatment
IVF results in fewer treatment cycles
IVF results in less multiple pregnancies
IVF results in higher live birth rates

Researchers have found that older women were more than twice as likely to become pregnant through IVF within the first two cycles of treatment.Read more: Why More Women Over 40 Are Having Babies

Anita, February 22, 2018. No Comments. Category: Women Over 40.

Endometriosis Awareness Month is Upcoming in March

National Endometriosis Awareness Month in March is a movement to increase knowledge about a leading cause of female infertility.

Look:

Endometriosis affects one out of ten women. Endometriosis is one of the top three causes of female infertility.

Bottom Line:

Infertility is a classic and devastating symptom of endometriosis.

Why is National Endometriosis Awareness Month important?

60 percent of women suffering from endometriosis have no symptoms other than the inability to conceive naturally.
An estimated 6.5 million women in the U.S. – and 200 million globally – are affected by endometriosis
The most common symptom of endometriosis is painful periods
Endometriosis often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed for years because women and teenage girls believe painful periods are normal – this myth must be denounced

Avid Promoter of Endometriosis Awareness

Dr. John Zhang – founder and medical director of New Hope Fertility Center – is an avid promoter of Endometriosis Awareness with the specific goals of:

Promoting a greater awareness and understanding of endometriosis as a real and debilitating disease
Highlighting the consequences of living with endometriosis for the women suffering from it
Creating a greater awareness and understanding of endometriosis among the medical profession, employment sector, and society in general
Seeking a best practice and consistent care and treatment for women suffering from endometriosis
Providing an opportunity for those whose live have been affected by endometriosis to play a key role in helping make a difference

Endometriosis Awareness

Endometriosis affects a woman’s reproductive and surrounding organs when uterine lining tissue (endometrium) grows outside of the uterus and into other areas of her body.

Abdominal cavity and pelvis
Ovaries
Fallopian tubes and supporting ligaments

This errant tissue is generated by hormones creating endometrial cells. The disease causes adhesions (scar tissue), lesions, and blood-filled cysts. Endometrial cells appearing in abnormal locations cause endometriosis. When these errant endometrial cells grow and then sluff off, there is no escape outlet from the body, and internal bleeding leads to:

Inflammation
Pelvic pain
Formation of scar tissue (adhesions)

drjohnzhang, February 20, 2018. No Comments. Category: Endometriosis Awareness Month.

Why Infertility is Becoming a Crisis for American Women

The U.S. is in the midst of a prominent decline in child birth rates. Look: Ten years ago, the typical American woman had about 2.1 children. Today, she has about 1.77 – a decline in fertility being felt across the country. Bottom Line: Infertility is a challenge facing American women that needs more attention and awareness from society as well as the government. While infertility is rampant in the U.S., there’s still no government support to fund costly fertility treatments – such as IVF – opines Dr. John Zhang in a recent Fortune Magazine article addressing the crisis.

Dr. John Zhang on America’s Infertility Crisis

Ninety percent of couples who need IVF give up because it is costly and they don’t have an insurance company who covers the treatment, says Dr. Zhang. IVF treatments cost an average of $12,000 with the added expense of fertility medications ranging between $3,000 and $5,000.

According to Dr. Zhang, the U.S. Government still considers IVF to be an experimental procedure, even though millions of babies have been born using this phenomenal Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). All research and clinical trials have been privately funded since the first IVF baby was born in the U.S. in 1981.

Dr. Zhang on Fertility Preservation for American Women

Dr. Zhang promotes awareness of female fertility preservation beyond just a funding perspective. The Doctor envisions a future where all American women take proactive steps to preserve their fertility. Ladies ages 25 to 35 should freeze their eggs if they don’t have plans to have a family in the next five to ten years, opines Dr. Zhang.

Fertility Preservation Leaders

Over one million babies have been born using Cutting-Edge ART fertility treatments in the U.S. As of 2015, approximately 68,000 babies were born using IVF or other ART fertility treatments – an overall success rate of 32 percent.

At New Hope Fertility Center, we provide all-encompassing cryopreservation techniques for protecting the fertility of both women and men.

Egg Freezing (oocyte cryopreservation)
Embryo freezing and future Frozen Embryo Transfer procedures
Ovarian Tissue Freezing

drjohnzhang, February 15, 2018. No Comments. Category: Infertility.

Why Gender Selection is a Trending Benefit of IVF

Today’s couples undergoing IVF treatment have the benefit of choosing the sex of their baby through PGS/NGS technology in order to plan their future family. Look: Gender selection is no longer being stigmatized as a social engineering tool used to make designer babies. There is a trending increase in demand for gender selection because our innovative IVF and genetic testing technology is more than 99% accurate. The best part? Gender identification and selection can help you to choose the sex of your baby for family balancing purposes.

Gender Identification and Selection Technology

Gender selection is a beneficial by-product of genetic testing. The good news: Through genetic testing, the sex of each embryo is identifiable. PGS and NGS technology works to identify embryos with chromosomal abnormalities while they culture in vitro (in the lab). Why is this important? PGS/NGS is the testing of an embryo’s overall chromosomal normalcy prior to being transferred to the patient’s uterus. Chromosomal abnormalities make an embryo too week to thrive into a fetus if it manages to implant into a woman’s uterine lining.

The Make-Up of an Embryo’s Gender

The chromosomes of a sperm determine an embryo’s gender.

A man’s sperm can carry either the X or Y chromosome
A woman’s egg only contributes the X chromosome to the fertilized embryo
An embryo with XY makeup is male
An embryo with XX makeup is female

PGS Increases Pregnancy Rates By Up To 30 Percent

We recommend universal blastocyst embryo screening for our patients because the procedure can help increase the chances of a pregnancy by 30 percent. Our fertility specialists recommend PGS/NGS in conjunction with IVF for:

Women over 37 who are undergoing IVF
Women who have had two or more unsuccessful IVF cycles
Women under 35 who have experienced two or more miscarriages – recurrent miscarriage
Women who are over 35 and have experience one miscarriage

drjohnzhang, February 13, 2018. No Comments. Category: Gender Selection.

How Yoga Works in Tandem With IVF to Increase Your Chances of Pregnancy Success

Whether there is a clear medical reason, or when infertility is unexplained, life under the weight of fertility treatment can be an extreme struggle. Don’t despair. During fertility treatment, yoga is a magnificent and holistic way to prepare one’s body for pregnancy and birth. The best part? As a pregnancy enhancement tool, yoga is proven to reduce stress, balance hormones, and revamp one’s whole wellness in body, mind, and spirit.

Soft, Supporting, and Nurturing Yoga

Even if you’ve already started an IVF cycle, you can receive support and nurturing from yoga. There are a myriad of benefits from yoga. It can’t be emphasized enough: Always begin with a moderate yoga regimen – not high intensity exercise – and always get pre-approval from your fertility specialist. Look: Too much high intensity yoga or other exercise has been shown to hinder successful pregnancy outcomes.

You will discover a love for restorative or Yin style yoga practices that will nourish your mind and body while alleviating the stress associated with IVF treatment.

Warning: Avoid practicing high intensity yoga, such as:

Ashtanga
Power
Vinyasa
Hot Yoga

Yoga is easily adaptable to your lifestyle choices. If you have been practicing high intensity yoga methods – pump your brakes and adapt to a more moderate routine.

Remember: Your body will be working hard to produce healthy eggs and make a baby.

Soft Yoga Routine
Medium to Low Intensity
Nourishing Yoga Routine

drjohnzhang, February 8, 2018. No Comments. Category: IVF Yoga.

How Low Dosages of Fertility Medications Work in a Mini-IVF™ Protocol

My revolutionary Mini-IVF™ can increase your chances of pregnancy without the need for large dosages of costly fertility medications. Why does this matter? No longer do you need to produce an excessive number of eggs to achieve a successful pregnancy. Here’s the deal: The goal with a Mini-IVF™ protocol is to produce between 3 and 5 quality eggs per fresh cycle. The best part: Pregnancy success rates for Mini-IVF™ are comparable to Conventional IVF.

Mini-IVF™ Overview

Because lower dosages of fertility medications are prescribed to only produce 3 to 5 high quality eggs, the patient’s cost per Mini-IVF™ cycle is reduced. Bottom Line: The patient’s physical discomfort is lessened because her body is not forced into producing the typical 10 to 15 eggs reached in a Conventional IVF cycle.

Look: The Mini-IVF™ protocol in a nutshell.

A fertility medication regimen to produce 3 to 5 quality eggs
Cycle monitoring through ultrasound imaging and blood tests
Surgical egg retrieval
Fertilization of egg and sperm in vitro via (ICSI)
Culture and monitoring of embryo(s) via EmbryoScope technology
Grading and selection of quality embryo(s) for fresh transfer and/or future (FET)
Single Embryo Transfer (SET)

Candidates for Mini-IVF™

Mini-IVF™ is the best treatment protocol for those women who have been:

Diagnosed with blocked or damaged Fallopian tubes
Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Diagnosed as having a risk of developing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS)
Diagnosed with a low ovarian reserve
Diagnosed with cancer and are about to undergo treatment

drjohnzhang, February 6, 2018. No Comments. Category: Mini-IVF.

How to Up Your Pregnancy Chances With Natural Cycle IVF

A woman’s monthly, natural egg is the very best. This is why women are no longer required to undergo a painful regimen of self-administered fertility medication injections in order to get pregnant with the help of IVF. Look: Our Natural Cycle IVF™ – is a celebrated holistic IVF protocol. A woman in her prime reproductive years has as 26 percent chance of getting pregnant with the one natural egg her body produces each month. The best part? The Natural Cycle IVF™ ups a woman’s chances of getting pregnant and is almost completely drug-free – compared to Conventional IVF and Mini-IVF™.

Natural Cycle IVF™

Your body may need only a little coaxing to achieve a pregnancy with the one high quality egg you produce during your monthly cycle. Natural Cycle IVF™ is a holistic IVF protocol offering women the opportunity to avoid the health risks and expense of high dosages of fertility medications. The trepidation and pain of daily injections are virtually eliminated.

One Good Egg Policy

Our Policy: It only takes one good egg to have a healthy baby. IVF treatment plans are designed to focus on producing high quality eggs – not a large quantity of eggs. When multiple eggs are produced, many are not suitable for fertilization in vitro. Plus, treatment can be very difficult for patients – physically and financially. Why is this important? Healthy, quality eggs achieve high IVF success rates for even those difficult patients who have been turned away from treatment at other fertility clinics.

How Natural Cycle IVF™ Works

As a woman’s natural cycle begins, the doctor will monitor the growth of her natural egg through regular ultrasound imaging and blood tests.
Once her natural egg has reached a prime stage of development, an ovulation trigger medication – hCG – will be self-administered by the patient at a designated time
On a scheduled date, the egg will be surgically retrieved in an outpatient procedure while the patient is under general anesthesia
After surgical retrieval, the egg will be fertilized in vitro through a procedure known as Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
ICSI is an ancillary IVF procedure in which one quality sperm is directly injected into the woman’s natural egg
Once a high quality embryo has cultured in vitro to a prime stage of development – it will then be transferred to the woman’s uterus via a thin catheter – similar to a Pap smear procedure
A pregnancy test is scheduled in approximately two weeks

drjohnzhang, February 1, 2018. No Comments. Category: Natural Cycle IVF.