A Baby at Last!: The Couple's Complete Guide to Getting Pregnant--from Cutting-Edge Treatments to Commonsense Wisdom

First Chapter

A Baby at Last!

Fireside

Introduction

Everyone seems to know someone who has a fertility problem, because infertility is really that pervasive. It's talked about more openly now, and new developments make headlines on the evening news and the covers of celebrity magazines. People chat on social-networking Web sites about their infertility. You may hear about a new procedure via an article you found on the Web or from others experiencing the same thing you
are going through. You talk about the kinds of tests and treatments you receive and what combinations of drugs you are on. You are determined to find a way to have a baby.

Our program, honed over the last twenty years at Weill Cornell Medical Center, one of the top fertility clinics in the world, offers an approach to patient care that brings together all of the services that couples may need. What's different about us is our balanced approach to fertility treatments. We look not just at the female or just the male, but at you together as a couple. Whatever the problem may be, it is worked up, uncovered, and dealt with. Certain clues lead to male or female problems; we know how to recognize those clues.

Our couples-based fertility approach is surprisingly unique—and remarkably effective. Half of all women under age 35 going through one in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle at Weill Cornell take home a baby. The Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility, run by Dr. Zen Rosenwaks, offers the most advanced fertility services you might need. The Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery, run by Dr. Marc Goldstein, was the first male infertility center established at a university medical center to collaborate with a comprehensive IVF program. To ensure that both women and men have access to the widest possible range of superior services, the two centers have joined to establish the Cornell Institute for Reproductive Medicine. Even if you can't get an appointment with us here at our clinic, we'll show you how to learn from our processes and achieve your dream—a baby at last.

We also run an intensive program of clinical and scientific research that has furthered the understanding of human reproduction and, most significantly, culminated in innovative ways to optimize fertility treatments. These cutting-edge clinical and technological capabilities, paired with our emphasis on treatment tailored to your individual, specific needs, have contributed to our success rates.

Dr. Rosenwaks is internationally known for his pioneering work in assisted reproduction. He was the director of the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Virginia, the unit that achieved the first IVF pregnancy in the United States. He also developed the first egg donation program in the United States. Dr. Rosenwaks and his team of female fertility specialists have helped more couples have babies through assisted reproduction than any other center in the country, and they have consistently achieved among the highest success rates in the world.

Dr. Goldstein is internationally renowned for his pioneering work in vasectomy reversals and microsurgical repair of varicoceles (varicose veins in the scrotum) and blockages. He developed a microsurgical technique of varicocele removal in 1984 and he was the first American surgeon to be trained in and perform the Chinese method of no-scalpel vasectomy.

For this book, we have relied upon the expertise of members of our fertility teams, who are among the most experienced and accomplished medical professionals in their fields, including specialists in reproductive endocrinology, reproductive urology, embryology, andrology, immunology, gynecology, and other related areas.

A Baby At Last! grew out of our closely associated clinical fertility practices at Weill Cornell, where, once a month, we hold combined malefertility/female-fertility conferences to discuss our patients. Now we have put down on paper our expertise in a readable format for all couples facing infertility. The book shows, step by step, how we diagnose and treat the couples who come to us. If a couple is willing to take advantage of everything revealed in the book, from lifestyle changes to hormone treatments to surgery to state-of-the-art assisted reproductive technologies, it is likely that their infertility problem will resolve. And because infertility can affect couples in many ways, we offer advice on the emotional aspects of care, so you can better understand your treatment every step of the way.

In the book, we explain the most up-to-date therapies, many of them devised and perfected by Weill Cornell doctors. The book reflects our fertility practice by emphasizing the importance of evaluating and treating the couple together, not just the female or the male partner.

We break down the intricate science of what we do into simple language. Our own patients provide their stories in their own words of what it's like to go through what is often a rollercoaster ride of fertility treatments. In addition to introducing you to our successful fertility program, we also show you how to search fertility databases and compare programs and how to sort out what's on the Internet.

At the end of each chapter, we provide you with a short list of “Take Home Messages” to summarize what you've just learned. And at the end of most chapters you'll find new, still-experimental information that may be of interest in the near future.

Maybe you can't come to New York to consult with us directly. That's why we wrote this book: to offer you the information that has become known to the thousands of our patients who have had babies. Couples who follow the book's advice, along with their own doctor's help, can achieve the same amazing results we see every day in our own practices.

Reproductive medicine is an exciting, innovative field. Nothing is more rewarding to us than seeing our patients' dreams come true. Our goal in A Baby At Last! is to present to you the most effective, safest fertility treatments available—both the cutting-edge science and the surprisingly simple techniques. Then you and your doctors can tailor these treatments to meet your needs. We hope that you will find the information, insights, and specific treatments in the book that will help you comfortably complete your family and achieve your goal of having a baby at last.

© 2010 Zev Rosenwaks M.D.

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Excerpted from A Baby at Last! by Zev Rosenwaks Copyright © 2010 by Zev Rosenwaks. Excerpted by permission.
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