Sher Geoffrey - In vitro fertilization: the A.R.T. of making babies (assisted reproductive technology)

The A.R.T. of Making Babies

(Assisted Reproductive Technology)

Fourth Edition

Geoffrey Sher, MD

Virginia Marriage Davis, RN, MN

Jean Stoess, MA

Skyhorse Publishing

Copyright 2013 by Geoffrey Sher, MD, Virginia Marriage Davis, RN, MN, and Jean Stoess, MA

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file

ISBN: 978-1-62087-606-0

Text design adapted by James Scotto-Lavino

Cover design by Owen Corrigan

Illustrations by Marc Greene and Dale Williams

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to all of the brave, strong
couples who, despite enduring difficult struggles, still believe
in the possibility of parenthood.

I t is my privilege to write a few words and introduce the 4th edition of In Vitro Fertilization: The A.R.T of Making Babies by Dr. Geoffrey Sher.

I have known Dr. Sher the past forty-five years. He has always had a particular interest and commitment to the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.

Early on, Dr. Sher had extensive experience with the use of human menopausal gonadotropin therapy. It is thus no surprise that the advent of in vitro fertilization was accompanied by Dr. Sher being amongst those with the highest success rates in the United States.

When the work of Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edward resulted in the first pregnancy due to in vitro fertilization, Dr. Sher, accompanied by two highly experienced cellular biologists, went to learn firsthand the basic laboratory techniques and the clinical management of this process.

From the beginning Dr. Sher has always been committed to ensuring scientific quality and accountability in the field of in vitro fertilization. If considered controversial, it is because he has always chosen to seek the scientific truth in the interests of benefiting the patient. He has consistently chosen science over politics. His attitude is refreshing, for when politics trumps science in medicine, the only one who suffers is the patient.

This book provides insight for those who seek and need in vitro fertilization. It illustrates step-by-step information and a detailed account of what to expect in the process of in vitro fertilization.

Chapters on preimplantation genetic diagnosis to ensure the highest quality of embryos and the description of cutting-edge methods for egg/ embryo genetic analysis and freezing are illuminating.

Particular attention should be paid to the section on Reproductive Immunology. It remains an area of controversy where general medical politics has trumped the science at this time. This is particularly important for the patient who has had two or three failures at in vitro fertilization despite the presence of healthy embryos. Measuring the scientific parameters of immunological causes enables us to achieve a diagnosis and to treat it appropriately.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book for patients who seek knowledge in the field of in vitro fertilization. I am sure it will provide much positive detailed information empowering the patient to ask the correct questions and to ensure that they find the right program to optimize their treatment.

Such knowledge should facilitate patients getting the most up-to-date and adequate care and hopefully a positive result...the child they so earnestly desire.

Brian M. Cohen, MBChB, MD (Post Doctoral)

Clinical Professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX

Director, Cohen Center, P.A., Dallas, TX

D esigner egg auctions, cloning, and test-tube babies are all hot topics used by the media to fuel the controversial fires surrounding infertility treatment options. More than 5 million couples are faced with the prospect of navigating and filtering a colossal maze of information and misinformation in order to successfully build their families. This winding road to family can be extremely lonely, physically demanding, and emotionally draining. Dr. Geoffrey Sher is a cool oasis and a breath of fresh air for couples embarking on this exhausting journey.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher, executive medical director of Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine, practicing in Las Vegas, Nevada, and St. Louis, Missouri, is one of a kind. He is entrepreneurial, energetic, passionate, and compassionate in his approach to both the science and medical aspects of reproductive medicine. Dr. Shers book, In Vitro Fertilization: The A.R.T. of Making Babies, is a beacon and road map for those plotting their treatment course.

In Vitro Fertilization: The A.R.T. of Making Babies empowers the individual with reliable information, in down-to-earth language. Shers forward-thinking and frank dialogue tackles difficult and controversial topics with honesty and integrity. Together the authors further the idea that working in tandem with ones physician to build a family should be the rulenot the exception.

Over the last 20 years, I have been an advocate, educator, a patient, a consumer, and, finally, after years of navigating the infertility labyrinth, a parent twice blessed. I am a survivor of many infertility battles and the cofounder and executive director of the InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination, Inc. (INCIIDpronounced inside), the worlds largest infertility advocacy organization. Ive worked along side some of the leading names in the field of reproductive medicine. Yet there is none I am more honored to call friend and colleague than Geoffrey Sher, MD; a man of many talents, who has a clear vision for the future.

Nancy Hemenway

Executive Director

International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination (INCIID)

www.INCIID.org

Innovators are rarely received with joy, and established authorities launch into condemnation of newer truths; for at every crossroad to the future are a thousand self-appointed guardians of the past

Betty MacQuitty, Victory Over Pain: Mortons
Discovery of Anesthesia

I n vitro fertilization (IVF) has come a long way since 1978, when Louise Brown, christened the worlds first test-tube baby by the press, was born in England. The first in vitro fertilization program in the United States was introduced at the Eastern Virginia Medical School at Norfolk in the late 1970s. Now, more than 400 clinics throughout the United States offer IVF, with varying degrees of reported success.

In vitro fertilization literally means fertilization in glass. Traditionally known as in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF/ET), the procedure is more commonly referred to simply as in vitro fertilization, or IVF. (The term