Should insurance companies cover the expenses of fertility preservation when a young cancer patient is at risk of losing their fertility as a result of their treatment? This is what members of the Michigan delegation asked the American Medical Association (AMA) to support by lobbying for federal legislation that would require insurers to cover fertility preservation when cancer treatments could…
Failed IVF cycle…Now what?
No one likes to consider the possibility of an IVF cycle not resulting in pregnancy. The reality is, however, that at least 30 to 40% of the time it will not be successful. After the emotions settle, it is very important that we sit down and review the treatment cycle to try to learn more from the experience. A failed…
It’s Okay to Seek Help
In light of the recent shooting tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, mental health issues and preventative care should be at the forefront of our concerns. Often, there are warning signs that precede such catastrophic events such as Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and Columbine. Newtown, Connecticut, was in a small, affluent community with very little crime which proves no area…
The IVF Journey of a PREG Employee
I don’t know if most women feel this way, but when I reached “that age” and my friends were starting to have children and I began hearing about people having trouble getting pregnant, I began to worry just a little if that could be me. But then I looked at my family history, which has two sets of natural twins,…
Protecting Your Fertility
In the ten years I’ve spent working in women’s health, I’ve learned to gracefully tiptoe around certain topics. I’ve practiced the dance of speaking truthfully, but gently. Yet no matter how many times I’ve done it, I still nervously anticipate the wince of pain and frustration that immediately appears on a woman’s face when I bring up the subject of…
Moving From Insemination To IVF
What would you be willing to do to have a child? Would you cut back on some things financially to afford the proper treatment? Would you commit to taking shots? Would you undergo a surgical procedure? While you may find it easy to answer “yes” to these questions, most people find it very difficult to actually commit to it by…
A Path to Motherhood
When my husband and I started trying for a baby we were young, healthy and hopeful. Everybody in my family got pregnant. Nobody ever seemed to have trouble. I would be a mama before I knew it. We tried for a year before getting our first positive pregnancy test- on my birthday too! We told everybody. Parents, siblings, friends, stranger…
Designer Babies or Healthy, Loving Families? By Carolyn Keating, Nurse Practitioner
A number of years ago, a couple came into the fertility practice where I worked. They were not infertile and in fact had quite easily conceived a beautiful baby girl. This child was born perfect in every way except one- she carried a lethal genetic defect that began to show symptoms when she was about 3 months of age. They…
PREG In The News
Just in cased you missed it, our fabulous docs here at PREG have been in the news quite a bit lately! Dr. Payne was featured on Fox 21 News discussing diet and male infertility. Dr. Payne was again featured in an article by the South Carolina Medical Association about “White Coat Wednesdays” at the State House. Dr. Nichols spoke to…
From His Side (a guest blog by a counselor who has faced the trials of infertility)
I often find myself looking back to my youth and thinking of what my ideal vision of my future looked like. College, a great job, wife, kids and that nice house with a picket fence. Visions of kids playing in the yard, soccer games and those glorious cookouts with neighbors and friends. Grandma and Grandpa playing with the children on…
