The Victory Lap
We had 2 very special visitors in our office today. The first was a beautiful 4 month old girl with wavy black hair, long elegant fingers and the biggest, most beautiful eyes you could ever imagine. The second was an 8 day old boy with cheeks so chubby that they hung almost to his shoulders and a toothless smile (even while sleeping) that triggered a coordinated “oooooooohhhhh” by all the adults hovering above his stroller.
These babies, which were the products of love, perseverance and a little touch of in vitro fertilization (IVF), bore no resemblance to the microscopic embryos from which they arose. However, knowing that these beautiful babies started as sperm and egg in our laboratory is both humbling and exhilarating! Additionally, the profound satisfaction and happiness emanating from the (sleep deprived) parent’s face is uniquely edifying.
These two aspects of fertility medicine, the hi-tech science of IVF and the basic human gratification from helping people, form the foundation on which our practice is built. While hi technology and basic human interaction are not commonly thought of together, at the Center for Fertility and Gynecology, we feel that their union leads to the perfect environment for fertility care.
An example of this is our use of PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis). PGD is a complex, highly technical procedure where a small amount of genetic material from an embryo is extracted and analyzed before that embryo is placed into the uterus. This technology is used to avoid certain genetic disease such as cystic fibrosis as well as in family balancing (gender selection) and chromosomal screening.
Years of training, multiple degrees, ongoing certifications and impeccable success rates are ensure our technical prowess in such complex endeavors, but our honed interpersonal skills permit the appropriate application of such powerful technology. This is important because not everyone should use PGD. Further, for those who do pursue PGD, decision making based on the results can be as much art as it is science. Therefore, hi-technology and basic communication are both needed to achieve success.
If you have questions about fertility treatment or our practice philosophy, feel free to contact us we are happy to speak with you.