Leveling with patients about the risks of ART

Be frank about the real and potential complications when counseling patients considering assisted reproductive technologies. The list includes the link between multiple gestations and preterm delivery, the possibility of ectopic pregnancies or malformations—and much more.

Controversies in OB/GYN: Should all varicoceles be repaired?

Dr. Chan argues that repairing all clinically significant varicoceles can at least enhance semen parameters—and at best might enhance fertility. Dr. Schiff, on the other hand, says repair only those of men to benefit the most.

Metformin for infertility in PCOS: Going, going, gone

Clomiphene is still the first choice to treat infertility and the gold standard for women with PCOS, argues this expert. He critiques research that suggests metformin is superior and discusses the reason two key trials yielded such starkly different results.

The future of PGD: Should we be screening all of the chromosomes?

To most accurately detect abnormalities, all chromosomes have to be evaluated. And the day is not far off when our best hope for doing so—comparative genomic hybridization (CGH)—microarrays for PGD—will be widely available.

Controversies in OB/GYN: Is single embryo transfer okay in women under 38 undergoing their first IVF cycle?

Dr. Bergh believes single embryo transfer can yield satisfactory delivery rates—but at a price, while Dr. Grainer says we should consider several serious scientific and ethical flaws.

Clinician to Clinician: Shared donor IVF

In vitro fertilization (IVF) ignited a revolution in infertility treatment.

Ovarian aging: Is there a "norm"?

Some women appear to have a gradual, yet premature, decline in ovarian function that is distinct from ovarian failure. In the author's experience, there is hope for successful pregnancy in these cases, with quick and correct diagnosis and the right treatment.

Sign Out: The politics of adolescent health

Oocyte freezing: Is it ready for prime time?

In a recent issue of Lancet, researchers reported on one of the first successful cases in which ovarian tissue that had been removed and frozen before a patient underwent cancer chemotherapy was later re-implanted and led to a successful pregnancy.