If you’re like millions of Americans, your weight is something you often think about and try to manage in a healthful, smart way.  If you’ve been diagnosed with infertility, it should be noted that there is an ever-increasing understanding of the correlation between obesity and infertility.

It has been shown that obesity is a risk factor for ovulatory problems.  There have also been studies examining the relationship between body weight and infertility in women who regularly ovulate.

Severely obese study participants were 43% less likely to conceive than their normal-weight or not-severely-obese counterparts. (The referenced study was conducted by researcher Jan Willem van der Steeg, MD, of Amsterdam’s Academic Medical Center.  He followed 3029 couples who were experiencing difficulty conceiving.)

As measured by the BMI, a 5-foot 6-inch woman who weighs 115 to 154 pounds is considered normal weight (BMI of 18.5 to 24.9). If she weighs between 155 to 185 pounds she is considered overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9), and she would be considered obese at a weight of 186 or more (BMI of 30+).

Reproductive endocrinologist William Dodson, MD, says that it is increasingly clear that the role of obesity in reproduction is more complex than was once thought. ”We thought that if a woman’s obesity was not affecting her ovulatory function, her fertility would be similar to a normal-weight woman’s. But this does not appear to be true.”

Dodson’s own recent research at the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine confirmed that obese women undergoing infertility treatments needed higher doses of infertility drugs than normal-weight or overweight women.

Like the published van der Steeg study, all the women in the Penn State study had normal ovarian function.  It can be concluded that obesity is a risk factor for infertility in women with regular menstrual cycles, much like smoking, advanced age and alcohol use.  A thorough health history and medical evaluation will be performed prior to any treatment recommendations by our staff at RRC. Any concerns about weight and infertility will be addressed at this time!

Last Saturday was the 3rd annual Family Building Conference, put on so beautifully by the talented ladies at Kansas City Infertility Awareness Foundation. RRC was thrilled to once again be a presenting sponsor.  Dr. Celeste Brabec was a keynote speaker and there were over 200 people in attendance at the conference!  Attendees were treated to a first-class affair and left with lots of valuable information.  It was another well-organized event and the KCIA team did a terrific job in providing the community with great information, support and lots of great giveaways!

RRC was pleased to give away two free consultations, a massage, and a gift basket from Bath and Body Works.  Thanks again to KCIA and to all who attended.  It wouldn’t be a success without YOU!

National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW) is a movement that began in 1989. We are in the midst of the 2013 NIAW, which is April 21-27.  The goal of NIAW is to raise awareness about the disease of infertility and encourage the public to understand and advocate for their reproductive health.

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association founded this movement and continues to work with the professional family building community, corporate partners, and the media to:

1. ensure that people trying to conceive know the guidelines for seeing a specialist when they are trying to conceive.
2. enhance public understanding that infertility is a disease that needs and deserves attention.
3. educate legislators about the disease of infertility and how it impacts people in their state.

In 2010 National Infertility Awareness Week became a federally recognized health observance by the Department of Health and Human Services.

On a more local, KC-area level, the timing of the 3rd annual Family Building Conference is perfect! Warm weather and lots of friendly faces are in store, as well as a keynote address by RRC’s Dr. Celeste Brabec.  A few spots remain, so please join us on Saturday, April 27!

Professor Sir Robert Edwards (left) with Louise Brown (right) and her mother Lesley Brown in 2008

Sir Robert Edwards, the IVF pioneer whose work led to the world’s first “test tube baby” has died at the age of 87.  Dr. Edwards was a great scientist whose stellar scientific work advanced our understanding of human reproduction, human embryonic stem cells, advanced pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and revolutionized the treatment of infertility.

The Nobel Prize-winning scientist worked with Dr. Patrick Steptoe to bring about the birth of Louise Brown in 1978. She was born in Great Britain and was the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization.

Born in Yorkshire in 1925 into a working-class family, Dr. Edwards served in the British army during World War II before returning home to study first agricultural sciences and then animal genetics.

Building on earlier research, which showed that egg cells from rabbits could be fertilized in test tubes when sperm was added, Edwards developed the same technique for humans.  In a laboratory at Cambridge in 1968, he first saw life created outside the womb in the form of a human blastocyst, an embryo that has developed for five to six days after fertilization.

“I’ll never forget the day I looked down the microscope and saw something funny in the cultures,” Edwards once recalled.”I looked down the microscope and what I saw was a human blastocyst gazing up at me. I thought, ‘We’ve done it’.”

*information and image courtesy of BBC / AFP /Getty

What follows is page one from the latest newsletter brought to you by the ladies at KCIA:  Kansas City Infertility Awareness.  April 27 is right around the corner and there are still spaces available.  If you’re considering attending, you might find the two testimonials (found in the newsletter) from previous attendees to be helpful.

Allison, Nicolle, Meagan, Tami, Jenny, Jaclyn, Angie, and Michelle from KCIA have done another excellent job in planning this year’s (#3!) conference.  Dr. Celeste Brabec, Medical Director at RRC, is pleased to be a physician presenter again this year.  Please come and say hello!  Feel free to pass the conference info on to any family or friends who may be interested.  See you in a few weeks!

Surrogacy is seldom the first choice on the journey to build a family. Often people come to surrogacy after trying and exhausting other options such as intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF) and gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT). In some cases medical issues, such as absence of a uterus, impaired uterus, or a chronic health problem, make it impossible or unsafe for the intended mother to carry a child.

Using a surrogate (also referred to as a gestational carrier) can be a medically, legally and emotionally complex issue.  In a nutshell, a surrogate is a female who agrees to become impregnated with your embryo(s) and deliver the baby.

Sharing a pregnancy with a carrier (the woman carrying the child) may be the right option for you if involvement with the pregnancy and prenatal care, genetics and being present for the birth of your child are important.  A surrogate affords you the opportunity to parent a child bearing your DNA.  The surrogate will become impregnated with a embryo created from the female partner’s egg and the male’s sperm.  The surrogate’s DNA would NOT contribute to the baby’s.

How It Works

Typically, you and your partner will undergo an assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedure such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) to produce an embryo that’s biologically yours. If this isn’t possible because of the nature of your fertility problem, you can also use donor egg(s), donor sperm or donated embryo(s). Your embryo will then go from the lab to the uterus of a gestational carrier, who’ll carry the baby to term. When the child is born, the carrier will turn the baby over to you and sign away her parental rights.  Couple find carriers in a variety of ways:  on the internet, through agencies, through family and friends and even casual acquaintances.

Gestational carrier arrangements are usually set up either as independent adoptions, in states where they’re legal, or more commonly arranged through agencies. Some physicians specialize in working with gestational carriers and can even help you make an arrangement. Most likely (and hopefully), you’ll be involved throughout the pregnancy and even have a say in things such as the carrier’s diet and prenatal care. You’ll also probably pay the carrier’s expenses, from doctor visits to housing, along with additional legal, agency, and service fees if a contract is involved.

As previously mentioned, surrogacy is an expensive, complex, personal and even controversial proposition. There is always the chance the carrier might not respect your wishes during the pregnancy, and she might have a difficult time letting go of the newly-born baby.  Fees vary wildly for the procedure, so it’s incumbent upon the couple to fully understand the laws and the fee structure (medical, legal, agency, carrier fees, etc.) prior to engaging the services of the surrogate and/or agency.

Before deciding to use a surrogate, you (and your partner) should consider the following questions:

• Are you ready to move on from current infertility treatments?
• How do you feel about someone else carrying your child?
• Are both partners ready to do this?
• How will you explain the pregnancy and birth to others and eventually to your child?

It is important that you and the carrier speak to a mental health professional specializing in infertility about these and other concerns. A mental health screening can help ensure that all parties have considered all matters. It will also help to determine if you and your carrier are compatible.

The physicians and staff here at Reproductive Resource Center (RRC) would be happy to discuss surrogacy with you or any other type of ART.  There are many means to an end, and it is our goal to find what’s best for you and help you achieve your dreams!

* image courtesy of davhor / creative commons

If you’ve been to Reproductive Resource Center lately, chances are you’ve had the opportunity to meet Nurse Practitioner, Sarah Tipton.  Sarah recently took time to tell us a little more about herself. Be looking for her- she’s one of the newest members of the RRC team patient care team!

Name: Sarah Tipton

Occupation: Nurse Practitioner and fertility care coordinator

How long have you been employed by Reproductive Resource Center of Kansas City?

about 6 months– since October, 2012

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? I enjoy supporting patients through their journey and seeing families begin and grow from there!

What is your favorite KC restaurant and what is your favorite dish(es) there? Story, in Prairie Village.  The duck empanadas are amazing!

Tell us about your ideal Saturday:  How would you spend it?  Where? First, brunch with my family.  Then, depending on the season, either in the mountains, at a football game, or at the beach!

KC Chiefs or KC Royals? Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds!!

Have you learned any valuable life lessons worth passing on? Foster friendships, tell those close to you that you love them, and the laundry can wait!!

Winter, summer, spring or fall in Kansas City? Fall!

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us, Sarah!  And readers…next time you’re in the RRC office…be looking for Sarah, one of the newest care providers at RRC!

If you were lucky enough to be one of the scores of men and women who attended last year’s Kansas City Infertility Awareness and Family Building Conference, then you know this is a can’t-miss event!  The 3rd Annual Kansas City Infertility Awareness and Family Building Conference will be Saturday, April 27, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

There is a change in venue for this year’s conference, and it will be held at Penn Valley Community College:  Education Center 019.

Street address is 3201 Southwest Trafficway (Kansas City, MO).

According to organizers, this new venue should provide much more space and allow even more couples to take advantage of the great information and fellowship.

This year’s conference will again include several breakout sessions, and each participant may choose to attend two sessions/topics pertinent to your situation and interest.  The ladies from KCIA look forward to unveiling more specific information very soon.  Breakout session topics are as follows:

• Infertility Evaluation and Treatment – What Works, What Doesn’t
• In-Vitro Fertilization and Beyond
• Medical, Social, and Legal Aspects of Embryo Adoption
• Evaluation of the Male Partner
• Opportunities for Adoption
• Faith & Infertility

Like last year, there will be multiple booths set up.  You can collect information and learn about different resources available to you. There will also be giveaways!  Lots of giveaways!

Reproductive Resource Center (RRC) is pleased to once again be a Conference Sponsor.   In addition, our Medical Director, Dr. Celeste Brabec will be one of the featured physician presenters.  We were thrilled to be part of the inaugural year in 2011 and continue to be so impressed with the event that Tami, Allison, Meagan and Nicolle put on each year!  These ladies are hard-working, organized and totally committed to helping the community.  Hats of to each of them.

Registration will continue until maximum capacity has been reached for the venue.

If you’ve been to Reproductive Resource Center lately, chances are you’ve had the opportunity to meet Melissa Hummel.  You’ll find her up front in the office and also counseling patients on the financial aspect of treatment. Melissa recently took time to tell us a little more about herself. Meet Melissa!

Name: Melissa Hummel

Occupation: Front office, Financial Counselor

How long have you been employed by Reproductive Resource Center of Kansas City?

2 months

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? Meeting our patients, listening to their stories and coordinating their benefits with their plan of care.

What is your favorite KC restaurant and what is your favorite dish(es) there? The Arkansas Topper from Jack Stack Barbeque

Tell us about your ideal Saturday:  How would you spend it?  Where? Anywhere outside with my family!  I enjoy going to the park, 4-wheeling, BBQ, picnics, and the zoo!

KC Chiefs or KC Royals? Royals!  (Opening Day isn’t that far away, baseball fans!)

Have you learned any valuable life lessons worth passing on? ”If everything in life was fair, we wouldn’t need foul poles!”– author unknown

Winter, summer, spring or fall in Kansas City? Fall

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us, Melissa!  And readers…next time you’re in the RRC office…be looking for Melissa, one of the newest faces at RRC!