Patient Education

Easy Lifestyle Changes to Help Increase your Fertility

Posted January 28, 2018 by NRM

When you are trying to get pregnant, waiting can be incredibly frustrating. Although it’s normal for the process to take a few months, some couples won’t be able to conceive within a reasonable amount of time because of low fertility or infertility. If you and your partner are struggling to conceive, there are certain lifestyle changes you can make to improve your chances. 1. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can decrease fertility for both men and women. If you are overweight, losing weight may improve your fertility. For women, being underweight can also be problematic. Underweight women should gain weight to Read more »

How To Choose the Right IVF Clinic

Posted January 16, 2018 by NRM

If you are struggling with infertility, you may be ready to consult a reproductive specialist. But how will you know if you’ve selected the right IVF clinic? You have many options for fertility treatment, but you’ll need to carefully examine each practice to find the one where you feel comfortable and that offers the best chance of success. Here are some things to consider when selecting a clinic. IVF Clinic Success Rates Fertility clinics that are members of the Society of Reproductive Technology report pregnancy rates annually. Those statistics are a good place to determine a clinic’s overall outcomes. For example, Read more »

Can Infertility Be Reversed?

Posted December 12, 2017 by NRM

Infertility is quite common, affecting about 15 percent of couples, according to the National Library of Medicine. Fortunately, infertility can sometimes be reversed and women can go on to have babies. In fact, conventional medical therapies can reverse infertility in 85 to 90 percent of all cases. Defining Infertility Doctors will say that a couple is infertile if the couple is unable to become pregnant after a year of trying. A doctor might also say that a woman who gets pregnant but suffers miscarriages or stillbirths is infertile. In about one-third of all cases of infertility, the woman has a problem that prevents Read more »

ICSI vs. IVF

Posted December 8, 2017 by NRM

ICSI and IVF are two scientific processes of fertilization that are similar in some ways and quite different in others. Both procedures help couples struggling with infertility achieve fertilization and expand their families. The two procedures are different, however, in the methods used to achieve this fertilization. In vitro fertilization (IVF) combines eggs and sperm outside the body. Reproductive specialists collect eggs and sperm, known as gametes, from each partner. Then, in a process known as insemination, the embryologists put the gametes together in a special dish and place that dish in a special chamber. The sperm swims around the dish and attempts Read more »

Why choose donor egg IVF? Understanding your options and the process.

Posted November 29, 2017 by NRM

If you are having difficulty conceiving due to diminished ovarian reserve, consider donor IVF to grow your family. Low ovarian reserve refers to the condition where you have a reduced quantity or quality of eggs being released from your ovaries. Donor IVF fertility treatment provides you with an egg donor followed by fertilization in the lab with your partner’s sperm, or donor sperm so that you can then carry the pregnancy. Patients may also opt for the services of a gestational surrogate. How Does Donor In-Vitro Fertilization Work? Donor IVF uses a donated egg (oocyte) to enhance your chances of conception. The donors are Read more »

What Are the Gender Selection Methods?

Posted November 13, 2017 by NRM

For couples planning to have a baby, gender selection may be relevant for medical reasons or for the purpose of family balancing. Gender selection methods may be utilized in these cases. These range from options that can be tried at home and carry a low rate of accuracy to options that can be performed through medical intervention and are much more likely to be successful. Couples who are very serious about having a child of a specific gender will want to address the issue from a medical standpoint for the highest level of success. Reasons for Gender Selection The most common Read more »

How To Boost Infertility Treatment Through Diet Changes

Posted September 21, 2017 by Claire

Can Your Diet Impact the Success of Infertility Treatments? If you are undergoing a fertility treatment, your physician may recommend diet changes to enhance your chances of conceiving. For example, unhealthy carbohydrates found in white bread and bakery items are digested quickly by your body and turned into blood glucose. This forces your pancreas to release excessive amounts of insulin into your bloodstream. Studies show that too much insulin may interfere with normal ovulation. Certain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants contribute to sperm and egg health, helps your body stabilize hormones by providing fats essential for hormone function and production and may reduce Read more »

Is In-Vitro Fertilization Right for You?

Posted June 24, 2017 by NRM

Assisted reproductive technologies have made a great difference for couples who are trying to conceive a pregnancy. Fertility treatment is a complex process, but many different treatments are currently available at our Vermont fertility clinic. Among these is IVF (In vitro fertilization) . Here are the basics about IVF from Northeastern Reproductive Medicine in Colchester, Vermont. All About In Vitro Fertilization The term “in vitro” is literally translated as “in glass.” Essentially, it involves combining eggs and sperm outside the body. This was one of the earliest types of fertility techniques and led to the term test-tube baby (a glass culture plate is actually Read more »

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Pregnancy

Posted March 4, 2017 by NRM

When abnormal hormone levels prevent ovaries from releasing mature eggs, achieving pregnancy may be difficult for women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Hormones affected by PCOS include progesterone, estrogen and androgen. Often there is an imbalance in stimulation hormones to the ovary, inhibiting release of mature eggs. Women with PCOS often experience irregular periods, heavy or light flow periods, acne and/or excess body hair. PCOS treatment methods include dietary changes, exercising regularly and medications for stabilizing menstrual irregularities and limiting hair growth. Women with PCOS may utilize simple treatments to help overcome the hormone imbalance and allow them to Read more »

Breaking news: Egg Freezing has come of age in Vermont!

Posted February 17, 2017 by NRM

Take a peek at these adorable NRM babies: to our knowledge this is the first pregnancy from eggs frozen in Vermont! Fertility clinics have for decades been able to freeze and thaw embryos (an egg fertilized with sperm). Embryos are made up of many cells, and are more robust thus allowing them to survive the freezing and thawing process. Eggs, however, are one single cell full of a large content of water. Eggs are difficult to freeze without destroying the integrity of their DNA, but a new technology called vitrification (a flash-freeze avoiding ice crystal development) has allowed egg freezing to Read more »