Our Blog
At Colorado Reproductive Endocrinology, we are passionate about giving our patients the information they need to determine which treatment options are best for each of them. The CRE doctors’ blog is part of our mission to bring our patients the best and most accurate information about fertility medicine. We aim to answer your questions and share what is newest in infertility treatment.
If you have comments, questions, or topic suggestions for our blog, please contact us.
Saying Goodbye-July 7, 2011
One of the hardest things I do is say goodbye to patients. Even when they are pregnant and heading off to their obstetricians because we have been successful, it’s still hard. So here are some the things I wish I could say and do…Read more
Surrogates and Gestational Carriers- July 1, 2011
“Doctor, do you think I need a surrogate?” I get this question a lot, and the answer is almost always “No, a surrogate is not necessary”…Read more
IUI (Intrauterine inseminations) -May 23, 2011
Intra-uterine inseminations may sound like a scary and invasive procedure, when you doctor first mentions it, but it really isn’t. It is a procedure to put sperm into the uterus and maximize the amount of sperm that gets to the egg, and it is very similar to a PAP smear in procedure and discomfort levels…Read more
Smoking and Fertility- April 22, 2011
We all know that smoking can cause lung cancer, heart disease, and strokes; but many of us still smoke. “You have to die of something” is what I hear a lot from my patients. I am not going to debate the wisdom of that statement here, but let me explain smoking’s impact on both male and female fertility…Read more
Trying to conceive when sex isn’t safe- April 21, 2011
There are many couples in the U.S. who can’t conceive the old fashion way. It isn’t safe. This is because one or the other of them has an infectious disease like Hepatitis or HIV that could be transmitted to their partner. For these couples, having a child of their own seems completely out of reach. They would love to have a family but do not want to risk infecting their partner. That’s where we come in. We can help…Read more
I don’t want to be an Octomom! -April 18, 2011
Having more than one baby at a time (multiple gestations–twins, triplets, etc) is the fear and desire of many couple struggling with infertility. When scientist look at why couple don’t pursue fertility treatments, fear of multiple gestations is one of the leading reasons (the other is fear of the cost–see my previous blog on the cost of fertility treatments)…Read more
What is the cost of infertility treatment?-April 12, 2011
When researchers study why couple don’t seek help for their infertility, they find that fear of the cost is one of the top 2 reasons (the other reason is fear of having multiple babies at once) for not going to see a reproduction specialist. Many couples believe it will take tens of thousands of dollars to get them pregnant…Read more
Cervical Factors to Infertility- March 21, 2011
The cervix is the opening at the bottom of the uterus. It sits at the top of the vagina, and it has a small canal that allow the menstrual blood out of the uterus during a period and allows the sperm into the uterus during intercourse. The canal is filled with mucus, which is made by the cells that line the canal. This mucus is important for conception. It acts as both a reservoir and barrier to sperm…Read more
Surgery with a Robot?!-March 16, 2011
The first time I heard the term robotic surgery, I pictured a surgeon lounging in a chair telling a robot what to do as it operated on a patient. When I tell my patient that I want to do robotic surgery, I can see on their faces that they are picturing a similar scenario. Well, the truth is far from that…Read more
Too Much Patience Is Not a Virtue- March 9, 2011
One of the first questions I ask my patients is “how long have you been trying?” Usually I get answers in the 6 months to 1 1/2 year range. The other day I got the answer “six years”…Read more
Need sperm? March 8, 2011
Sometimes life throws you curve balls. You desperately want a baby, and there is no man in your life or the man you are madly in love with has had a vasectomy. Whatever reason there is for not having a sperm source, you can still conceive with donated sperm…Read more
Happy Socks And The Mind-Body Connection- March 1, 2011
I had a patient come in the other day for the procedure to transfer her embryos back into her uterus as part of her IVF cycle. She had on these brightly-colored socks with smiley faces all over them. I told her that I liked her socks. She told me they make her happy, and so she thought they would be good for this occasion. I thought they were perfect…Read more
Fibroids- February 28, 2011
Today seems to be fibroid day. It’s funny how it goes like that sometimes. I don’t have any discussions about fibroids for days, and then it’s all I do for a day…Read more
Endometriosis- February 27, 2011
Endometriosis is a condition where the same type of cells that grow inside the uterus and come out every month with a period start growing somewhere else. They can grow on ovaries, intestines, bladder, or anywhere in the belly. In very rare cases, they can even grow somewhere outside of the abdomen…Read more
Putting Fallopian Tubes Back Together After a Tubal Ligation- February 25, 2011
Life throws you curve balls sometimes. The decision you made to have your tubes tied was perfectly reasonable at the time. You had no idea what life had in store for you, and now you find yourself wanting another child. Well, you probably have some options…Read more
Tips for Trying to Conceive- February 23, 2011
So far, I’ve blogged about different topics in infertility. Let’s take a step backwards and go over some of the basics in trying to conceive. The most fertile period of a woman’s cycle is right around ovulation. Determining when ovulation takes place is therefore key to getting pregnant…Read more
Do The Right Thing- February 22, 2011
So far, this blog has been about different fertility topics. Today, I need to vent just a little bit. I was raised that you treat others the way that you would want to be treated and that you do the right thing no matter what. I have tried to live my life in this manner, but lately I feel like part of a dying breed. Does anyone else still believe in the Golden Rule?…Read more
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss- February 20, 2011
Recurrent pregnancy loss is defined as 3 or more miscarriages, with or without intervening successful pregnancies. There are many causes of recurrent pregnancy loss. Some can be treated, and others cannot…Read more
Age, Fertility, and Donor Eggs- February 19, 2011
Unfortunately, there really is such a thing as a biological clock. A woman’s fertility is directly linked to the number and quality of the eggs in her ovaries, which declines as we get older. Unlike men, who make new sperm all the time, women were born with all the eggs they are ever going to have…Read more
In Vitro Fertilization- February 17, 2011
IVF is the procedure in which eggs are taken out of the ovaries, fertilized in the lab, and then some of the resulting embryos are placed back into the uterus. It has the best pregnancy rates of all of the fertility treatments…Read more
“Injectables”- February 16, 2011
The term “injectables” refers to a group of fertility medications called gonadotropins. They are given by injection, of course…Read more
Clomid- February 15, 2011
Clomid (or clomiphene citrate) is one of the main fertility medications used in this country. It is a pill, and it is usually given for 5 days near the beginning of the cycle. It’s simple to take and inexpensive…Read more
A Male Side to Infertility- February 14, 2011
When you look at couple having trouble conceiving, about 30% have a female issue, 30% have a male issue, 30% have both male and female issues, and 10% are unexplained…Read more
Blocked Fallopian Tubes- February 13, 2011
Fallopian tubes can become blocked without you knowing or feeling it. Women with blocked tubes still ovulate and get their periods. Although sometimes blocked tubes can cause pain, usually you can’t feel it at all…Read more
Not Ovulating?- February 12, 2011
There are lots of reasons why a woman wouldn’t ovulate, but let’s take a step backwards and try and determine whether you are ovulating or not. If your periods do not come at all, or they are more than 40 days apart, then there is a very good chance that you are not ovulating…Read more
Do I Need to See a Doctor? What will happen if I do?- February 11, 2011
Are you wondering whether it might be time to talk to a doctor about your fertility? Do you know who to talk to? These are questions I get asked a lot. The answers vary depending on your situation…Read more
My Journey Continued: The End- February 8, 2011
I finally got to do my IVF cycle a little over 3 years after I had first started trying to conceive…Read more
My Journey Continued: IVF? Not so fast!- February 7, 2011
IVF (in vitro fertilization or “test-tube baby” procedure) seemed both exciting and scary all at the same time. For the first time, we were going to be able to see the eggs and determine whether the sperm could fertilize them. We would watch the embryos grow and divide and pick the best ones…Read more
My Journey Continued: Injectables!- February 4, 2011
The next step after my surgery was to try an injectable fertility medication. This is either FSH or a combination of FSH and LH, the hormones the pituitary makes to tell the ovaries to mature eggs for ovulation…Read more
My Journey Continued: The Diagnosis- January 24, 2011
When all the testing results were finally back, I sat down with my doctor. He explained that they were all normal. My heart sank. I had been hoping for an easy fix, and that wasn’t to be…Read more
My Journey Continued: The Testing- January 21, 2011
I had a bunch of prescriptions for different testing to be done. This was it–I was on my way. The easiest to get done seemed to be the bloodwork, so I started with that. Unfortunately, as the employee of a large University, I was very limited as to where I could go for bloodwork…Read more
The start of a journey- November 14, 2010
I’ve never blogged before, but I have a unique perspective on fertility problems, so I thought I would try. I have suffered through infertility, and I am a fertility doctor. I’ve seen both sides…Read more
