Blog by Rhonda Levy - your fertility consultant

Why I Believe in Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS)

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

In a high quality fertility clinic, the most common reason why in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles fail is because the transferred embryos were aneuploid (chromosomally abnormal). The likelihood that this is the failure’s cause increases dramatically with the female partner’s age.

However, when a patient does IVF without pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGS) and the cycle fails, it is impossible for the physician to offer a precise reason for the cycle’s failure and, any reason offered is, in reality, speculation. Many of my clients have expressed frustration in response to their physicians’ inability to explain why their IVF cycles have failed. Read More

“How One of My Dearest Friends Told Me She Was Pregnant”: New Blog Post on “Own the Process With Empowered IVF™” on Fertility Authority

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

Check out my new post on my blog on Fertility Authority, Own the Process With Empowered IVF™:”How One of My Dearest Friends Told Me She Was Pregnant” http://www.fertilityauthority.com/blog/rhonda-levy/2014/3/27/how-one-my-dearest-friends-told-me-she-was-pregnant

Still Not Pregnant? Time For a Second Opinion!

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

Knowing When the Time is Right

If you’ve been a patient at a fertility clinic for some time and have not yet become pregnant, it is likely time for you to get a second opinion. Fertility clinics diverge in their cultures and attitudes, their approaches to treatment, and their ability to help patients achieve their goal of becoming parents. Changing your focus can often mean the difference between whether you will or will not have a baby.

Remember That You Have a Professional Relationship With Your Doctor

That said, if you are feeling reluctant, I can understand why. Many of the fertility doctors I know are kind, compassionate and sincere people who are deeply invested in helping their patients become parents. You may feel a strong sense of gratitude for the care and devotion you have received and not want to seem ungrateful for the efforts that have been made on your behalf. I sympathize completely, but you must not lose sight of the fact that your relationship with your doctor is a professional one. It is important that you not allow a fear of “insulting” your doctor prevent you from owning the process and taking “smart” steps in your quest to form your family. The stakes are high and this must remain at the forefront of your decision-making process at all times. Read More

New Blog Post on Own the Process With Empowered IVF™

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

Check out my new post on my blog on Fertility Authority, Own the Process With Empowered IVF™: “It is Virtually Impossible to Interpret Fertility Clinic Success Rates”: http://www.fertilityauthority.com/blog/rhonda-levy/2014/3/20/it-virtually-impossible-interpret-fertility-clinic-success-rates

Why I Felt Oddly Proud & Lucky When I Used IVF to Build my Family

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

When I used IVF to build my family I felt oddly proud and lucky; proud that while having a baby was so easy (and fun) for most others, I was willing to endure the needles, blood draws and stirrups to have a baby if I had to; proud that I would not (could not) give up until I did; lucky that although I did not have insurance coverage for IVF, I was able to find a way to pay for 5 IVFs (believe me, it was not easy); and lucky that I had (and still have) a husband who felt with every cell in his body believed that any challenge we faced in life was a challenge we would face together.

In fact, more than 18 years later I still feel so proud that I talk about how I had my children with pretty much anyone who will listen, although I am careful to ensure that my disclosures are appropriate in terms audience, time and place. Often this has led to an opportunity to help my social companion, his or her family member, friend or co-worker. Read More

Empowered IVF™’s Rhonda Levy Featured Blogger at Fertility Authority

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

We are pleased to announce Rhonda Levy is a featured blogger at Fertility Authority. Her blog, Own the Process with Empowered IVF™, is now live and the first post “5 Vitally Important Things to Know About Using a U.S. Surrogate” is available here.

In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) With Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) Helps Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Patients Reduce Risk of Additional Miscarriages

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

The world of reproductive medicine has always been filled with conflicting opinions and fascinating debate. One debate that is at the forefront at the moment relates to the subject of pre-implantation genetic screening, also referred to as PGS. PGS involves the analysis of cells of the embryo to ensure that the embryo has 46 chromosomes and not a different number. It was developed to enable embryologists to identify chromosomally normal (euploid) embryos for uterine transfer in an IVF cycle because only they can become healthy babies.

Points of view vary clinic to clinic about the appropriate usage of PGS in the IVF process. The lack of a consistent viewpoint has been a source of stress, complicating the decision-making process for the patient using IVF, which is already fraught with anxiety. Read More

“Gay Surrogacy” Helps Gay Men Satisfy Their Desire For a Child With a Genetic Link

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

When a gay couple or a single gay man turns to a gestational carrier and egg donor to form a family via a process that has become known as “gay surrogacy“, they are coming from a place that is dramatically different from that of straight couples who might also turn to third parties for help with reproduction. Typically, the straight couple has experienced a long and heartbreaking struggle to conceive, first in the bedroom and then at a fertility clinic where they hoped to be able to use the woman’s own eggs and uterus. They have found themselves in “the land of the infertile”, a place they never wanted to be. Their journey has been long, painful and filled with a series of crushing disappointments. If they have decided to create their baby with the eggs and/or uterus of another women, they have first been through a difficult internal process that generally includes grieving over their need to rely on a third party. The gestational carrier and/or egg donor represent the only way left for them to have a baby and, once they turn the corner to acceptance, they feel grateful for the women whose generous sacrifices ensure that the option exists. Read More

14 Facts Everyone Considering IVF Should Know About Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS)

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

I thought I would share with you 14 important facts about Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS), also sometimes referred to as Comprehensive Chromosome Screening (CCS), a new and important technology that has revolutionized the world of IVF. Every patient considering IVF should have PGS on their radar screen, so please take my (virtual) hand and let me walk you through it. Read More

Does Your Surrogacy Agency Conduct a Home Visit As Part of Its Screening Process?

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Rhonda Levy

One thing to think about when selecting a surrogacy agency is whether, as part of its screening process, the agency pays a visit to the home of a potential surrogate, at a time when her family, and any others living there, are also present. Some agencies do not conduct home visits as part of their screening process. In fact, some never have a physical meeting with their surrogates before matching them with Intended Parents, and interact with them and others in their lives by phone or Skype. Some agencies do meet with their surrogates and her husband or partner face-to-face prior to matching them, but the meetings take place in the agency’s office rather than in the surrogates’ homes. Unfortunately, some surrogacy agencies never speak with their surrogates as part of their screening process, and rely exclusively on applications that have been submitted online.

The purpose of a home visit is to reassure Intended Parents that the surrogate, who will be carrying their baby in her residence, lives in a home and in a neighbourhood that is clean, safe and stable. The home visit also gives the surrogate’s family, who will experience the surrogacy together with her, a chance to ask questions, in person, of a professional with deep knowledge of the process. Read More