Foreword by Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. David Smotrich
I met Chantal Caviness relatively late in her infertility journey. She came to me as a patient who had lost a baby conceived through IVF, and after complications related to her loss, found that she was unable to carry a baby. She tried IVF twice with one surrogate and changed surrogates to somebody who had carried twins for two other couples in the past. Faced with uncertainty as to why the first two surrogate IVF cycles did not work, she and her husband chose to have their embryos tested with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for their third cycle. Now, three years later, she is the mother of twins conceived through that final cycle.
She is also the co-author of The Infertility Assistant, an important new tool to help women and couples struggling with their own reproductive challenges. As a reproductive endocrinologist, I care for people who are negotiating complex infertility issues during emotionally trying times. They often come to me, as did Chantal, after previous experiences with infertility tests and treatments. It can be difficult and stressful for them to remember where all their tests were completed and even more difficult to remember the details of how the tests were performed and the results of those tests. The Infertility Assistant will help patients document many of the important details and decrease the burden on them to remember everything. Moreover, it will help them take control of their infertility-related information. I welcome Chantal’s book, The Infertility Assistant and the opportunity it provides to help people as they journey through fertility treatments to parenthood.
David Smotrich, M.D.
La Jolla IVF
La Jolla, California
Foreword by Drs. Kelly E. Wilson and Monica Roberson
As Ob-Gyn doctors in a busy clinical practice, we frequently see patients experiencing problems becoming pregnant. For some of these patients, the solution may be as simple as making lifestyle changes or keeping closer track of their cycles. For some others, it may be due to problems such as polycystic ovarian syndrome that we can diagnose and treat. However, there are other patients that must be referred for more in-depth diagnostic testing and sometimes accompanying high-tech therapeutic procedures requiring the expertise of an infertility specialist. When patients receive this news, they often experience anxiety and uncertainty about their future prospects for becoming pregnant.
The Infertility Assistant is a new resource to help these patients make the difficult journey from infertility to pregnancy. The information and flowcharts about specific infertility causes and treatments makes the process more understandable and manageable. The fertility health assessment and recording forms provide a structured format for patients to collect and organize the medical information needed by infertility specialists, facilitating open communication between doctor and patient and assisting coordination of efforts between health care providers. References for infertility support groups and tips for insurance coverage, financing, diet and medications are also provided. The Infertility Assistant is a welcome and much needed resource for our patients and our practice.
Houston OB/GYN
Dr. Kelly E. Wilson, MD, F.A.C.O.G
Dr. Monica Roberson, MD, F.A.C.O.G
Forewords
