Ask Our Doctors – Archive
Our Medical Directors are outstanding physicians that you will find to be very personable and compassionate, who take care to ensure that you have the most cutting-edge fertility treatments at your disposal. This is your outlet to ask your questions to the doctors.
Dr Sher, is it true that if an older woman (i am 37) has a younger partner that this can be more beneficial for successful conception than if the male sperm is of the same age or older? Does the younger sperm somehow correct or offset the genetic abnormalities in older woman’s eggs? There has been much talk & promotion of this in the media lately – the so-called “cougar effect,” Is there any truth to this? (My partner is 25 and I am 37) Thank you!
That is not so, Natasha. The one does NOT offset the other.
Geoff Sher
Hi Dr Sher, if I trigger when 5 follicles are 18mm+ will the other follicles between 14-17mm likely contain a mature egg?
Follicles <15mm often will contain immature eggs.
Geoff Sher
Is it true that morning sickness is a sign of a strong pregnancy vs a pregnancy with very little Symptoms? I had one pregnancy (which didn’t go to term for reasons i won’t specify, not a miscarriage) and between weeks 6 and 7 the nausea & symptoms had reached very strong levels eg sense of smell, sore breasts, headaches etc. This was followed by a pregnancy soon after which actually included a full period like bleed which lasted 4 days right when a period should have come, I had no other symptoms and felt otherwise unpregnant. Everything just felt kinda wrong & very different from previously. It ended in a miscarriage at 7 weeks. Do you believe that chromosomally normal embryos lead to pregnancies with more symptoms than abnormal embryos? I have read that morning sickeness is actually a good healthy sign. Is this true in your experience?
Not so Ebony. The severity of the nausea and pregnancy symptoms is subjective, except that with multiple pregnancy (twins+) or hydatidiform molar pregnancy they are almost always much exaggerated.
Geoff Sher
Dear Dr Sher,
Does premature luetinization occur with all high increases in LH? For instance if LH is 18 and progestrone has not gone up and testesterone level is normal, is it still premature luetinization?
Not in all cases but indeed in most. Usually when this happens, the LH has been elevated for several days in advance of ER and the blood estrogen will drop by =about 20%+ over 24 hours or so, in advance of the trigger.
Geoff Sher
Dear Dr. Sher, I appreciate your expertise and precise approach to each patients’ individual challenges. I am 42, amh .16, and recently had a 3rd egg retrieval for banking. This cycle was unsuccessful with 0/4 eggs fertilized. Doctor said 2 eggs degenerated during ICSI and also mentioned were difficult to aspirate. Doesn’t this have to do with protocol causing poor egg quality and late retrieval?
My first cycle was best and produced one 5 day blast graded good. Second cycle resulted in one 6 day fair blast. Shouldn’t cycles get better not worse because the doctor has more knowledge? I believe my dosages were too high as they were increased this last cycle, as well, I think my HCG was a day late. My first cycle I was triggered on day 9.
I plan to send the 2 embryos out for genetic testing and see if either are normal for transfer.
Thank you in advance for any insight about what may have caused this.