Holidays, including child-focused traditions associated with Christmas and Hanukkah, Easter and Halloween, can exacerbate the sadness, stress and isolation of a dream deferred, and another negative pregnancy test.

Making it through Mother’s Day

In the days leading up to Mother’s Day, take time to nurture and reward yourself for the steps you are taking to become a mother! You may want to avoid family gatherings that call attention to your plight, and instead make plans that involve your favorite pastimes or activities.

Dr. Dan Gehlbach, a fertility specialist, and the team at Midwest Reproductive Center devote themselves to helping couples overcome the disease of infertility. As part of that commitment, Midwest Reproductive Center takes proactive steps to educate people about preserving and optimizing their reproductive health.

This past month, Midwest Reproductive Center brought a message of hope to the 2^nd Annual Kansas City Infertility Awareness & Family Building Conference and “All About Us” event celebrating women’s health. The fertility clinic also hosts educational seminars and provides useful resources to couples undergoing infertility treatment.

Encouraging Words from a Fertility Doctor

“We are passionate about educating couples about their options when faced with infertility,” says Dr. Gehlbach. “Many people are surprised to learn that 80% of those who see a fertility specialist go on to conceive a child, and only a very small percentage require advanced treatment such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF).”

Midwest Reproductive wants you to know this: Your Mother’s Day will come. Infertility requires great effort, patience and perseverance … all good qualities in a mom. The extra, or even extraordinary, steps you take to conceive will make an impact for generations to come.

Contact us at Midwest Reproductive Center to find out more about infertility testing, diagnosis and treatment. We are here to help.

Conservative estimates suggest that 1 in 7 couples in the US will face infertility in their reproductive lifetimes. As part of National Infertility Awareness week, April 21 to 28, Dr. Dan Gehlbach is speaking at an infertility conference in Kansas City. Dr. Gehlbach, a reproductive endocrinologist at Midwest Reproductive Center (MRC), wants to support area couples by offering accurate information about infertility treatment.

“Time is of the essence when we are talking about fertility,” Dr. Gehlbach explained. “The sooner you seek treatment, the better your chances are for success.”

On April 28, 2012, The Kansas City Infertility Awareness foundation will sponsor the 2nd Annual Kansas City Infertility Awareness & Family Building Conference. This free event is designed to offer resources for couples and individuals struggling to conceive.

“Education is critical to helping people understand the signs of infertility,” Dr. Gehlbach said. “We also want to explain different therapies that may be available to address these issues.”

Dr. Gehlbach is one of the featured speakers at the conference. He will be discussing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and answering questions about how that treatment works.

IVF is one option for infertile couples

“IVF, in vitro fertilization is one option for infertile couples. At Midwest Reproductive Center, we evaluate each patient and make recommendations according to the specific case. Our goal is to find the least invasive therapy that will produce a successful outcome. ”

Originally from Kansas City, Dr Gehlbach is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist (RE). In addition to completing a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Gehlbach has advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of reproductive disorders.

“We want to make sure that people understand that infertility is a disease, but that it is treatable. About 80 percent of patients who seek help from a fertility specialist achieve the desired results: a healthy baby,” said Dr. Gehlbach.

Melissa and Brad Wecker are one of those success stories. After trying for four years with their obgyn and having no luck, the Weckers began their journey with MRC when Melissa was 36. Dr. Gehlbach performed a complete evaluation and never identified an exact cause for her infertility. The Weckers suffered several miscarriages, but after a successful in vitro fertilization cycle (IVF), they are now expecting a baby girl in mid-May.

“Having faced an infertility diagnosis, and then starting to talk about it with my friends, I was amazed by how many women had gone through this problem. Quite a few of them have families now thanks to Dr. Gehlbach,” Wecker said.

Dr. Gehlbach wants Kansas City residents to know that help is available. “For those couples who feel discouraged, I want to offer them vital information and hope for the future.”

About Midwest Reproductive Center With over 60 years of combined experience, Dr. Dan Gehlbach and the team at Midwest Reproductive Center have created a world-class fertility clinic that serves residents of Olathe, Kansas City, Lawrence, Jefferson City and beyond. Dr. Gehlbach has helped hundreds of patients in the Kansas City area address their infertility issues and achieve successful pregnancies. For more information about the clinic, please visit http://www.midwestreproductive.com.

Male fertility tests start with semen analysis.

A new over-the-counter product called SpermCheck Fertility can verify whether your sperm count is over 20 million, in the “normal” range. This $40 at-home kit comes with a solution that you mix with semen, and a test strip to reveal results.

While the test empowers couples to learn more about their potential to conceive, Dr. Gehlbach cautions men to get the bigger picture offered only through an accredited fertility laboratory. Like SpermCheck, the semen analysis that Midwest Reproductive Center conducts will indeed test for sperm count. Advanced analysis, however, also screens for sperm motility, morphology and volume.

We can treat low sperm count with simple treatments, such as Clomid or intrauterine insemination (IUI). If we determine that your sperm count won’t allow for a successful conception with one of these simple procedures, Dr. Gehlbach will talk with you about in vitro fertilization (IVF).

IVF involves stimulating ovulation in the female partner and then retrieving the eggs from the woman’s ovaries. A fertility specialist combines egg and sperm in the fertility lab, and returns a growing embryo back to the uterus 3-5 days later. In some IVF cases, Dr. Gehlbach may recommend intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to improve the chance of fertilization.

When will Dr. Gehlbach recommend IVF for male factor infertility?

• When tests reveal an extremely low sperm count
• When multiple infertility factors exist in the female partner
• When multiple infertility factors exist in the male partner

If you have hesitated in contacting a fertility specialist, remember: You can’t fail an infertility test. Simple blood tests, a basic physical exam and semen analysis can set a plan in motion for resolving infertility. Contact Midwest Reproductive Center to schedule a consultation.

Trying to get pregnant can try your patience. Midwest Reproductive Center sometimes uncovers a “quick fix” for barriers to fertility, but most often treatment takes time. If Dr. Dan Gehlbach diagnoses your partner with a low sperm count, fertility drugs may prove effective, but it will take several months to see results.

A commonly prescribed and relatively inexpensive fertility medication, clomiphene citrate (Clomid), stimulates ovulation in women. Fertility doctors, including Dr. Gehlbach, may also prescribe Clomid to help increase testosterone and enhance sperm production in male patients faced with fertility issues.

Sex hormones and fertility

People may perceive Clomid as a female infertility drug. You might be surprised, however, to learn that women and men produce both estrogen and testosterone. When men produce too much estrogen or women too much testosterone, fertility drugs such as Clomid can help correct the hormonal imbalance and improve fertility.

• In men, FSH and LH hormones tell the testes to make testosterone and sperm. Low FSH and LH in men = low sperm counts
• In women, FSH and LH hormones tell the ovaries to produce and release eggs. Low FSH and LH in women = ovulatory dysfunction

Will Clomid work for me?

A blood test measures FSH, LH, and testosterone levels to help Dr. Gehlbach determine whether Clomid is right for you. Taken as a daily dose, Clomid blocks estrogen activity and boosts testosterone production in men. Over time, Clomid use may improve sperm counts.

Male infertility accounts for about half of all cases, so finding a simple solution renews hope for many couples. Contact Midwest Reproductive Center to learn whether Clomid is a good treatment option for your situation.

With a semen analysis, Dr. Gehlbach can look at the quality and quantity of your partner’s sperm.

A semen analysis will look at the following traits:

• Concentration: Also known as a sperm count, concentration is the number of sperm present in each milliliter of fluid (a teaspoon holds 5 milliliters). The normal range is 20 million per milliliter.
• Motility: The percentage of sperm with movement. For adequate fertility, 50 percent of the sperm should be motile.
• Volume: This number looks at the total amount of fluid collected in the sample. A normal volume is at least 1.5 milliliters but not more than 5 milliliters.
• Total motile count: The total number of moving sperm in the sample, usually there are at least 15 million motile sperm in the sample.
• Morphology: The shape of the sperm. Abnormally shaped sperm are surprisingly common but a sample with at least 30 percent of the sperm with a regular shape is considered normal in most fertility clinics. At Midwest Reproductive Center, we use a much stricter grading system. With this grading system, we look at many different parts of the sperm to determine if a sample is normal.
• Viscosity: Thickness of the sperm fluid. Low or moderate viscosity is considered normal.
• Leukocytes: The term for white blood cells, which indicate inflammation or infection. A small number of leukocytes can be normal, while more than one million leukocytes per milliliter is considered abnormal.

At Midwest Reproductive Center, we want to identify and treat the problems that are preventing you from conceiving a baby. Contact our office for more information about semen analysis or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Gehlbach.

For More Information on Male Infertility Visit http://www.midwestreproductive.com/male-infertility-kansas-reproductive-center.php