HI Now – National Infertility Awareness, April 2022
Rachel Pacarro:
Every year during the month of April an entire week is dedicated to national infertility awareness. So today we have the doctors from the fertility Institute of Hawaii to tell us about this incredible week and also to share about how they are using unique and individualized care for each and every one of their patients. I’ve got Dr. Karmon, Dr. Goulet, and Dr. Frattarelli, tell us about this incredible week and why is it recognized every single year?
Dr. Emily Goulet, MD:
So national infertility awareness week is the last week of April and it’s really important for us to recognize the fact that many individuals, both men and women suffer from infertility and suffer silently. And there’s no need nowadays to be suffering silently. We’ve got wonderful things that we can do to help grow families. And here in Hawaii, Ohana is so important, so we wanna make sure that people are aware and start that conversation.
Rachel Pacarro:
Now, Dr. Karmon, when is it time to seek that additional help?
Dr. Anatte Karmon, MD:
For most patients, that’s gonna be somewhere between six months to a year of trying to get pregnant. Uh, but for example, if you know that you have a problem, if you have irregular cycles, if you know that there’s a sperm factor, a sperm issue, if you know, you have a history of endometriosis, then don’t wait, just come in right away.
Rachel Pacarro:
And Dr. Frattarelli, how do you diagnose someone that is suffering from infertility?
Dr. John Frattarelli, MD:
First of all, we start off with just a history and physical examination, looking at the patient, trying to figure out what they need. So the first thing we do with the male is we’ll get a semen analysis, look at the sperm and maybe do some blood work, uh, for the female. There’s a little bit more involved, but, but typically we, we can do it in two visits. Uh, the first visit is right after the menstrual cycle ends. We’ll do an ultrasound, look at the uterus, look at the ovaries, get some hormones, look at her endocrine levels to make sure everything is okay. And then we’ll also need to check the fallopian tubes later on, usually a couple days later to make sure the fallopian tubes are open and with that, the entire evaluation is done and we can then talk about what options they might have.
Rachel Pacarro:
Okay. Now let’s talk about the family building options you do provide.
Dr. Anatte Karmon, MD:
Yeah, so there are so many options today. There are very, very simple treatments and really much more advanced ones. So sometimes we start out with just simple oral medication. Uh, there’s the option for intrauterine insemination. There’s also the option for in vitro fertilization, and then even more advanced than that, we now have egg donation, uh, and we even have utilizing the gestational carrier or surrogate. So today the truth is that really anybody can have a baby. Anybody can build a family. It may not always be the path that you thought you would be on. Uh, and sometimes you have to open your mind to treatments that you didn’t even know about. Um, but in, in 2022, uh, anyone can have a baby
For more information or to start your journey, please call our office at 808-545-2800 to schedule a consultation with one of our physicians, or visit our website https://www.ivfcenterhawaii.com/. Our initial new patient consultations can now be done from the comfort of your own home. Helping to Create New Beginnings….