By: Ronald F. Feinberg MD, PhD, Barbara A. McGuirk MD,

George Kovalevsky, MD, and Adrienne Neithardt, MD,

Reproductive Associates of Delaware, Newark,

Wilmington and Dover, DE

The miracle of conception is not always easy.

Around the U.S., about 5-6 million couples (about one in seven) struggle with infertility, defined as the inability to achieve a pregnancy after 6 to 12 months.  Specialists in fertility care focus much of their attention on infertile couples, in addition to helping individuals who wish to build their families through sperm and/or egg donation.  Women who have achieved pregnancy but suffer from miscarriage often have common problems evaluated and treated by fertility specialists.  Lastly, many men and women wish to restore their fertility after elective sterilization (e.g. vasectomy and tubal ligation) with the use of assisted reproductive technologies or tubal reversal surgery.

For couples with infertility, it is vital to seek a comprehensive evaluation.  The male partner should always be tested by a certified lab for sperm abnormalities; male factor infertility affects 40% of couples. The female partner should be tested for common problems that interfere with conception, including a lack of ovulation, irregular menstrual cycles, irregular bleeding, painful menstrual cycles, pelvic pain throughout the month, and painful intercourse.  These symptoms could be signs of well-described clinical problems, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, pelvic scarring, fibroids, polyps, and scarring of the fallopian tubes from prior infections such as Chlamydia.

Most patients seeking fertility evaluation want to know why they aren’t able to conceive, and at Reproductive Associates of Delaware we are able to provide an explanation in most instances.  More importantly, most cases of infertility are treatable.  Our successful strategies often include a combination of minimally invasive keyhole laparoscopy and careful use of fertility medications to optimize ovulation timing. Most couples are able to conceive with this approach.  However, many couples can benefit from officebased in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is successful for a majority of women under age 40.

The biggest risk an infertile couple faces is delaying their evaluation, hoping that their fertility problems will correct themselves.  Others are worried about affordability and insurance coverage.  All of these issues should be addressed squarely at an initial consultation, where the path to new miracles is initiated everyday at Reproductive Associates of Delaware.

Reproductive Associates of Delaware is home to four nationally recognized Reproductive Endocrinologists:

• Dr. Barbara A. McGuirk Medical Director, Reproductive Surgery, Board Certified: Reproductive Endocrinology and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

• Dr. Ronald Feinberg Medical Director, IVF Program, Board Certified: Reproductive Endocrinology and Obstetrics and Gynecology.
  

• Dr. George Kovalevsky Medical Director, Academic Affairs, Board Certified: Obstetrics & Gynecology, Board Eligible: Reproductive Endocrinology.

• Dr. Adrienne B. Neithardt, Donor and Third Party Services, Board Certified: Reproductive Endocrinology and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Reproductive Associates is proud to have some of the finest and brightest endocrine and andrology lab staff, Linda Morrison, MT, MBA, Stacey Carney BA, TS., Cai Wang MD, Caitlin Boylan, BS and Katherine Shelly, BS who are led by our Lab Director, Marc Portmann, M.T., MHA. Our facility is also home to four of Delaware’s finest practitioners: Nancy Lorber, CRNP, Melissa Aiken PA-C, Rhonda Wright PA-C, and Susan Carr, CRNP.

For your convenience we have 3 locations across Delaware to serve you: In Newark on the campus of Christiana Care, Dover, at Eden Hill Medical Center and at Silverside Medical Plaza in North Wilmington.  Please call 302-623-4242 to make an appointment.