Spring Mountains Acupuncture, Fertility and Wellness

05/28/2025

Covid vaccines help protect moms and babies.

Removing vaccination recommendations means we'll see a significant rise in pregnancy complications, hospitalizations, and deaths for mothers and babies.

04/06/2025

Your W**d Habit May Be Messing With Your S***m

A growing body of evidence now shows that cannabis is destructive to male fertility.

03/06/2025

Good info, and what I tell patients.
How do PGT-A success rates compare to untested embryos?

A new study by Benjamin Harris and colleagues compared outcomes for good prognosis patients with or without PGT-A having their first IVF cycle.

They measured overall (cumulative) live birth rates after up to 3 single embryo transfers – so patients without PGT-A had up to 3 untested (best quality) blastocysts transferred, and patients with PGT-A had up to 3 euploids transferred. One at a time!

For patients under 35, PGT-A showed a slight decrease in cumulative live births compared to no PGT-A (~65%), and for ages 35–37 there was a slight increase. There wasn't much of a difference here, and I suspect these results aren’t clinically significant.

However, for patients 38–40, PGT-A clearly improved the birth rate. This shows that transferring euploids led to more live births than untested embryos for this age group. This is because older patients are more likely to make aneuploid embryos. Other studies have similar results.

The real benefit of PGT-A probably lies in its ability to identify aneuploid embryos that won't be transferred, and this could be useful even for younger patients. Studies show that these embryos have a very low chance of working, but we definitely need more work in this area to learn more!

An issue with this study is that it looked at a specific group of patients that doesn't really represent those who PGT-A is intended for: they were younger, having their first cycle and didn't have a history of recurrent losses. Nonetheless, given the widespread use of PGT-A in the US, it does give a good idea of what to expect for these patients.

How do PGT-A success rates compare to untested embryos?

A new study by Benjamin Harris and colleagues compared outcomes for good prognosis patients with or without PGT-A having their first IVF cycle.

They measured overall (cumulative) live birth rates after up to 3 single embryo transfers – so patients without PGT-A had up to 3 untested (best quality) blastocysts transferred, and patients with PGT-A had up to 3 euploids transferred. One at a time!

For patients under 35, PGT-A showed a slight decrease in cumulative live births compared to no PGT-A (~65%), and for ages 35–37 there was a slight increase. There wasn't much of a difference here, and I suspect these results aren’t clinically significant.

However, for patients 38–40, PGT-A clearly improved the birth rate. This shows that transferring euploids led to more live births than untested embryos for this age group. This is because older patients are more likely to make aneuploid embryos. Other studies have similar results.

The real benefit of PGT-A probably lies in its ability to identify aneuploid embryos that won't be transferred, and this could be useful even for younger patients. Studies show that these embryos have a very low chance of working, but we definitely need more work in this area to learn more!

An issue with this study is that it looked at a specific group of patients that doesn't really represent those who PGT-A is intended for: they were younger, having their first cycle and didn't have a history of recurrent losses. Nonetheless, given the widespread use of PGT-A in the US, it does give a good idea of what to expect for these patients.

More details about the study on Remembryo, link is in the comments. Want to stay up to date on new IVF research and news? Send me a DM with your email and I'll sign you up to my weekly newsletter!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐆𝐓-𝐀? 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤-𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.

01/16/2025

Disturbing. The rates of cancer in women under 50 are rising the fastest. Young women are not getting pap smears the way they should, leading to an increase in cervical cancer which is easily treated. The increase in va**ng is a likely cause of increases in lung cancer. And heavy drinking or binge drinking is increasing the rates of breast cancer.

This is a gift article.

"Six of the 10 most common cancers are on the rise, including cancers of the breast and the uterus. Also on the rise are colorectal cancers among people under 65, as well as prostate cancer, melanoma and pancreatic cancer.

“These unfavorable trends are tipped toward women,” said Rebecca L. Siegel, an epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society and the report’s first author."

Cancer’s New Face: Younger and Female

Although long considered a disease of aging, certain cancers are turning up more often in younger women, according to a new report.

08/16/2024

A new self swab method for doing a pap smear arrives in doctor's offices this fall. It's not painful and is as effective as a pap smear for detecting cervical cancer. Finally!

An Alternative to the Pap Smear Is Here, No Speculum Required

Starting this fall, women will be able to use a simple swab to screen for cervical cancer. The method offers an alternative to a procedure that many dread — and promises to address disparities in who develops the disease.

03/08/2024

I'm back in the video biz! Friday March 8 my new video looking at research on antidepressants and fertility will drop on Youtube. Here's the link. Please like and share on FB; subscribe to my channel on YT!

https://youtu.be/SnIwT4ElhtY

01/07/2024

The NYT publish an article on maternal mortality, and the rate postpartum is much higher than anybody expected. I can't figure out how to share the article here, sorry. But the upshot is once you give birth you should be seen by your doctor two to three weeks after the birth, not 6 weeks.

If you have a history of clotting, high blood pressure, or heart issues, or a family history of high blood pressure or heart issues, it is important to continue to monitor for the first year after birth. Strokes and other complications are a possibility.

What to do to prevent issues? Monitor your blood pressure every few days for the first 3 months, and then keep an eye on it once a week for the first year is my recommendation if you have a history of high blood pressure or heart issues.

If you have a history of clotting issues, talk to your doctor about what you can do.

Except:


"The leading causes of maternal mortality among white and Hispanic women are mental health conditions that lead to su***de or fatal overdoses. Among Asian women, the leading cause is hemorrhage.

Among Black women like Ms. Willis-Prater, heart conditions were the leading cause of death. High blood pressure, a predisposing factor, is more common among Black women, and they more often have poor access to health care, a legacy of both poverty and racism.

The risk of later maternal death — from six weeks to a year after delivery — is 3.5 times higher among Black women, compared with that among white women......

Once the baby is born, the uterus shrinks, and blood pressure may rise, which can prompt a stroke.

New mothers also are more likely to experience life-threatening blood clots and infections. At the same time, hormonal changes may lead to mood fluctuations. Some of these are transient, but more severe, longer-lasting postpartum depression may also develop.

Though most women survive pregnancy-related complications after childbirth, prompt medical care is critical....

Among white women, mental health conditions are responsible for 35 percent of pregnancy-related deaths, according to C.D.C. data. Among Hispanic women, the figure is 24 percent. Pre-existing anxiety or depression may leave women vulnerable to postpartum depression, as can a difficult pregnancy or having a sick baby...."

Remember that during pregnancy, your body just did the most difficult and stressful physical thing it will ever do, short of being an Olympic athlete. You also have to recover from the pregnancy, and need to pay attention to your body and needs also. Taking care of the baby is overwhelming, but do not forget yourself in the process.

05/30/2023

Yup.

05/28/2023

Important info on Post Partum care and cautions.

Complications After Delivery: What Women Need to Know

New mothers are at risk for up to a year, research has shown. But the first six weeks are the most perilous.

05/28/2023

Finally, acknowledgment that women need post partum care too.
Gift link. See the related FAQ too.

Maternity’s Most Dangerous Time: After New Mothers Come Home

Recent research shows that most pregnancy-related deaths occur in the year after a baby is born. The discovery is changing how doctors care for new mothers.

05/13/2023

Happy working hard to be a mother day!!

This is what 10 cm dilated looks like. Get your mother something nice this weekend.

05/04/2023

Ultraprocessed food is bad for you. Science is starting to figure out why.

Tl;Dr: eat real food.

Eating packaged foods like cereal and frozen meals has been associated with anxiety, depression and cognitive decline. Scientists are still piecing together why.