Dr. Paul Gindoff is accepting patient appointments at Washington Fertility Center’s newest location in Washington DC. With this new office, patients can now receive fertility care at 4 convenient locations in the DC and Virginia area.
Dr. Gindoff has served the Washington DC community since 1987 as a reproductive endocrinologist specializing in IVF. He looks forward to seeing patients at Washington Fertility Center, known for its exemplary customer service, satisfaction and clinical excellence, in the new DC location:
“Joining WFC will allow me to reach more patients in the Washington DC area with personalized and customized fertility care, while being part of a team of specialists on the cutting edge in reproductive medicine. It is a privilege to practice medicine and make a difference in people’s lives.” – Dr. Paul R. Gindoff, MD, FACOG
The new office is in the northwest quadrant of Washington DC at:
3 Washington Circle
Suite 401
Washington DC, 20037
Washington Fertility Center also offers appointments in Annandale, Fredericksburg and Reston, VA.
“At Washington Fertility Center, we provide total patient care. We are pleased to offer a new location in Washington DC for the convenience of our patients and we hope to see you there!” –Dr. Pierre Asmar, MD, FACOG
Reserve your appointment today»
Dr. Susan Sarajari was recently recognized as a ‘Top Doctor’ in Northern Virginia and appointed to Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. The staff and physicians of Washington Fertility Center would like to congratulate Dr. Sarajari on her recent successes!
Dr. Sarajari was chosen as a ‘Top Doctor’ by Northern Virgina Magazine for two consecutive years in 2012 and 2013. Those recognized as ‘Top Docs’ were selected by their peers through an in-depth nomination process. Panels of head doctors at nine local hospitals reviewed physicians via internal evaluations, patient reviews and overall quality of care.
Dr. Sarajari has also recently been named Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Read Dr. Sarajari’s full biography »
by Dr. Paul Gindoff
Just as in fashion, technology can go retro. Natural cycle IVF was introduced in the early 1990’s but failed because it lagged behind success rates with fertility drugs and many cases were canceled because the patient ovulated before egg retrieval. About ten years ago, a novel drug called a GnRH antagonist was approved for patient use. This medication (Cetrotide, Ganirelix) allowed for a cycle, natural or otherwise, to be safely taken to retrieval by preventing premature ovulation and loss of the eggs before retrieval. This was the breakthrough that allowed the renaissance to bring back natural cycle IVF. In fact, natural cycle is a misnomer in that this is really modified natural cycle IVF.
Natural cycle IVF is basically following the single dominant normal physiologic development of one follicle to maturity and then triggering with HCG for egg collection. Before HCG the GnRH antagonist is given along with one ampule of Menopur for approximately three days to cultivate the egg. This keeps the cost of medications down to a fraction of a stimulated cycle and allows for optimal egg harvesting.
When Natural IVF is Beneficial
But why is that important to our patients? There is a niche indication for select patients where natural cycle IVF is more beneficial or more cost effective:
- Young patients with an excellent prognosis for a single embryo transfer.
- Older patients or those with poor ovarian reserve, who even with high dose expensive fertility medications would not yield more than one egg on retrieval.
- Patients who want a higher pregnancy rate than fertility drugs with IUI, but want to be cost effective in saving expense on injectable fertility drugs; age range 36-40.
This covers a fair number of our patients and just about everyone could consider this as an alternative. A typical IUI cycle may end in a pregnancy 2-7% / cycle depending on age of patient while a natural cycle IVF rivals that with 10-20%/ cycle, respectively.
The price point for this service is very competitive and is also covered by insurance if you have the benefit. Please review this option with your physician at Washington Fertility Center or make an appointment to see one of us at your convenience.
Washington Fertility Center is pleased to welcome Dr. Paul R. Gindoff to its team of renowned fertility physicians, including Dr. Susan Sarajari and founder, Dr. Pierre Asmar. Dr. Gindoff is an award-winning physician, that is double board certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology as well as Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility.
Dr. Gindoff graduated from New York University School of Medicine with the highest honors, being elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. His residency in OB/GYN and fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility were completed at the Sloane Hospital for Women at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center of Columbia University in NYC.
The recipient of ‘Top Doctor’ awards on numerous occasions, Dr. Gindoff is featured in a multitude of publications. His specialties include fertility treatments for women of advanced reproductive age, male factor fertility and repetitive pregnancy loss. His expertise also extends to ovulation induction, fertility drugs (pharmacogenomics) and assisted reproduction (IVF, ICSI, PGD).
“Joining WFC will allow me to reach more patients in the Washington DC area with personalized and customized fertility care, while being part of a team of specialists on the cutting edge in reproductive medicine. It is a privilege to practice medicine and make a difference in people’s lives.” – Dr. Paul R. Gindoff, MD, FACOG
Read his full biography »
At Washington Fertility Center, we have begun using the Cook Medical MINC incubators for embryo culture. These mini incubators help decrease the recovery time for temperature, humidity, and gas concentration to better maintain a constant environment for the embryos in culture.
A study published in Fertility and Sterility, tested the effectiveness of the MINC incubators with favorable results. The study design involves “a prospective, randomized study consisting of 2 phases: In 1, we divided sibling oocytes from each retrieval between Minc and Forma incubators – using Sage media. We measured recovery times for temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration in each incubator. In 2, we divided sibling oocytes between the Cook media and our Sage media with incubation in the Minc.”
To read the published conclusions, visit: http://1.usa.gov/XGDNpa
Optimizing the success of IVF treatment is one of the main objectives of research in reproductive medicine. An area that has received significant focus is improving the environment that embryos are exposed to before being transplanted into the uterus.
The environment of the IVF lab has an important effect on the development of the embryo. Animal studies have shown that high oxygen concentration could have a negative impact on embryo quality, but in humans it is currently unknown which oxygen concentration provides the best success rates for IVF procedures. While some laboratories have an atmospheric oxygen concentration of 20% others have much lower concentrations of 5% which more closely mimics the womb. After a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials, the author of this abstract has concluded that “culturing embryos under conditions with low oxygen concentrations improves the success rates of IVF and ICSI, resulting in the birth of more healthy newborns.”
Read more: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0047311/
by Dr. Susan Sarajari
Endometriosis is a disease affecting 6-10% of women of reproductive age and has a prevalence rate as high as 35-50% in women experiencing pain or infertility. It is characterized by growth of endometrial tissue in the peritoneal cavity leading to inflammation and scarring.
Recent review of the evidence suggests that early onset of menstrual cycles (<12 years old) might increase the risk of developing endometriosis. It further suggests that this may be associated with moderate to severe, not minimal to mild, endometriosis (1). Other risk factors include a family history of endometriosis, short menstrual cycles (< 27 days), long duration of menstrual flow (> 7 days), heavy bleeding during menses, inverse relationship to parity, delayed childbearing, defects in the uterus or fallopian tubes and hypoxia and iron deficiency (2).
1) “Is early age at menarche a risk factor for endometriosis? A systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies”. Fert Stert 98(3). 702-712. 2012.
2) “Endometriosis”. emedicine.medscape.com. Feb 21, 2012.
Testosterone is a male steroid hormone that helps the men to build a bigger, stronger and better performing muscle. Women body produce a small quantity secreted by ovaries of females and the adrenal glands.
Role of Testosterone
Does testosterone affect the normal menstrual cycle? In general testosterone is important for for women to protect bones, muscles and tissues, prevents osteoporosis, promotes sexual desire and enhances regular menstruation. Researchers found that sex hormone binding globulin levels fell as expected by 18.5% during the first cycle. The lack of significant effect of a markedly elevated serum testosterone level on cyclical hormone changes is indirect evidence that in PCO the primary cause of the menstrual disturbance is not excessive production of ovarian or adrenal testosterone.
Read more: http://premenstrualcondition.blogspot.com/2011/08/menstrual-cycle-and-hormone.html
A dramatic increase in childhood obesity in recent decades may have impacts that go beyond the usual health concerns – it could be disrupting the timing of puberty and ultimately lead to a diminished ability to reproduce, especially in females.
A body of research suggests that obesity could be related to growing problems with infertility, scientists said in a recent review, in addition to a host of other physical and psycho-social concerns. The analysis was published in Frontiers in Endocrinology.
Human bodies may be scrambling to adjust to a problem that is fairly new. For thousands of years of evolution, poor nutrition or starvation were a greater concern, rather than an overabundance of food.
Read the full article – http://bit.ly/QdH9t0
by Dr. Susan Sarajari
Two studies presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in Florida showed a possible link between semen parameters and diet.
The first study, conducted by a team of researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, University of Rochester and University of Murcia in Spain, showed that sperm motility, but not morphology or concentration, was increased in those men who adhered to a diet high in intake of fish, vegetables and whole grains, as compared to those men who followed a diet with high intake of red meat and refined grains.The second study, done at the Fertility Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, showed that a high intake of trans fats was associated with a lower sperm concentration.
These studies indicate that there might be a link between a good diet and male fertility.
“Better Diet Equals Better Sperm”. 20-October, 2011. http//:www.medicalnews.com/articles/236316.php.
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