Dr. Ghadeer is an endocrinologist and infertility specialist in Southern California. I have had the pleasure of meeting him several times, most recently in an episode Undercover skinny him and her audio notation.
Be sure to listen as he talks about pregnancy issues, success rates, and everything you need to know about having a baby. But today I wanted to dig deeper because this is an important topic to discuss.
In this post, you will learn all about IVF, in vitro fertilization, and egg freezing. Dr. Ghadeer is a father, husband, entrepreneur and podcaster ( fertile life ) who works with all kinds of celebrities, influencers, and the LGBTQ community.
This we hear from Dr. Ghadeer.
All you need to know about egg freezing and IVF
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♡ Introduce yourself and give us your background when it comes to fertility.
Dr. Shaheen Ghadeer: My name is Dr. Shaheen Ghadeer and I am an endocrinologist and infertility specialist at the Southern California Reproductive Center. I am dual board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and infertility. I graduated from my fellowship program from a joint program between Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center.
♡ Who is a candidate for freezing their eggs? What are the pros and cons?
SG: Anyone with the slightest desire to be a father in the future should consider egg freezing. We recommend that the patient do this as young as possible and in their twenties is the ideal time to do so. But since many women didn’t realize the importance of this, we’re already starting to push its importance to any woman who is now 30 years old.
The advantages of freezing your eggs are that if you are unable to conceive at a later age, you will be able to access your eggs and will not need to use donor eggs if necessary. Unfortunately, the downside to doing so is the cost. There is also a two-week process that includes injections. But in the long run, this is a real benefit and not really a downside.
♡ What is the difference between egg freezing, embryo freezing and IVF?
SG: The difference between egg freezing, embryo freezing and IVF is fairly straightforward. During egg freezing, once the eggs are removed from the female, all mature eggs are immediately frozen for use down the line.
When we freeze embryos, the egg and sperm are inserted together to make what is called an embryo. And then this gives the possibility of fertilization and the growth of the fetus until the stage of full development, which is called the blastocyst. Then at this point the fetus can be genetically tested to ensure that it is chromosomally normal.
The word IVF means In vitro fertilization & Really in the laboratory It means “outside the body” plus fertilization. This is when we fertilize the egg and sperm outside the body.
♡ We saw exactly what it’s like for someone to freeze their eggs.
SG: The egg freezing process involves the patient calling the office on the first day of her period and coming for the next few days for ultrasounds, blood tests, and initiation of birth control to stop the natural ovulatory cycle.
The patient is then transferred to 10 to 12 days of daily self-administered microinjections with about 4 to 5 visits to the clinic for a blood test, and an ultrasound to assess and see how the eggs are growing. The final stage is performed in the surgical center where a light anesthetic is given with a 3- to 5-minute procedure in which the eggs are withdrawn through the vagina using a special ultrasound and a needle at the tip. All mature eggs at that time will be frozen.
♡ We’ve seen exactly what it’s like for someone to go through IVF.
SG: Embryo freezing involves the patient calling the clinic on the first day of her period, then coming in the next two days for a blood test and an ultrasound of the vagina.
At that time, most of our patients started taking birth control pills to stop normal ovulation for about 1-2 weeks and then moved on to daily self-administered injections that are inserted into the abdomen with very small needles.
The injections last for about 10 to 12 days and there are about 4 to 5 visits to the office for blood tests and ultrasounds to assess how the patient’s eggs are developing. Once they reach a certain size, the patient will be taken to the surgical center and under very light anaesthesia, she will undergo a 3-5 minute procedure that involves placing a special needle through the ovary, then the eggs are withdrawn. At this point the egg and sperm will be introduced to each other in an embryology lab and placed in an incubator for about a week to grow and then potentially genetic testing.
♡ You are a huge advocate for the gay community with children which is absolutely amazing. It’s gay pride month so I’d like you to talk about that.
SG: The LGBTQ community is a huge part of our practice and we’ve done our best to create an entire department called the Third Party Department.
This department includes coordinators who help people find egg donors and their surrogates. As well as sperm donors if needed. They coordinate all the moving parts and allow multiple parents of the same sex to create beautiful families.
♡ I’ve worked with all kinds of people including celebrities, influencers, and women every day. What are some “gains” in your career that you can tell us about?
SG: My career has had so many wonderful moments and so many wonderful families that I have helped. I think one of the biggest gains for me has been the openness my patients have had on social media and in the press. And just in general talking to others and removing the stigma about infertility. Teach others who suffer from this that their goals are achievable.
♡ What is a typical outcome for a woman over 35 years old when she decides to freeze her eggs.
SG: A woman 35 or older who decides to freeze her eggs has a success rate that really depends on the quality of her eggs. We have patients up to 44 frozen eggs and have beautiful babies, but unfortunately for some of the other patients who are younger than that, we’ve had cycles without success. I must say that the majority of patients are doing incredibly well.
♡ Should you freeze your eggs if you are naturally pregnant and then want to have more children?
SG: Even if you have a child and would like more children in the future, the idea of ​​egg freezing should not be ignored. If you are in a relationship and have sperm, it is recommended that you make embryos which are both sperm and eggs. However, if you are single and already have a child and would like to have more children in the future, the idea of ​​egg freezing should definitely be considered.
♡ How has technology changed in the past five years when it comes to this process?
SG: Technology in the world of infertility treatments has continually improved over the past five years. The level of accuracy of genetic tests on fetuses increased. Success rates are still very high.
We currently have an embryoscope incubator that allows capturing 1,000 images per day of developing fetuses and gives us important feedback on the health of the fetus, along with the results of genetic testing.
♡ Once the fetuses are born, what does the process look like from there when you’re ready to get pregnant?
SG: Once the patient has frozen embryos frozen in our office and decides to go back and use the embryos, they will begin a process called frozen embryo transfer.
FET generally begins with calling our office at the start of your period and coming in for a blood test and ultrasound and starting birth control in order to stop the natural ovulation cycle. Then, about 9 to 12 days of estrogen pills are given to build up the lining of the uterus and once the lining has reached a certain thickness, the progesterone vaginal suppositories and the progesterone injection that goes into the butt is started.
The actual FET takes a few minutes. There is no anesthesia at all. The patient can go home and relax at home for the next two days. After 10 days we know if they are pregnant.
♡ What is one taboo in your field that you wish people knew more about?
SG: There are many taboos around the world of fertility. However, some of the most important involve patients believing that we are going to remove all the eggs they have from their body and not realizing that we are only taking a few eggs that would have died that month during the ovulation process. In any case.
People always think that they will go into early menopause because we remove a handful of eggs and that is not entirely true. In addition, people sometimes think that this process takes six months or can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and this is also not true.
♡ Where can we find you and how can someone book a consultation with you? What does the process look like?
SG: Patients can book a consultation by calling the Southern California Reproductive Center at 3-10-277-2393 and following the instructions to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ghadeer.
Or they can go to our website which is www.SCRCIVF.com Request an appointment online.
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For more information about infertility, egg freezing and IVF be sure to check out Podcast episode by Dr. Ghadeer On skinny secret him and her And all its episodes from fertile life.
S, Lauren
+ scope This publish All about balancing hormones and fertility.
++ check file 10 things I loved about pregnancy.
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