Men as a species are pretty good at adapting to the new or different, to judging and taking risks and to responding to the unknown. I didn’t say perfect, but pretty good. Indeed, this ability has allowed them to surf waves the size of mountains, run the mile in well under 4 minutes, run companies,...Continue reading
Why would anyone wash sperm? Are they like clothes that get dirty? Not exactly, but sperm washing can clean up the environment in which sperm find themselves. And it can concentrate the boys, so they pack a more powerful punch. On the downside, the act of washing sperm, which is literally putting them in tiny,...Continue reading
Failed again. Another month, another failed infertility treatment. Are you too frightened or tired or broke to keep going, yet unable to accept that end-of-the-road feeling? Here are some things to consider as the feeling of desperation sets in:
The Case of the Month is an actual patient of The Turek Clinic They sat down in front of me, both a little giddy about the idea of having another child. “I have boys and she has one too. We’d like to have one more, hopefully a girl,” he said. She nodded in agreement. They were...Continue reading
Ever wonder about the future fertility of children born with birth defects? As a urologist, I’ve treated hundreds of boys with two common birth defects: undescended testicles and hypospadias. Throughout my career, it’s been hard to address the question of a boy’s future fertility with these conditions. Until now. Missing in Action Birth defects occur in 3% of U.S. newborns....Continue reading
Upon reading Nellie Bowles great piece “The Dawning of Sperm Awareness” in the New York Times about the conundrum of our dropping sperm counts, I asked myself: “Am I coming across as a disruptor by not being particularly worried that we are headed toward extinction?” I thought it a good opportunity to unpack the beef behind this belief. Sperm...Continue reading
Raise your hand if you looked under rocks as a kid. What’dya remember finding? Moist dark soil and interesting little critters skedaddling away is what I recall. Earth’s underbelly, teeming with life. Infertility Awareness The theme of this year’s National Infertility Awareness Week is “Flip the Script.” Be a voice, break the silence, advocate, pledge and help build awareness...Continue reading
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This ancient paradox filled the minds of the great philosophers Aristotle, Plutarch, Macrobius and Anaximander who all considered it a “great and weighty” problem. Not sure what else was going on back then, but even 2000 years later, it has not been satisfactorily solved. Which came first? An ancient...Continue reading
Cooking is complicated, right? It doesn’t have to be. Sure, there are thousands of recipes, hundreds of foods, and dozens of condiments. But you can cook a really good meal in less than an hour just by buying fresh, using common pantry ingredients and forgetting about “wowing” the palate. And in the words of Chef...Continue reading
I’ve always felt that having infertility is similar to having cancer. Not in a life-threatening way but certainly in psychological impact. They can both be brutal. But this is autumn, a time of change. Cloudy, Chance of Rain This first became apparent to me when we showed that infertile men had higher social strain and lower overall and sexual...Continue reading