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Delaware Doctor Offers Revolutionary Approach To Common Women's Health & Fertility Problem Pioneer Embryologist Dr. Michael Tucker Joins Reproductive Associates as Scientific Director
Delaware Doctor Offers Revolutionary Approach To Common Women's Health & Fertility Problem
NEWARK, Del., June 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Benjamin Franklin's words "God helps those who help themselves" were echoed as a motivational battlecry by Medical Chair Dr. Ron Feinberg in a June 8 keynote address to an audience of 250 at the international conference of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Association. Participants in the June 7-10, 2001 gathering in Valley Forge, PA were primarily women affected with PCOS, as well as physicians, scientists, authors, and other health professionals who donated their time and expertise. "The number of women with PCOS is staggering, now numbering in the millions," stated Dr. Feinberg, "and it has been disheartening for me to realize how few of these women truly understand what PCOS is all about. Every day, such women are struggling with heartbreaking problems -- infertility, miscarriage, obesity, and cosmetic nightmares unimaginable to most men. Most of these women suffer in silence, since they don't know where to turn for help." In "Throwing the Book at PCOS," Dr. Feinberg stressed that the incidence of PCOS has risen dramatically in parallel with epidemics of Type II diabetes, obesity, and coronary artery disease, part of a metabolic cluster of insulin problems originally coined Syndrome X by Dr. Gerald Reaven. "There is a strong tendency to blame all of these problems on bad genes. But our genes have not changed very much over the last few thousand years. What has changed significantly is our environment, our food choices, and our predilection for a sedentary existence," implored Dr. Feinberg. Knowledge is Freedom' was the theme for this year's Conference. However, Dr.Feinberg believes that knowledge also implies personal responsibility, as well as the requirement that physicians educate and treat their patients properly. In the final part of his noontime address, Dr. Feinberg introduced Syndrome O -- an exciting new concept he described as "a slightly different way of looking at things." Syndrome O -- Ovarian confusion, Ovulation disruption, and Overnourishment -- reflects a novel and important approach for teaching women how closely their metabolism and fertility are linked. "More importantly, we can systematically demonstrate how women can meet their own personal Syndrome O challenges. This is accomplished through the Syndrome O Survival (SOS) Strategies," stated Dr. Feinberg, who further outlined in his talk how one's personal lifestyle and treatments should be organized and optimized. As fertility specialists and Board certified reproductive endocrinologists at Reproductive Associates of Delaware, Dr. Feinberg and colleague Dr. Barbara McGuirk have successfully helped their patients incorporate the SOS Strategies. "Although millions of women are affected with Syndrome O just in the United States, we now have the vital tools and knowledge to inspire a program of success," added public relations manager Lesa Childers. The Conference had multiple corporate sponsors, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Serono, and Ferring. http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X14496602 06/11/2001 11:24 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com back to top Pioneer Embryologist Dr. Michael Tucker Joins Reproductive Associates as Scientific Director
"It is truly a privilege for us to work with Michael Tucker in this capacity," noted Dr. Ron Feinberg, IVF Medical Director. "He shares our vision for compassionate, innovative, and ethical fertility care. Michael is really world-class." As evidence for his scientific abilities, Dr. Tucker directed the team at Reproductive Biology Associates in Atlanta, GA credited with the world's first baby born from frozen eggs. He is a member of an elite group of Board-certified embryologists designated as High Complexity Clinical Lab Directors. Dr. Tucker has worked as Chief Embryologist in IVF clinics all over the world, including London, Australia, Hong Kong, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. Most recently he has directed IVF labs at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Shady Grove Fertility Center. Currently he is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alabama. "In working with Dr. Tucker, one of our major goals has been to eliminate the risk of high order multiple pregnancies," stated Dr. Barbara McGuirk, Director of Reproductive Surgery. We are quickly moving to a new era in assisted reproduction by transferring just one or two blastocyst embryos to the uterus." Blastocysts are multi-cell embryos which are cultured by specific techniques for 4-5 days beyond fertilization. With proper culture conditions, blastocysts have higher rates of implantation compared to less-developed, earlier stage embryos. Since opening the IVF Program in 1997, over 60% of patients have achieved a pregnancy, with an overall pregnancy rate per egg retrieval of about 40%. Reproductive Associates plans to relocate its Center to Christiana Care in the Spring of 2000. Noted Dr. Feinberg, "With the terrific expertise that Michael Tucker and Marc Portmann provide, the goal for our new Center is to achieve cumulative IVF pregnancy rates of 80-90%." back to top
Reproductive Associates of Delaware Plans Expansion of Fertility and IVF Center at Christiana Care Health System Campus Wilmington, DE. (PRNewswire, July 14, 1999) Reproductive Associates of Delaware, an independent mid-Atlantic regional provider of comprehensive fertility services, has closed a formal expansion agreement with the Christiana Care Health System. The design of the new 8,000 square foot facility includes a state-of-the-art in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratory, clinical offices and labs, and a Fertility Wellness Resource Center. "We are extremely pleased with the support and design ideas initiated by the administration and construction planners of Christiana Care," stated Ronald F. Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director of the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Program at Reproductive Associates. "This dedication to quality fertility care is a natural extension of the commitment Christiana has already made to Womens Health in the Delaware region." The Fertility Center will be located within the new Medical Arts Pavilion II building, adjacent to the Christiana SurgiCenter. It is estimated that 10-15% of the reproductive age population have difficulty conceiving. Common causes for infertility include endometriosis, blocked or scarred fallopian tubes, abnormal ovulation or anovulation, and male factor. Some couples have no obvious explanation for their infertility. "Our Fertility Wellness Resource Center will allow couples to make educated and informed choices regarding their fertility care," noted Barbara A. McGuirk, M.D., Director of Reproductive Surgery at Reproductive Associates. "We have identified many patients with specific endocrinologic and metabolic abnormalities that can be treated with nutrition and lifestyle adjustments, thus avoiding more aggressive fertility treatments. In other instances, detailed laparoscopic evaluation might be more appropriate, since many patients would like to make their fertility care decisions based on a sound medical diagnosis." Reproductive Associates of Delaware focuses its care on couples with infertility, and women with specific diagnoses of endometriosis, tubal disease, early pregnancy problems (ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage), and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). In July, 1997 Reproductive Associates established the first full service office-based IVF Program in the state of Delaware. Over 50% of the patients who have entered their IVF program since that time have achieved a pregnancy, with an ongoing/delivered pregnancy rate per retrieval in 1998 of approximately 40%. The Center has had particular success in situations of male factor infertility, where intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is required. The Center maintains a content-driven Web site devoted to a description of their services at www.reproductiveassociates.org and www.blastocyst.org. Reproductive Associates is a participating provider with Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Principal Health Care, Cigna, MidAtlantic, and DelMarva. Employers in Delaware that provide insurance coverage for infertility care include Maryland Bank of North America (MBNA), Zeneca (now AstraZeneca), DuPont, and the State of Delaware. The Center has participated in seminars sponsored by Zeneca, Serono, Organon, Parke-Davis, Christiana Care, and RESOLVE. Important internet links include Advanced Reproductive Care, obgyn.net, and INCIID. Dr. McGuirk, the founding partner of Reproductive Associates, completed her postgraduate training at the Medical Center of Delaware and University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. Dr. Feinberg, who was previously on faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, completed his postgraduate training at Yale-New Haven Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Feinberg is currently a member of the faculty at Yale University School of Medicine. Both Drs. McGuirk and Feinberg are also active attending physicians in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the Christiana Care Health System / Medical Center of Delaware. Dr. McGuirk serves as Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington. Both physicians are Board Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologists and are Fellows of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG). Dr. Feinberg is also Board Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility; Dr. McGuirk is an active candidate for subspecialty certification. back to top Past releases have been archived. For additional information, contact:
Reproductive Associates of Delaware
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Widely respected for his pioneering work with blastocyst cultures and cryopreserved eggs, Michael Tucker, Ph.D. has joined the professional staff of Reproductive Associates as Scientific Director for the IVF Program. Along with Lab Manager Marc Portmann and assistant Tsai Wang, Dr. Tucker will oversee the implementation of state-of-the-art blastocyst culture techniques. The laboratory team will also direct the expansion and relocation of the IVF Program to its new 8,000 square foot Center on the campus of the Christiana Care Medical Center.