Assisted Reproduction: A Two-Edged Sword
Almost 2 decades ago, just about the time when my fellowship ended and I was starting on the faculty of UCSF, along came ICSI. Short for intracytoplasmic sperm injection, ICSI involves using a single sperm…
It Takes Two to Tango
The Case of the Month is an actual patient from The Turek Clinic. It is presented to highlight Infertility Awareness Week. The Dance Begins He is a 36-year old who has been trying…
The Essential Beginnings of a Vitamin
Honestly, my opinion about nutritional supplements has evolved dramatically. Historically, the value of prenatal vitamins for women is well recognized and uncontested. For example, calcium keeps mom’s bones healthy as developing fetuses borrow…
A Year Without Answers II
This is the second of two guest posts from a patient who lives in Europe. He recently recontacted me about his experience with male infertility and how it affected him. Moved by his…
A Year Without Answers
This is a guest post from a patient who lives in Europe. He recently recontacted me about his experience with male infertility and how it affected him. Moved by his story and by…
It’s in the Steak
In quiet moment on the couch, I recently asked my 8-year old daughter what the word “hope” means to her. “If life were a meal, hope belongs in the steak,” she said. The…
The Ins and Outs of Male Fertility Kits
A man’s sperm count. One of the most misunderstood tests in all of medicine. Like naming stars in the sky to help order the universe, we assign “normal” ranges to the features…
Your Hair or Your Hormones
It’s the perfect drug for 40 million men in America who are going bald. Take it once a day to keep the hair on your head and shrink the prostate, which also commonly…
Rise of the Instant Family
Using sex to conceive, the chance of having twins or higher multiple births is about 1-2%. With assisted reproduction, including intrauterine insemination (IUI) in the office and in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the…
The Artificial Testicle: Funded!
It is the stuff of dreams in academic medicine: an NIH (National Institutes of Health) research grant. Get one of these and you’re pretty much assured of getting tenure and succeeding at…
May 20, 2012
Arthur — This is a wonderful reply - I can relate in so many ways. As a cancer survivor, I had...
May 13, 2012
Paul Turek, MD — Dear Shahid, That is quite a story! I must admit, the reaction that your husband is having to hearing the...
May 13, 2012
shahid — Dear Doctor,
I live in Pakistan. I am 32 and my husband is of 33 years old. We got married in...
