Oocyte Cryopreservation

Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of New York) is offering oocyte cryopreservation for patients

• Who anticipate having children after the age of 35
• Who are about to go under medical therapies (i.e. radiation treatment or chemo therapy) and are putting their reproductive abilities at risk, or
•  Who have a family history of endometriosis, premature ovarian failure, or early menopause.

Oocyte cryopreservation may be the right solution in order to preserve future fertility. The process by which a woman's unfertilized eggs are extracted from her uterus and are frozen at a very low temperature. When the woman becomes ready to attempt pregnancy, a fertility specialist team will slowly thaw her eggs and they will attempt to fertilize it through In Vitro Fertilization.

RMA of New York announced a breakthrough in a multi-site study sponsored by Extend Fertility whereby it successfully achieved 3 out of 4 pregnancies- a 75% success rate (Press Release in IN THE NEWS section below).

To inquire about RMA of New York's oocyte cryopreservation services, please ask for the oocyte cryopreservation coordinator at 212-756-5777 or email info@rmany.com.

EVENTS

Dr. Jane Ruman and Extend Fertility at the JCC Manhattan
Thursday, January 1st, 2009
1:00pm
JCC Manhattan - 334 Amsterdam Ave at 76th Street

Extend Fertility will be at the annual JCC Manhattan New Year's Day Open House, featuring health and wellness informational booths and speakers.  RMA of New York's reproductive endocrinologist  Dr. Jane Ruman will be speaking on "Fertility & Health" at 1pm. No registration is necessary: the open house hours are 11am-5pm.

The Biological Clock: Taking Control of Your Dating Life
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
6:30pm - 8:00pm
Manhattan Office, 10th Floor
Co-sponsor: Extend Fertility and  Real Live People Party

Whether you are trying to advance your career, stabilize your finances, or have yet to meet that certain someone who you wish to settle down with, the inexorable truth is there is no snooze button on your biological clock. You may feel increasing anxiety about starting your own family, especially as your peers start to marry and conceive. Learn steps that you can take to preserve your fertility that will allow you to enjoy dating or pursue alternative goals with renewed confidence.

This intimate panel discussion will focus on the biological clock and its impact on dating and personal relationships. The panelists include: Dr. Alan Copperman, Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Co-Medical Director at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of NY), Dr. Georgia Witkin, clinical psychologist at RMA of NY and author of 11 books including "The Female Stress Syndrome" and "It's Not You, It's Him" and Ilana Eberson, an expert in the dating, relationship and personal growth fields. Topics will include the latest advances in assisted reproductive technology and fertility preservation, fertility basics and myths, the challenges associated with trying to conceive, and how the reality of the biological clock impacts interpersonal relationships, personal decision-making and dating.

To register, please click here.

IN THE NEWS

RMA of New York Participates in HOPE Study for Egg Freezing Patients

RMA of New York is participating in EMD Serono's Human Oocyte Preservation Experience (HOPE) Registry, an observational study undertaken to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oocyte cryopreservation echniques.  The HOPE Registry aims to track the outcome of oocyte cryopreservation cycles from participating cycles around the country and to validate the efficacy of the different techniques used to freeze and thaw eggs. Results of safety and efficacy of egg freezing techniques along with pregnancy outcomes resultant from the thawing of cryopreserved eggs will be published for public access upon completion of the study.

Stated Dr. Alan Copperman in a press release: "We need to validate the safety and efficacy of egg freezing for it to become a more widely available option for women who for a variety of reasons would like to preserve their fertility. The HOPE Registry is an exciting vehicle that will assist us in the evidence-gathering process and will facilitate the furthering of the science and the acceptance of oocyte cryopreservation as an effective clinical practice."

If you would like to know more about oocyte cryopreservation and the HOPE Study, please contact coordinator Lisa at luberti@rmany.com.

Marie Claire Magazine Writer Writes About Her Egg Freezing Experience at RMA of New York and appears with Dr. Tanmoy Mukherjee on Fox Channel's Mike and Juliet Show

 Marie Claire writer and RMA of New York Patient Sarah Elizabeth Richards talks about her personal experience in freezing her eggs. Click here to read the article. Click here to watch the Mike and Juliet Show featuring her and Dr. Mukherjee's interview.

March 19, 2008- WCBS Reporter Dr. Holly Phillips interviews Dr. Alan Copperman and Extend Fertility/RMA of New York patient Lucia Vazquez about the benefits of egg freezing. Click here to watch the news clip.

Wall Street Journal Article: Why Some Single Women Choose to Freeze Their Eggs

February 14, 2008; Page D1
Link to Article

Extend Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York Report Encouraging New Egg Freezing Results Three out of four study participants achieve pregnancy with donated frozen eggs; results provide additional support for egg freezing as an option for fertile women

BOSTON and NEW YORK, November 15, 2005 - Extend Fertility^TM and Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of NY) today announced initial results in the ongoing Extend Fertility-sponsored multi-site study designed to further the science and efficacy of oocyte cryopreservation or "egg freezing." The study is designed to validate the published results and work dealing with the Extend Fertility method of oocyte cryopreservation - particularly related to a fertile women population. In addition to sponsoring the study, Extend Fertility is also supplying the clinics with exclusive access to training, protocols and the egg freezing culture media. As part of the overall study, RMA of NY and Extend Fertility are announcing initial results in this unique collaboration.

• The RMA team has achieved three out of four pregnancies (75 percent pregnancy success rate) using frozen eggs from fertile egg donors.
• This represents a 26 percent implantation success rate, i.e. approximately one out of every four embryos implanted.
• A total of 79 eggs from four donors were frozen. 68 eggs survived the freezing and thawing process (86.1 percent survival) and 61 of the remaining eggs successfully fertilized (89.7 percent fertilization).

"While egg freezing is still considered investigational, these pregnancies and success rates bring us one step closer to changing the perception of egg freezing from that of an "on the edge" technology to a practical and mainstream procedure for women that want to preserve their ability to have a future family," said Dr. Alan Copperman, Director of Reproductive Endocrinology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. "To date, these are some of the most encouraging success rates on record and we are confident that this kind of success can be replicated at other Extend sites. It is also important to note that these results show that this treatment can be particularly successful for fertile women." The study participants achieved pregnancy following the retrieval of donor eggs from a fertile woman, and the eggs' cryopreservation, thawing and fertilization. Prior to beginning work with the human oocytes (human eggs), the RMA of New York team conducted extensive studies on mouse oocytes to perfect their technique. "We are now confident in our ability to work with the medium and cryopreservation procedure to achieve continued success. We are ready to begin offering this investigational service to a wider range of women, including those looking to preserve their fertility for the future," continued Dr Copperman. "This is truly a groundbreaking development for reproductive technology. In the past, women who wanted to get pregnant later in life were faced with egg quality issues. Now they have the option of extending their fertility by preserving their eggs when they are of the best quality," said Christy Jones, founder and CEO, Extend Fertility. "At Extend Fertility, we are committed to the development of egg freezing and are confident that we will continue to generate strong pregnancy success rates at RMA of NY and other Extend Fertility partner centers across the country." The ongoing study will be conducted at up to eight Extend Fertility-affiliated centers throughout the U.S., under standard Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight. In all, about 40 participants are expected to participate. Extend Fertility is uniquely positioned to sponsor a study of this kind given the company's focus on developing relationships with some of the leading fertility centers and specialists in the country. This network of thought-leaders and experts allows Extend Fertility to ensure a consistent quality of service while driving research and development around oocyte cryopreservation. Complete results and findings will be published following the completion of the multi-site study in 2006. MediCult and Biogenics are also supporting the study by donating product and cryopreservation equipment directly to participating centers.