12/13/21/Source: Cystic Fibrosis News Today A study on cystic fibrosis fertility published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing conducted by researchers at the University of Alabama focused on female Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients' fertility preservation pre-lung transplant. The study found that 78% of women diagnosed with CF want to have biological children but the treatment could cause infertility. The study established that three out of four women when discussing their treatment plan fertility preservation was never talked about. Cystic Fibrosis patients had to rely on the internet and social media along with other CF patients for information about parenthood and [Read More...]
11/03/2021/Source: UMPC -Kien Tran a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. This summary is written by Tran participating in the Science writing mentorship. When a child has cancer, their parents are rightfully focused on a cure. But that cure can come at a future cost: infertility. I am a Ph.D. candidate working in Dr. Kyle Orwig’s lab at the Magee-Womens Research Institute, which focuses on reproductive biology. In my research, I have learned that patients and their guardians are willing to pursue an experimental fertility preservation procedure when no alternatives are available. Sperm freezing is not possible for [Read More...]
Baby born from 27-year-old embryo believed to have broken record set by her big sister 12/01/2020/ Source: CNN – Though Molly Gibson is just over one month old, she could've been born at any point in the last 27 years. Her embryo was frozen in October 1992 and stayed frozen until earlier this year in February, when Tina and Ben Gibson of Tennessee adopted her embryo. Tina gave birth to Molly in late October -- nearly 27 years after her embryo was first frozen. Molly's birth is believed to have set a new record -- one previously held by her [Read More...]
ReproTech, Ltd. Presents Study on Important Considerations for Safe Cryogenic Shipping PRESS RELEASE: St. Paul, MN, October 29, 2020 --(PR.com)-- ReproTech, Ltd. was honored to present an oral abstract at the virtual American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) 2020 Scientific Congress and Expo that resulted from a study designed by authors, W. Brent Hazelrigg, President and CEO; and Amy Erickson Hagen, Vice President of Quality Assurance and Special Projects. Cryogenic shipping containers (cryoshippers) are used every day to safely transport reproductive tissue specimens between clinics and storage facilities. Within the walls of a cryoshipper, absorbent material holds liquid nitrogen to [Read More...]
April 2020: A study by Ana Cobo, PhD, et al, published in Fertility and Sterility, found that for some women with endometriosis, early fertility preservation, including egg freezing, can be a helpful treatment option to achieve future pregnancy. The study included 485 women with endometriosis who froze their oocytes for future use. The study concluded saying that the findings “may be helpful for counseling purposes. Fertility preservation offers a valid treatment option to clinicians and their patients with endometriosis to help them increase their reproductive chances in the future." Read the full article.
A joint statement was released from the Oncofertility Consortium and the Alliance for Fertility Preservation that reaffirmed the importance of offering freezing services to patients undergoing fertility threatening treatments due to cancer or other diseases. It is recommended that other fertility treatments that can be reasonably delayed, including some IVF cycles and elective egg freezing, not be initiated at this time. The statement was in response to guidance issued by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) on 03/17/20, which said that reproductive health care providers should "continue care in cases that are urgent." They specified that "'urgent' refers to all treatment that is time-sensitive, such as impending [Read More...]
Chad Brick's desire to be a dad hit rough waters, even his battle with cancer Man plans, God laughs. — Yiddish proverb He sat at the kitchen table of his west Miami-Dade County home, flipping through a binder thick with medical records from the past three years of cancer treatments. "You hear people say, 'It could never happen to me,'" said Chad, 31. "Well, it happened to me." On the best of days, being a father can be a challenge. Do you give your kids a pat on the back or a kick in the behind? Will you have [Read More...]
January 9, 2019 - ReproTech, Ltd.’s three facilities in Minnesota, Florida and Nevada, have again been awarded the prestigious accreditation of the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), as well as its Texas facility received first-time AATB accreditation, it was announced in December, 2018 by Brent Hazelrigg, President and CEO. AATB accreditation follows an intensive nine-month process, and ensures that the processed tissue is of high quality and that tissue banking activities are performed in a professional manner consistent with or exceeding the AATB’s Standards. Tissue banks also undergo an independent review of their standard operating procedures (SOPs) and an on-site [Read More...]
Published: October 24, 2019 - ReproTech, Ltd. CEO, Brent Hazelrigg, contributed to this experiment and article in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction & Genetics that provided useful information about cryostorage tank performance after an induced vacuum failure. Assisted Reproduction Technologies Click here for the link to the abstract. Cryostorage tank failures: temperature and volume loss over time after induced failure by removal of insulative vacuum Authors: Kimball O. Pomeroy, Michael L. Reed, Brian LoManto, Stanley G. Harris, W. Brent Hazelrigg, Dawn A. Kelk Abstract Purpose To determine liquid nitrogen evaporation rates of intact liquid nitrogen storage tanks and tanks with their vacuum [Read More...]