Health & Fitness
Today’s bonus episode guest is Dr. Sue Ellen Carpenter, founding physician and CEO of Bloom Fertility in Atlanta. Dr. Carpenter and Heather discuss INVOcell as an alternative to IVF: INTRODUCTION * I’d like to start by introducing you to our audience. Tell us who you are, where you work, what you do, and how you got to where you are today. * Take us through your career journey. * Why did you choose to go into medicine? * I understand, although you did not go through infertility yourself, that your children experienced infertility. Are you able to tell us their stories? INVOCELL * Let’s start with the basics of the INVOcell device itself. * How does the process work, and how does it feel to the patient? Can you walk us through it step-by-step? * I always thought that anesthesia is used in IVF because of the pain involved in the procedure. Is that not the case? * What should patients be doing during the incubation period for INVOcell? * Since the transfers are always fresh transfers, are you able to save any embryos afterward for freezing? * Is there a typical patient who would benefit from INVOcell? * I presume that INVOcell can also be used with donor sperm? * How does INVOcell compare to IVF as far as success rates? * Do you know offhand how many pregnancies and live births have occurred with the use of INVOcell? * Are there any other benefits to INVOcell as compared to IVF that you haven’t discussed? * Is INVOcell ever used to bank embryos? * How often can INVOcell be used? Is there a limit? * We’ve talked a lot about the benefits of INVOcell, but are there any risks? * Do you know where the idea for INVOcell came from originally? * Since that initial idea, what materials and manufacturing practices went into the development that we know today? * Once it entered the market and was used routinely, has INVOcell changed? * Where is INVOcell being used? * Speaking more broadly, are there any trends you have witnessed in women struggling with infertility? WRAPPING UP * What is your biggest piece of advice for people struggling with infertility? * Is there anything else you’d like to add about INVOcell?