News Summary

• BioClock Baby Plan is a new diagnostic service that provides women an unprecedented fertility assessment and a range of tools to highlight any potential barriers to conceiving naturally, such as uterine abnormalities or ovarian cysts.
• The unique service is an attempt to counsel women about fertility potential now and if putting off a having a family may be a problem in the future.
• The consultation can be carried out in one single clinic visit and does require a lab visit prior to the consultation.

Quotes

• “Our new BioClock Baby Plan fertility assessment is designed to help women who know they want to have children, but may not want to have children at this exact moment. On average, women today start their families later than at any point in history. Tests like this are simply designed to empower women with the information they’ll need to plan their family.” - Gail Kelly, clinical operations director of Women’s Health for University of Minnesota Physicians.
• “Our belief is that women should be given a more realistic picture of their reproductive limits and potential. By raising a woman’s fertility awareness, we can help women make informed choices about important life decisions.” - University of Minnesota Physician reproductive endocrinologist Theodore Nagel, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.

Full Text

The University of Minnesota Physicians Reproductive Medicine Center has launched BioClock Baby Plan, a new diagnostic service that provides women an unprecedented fertility assessment and a range of tools to highlight any potential barriers to conceiving naturally, such as uterine abnormalities or ovarian cysts.

The unique service is an attempt to counsel women about fertility potential now and if putting off a having a family may be a problem in the future. Assessments are based on a woman's medical and family history, her age, and several laboratory studies. At the end of the visit patients will receive a full report and explanation of the results.

The consultation can be carried out in one single clinic visit and does require a lab visit prior to the consultation.

“Our new BioClock Baby Plan fertility assessment is designed to help women who know they want to have children, but may not want to have children at this exact moment,” said Gail Kelly, clinical operations director of Women’s Health for University of Minnesota Physicians. “On average, women today start their families later than at any point in history. Tests like this are simply designed to empower women with the information they’ll need to plan their family.”

For most women, the primary infertility concern is aging. A woman is born with a finite number of eggs, known as her “ovarian reserve.” After birth, no new eggs will form and both the number and quality of those eggs decline over time.

While there is no way to count a woman’s remaining eggs, blood tests and an ultrasound examination may demonstrate how a woman’s ovarian reserve compares to normal, expected levels at her given age. Such tests, in combination with testing designed to provide a full picture of pelvic and uterine health can empower women with insight around their particular fertility picture.

The Reproductive Medicine Center’s BioClock Baby Plan includes:

• A reproductive health history questionnaire
• Blood tests to measure antimullerian hormone (AMH) and anti-chlamydia antibody testing.
• Pelvic ultrasound
• A summary and report of the testing data
• A full consultation with a fertility expert, including lifestyle advice and treatment options.

“Our belief is that women should be given a more realistic picture of their reproductive limits and potential,” said University of Minnesota Physician reproductive endocrinologist Theodore Nagel, M.D., F.A.C.O.G “By raising a woman’s fertility awareness, we can help women make informed choices about important life decisions.”