Medical & Lab Director at Columbia Univ Fertility Ctr. Advancing safety & efficacy of IVF. Lobo Family Assoc Prof of Reproductive Med. Assoc Editor @fertstert
Expanding IVF coverage is about making sure all New Yorkers have greater access to treatments to start a family in our great state. With my bill passing the @nysenate we can lead the way on reproductive healthcare options in New York!
Expanding IVF coverage is about making sure all New Yorkers have greater access to treatments to start a family in our great state. With my bill passing the @nysenate we can lead the way on reproductive healthcare options in New York!
This week in #FridayFertilityNews: breakthroughs in genetics, better IVF predictions, a creative take on sperm awareness, and more.
1️⃣ Massive Genetic Study Sheds Light on Infertility 🧬
A new study analyzing data from over 1 million people identified 25 genetic variants linked to infertility (22 in women, 3 in men). It revealed strong overlap between unexplained infertility and endometriosis—and between PCOS and anovulatory infertility.
🧐 Conceive Take: This is one of the most comprehensive genetic studies on infertility ever. The strong link with endometriosis makes us wonder: how many “unexplained” cases are actually undiagnosed endo?
https://t.co/uWx2zyUZjA
2️⃣ Cofertility Raises Series A to Redefine Egg Freezing & Donation 💸
@Cofertility just announced its Series A round led by Next Ventures and Offline Ventures. The company’s unique model lets women freeze their eggs for free when they donate half to a family in need.
🕵 Conceive Take: AA fresh approach to egg donation—led by someone who's lived the struggle. Excited to see my friends @laurenmakler@halletecco and team reimagine family building. Disclaimer: I’m a very proud investor. LFG!
https://t.co/5WqPnqhvtz
3️⃣ America’s Best Fertility Clinics 2025 Announced 📋
@Newsweek just released its annual rankings of top fertility clinics across the U.S.—based on peer recommendations, success rates, and accreditations.
🧐 Conceive Take: Patients often feel lost choosing a clinic. While rankings aren’t a perfect science and we believe clinic recos should be personalized to YOU, they can help patients get started. Congrats to @EricFormanMD, MD, HCLD and Zev Williams, MD, PhD, and the team at Columbia for their first place ranking!
https://t.co/eCEJmBIewv
4️⃣ World’s First Competitive Sperm Race Is Coming to LA 🏁
Yes, really. LA is hosting the first-ever sperm race, where real donor sperm will “compete” on a custom-built track to raise awareness about male fertility. The event is backed by $1.5M in funding.
🧐 Conceive Take: We’re all for spotlighting sperm health—but we’re not totally sure this is the best use of $1.5M. That said, if it gets more people talking about male fertility, maybe it’s a win? https://t.co/75iRu8xkCh
5️⃣ New Study Finds Machine Learning Model Outperforms SART for IVF Predictions 📊
A study of 90,000+ IVF cycles found that clinic-specific machine learning models (MLCS2) predicted live birth outcomes more accurately than the national SART model.
🧐 Conceive Take: This study reinforces the need to move beyond generalized stats toward context-specific, personalized insights. It’s a step toward more accurate, trustworthy, and patient-centered fertility care.
https://t.co/OA1bhHvDaZ
Thank you to REI specialist and @DukeMedSchool alum Dr. Eric Forman for #grandrounds: An Evidence Based Approach to Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A). Looking forward to many more visits as the @DukeU legacy continues.
I wrote this in 2018, but seems even more relevant now. Are embryos people? The answer will determine the future of reproductive medicine https://t.co/NsHIZ3GdEq via @statnews
@Walgreens your pharmacist hung up on me. I called to complain they wouldn’t fill estradiol to support a highly-desired #IVF pregnancy. Said the “computer” won’t allow it to be prescribed if pregnant. This is the problem when artificial intelligence replaces thinking. Disgraceful
Patients undergoing fertility treatment at Columbia are the first to use a new at-home pain-free blood-draw technique.
Learn how #ColumbiaMed fertility researchers and clinicians came together to make this innovation available to patients. https://t.co/7b2kQV1SF7
@EvelynBehar@fertcentersofil@drevefeinberg Great advice @EvelynBehar abandon such an inspirational story. Fortunately, insurance coverage for egg freezing has improved over the past 10 years, but still very much dependent on your employer.
Effective leadership is key to the success and well-being of IVF lab teams. Fostering leadership skills can improve IVF lab efficiency, team morale, and patient outcomes. A huge thank you to @RBMOnline for the opportunity to share on this crucial topic.#leadership#quality
Women’s orgs/political orgs should be speaking out and condemning Hamas. Remember the universal condemnation after #BokoHaram kidnapped the girls? @MichelleObama publicly called for their release. Where’s the outcry/demand for the release of Jewish hostages?
#StandWithIsrael
@MairaCasalechi How would you explain the high concordance rate if aneuploidy is induced by the biopsy? See https://t.co/iJXNycxr4s It may explain why intermediate copy number aka “mosaicism” does not correlate with outcomes and should have not have been used for selection
@MaxEzzatiMD I’d like to see the full trial results, but day 5 transfer may place the embryo(s) in a more receptive endometrium. They also may have better survival after warming.