Infertility is a topic that affects countless people across the globe. It is a medical condition that crosses cultural, national and socio-economic boundaries.

In our continued efforts to stay atop the latest advancements in the field of reproductive medicine, PCRM’s Dr. Jeffrey Roberts attended the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) conference last month. This was his fourth time attending.

Founded in 1984, ESHRE is recognized as Europe’s preeminent society for the treatment of infertility. Their annual meeting attracts thousands of fertility specialists from around the world.

This year’s conference took place in Lisbon, Portugal on June 14 – 17.

ESHRE’s annual congress provides the perfect opportunity to expand our clinic’s knowledge base. A European perspective typically offers unique insights. Thinking differently about familiar concepts is a great way to improve our services. Stagnant thinking is not conducive to the type of work we do here at PCRM.

For those involved with infertility treatment, the field is surprisingly close knit. This was the perfect opportunity for Dr. Roberts to network with international colleagues, as well as his fellow North American peers.

As fertility treatment is ever evolving, there was no shortage of scientific abstracts to take in. This year, in particular, featured a lot of content related to technical development.

There ended up being a number of good takeaways from the event.

Comprehensive chromosomal screening has revolutionized the fertility industry. Intensive discussion on the development of genetic screening of embryos prior to implantation drew much interest from the specialists in attendance, as did the related talks on the time lapse imaging of embryos.

Freezing embryos for later placement within the uterus—in order to coincide with the most optimum fertility conditions—has been the subject of much interest in the public eye. The “Freeze All” process has seen a major push within the reproductive community in recent years, and is no longer considered an experimental technique. As such, egg freezing was the subject of several good sessions.

The abstract on stimulating the uterine lining to increase thickness through the use of pentoxifylline and vitamin E offered a lot of practical information.

Improving outcomes for our patients is the ultimate purpose of this annual three-day congress.

PCRM avidly supports any opportunity to engage with our peers in an open dialogue about fertility issues (no complaints if the forum just happens to take place in a beautiful location like Lisbon). Along the same lines, we encourage our patients and prospective patients alike to speak openly about their concerns. Any opportunity to discuss fertility issues is wholeheartedly endorsed by our staff.

With advocacy top of mind, PCRM is planning a presentation for the upcoming Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society’s (CFAS) annual meeting in Halifax later this year. Dr. Roberts sits on the board of directors and remains an active member of CFAS, Canada’s foremost authority on reproductive science and medicine. The theme of this years meeting is aptly titled “State of the Art Fertility Care – the Quest for Excellence.”

In addition, PCRM will likely be in attendance at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) annual meeting this fall in Baltimore. As usual, the event promises to showcase all the latest research developments and medical innovations.

Whenever and wherever opportunities for advancements in fertility treatment exist, PCRM will be there.

 

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