Last week many of our physicians, lab directors and scientists met for the annual C.O.P.S. leaders conference. We sent out a press release about the event that I’ve included here. I thought you’d find it interesting reading. Enjoy!
The Council of Physicians and Scientists (C.O.P.S.), an invitation-only event sponsored by IntegraMed (integramed.com), concluded their annual conference on Saturday, May 1 following three full days of discussion about the emerging technologies and trends in fertility care. More than 100 reproductive endocrinologists, lab directors and scientists attended the 16th annual conference which was held in Dallas, Texas.
“We are proud to be in our sixteenth year with C.O.P.S.” said Joe Travia, C.O.P.S. Vice Chairman and Senior Vice President, Eastern Region for IntegraMed Fertility. “By bringing together the nation’s thought-leaders in reproductive endocrinology, we remain on the forefront of advancements that support our commitment to provide patients the best possible fertility care and treatment options at our IntegraMed Fertility centers.”
C.O.P.S. is co-chaired by Dr. John A. Schnorr, of the Southeastern Fertility Center, located near Charleston, SC. “This year we focused on three transformational technologies and topics that we are confident will positively impact the future of fertility,” said Dr. Schnorr.
The three trends in fertility treatment are:
- Improved pregnancy rates with decreased multiple rates through metabolomics. With metabolomics, embryo quality can now be evaluated non-invasively to more accurately measure their quality. In doing so, only the most viable embryo needs to be transplanted rather than multiple embryos, thus improving pregnancy rates while significantly reducing the instances of multiples through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
- Use of vitrification technology to successfully freeze eggs. One of the most exciting and long-awaited advances in fertility preservation is the ability to successfully freeze eggs via a technology called vitrification. Through vitrification, eggs are plunged in liquid nitrogen and instantly frozen, ensuring that this largely water-based cell does not form crystals that would expand and disrupt the egg’s membrane.
Dr. Schnorr predicts that within the next three to four years about 25 percent of all fertility preservation will utilize vitrification.
- Improvement in the evaluation and treatment of severe male-factor infertility.
Today 40 percent of infertility problems are attributed to the man. Procedures to improve the evaluation, risk assessment and treatment of severe male-factor infertility were discussed.
“C.O.P.S. embraces the spirit of collaboration and the exchange of ideas. Collectively we can accomplish more than we would ever be able to achieve individually,” concluded Dr. Schnorr. “That’s what C.O.P.S. is all about.”
