Top Infertility Program in CT Gearing Up for the Fall

At Reproductive Medicine Associates of CT (RMACT), we are looking past the end of the summer, into the fall. There are some programs that are continuing, som programs that will restart and some programs that will be brand new.

Our goal is to support our patients as whole people, not just diagnoses, not just as infertility patients. To that end, we offer the following programs:

1. Carolyn Gundell, MS, is available, by appointment, to discuss healthy eating strategies, nutrition and their impact on fertility. Carolyn has her M.S. in Nutrition from Columbia University and has over twenty years of experience, with a specialty working with patients with insulin resistance, Diabetes Type1/Type 2, and metabolic disorders including Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
2. LisaTuttle, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, will be leading groups that provide a forum for participants to learn about and discuss the emotional aspects of infertility; provide an opportunity to share their experience and benefit from the support and eperience of others, and to develop constructive ways of coping with the emotional challenges of infertility.
3. Support groups are incredibly helpful because they give you an opportunity to meet with others who are facing fertility challenges, and to learn coping skills that will help you through the process. In Danbury, we have Jane Elisofon, LCSW leading our groups.
4. Acupuncture- What is acupuncture and how does it work? Acupuncture is the insertion of thin, sterile needles at specific points (acupuncture points) along the surface of the body to regulate the flow of qi or life force energy. The ancient Chinese postulated that there were meridians of qi that flowed throughout the body linking all the internal organs and body structures. If the flow of qi became disordered or blocked various symptoms and pathologies would arise. Acupuncture was used to redirect the flow of qi thereby restoring balance and health. Make an apppointment with either Amy Matton or Jing Zhang.
5. Ladies Night In- Peer Support Groups- A different version, not professionally led, all of us who have faced the infertility challenges. Peer led by RMACT staff with experience with infertility and running peer support groups.
6. Fertile Yoga will continue at 20 Glover Avenue in Norwalk from 9:30-11am on Saturdays. The first half hour is just to chat, from 10-11, we practice gentle, restorative style yoga. Fertile Yoga meets in Brookfield CT (very close to the Danbury office) at YogaSpace, from 4:15-5:30 pm, also on Saturdays.

Is there a program that you are interested in but we do not offer? Post here, tell us about it, let's see if we can make it happen.

 

Infertility Does Not Mean You Are Alone- Be a Part of a Team

  This past weekend I spent time at the Stamford Women's Expo, sitting and standing at a booth, speaking to women about what Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT) offers. From 10-6 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday, I talked. That's a bit much even for me. Luckily for me, we have a great staff at RMACT and so I was not alone. Special thanks to Dr. Mark Leondires and Dr. Cindy Murdock for being there and speaking to people and pitching in any other way that was needed. I smile as I write this next sentence; Cori, Carmen, Nina, Rachel, Dori, Soochi, Amy, Jing and Robin, you rock! Not only did you come and talk and help, you were wonderful company, as usual. Having a team to count on is the reason that all of us can do what we do so well. Knowing that someone's got your back and  can and will step forward to offer different information or add information is the comfort of working on a team. I know that there are work places where people bad mouth each other or sabotage one another. I am lucky enough to work with a team of people that operate as a real team.

I want you, anyone who reads this, to know that if you write a comment to this blog, it does not get published until it is sent to me, privately. This is not about censorship, it's about privacy. What this offers you is the opportunity to get in touch with me, knowing that you can speak to me without having a public post. Think of it as your own private email address with me at the other end. I know some of the conversations yesterday and Saturday were emotional. For those of you out there who have been trying on your own, I am personally reminding you that you are not alone. I had that reminder yet again this weekend. I am not alone. Thanks to everyone at the RMACT team who reminded me. It's a powerful feeling to know that there's a difficult or tiring job that needs to be done and that  you are not alone.

If you are trying to conceive and it's not happening, it's a painful realization to come to that you need help. Continuing on that path with a doctor, getting the help that you need and deserve, is still difficult. We try to make it as gentle as possible. We give you a team. A Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist (we have four!), a nurse coordinator, a patient coordinator, a financial representative. When you call, you will speak with someone who knows who you are. Our incredible lab and lab staff, led by Dawn Kelk, PhD, who work behind the scenes and ensure that everything moves smoothly and efficiently. We have a live human being, Carmen, dedicated to making that first appointment and helping you with forms who is not also answering the phone for other reasons. We have Amy and Jing who offer acupuncture, before and after treatment. Carolyn Gundell, MS, is a nutritionist who's been helping people choose food wisely and support them through medical treatment. Dr. Lisa Tuttle and Jane Elisofon, MSW, offer individual therapeutic support as well as group support, much appreciated by many of our patients. Fertile Yoga, offered by me, free, on Saturdays, also available. The RMACT team. If I forgot anyone, please forgive me. Better yet, write me and let me know!

 The RMACT team. Use us. Start here.

 

 

 

 

 

State of the art fertility treatments at RMACT include laser acupunture

Today's Wednesday and that means we have a member of the RMACT team speak to you. I am publishing our press release about laser acupuncture that we released in May of 2009. If you have not seen this information before, please take the time to read it. It's an extraordinary breakthrough to have acupuncture available needle free. You will also get to meet our talented and compassionate acupuncturists that we feel honored to work with.  

RMACT the only fertility clinic in Connecticut to offer laser acupuncture treatments for IVF fertility treatments.

Norwalk, CT  May 28, 2009 -- Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT) announced today the results of a recently conducted survey that showed the use of laser acupuncture performed both before and after embryo transfer during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, improves a women's chances of implantation by up to 15%. Acupuncture is the traditional Chinese method of using pin-point thin needles placed at strategic "energy points" around the body to improve functioning and promote natural healing. Growing medical evidence indicates that acupuncture may improve a woman's chance of conceiving when performed in conjunction with IVF fertility treatments. Today, acupuncture is frequently used by women with infertility issues to help regulate menstrual cycles, reduce stress and improve blood flow to the pelvic area and uterine lining. The study, one of the largest clinical trials ever conducted on acupuncture, had 1,000 participants who were randomly assigned to one of five study groups. The first group received traditional acupuncture, the second group received laser acupuncture, while the third or "placebo group" thought (along with the acupuncturist and physician) that they also received laser acupuncture. The fourth, relaxation group lay in a dimly light room with soft music, and the last group received no treatment at all. All treatments were administered for 25 minutes before and after embryo transfer.

"The results of this large prospective study are exciting in that they provide additional support in showing that acupuncture has a direct effect on improving fertility," said Amy Matton, a licensed acupuncturist at RMACT. "Like traditional acupuncture, laser acupuncture uses low level light to regulate qi and help balance the body. Laser acupuncture is a viable alternative form of fertility treatment for people who may have a fear of needles."     

"This exciting, first-of-its-kind study offers another tool to help couples achieve pregnancy, with only two painless treatments" said Dr. Mark Leondires, Medical Director at RMACT. "Our customized patient programs, personal attention, and leading research and technology, enable RMACT to provide each of our patients with the latest and most effective fertility treatment possible." To view abstract published in the November 2008 issue of Fertility and Sterility, The Official Journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine: , click here: IVF Fertility Treatment Laser Acupuncture Abstract

RMACT IVF Fertility Treatment Laser 

Currently, RMACT is the only fertility center in Connecticut to offer laser acupuncture. All of RMACT's licensed acupuncturists have been trained in the use of laser acupuncture. To make an appointment or to learn more, call (800) 865-5431, or contact us via our Fertility Clinic Contact Form

 

Amy Matton

Amy Matton is a Westport native and a cum laude graduate of the University of Massachusetts. She has a Master's degree from Pacific College in New York City where she was awarded the prestigious Kamwo Award for excellence in Herbal Studies.

Her clinical internships included the De-tox Acupuncture Program at the Fortune Society's Youthful Offender Program, and The Hospital of Joint Diseases, where the focus was on disabled women and issues of pain management, sleeplessness, medication side effects and depression.

Amy also studied in China where her work included classes taught by several of Beijing's most well known herbalists and acupuncturists as well as observation in hospitals specializing in internal medicine, gynecology, and pediatrics. Her postgraduate studies include female infertility and complementary cancer care.

For the past six years Amy has maintained a private practice in Westport with a focus on women's health, pain management and adjunctive cancer care.

For more information or an appointment, please call Amy at (203) 858-6286.

Jing Zhang
Jing Zhang, a licensed acupuncturist joined RMA's infertility treatment center in August 2006. Jing has fifteen years of experience in acupuncture and Chinese medicine and holds a M.D. degree from Capital University in Beijing, China. While in the United States, Jing completed a three year postgraduate acupuncture program at the AIA Institute in New York. Besides her work at RMA and her private office in Stamford, she is an instructor at the Acupuncture Institute of the University of Bridgeport.

Her areas of interest include infertility, anxiety, menstruation disorders, weight control and gastrointestinal problems.

To make an appointment or obtain additional information about Jing or acupuncture in general, you may call her at (203) 981-5439 or (203) 329-9048.