Episode 54 – Interview with Dr. Shari Brasner
Malky and I interview Dr. Shari Brasner who is an OB-GYN that is on the advisory board of Conceivex. We also have a winner in our latest contest, a new poll, some news and listener feedback galore!
Right click here to download the episode!
Links discussed in the show:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Podcast
It’s very strange to hear my words coming out of Malky’s mouth! But thanks for the compliment.
I enjoyed the podcast, but I was offput by Dr. Brasner saying that although there isn’t any empirical research on the Conception Kit, she “would have a hard time coming up with the downside.” A few weeks ago I blogged about the Ov-Watch, and Malky commented that she has been dubious about the product; at least Ov-Watch has clinical trials indicating effectiveness. Looking at the Conception Kit website, the only existing clinical trial examined whether people could understand the instructions, not whether it improved pregnancy outcomes in a randomized clinical trial. Spending $300 and 3 months on something with no proven effectiveness, when time and hope are precious to so many of us, seems like a downside to me.
Even so, I wonder if I might have tried the Conception kit if it had existed when I was starting out. I have tried many things over the years, only a few of which are backed by randomized clinical trials. I like to follow the science, but I’ve also been known to do everything possible.
Just to be clear, this is not a criticism of you or the podcast, but of the product that you were discussing. I know that it’s much easier for me to be critical in a comment than when you’re actually talking to someone involved with the company.
Looking forward to the next podcast!
Hey, guys,
Thanks for mentioning me on the show!
I’m actually commenting for the same reasons as “Baby Smiling in the Back Seat.” I was also put off by the doctor dismissing (it felt to me) the importance of trials showing the treatment kit works.
She said she couldn’t see any downsides, but I see some.
1) A kit like this could lead a couple to trying it without first getting screened (which may be why the FDA requires a prescription.) If age related infertility is the issue, and they waste 3 – 6 months getting this kit, they might lose valuable time.
Also, what if a woman isn’t getting her cycles regularly. There could be a variety of reasons, which should be looked into. But instead of seeing the doctor, she could fill out a form online, and get this kit, before being checked out.
2) The emotional investment — when a couple is trying to get pregnant, and a treatment is being tried, they put in their heart and soul. If the kit doesn’t work for them, it could cause emotional pain, more than it might if it were clear to them that no studies have been done to show it will work.
3) And, financial investment – $300 is not *a lot* of money when it comes to fertility treatments, however, every dollar counts when you’re considering fertility treatments. If I pay $300 for something, I want to know that I’m going to get something out of it, something with some medical science and research behind it.
I have not looked into the kit yet in detail, however, based on what I heard, the entire thing sounds gimmicky. I would hope a good doctor would provide education for free to a couple trying to get pregnant, and be sure to explain to them that before they try this kit, they either 1) get tested, to make sure nothing serious is going on and that it’s not female infertility, and 2) understand that the kit might help – but it might not, since there are no studies behind it.
If a couple has been diagnosed with mild male infertility, or cervical mucus is a problem, or it’s remained unexplained — or even if not much time has passed since they started trying and they just want to do *something* extra for whatever reason — then maybe this kit is a good idea for them.
But I’d be careful marketing something like this to the general infertile public.
That’s my 2 cents. (Maybe more like a $1.50)
Rachel
Do you know anything about this?
http://ivfclinicaltrial.com/
No this is the first I’m seeing of this. It sounds interesting. Although I know a little about min stim IVF ( we did an episode on it). Are you considering trying out for it? I’m too old already (just turned 39).
I thought the Conceivex Product was interesting. People on fertilityfriend.com have been using the Instead Cups for this purpose for quite some time now. So, it was funny to hear about a product designed and sold specifically for this purpose. It sounds like it would be much cheaper for people to continue using the Instead Cups vs investing in this kit.
Women use it either after intercourse (to help keep the semen close to cervix, or have their partner ‘go’ in the cup, and then the woman inserts it.
On behalf of Conceivex, we wanted to respond to the comment about using the Instead cups for conception. Safety is a top priority in the reproductive world and you should know that Instead cups do not have clearance from the FDA for use as a conception device. They have not been studied or proven as a fertility enhancement device. Here is the official statement on the Instead Web site: “INSTEAD, Inc. has not studied the post-intercourse placement of an INSTEAD® Softcup® as a method to help improve the probability of conception. The use of the Softcup® as a pregnancy aid has not been cleared by the FDA.� The Conception Cap is the only cervical cap that is cleared by the FDA for conception. The Conception Cap is designed to be used with all components of the Conception Kit to maximize the opportunity to become pregnant. Please visit http://www.conceptionkit.com for more information on FDA clearance and how the elements of the Kit work together to maximize your fertility.