IVF Milestone: Egg Retrieval

Egg retrieval is one of the key phases of in vitro fertilization (IVF). After multiple follicles in the ovaries have matured sufficiently (i.e., have reached at least 15 mm in diameter), your doctor will instruct you on when to have the ovulation trigger shot. (The timing needs to be precise.) The egg retrieval takes place about 35 hours after this shot.

How to Eliminate Stretch Marks

Permanent or not, stretch marks are an unpleasant yet inevitable side effect of pregnancy. While almost all expecting mothers get them, some are luckier than others and lose theirs faster, with little or no intervention. The rest of us, the genetically not-so-lucky lot, must do some extra work to minimize the appearance of stretch marks.

Trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome)

A trisomy is a type of aneuploidy (chromosomal abnormality) in which the cells of the body contain an extra copy of a chromosome. While most aneuploidies result in miscarriage, fetal development can progress to live birth in the case of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), and a few other, less common chromosomal abnormalities. Of the three most common trisomies, Patau syndrome is the rarest; it also has the most severe clinical presentation.