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Having babies
Hadassah clinic helps women conceive
JERUSALEM—The Fertility
Clinic at the Hadassah-Hebrew
University Medical Center attracts
patients not only from all over
Israel but from all parts of the
Middle East, including Arab
countries at war with Israel, like
Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Lebanon, and Syria, as well as the
Far East, Europe and the U.S.
Some patients fly in to attend the
clinic on days assigned to them.
The clinic, headed by Dr. Joseph
Schenker, is in the Gynecology and
Obstetrics Department. It is
especially successful in promoting
pregnancy in women who have
ovulation problems. There are
women at Hadassah who have
sought medical help elsewhere for
over 10 years to become pregnant.
One of them, a mother of
quadruplets, says, “Dr. Schenker
and his team are wizards—there
are not enough superlatives to
describe them!"
The quads were born after
treatment in the clinic. She now is
back at Hadassah having given
birth to another child aftera gap of
four years and further treatment in
the clinic.
Dr. Schenker reports that the
clinic has achieved almost 9$
percent success inducing
ovulation. It is a complicated
process which needs close follow
up of patients nearly every day, he
explains. The treatment is very
sophisticated and can onlv be
given by specialists with the aid
of laboratories which give
hormonal estimates within a few
hours.
Perganol, a hormone which is
extracted from women in
menopause, is the preferred drug
in the clinic to induce ovulation.
Israel is the only country in the
world which provides Perganol
free. One ampule costs SIS, and
there are women who get 100
‘...the clinic has
achieved almost 95
percent success
inducing ovulation.'
ampules a month. This is because
the country encourages population
growth. The drug is provided to
Jews and Arabs alike.
“Treatment with Perganol must
be properly carried out," Dr.
Schenker says, “because it may
result in severe complications if
not monitored well. We are now
putting all data required to
determine the exact time of
ovulation for each patient into a
new computer program that we
have developed. Through this
program, we are able to pinpoint
the day of ovulation. Once this is
known, fertilitzation of the egg at
the correct time results in
pregnancy. Special equipment has
been developed in the department
to measure the various factors
affecting ovulation.
Dr. Schenker explains that lack
of ovulation is not the only cause
of sterility. There may be
mechanical problems such as
obstruction of the tubes, mainly
caused by infections due to
induced abortion, venereal disease
or even the use of an intrauterine
device. If the damage is due to
infection, surgical treatment may
be unsuccessful. The department
uses, micro-surgical techniques for
the correction of tubal
obstructions.
Adhesions may also cause
sterility. These may be in the
peritoneal cavity or they may be in
the uterus itself. The basic research
which has been done at Hadassah
on the induction of adhesions as a
contraceptive method is helpful in
the treatment of infertility due to
intrauterine adhesions.
The Hadassah Fertility Clinic
treats men as well as women. In the
U.S., fertility clinics usually deal
with women, while men are treated
by urologists. Male infertility may
be due to damage to germinal
tissue of the testes, dilation of the
veins, or obstruction of the tubes
through which the sperm pass, or
hormonal imbalance. Only a
portion of these cases can be
treated, either by means of surgical
intervention or by means of
hormones.
Knowledge of the causes of male
infertility is only in the first stages
of progress and successful
treatment is limited. Basic research
being carried out in Hadassah
laboratories has practical and
clinical effects.
Dr. Schenker concludes: “Ten to
IS percent of infertilities are
caused by psychological factors.
Our department, therefore, works
closely with the Psychiatry
Department so that no factor is
overlooked."
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“Grow ing what?'
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“Really?"
Honest, and you can come see
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invited to a Wine and Cheese
Party, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. at the
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“1 didn’t know that."
“Well, now you know.”
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AJCC Zabw Branch. 5342 T»v M» Rd„ Atlanta. Georgia Call Patsy to R.S.V.P. *75-7881
Pag# 13 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE Novtmb«r 23, 1979