Vivere-Audubon Honors National Infertility Awareness Week

NEW ORLEANS, April 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Infertility is a disease affecting more than 7 million people across the U.S., according to the National Survey of Family Growth. That number represents 12 percent of women of childbearing age or one in eight couples.

Audubon Fertility & Reproductive Medicine is proud to recognize the 25^th Annual National Infertility Awareness Week April 20 – 26, joining with other infertility centers and healthcare professionals across the nation to promote greater awareness of infertility, the therapies available to address it, and the journey many couples take to fulfill their dream of becoming parents.

"We are very supportive of any effort to elevate the disease of infertility into the national spotlight," said Dr. Lindsey Wells, an infertility and reproductive endocrinology specialist with Audubon Fertility. "Our goal is to help couples realize their dream of having or expanding their family by providing them as much support and education as possible."

According to RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, many infertility risk factors are the same for women and men. They include:

• Age. A woman's age can affect her fertility. By age 40, a woman's chance of pregnancy has decreased from 90 percent to 67 percent.
• Emotional factors. Depression and stress may have a direct effect on the hormones that regulate reproduction and affect sperm production or ovulation.
• Occupational and environmental risks. Studies suggest that prolonged exposure to high mental stress, high temperatures, chemicals, radiation, or heavy electromagnetic or microwave emissions may reduce fertility in both men and women.
• Unprotected sex. Having multiple sex partners and not using condoms may increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that can cause infertility in both men and women.
• Smoking. Smoking may increase the risk of infertility in women and may reduce sperm production in men.
• Alcohol use. Even moderate alcohol intake - as few as five drinks a week - can impair conception.
• Being overweight. Body fat levels that are 10 percent to 15 percent above normal can overload the body with estrogen, throwing off the reproductive cycle.
• Being underweight. Body fat levels 10 percent to 15 percent below normal can completely shut down the reproductive process.

For more information or to ask about your infertility options, call 504-891-1390 or visit www.audubonfertility.com  

About National Infertility Awareness Week:

Founded by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, NIAW is a movement to raise awareness about the disease of infertility and encourage the public to take charge of their reproductive health. Each year the infertility community comes together for one week to focus on ensuring that people trying to conceive know the guidelines for seeing a specialist, enhancing public understanding of the disease and education legislators about how the disease impacts people in their states.

About Vivere Health, LLC

Vivere Health, LLC is a leader in developing and managing successful, patient-focused, multi-specialty Ambulatory Surgery Centers, state-of-the-art fertility laboratories, and a nationally recognized pharmacy. Founded in 2010, the company partners with physician specialists nationwide to develop Centers of Excellence, which are customized to the individual needs of physician partners and their patients. Along with its physician partners, Vivere Health is dedicated to the highest quality patient care and outcomes and is helping shape the future of women's health and reproductive medicine.

Vivere Health is headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., and includes locations in Austin, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Winter Park, Fla. For more information about Vivere Health, visit www.viverehealth.com.

Media Contact:  
Stephanie Minda 
832.341.5445 
[email protected]

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SOURCE Vivere Health, LLC