Professional Fertility Specialist

Ellie Schwartzman

Ellie Schwartzman, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist

Dr. Schwartzman is the former co-chair of the Gestational Carrier Task Force for the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and has lectured for Resolve on third party reproductive arrangements for many years. She has served for the past 14 years as the psychologist for Women to Women Fertility Center, where she counsels and evaluates intended parents, ovum donors and gestational carriers. She has also worked extensively with reproductive endocrinologists throughout the Bay Area, providing mental health services to their patients in her Oakland private practice.

Dr. Schwartzman is the mother of adolescent twin sons through a gestational carrier. Her doctoral dissertation (1986) includes a review of the literature regarding the emotional impact of an unfavorable fertility forecast.

Dr. Schwartzman brings a scholarly interest in the field along with an empathic approach to individuals and couples in all phases of the fertility journey.

Jodie Sandhu

Jodie Sandhu

Nurse Practitioner
Clinical Manager

Jodie Sandhu is a Nurse Practitioner, graduate of Stanford University, who has been in Women’s Health for the last five years. Jodie holds a dual degree as a Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant. She has been in the nursing field for the last 13 years providing hands-on care to patients. During this time, Jodie has gained skills working in hospitals, emergency rooms, nursing care homes, community clinics, and family practice centers. Her role in Women’s Health is one that is very proactive and supportive. She practices independence of decisions, focuses on educating the patient, and helps women realize their strengths in improving their well-being.

Jodie works with Dr. Snowden in her role as a Clinical Manager, to enhance the patient’s personal experience with infertility. She guides patients from beginning to end, acting as a coordinator and nurturing patients in every way. Her goal is to provide patients with resources, strength, comfort, and success in this journey. Jodie is fluent in Spanish, Punjabi, and Hindi.

East Bay Fertility Treatment

Fertility Specialist Doctor

Ellen

Ellen U. Snowden, M.D.

Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist
Medical Director of East Bay Fertility Center

Dr. Ellen U. Snowden, Medical Director and physician for the East Bay Fertility Center, directs all patient services performed by nurse practitioner, nurses, medical assistants and office staff. Dr. Snowden is Board Certified in Obstetric, Gynecology, and Reproductive Endocrinology with advanced Fellowship training in the treatment of infertility, recurrent miscarriages and hormonal disorders in women. A former infertility patient herself, Dr. Snowden brings to her patients a rare and valuable firsthand empathy for the personal pain and emotional stress of dealing with infertility. Dr. Snowden’s extensive training includes a four-year Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at Michael Reese Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Antonio Scommegna, a pioneer in Reproductive Endocrinology. Her post-graduate Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility was completed at the University of Illinois. Dr. Snowden began her professional career treating patients for infertility in Chicago over 20 years ago. Before founding East Bay Fertility Center, she served as Medical Director of The Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Sacramento. Dr. Snowden also served as Medical Director of Pacific Fertility Center. Other positions have included Director of Women’s Services at the Center for Human Reproduction in Chicago, Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University, and Instructor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Illinois. Staff privileges in California have included Mercy Hospitals and Sutter Hospitals.

Dr. Snowden is actively engaged in on-going research in infertility and has published articles in the field.

Dr. Snowden is associated with more than a dozen professional societies, including The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and The Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (SREI).

Infertility Related Stress

The psychological stress of dealing with infertility is extremely overwhelming. Added to the stress is the well-meant but unwanted advice from family and friends and the financial havoc that fertility treatment wrecks on your budget. Missing out on the experience of having a biological child leads to intense frustration, putting tremendous stress on marital relationships. Feelings of anger and jealousy persist, on the unfairness of parenthood coming so easily to others. 

Infertility treatment itself is a very precarious process intercepted with dramatic emotional swings knowing that there is nothing that can be done to guarantee that treatments will work. Since infertility is defined as a condition that sets in after trying to conceive for 12 months or more, those confronting it may already be drained emotionally. A devastating sense of sadness coupled with shock sets in when recurrent pregnancy checks turn in negative. The anguish of putting up with continual cycle failures creates great aggravation.

It is far from easy to cope with infertility when the world around you is filled with expectant parents. However it is important to ensure that infertility does not take over your life. Here are a few tips on how to cope with and manage the rollercoaster of emotions that infertility brings about: 

Give a voice to your feelings: It actually takes more mental energy to hold your feelings back than to express them. Allow yourself to feel the sadness, anger and frustration by letting out your pent-up emotions. If a friend’s pregnancy affects you, go ahead and wail out your despair rather than try to quell what you truly feel. You have the right to distance yourself a little from their excitement if it’s too painful for you. Likewise it is perfectly normal to opt out of attending baby showers and children’s birthday parties if you anticipate that they will be painful experiences. Prioritize invitations to reduce stress. 

Look for support: Professional counseling groups, online forums and even friends prove to be of great support and help in coping with infertility. Sometimes just knowing other people are in related situations helps.

Read up on the subject: Widen your knowledge about the latest infertility treatment options and also about alternatives like adoption and surrogacy. This will help you feel more in control of the situation.

Take a break: Leave the pressures of infertility behind and go on a vacation. Many couples get a chance to rediscover and strengthen their fragile relationship when they get away from it all.  

Consider professional help: get reliable, professional advice and help from a reputable source. Due to the emotional stress of infertility, some fertility clinics insist that their patients seek counseling before and during treatment. Fertility clinics have in-house therapists who teach coping skills and strategies to alleviate some of the depression and anxiety faced by couples. 

Physical Ways to Reduce Infertility Stress

• Maintain a good diet and an exercise routine in consultation with your gynecologist.
• Limit your intake of caffeine found in foods like coffee, tea, and chocolate.
• Get adequate sleep.
• Learn relaxation techniques such as yoga, medication and breathing exercises.
• Continue doing the activities you enjoy.

Going in for Infertility Treatment

The good news is that well over half of couples that seek infertility treatment conceive. Medical advances in fertility treatment options today are leaps and bounds ahead of what was available a generation ago. Seek an infertility specialist who will make you feel comfortable and who will give you the best options keeping your interest in mind. Choosing the right fertility clinic will make the entire process a bit easier to bear and hopefully increase success rate of treatment.

East Bay Fertility Center located in Dublin, California is well equipped with the latest technology and offers the most comprehensive consultation available in the field of Reproductive Endocrinology. The Center is headed by Dr. Ellen U. Snowden a Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and offers a complete mind-body experience for couples with fertility issues. A former infertility patient herself, Dr. Snowden brings to her patients a rare and valuable firsthand empathy for the personal pain and emotional stress of dealing with infertility. 

Being Positive but Practical It is important to ensure that your self-esteem and outlook towards life remains positive while dealing with the emotional ups and downs of infertility treatment. But remain realistic about the situation. Don’t get pushed to a corner while facing the uncertainty about treatment outcomes and learn to say ‘enough is enough’ when you may find yourselves having to accept that conception is not going to happen. It is then necessary if you so desire, to choose another option, such as adoption or opt for child-free living.

For all your fertility related queries and concerns log on to http://www.ebfertility.com

Fertility and Sterility

Human fertility and sterility depends on several factors including nutrition, endocrinology, sexual behavior, culture, quality of life and emotional, physical and mental health. The modern trend is for both men and women to postpone having children, busy as they are in establishing their careers and ensuring financial security and stability in their lives. However, fertility tends to decrease with increasing age in both men and women due to biological, physical and mental and emotional factors adversely impacting the child-bearing process.

 

In most cases, infertility is treatable. The first step towards increasing the chances of conception would be to bring about changes in lifestyle and nutrition. Drugs and environmental toxicants adversely impact fertility. Regulating the intake of alcohol and caffeine is also essential. 

 

Recent medical research has resulted in several technological breakthroughs in reproductive techniques paving the way for older parents to successfully have healthy babies. Famous older dads of today include the likes of Anthony Quinn, Michael Douglas, David Letterman, Larry King, Woody Allen, Charlie Chaplin and Warren Beatty among others.

 

There are several methods which older parents can opt for to have healthy babies:

 

• Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI)
• Artificial insemination
• In vitro fertilization (IVF or IV)
• Surrogacy
• Egg donation

 

Fertility or infertility clinics and centers abound where fertility specialists provide treatment for male and female infertility which can be age related or otherwise. Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) is a part of obstetrics and gynecology that trains doctor’s to treat reproductive and infertility issues. Physicians are trained to study and treat hormonal dysfunctions in females and males and surgeons operate to treat infertility.

 

Artificial insemination is a popular option for couples facing problems in conceiving. Here infertility specialists inject sperm into the female at the time she is ovulating to help her conceive. In vitro fertilization or IVF is another alternative for an infertile couple. In this process, fertility clinic(s) combine the sperm and the egg outside the uterus and the resulting embryos are then placed in the woman’s uterus.

 

However, if the female partner cannot carry a child in her uterus there is the option of surrogacy which transcends all international borders. A gestational surrogate agrees to carry a pregnancy in her uterus for the biological parents. This method has offered couples who are unable to carry the opportunity to have their own child.

 

If a male partner is unable to produce sperm, there are sperm banks from where one can select sperm after reading the profile of the donors. Egg banks have not yet been developed due to the difficulty of freezing and thawing eggs with good survival rates. Ongoing research will allow this to take place in the future. At this point in time, the most reliable method of obtaining eggs is through In Vitro Fertilization with an egg donor.

 

Before opting for any of these methods it is important that the concerned individuals go in for counseling provided by fertility experts.

 

For all your fertility related queries and concerns log on to www.ebfertility.com. We will be happy to guide you through the various diagnostic and treatment options available to help you build your family.