Dr. Turek's Blog

A Year Without Answers II

This is the second of two guest posts from a patient who lives in Europe. He recently recontacted me about his experience with male infertility and how it affected him.  Moved by his story and by his emotional fortitude, I asked him if he could share his remarkable journey with others. The first post is […]

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A Year Without Answers

This is a guest post from a patient who lives in Europe. He recently recontacted me about his experience with male infertility and how it affected him.  Moved by his story and by his emotional fortitude, I asked him if he could share his remarkable journey with others.  “The day we met with Dr. Turek […]

The Incredible (Renewable?) Egg

It’s hard to keep up anymore; things are changing so quickly in fertility medicine. Just in the last week, a Harvard researcher discovered stem cells in the human ovary and a 66 year old just became a mom to twins in Switzerland. There goes the rug, being pulled out from under our scientific feet yet again. […]

It’s in the Steak

In quiet moment on the couch, I recently asked my 8-year old daughter what the word “hope” means to her. “If life were a meal, hope belongs in the steak,” she said. The food metaphor didn’t surprise me, as with most kids her age, she thinks about it a lot. What did interest me was […]

The Ins and Outs of Male Fertility Kits

A man’s sperm count. One of the most misunderstood tests in all of medicine. Like naming stars in the sky to help order the universe, we assign “normal” ranges to the features of semen because we can. Unfortunately, except when there are no sperm in the semen (azoopermia) its power to predict male fertility is […]

The Testosterone Tipping Point

Your car is not running well. It just doesn’t have the pick up it used to have. It’s low on gas so you fill it up, but it runs the same. OK, so it’s not the gas…it must be something else, so you begin looking for other causes. Yes, I’m an “old car guy,” but […]

Your Hair, HRT & the Male Reproductive System

This magic pill is finasteride (trade names; Propecia, Proscar, Avodart). It represents a class of drug called the 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. These pills act as enzyme blockers: they prevent the male hormone testosterone from converting to its metabolite dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Although testosterone is responsible for a lot of our “male” features, DHT is more potent […]

How is a Medical Visit Like A Ball Game?

The world came to San Francisco this weekend. The 49ers hosted the NFC Championship football game at Candlestick Park and it was a day for ages. Friends clamored for tickets, taking seats at any price. Some bought tickets like they were playing the stock market: buy sooner if it rains, later if it doesn’t, or […]