Dr. Turek's Blog

Male Infertility Breakthrough for Non-moving Sperm

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Patients with male infertility can often present with sperm in the ejaculate that doesn’t move. Sperm must move to find and fertilize eggs during natural conception. These sperm may be fine in every other way, but in this situation, male infertility is the rule. In this interview with CNN, Dr. Turek describes his published invention […]

Busy as Birds and Bees

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

I paused and peered over the microphone at the audience. My first words were “I thought you’d never ask.” And I meant it. My lecture at Stanford University was not conceivable two decades ago. But last week was different. The Most Common Genetic Disorder in America The audience was filled with cystic fibrosis patients. Cystic fibrosis […]

The Ultimate "Green" Book

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

It’s the age of “green” no doubt about it. Houses, cars, and even lifestyles with small carbon footprints are part of a larger deeper, planetary respect. You may know of green pencils (from recycled newspapers), sugar cane paper and, of course, green books. But, did you know that the ultimate green book is one that […]

Are Sperm Counts Falling?

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

They asked me again. It never seems to end. CBS News interviewed me this week and wondered whether men’s The Issue of Falling Sperm Counts In the mid 1990s, a paper was published that suggested that the average sperm counts of healthy men had fallen over the past 50 years. This started the whole debate […]

Why Blueberries Matter

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Once in a great moon, something comes around that changes the way you think about things. Galileo’s dismissal of the earth-centered universe, the invention of electricity and the desktop computer are but a few of these. Upon reading a recent meta-analysis of antioxidant supplements for male infertility, did my world-view change? Not really. But I […]

Men and Romance: Its Complicated

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

The definition of the word romance in most dictionaries, including the mother-of-them-all Oxford English Dictionary, includes the statement “a love affair.” In real life, however, the word romance means entirely different things to men and women but there is probably some common ground here. I think that Robert Frost best summarized what we would all […]

30,000 Foot (Cloud) Thoughts

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Do you find it hard to think at 30,000 feet if you are not on an airplane? “Think broadly and ambitiously and leave your pet projects at the door.” That was our charge as invited guests of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) this week for their visioning process for the future of healthcare in […]

Through the Looking-Glass

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

They called again and want to talk. Similar to a strict parent who gives you little clue as to where they stand, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) wants to have a conversation. I said: “Yes, absolutely.” The NIH is nation’s power player in healthcare research. In 2010 it spent $32 billion or about $100 […]

Dawning of the Deed

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Here’s a good question: “How old is sex?” You know, the old birds and the bees-type hooking up. Recently, some fossil finds have given us great clues as to the age of intercourse, the conception of copulation, the dawning of the dirty deed. You might have trouble even imagining your parents or grandparents having sex, […]

The Skinny on Holiday Cards

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

“I want the holiday card with three of you on it” is what I tell my infertile patients at our first meeting in the office. Even if that visit occurs in February. In fact, this sums up much of what I think about infertility care: The solution to infertility is a path that may take […]