Vol. 8 No. 1
March 1998
Insuring Quality Community Healthcare
Winthrop's Advance Directive Initiative
The Winthrop South Nassau University Health System Opens Homecare*America Superstore in Mineola
Winthrop Welcomes Three New Directors
Winthrop Opens a Second, Fully Monitored
Neurosurgical Intermediate Care Unit
Winthrop's $12 Million New Life Center is on Track for July, l998
Winthrop's Long Island Regional Poison Control Center Observes Fifth Anniversary of Averting Danger, Saving Lives
Patient Unit is Dedicated to the Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Long Island's First Dual Chamber Defibrillator is Implanted in Winthrop's Electrophysiology Lab
Report from The Heart Institute at Winthrop: Third Cardiac Catheterization Lab is Authorized
by State Department of Health
Winthrop's Artificial Heart Device Program:
A Revolutionary Treatment for End-Stage Heart Disease Patients
Winthrop's Dialysis Centers Receive National Award
for Patient Encouragement - One of Only Six Programs in the United States to be Recognized
Endoscopic Ultrasound: On The Forefront of Technology
Long Island Chapter of Impotents Anonymous Meets at Winthrop, Filling an Intimate Need ---Confidentially
Winthrop's Stem Cell Autologous Transplantation Therapy Program Saves a Life - And Can Save More!
Winthrop Adds Powerful New Radiological Intervention
Winthrop Auxilians Donate Service, Talent,
and Creative Fundraising
Winthrop's Division of Reproductive Medicine Makes Parenthood Possible
Dialysis is technology...but caring is an art.
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IVF and Other Therapies
Resolve Infertility
 inthrop now offers the intake and startup phases of In Vitro Fertilization services, as a satellite program to the prestigious New York University Hospital's full service IVF Program, says Magdalene E. Hull, MD, Winthrop's Chief of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology.
Working together, the two programs have successfully brought several patients to their long anticipated goal - parenthood.
Winthrop now offers the initial phases of In Vitro Fertilization services, as a satellite program to New York University Hospital's full-service IVF Program.
Winthrop patients who are deemed appropriate for IVF are carefully monitored during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation - the treatment with fertility drugs which can induce the release of multiple eggs in the "recruitment of eggs" phase. When the patient is about to ovulate, she is referred by Winthrop to the laboratory at New York University for egg retrieval and embryo transfer, also known as "implantation." Dr. Hull works closely with Jami Grifo, MD, PhD, Director of Reproductive Medicine at New York University, and Alan Berkeley, MD, Director of NYU's IVF Program, to direct the treatment of each Winthrop patient.
Normally, women ovulate mid-cycle, producing only one egg. The administration of fertility drugs facilitates the "recruitment" of multiple eggs during ovulation. The more eggs which are fertilized, the greater the likelihood that at least one will implant in the uterus.
Dr. Hull explains that monthly, even under natural, clinically unsupervised circumstances, only 20% of all couples who try to conceive are successful. "Fertilization may occur, but the implantation of the pre-embryo is a rather inefficient process in human beings," notes Dr. Hull.
Each couple's unique set of problems is addressed with individual therapy, from assisted conception to high-risk pregnancy care.
For some couples, infertility problems may be resolved at Winthrop through microsurgery, operative laparoscopy, operative hysteroscopy, the resolution of endometriosis, and controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with intrauterine insemination.
Winthrop's Division of Reproductive Medicine also provides donor insemination, to cope with the
problem of male infertility.
Magdalene E. Hull, MD, Chief of Reproductive Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, studies a sperm sample.
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Endometriosis
An expert in treating endometriosis, Dr. Hull explains that the condition occurs only in women of reproductive age - even teenagers. "Endometriosis does not occur prior to puberty, and is rarely seen after menopause. That is why it is believed to be closely related to estrogen levels, and our treatment strategies are geared to monitoring them."
Endometriosis is probably caused during retrograde, or "backward" menstruation, when tissue from the lining of the uterus is released through the opening of the uterine tube into the peritoneal cavity, "seeding" or implanting in various abnormal pelvic locations - the ovaries, cul-de-sac, pelvic peritoneum, and small intestine. Dr. Hull and other experts suspect the condition could have immunologic sources. Skipped or painful menstrual periods, pelvic pain, infertility, and painful sexual intercourse can result. Through appropriate intervention, Dr. Hull has enabled many women with endometriosis, previously infertile, to conceive and deliver healthy babies.
Uterine fibroid tumors, uterine scar tissue, and the late effects of recurrent pregnancy loss - all potential causes of infertility - are also treated at Winthrop's Division of Reproductive Medicine.
Menopause and "Designer Estrogens"
The Division of Reproductive Medicine's postmenopausal patients receive expert consultation on estrogen replacement therapy, used to help prevent cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
Dr. Hull is currently engaged in investigative research with John F. Aloia, MD, Winthrop's Chairman of the Department of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, in novel pharmaceutical approaches to estrogen replacement.
Patients also find superb educational resources - and comfort - through consults with the Division's specially trained Registered Nurses.
For further information, please telephone 516/663-3037.
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