Sperm Tales: An Informative Guide Through the Challenges of Infertility

Sperm Tales:





Infertility is a medical problem defined as the failure of a couple to conceive a child





after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse, or the inability to carry a pregnancy to live





birth. According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, infertility affects about





6.1 million people in the United States, which is about 10 percent of the reproductive age





population.





Sperm Tales provides the necessary step-by-step information that enables patients to





anticipate and prepare for the various challenges -- medically and otherwise -- that attend the





process of infertility treatment. Sperm Tales is written by veteran infertility expert, Lynn





Collins, whose up-to-date information and compassionate voice, will put couples at ease and





may even make them laugh. At the end of her book she includes a short chapter introducing





Spanky. Spanky is a sperm who, years ago was given to Collins as plastic toy that now sits on





her desk as her clinic's mascot. Over the course of her 12 years of working in the clinic she





kept a notebook documenting humorous asides uttered from the patients during the various





phases and indignities of treatment. Spanky's presence on the desk, and as the mascot of





Sperm Tales, serves as a reminder that at times during the stress of treatment, humor is the





best medicine.





Often people feel vulnerable and embarrassed when embarking infertility treatment.





¿The goal of Sperm Tales is to disarm the fear and take the reader's hand while navigating the





process. Sperm Tales helps the reader understand that those in the field who accompany them





on the journey have seen and heard it all when it comes to hardship and humor of the process





and that they are there to help.











Why We Need Sperm Tales





Couples are in this together, and at the same time are coming from very different and very





emotional places. By the time they get to this point they are discouraged, desperate, maybe





ashamed or embarrassed and simply are reaching out. Collins' book offers ballast and clarity





about what to expect -- and does so in a voice that is compassionate and even light-hearted at





time.¿





The book is especially helpful to those who read it before infertility treatment begins





or those who are in the very early stages of the process. It is the author's hope to help women





and men understand the nature of their bodies and the issues involved with childbearing (or





hoping to) in the later years of woman's infertility.





Further, the book is intended to help women of childbearing age gain a clear





understanding about their fertility and the potential roadblocks they will confront if they wait





too long. While great strides have been made in helping women conceive later in life, the





book helps women of childbearing age to recognize the complication they will face if they





presume too much when it comes to conceiving after the peak years.Sperm Tales is

Lynn Collins last position was a laboratory supervisor at a leading U.S. sperm bank;

She manages and reviews results of donor specimens and works with department of health.

Her previous experience includes running a multi-million dollar infertility laboratory on the

North Shore of Massachusetts and working for 12 years at a leading infertility center and

Boston and on the North Shore. Her work included responsibilities in the Reproductive

Endocrine lab performing sperm washing, sperm banking, semen analysis and running

hormones on chemistry analyzers.

For 12 years Collins worked at a women's medical center on the North Shore, where

her responsibilities included creating and developing an infertility laboratory and sperm

bank; supervising four employees in the laboratory and phlebotomy areas; performing IUIs,

semen analysis, including retrograde semen analysis, and cryopreservation of sperm;

maintaining daily quality control assessments, and monitoring appropriate quality

improvements for the laboratory. Communicating with physicians and nurses regarding all

quality improvements for the lab; maintaining and updating quality standards relating to

certification with CAP, FDA and AATB. Recently inspected a Reproductive Endocrine Lab for

CAP at the New England Medical Center, Boston; overseeing Point of Care Testing (POCT)

in Phlebotomy Lab; training employees in all hospital computer programs, including Freezer

Works program for sperm banking, and maintained computer systems and databases;

maintaining building code regulations according to Joint Commission Standards; instructing

Infection Control Training and Safety for new employees.

Her specialties include Laboratory Systems Management:

. Infertility Clinics

. Sperm Banking

. Staff Development & Team Leadership

. Total Quality Assurance

. Safety Operations & Risk Mitigation

. Compliance & Regulations

Beyond her clinical expertise, Collins is especially passionate about patients, offering

them the highest quality service while rendering emotional support during what is often a

most difficult passage of their lives.

Collins is a member of the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), the American

Board of Bio Analysis (ABB) and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)