Valerie Shavell, M.D.

Congratulations to the U of M Health-West graduating OB/GYN residents Zoe, Ria and Marissa! 🎉 We were pleased to present Dr. Marissa Lown with the Excellence in Reproductive Medicine Award this evening.

So sweet. Love this! 🌸

It was an honor to be invited to celebrate the passage of the Michigan Family Protection Act . Thank you Tammy Myers and Melissa Neckers for working tirelessly to accomplish such an amazing feat. 🫶

It was a wonderful evening celebrating the one year anniversary of the Fertility Preservation Foundation. Thank you to everyone who came out to support our cause.

Our mission: Protecting the possibility of a future family for those facing cancer.

Our vision: To make fertility preservation available to more families affected by cancer regardless of income.

Celebrating the fabulous Dr. Sarah Bjorkman. Congratulations!!! 💫

May you and those dear to you have a meaningful and memorable .

To the loved ones lost, your service is not forgotten. 🇺🇸

Happy Stepmother’s Day to all of the fabulous stepmom’s out there. 💗

Happy Nurses Week to all of the incredible nurses who I’ve had the privilege of working with, past and present. Some of these fabulous nurses are pictured here, but there are many others! 💗

This makes my heart smile 🧡

Wearing orange in support of the 1 in 6 impacted by infertility worldwide. 🧡

The Campaign was created by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association to help raise awareness about the importance of empowering you in your journey and changing the conversation around infertility.

National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) is next week!

NIAW is a time to raise awareness and give voice to those who are struggling to conceive. It is a time to show love, support, and understanding for the 1 in 6 people who are affected by infertility worldwide.

Discover more at infertilityawareness.org

S***m come in many different shapes and sizes. Determining the percentage of normally shaped s***m (morphology) is part of a semen analysis. When < 4% of s***m are normally shaped, it is called “teratozoos***mia” or “teratos***mia”.

* >14% normal morphology – high probability of fertility
* 4-14% normal morphology – fertility slightly decreased
* 0-3% normal morphology – fertility extremely impaired

These are images from our Ovation Grand Rapids andrology laboratory!🔬

***m ***mia ***mia

Good news!

Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took action against a class of chemicals known as PFAS, which can linger permanently in our air, water and soil. PFAS are associated with certain types of cancer, thyroid dysfunction, decreased fertility, and other health concerns. Unfortunately, PFAS are detected in the blood of most people in the U.S.

This is definitely a step in the right direction. 👏

Sending you fertile thoughts during this upcoming eclipse! 🌞 ➕🌛

There is a lot of interesting mythology and folklore surrounding an eclipse. “To the Australian Aborigines, the Sun was seen as a woman who carries a torch. The Moon, by contrast, was regarded as male. Because of the association of the lunar cycle with the female menstrual cycle, the Moon was linked with fertility. A solar eclipse was interpreted as the Moon-man uniting with the Sun-woman.”

Source: https://www.almanac.com/solar-eclipse-folklore-myths-and-superstitions

The Michigan Family Protection Act was signed into law by this week!

This package of bills legalizes and regulates gestational surrogacy, ensures that children born by surrogacy and IVF are treated equally under the law, and eases the process of official parental recognition.

I am grateful to those who worked tirelessly to accomplish this amazing feat. 🙏

Here are a few interesting facts about human eggs (oocytes)! 🥚

Did you know that:
➡️ The egg is the largest cell in the female body
➡️ Eggs start to be produced 9 weeks after conception, and a female is born with all the eggs she will ever have
➡️ On average 400-500 mature eggs are ovulated (released) during a lifetime and the others degenerate over time
➡️ An egg can live for 12-24 hours after ovulation
➡️ Up to 90% of the eggs of a 20 year old are viable compared to 5-10% for a female in her 40s, which is why it is much more difficult to conceive as a woman ages
➡️ Eggs may be frozen (oocyte cryopreservation) potentially to preserve future fertility

In addition to St. Patrick using the shamrock as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity, the three leaves of the shamrock have been said to symbolize HOPE, LOVE, and FAITH. 🌟❤️🙏

Wishing you a very happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️

Michigan gestational surrogacy laws are antiquated and the time has come for change. Tammy and Jordan Myers have been such amazing advocates for those who need the assistance of a gestational carrier in order to conceive. Tammy and Jordan had their beautiful children via a gestational carrier after freezing embryos at The Fertility Center prior to cancer treatment.

With their perseverance and determination, the Michigan Family Protection Act passed through the House vote in November and will now move on to the Senate next week!

You can read the full article here:

https://people.com/mom-forced-to-adopt-her-biological-twins-almost-at-finish-line-getting-surrogacy-laws-changed-exclusive-8609138

Mom Forced to Adopt Her Biological Twins ‘Almost at the Finish Line’ in Getting Surrogacy Laws Changed (Exclusive) Tammy and Jordan Myers, who were forced through Michigan's surrogacy laws to adopt their own biological children, have fought for more than three years to get laws changed so that no other family has to go through what they did.

March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate women’s achievement and take action to drive gender parity.

Women have paved the way for IVF. One of these women was Miriam Menkin. Miriam was not accepted into medical school as she was woman. She became a researcher and lab technician for Harvard fertility doctor John Rock. Miriam was the first person to successfully fertilize a human egg outside the body in 1944.

March is 🎗️

Endometriosis can cause inflammation, immune system and hormone changes, and the formation of scar tissue in the pelvis, which may negatively impact egg quality and implantation. Endometriosis typically causes pelvic pain; however, it is important to remember that 20–25% of women may be asymptomatic.

Team work makes the dream work. We couldn’t help our patients fulfill their dreams of building their families without each and every TFC superstar. I am truly grateful for our amazing TFC team. ❤️🙏🏼

Was George Washington impacted by male infertility? Happy Presidents’ Day! 🇺🇸

Love is the greatest gift. Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕

Happy lunar new year! 🎊🧧

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon! 🐉 In Chinese mythology, the dragon is a symbol of bravery, strength, health and fertility. May the spirit of the dragon be by your side this year. I am hopeful for good things to come in 2024.

It warms my heart to share the wonderful news that one of our 2023 Fertility Diaries award recipients is pregnant and due in April! I am so excited for what the future holds for this incredible couple who began their fertility journey with me over two and a half years ago. 💗

Perfection! 💙💛

HAIL TO THE VICTORS, THE WOLVERINES ARE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 🏆

Michigan Football | College Football Playoff

✨ Happy New Year! ✨

I wish you and those dear to you a year filled with beautiful moments. For those who are still on their fertility journey, I am hopeful for good things to come in 2024. 🙏

#2024

Celebrating the holidays at . Looking forward to new adventures in 2024!

It was a lovely evening celebrating with fellow physicians, Amanda, and OBGYN residents at the Corewell Health holiday party last night. 🥂