BS”D
Dear Friends,
As we settle into the month of Cheshvan, we look back at an incredibly successful Yom Tov season with gratitude and pride.
As Tahareinu’s work expands and our repertoire of services grows, we remain true to our original mission:
Bringing every Jewish couple the latest innovations in all issues of Tahara, women’s health, intimacy, and fertility.
The medical world is advancing at a rapid rate, and we keep abreast of the absolute latest developments – so each unique case is treated with targeted solutions.
We know that knowledge is power, and we do everything in our power to keep empowering every Jewish couple with the absolute latest knowledge for their challenges.
Attending conferences. Traveling to meet doctors. Exploring new avenues.
With Hashem’s help, we bring this crucial new information to every Jewish home.
We are excited to share the details of our upcoming annual campaign, focusing on expanding our services and helping even more couples fulfill their dreams of building healthy families.
On behalf of the thousands of Jewish families, we are Zoche to assist, we thank you for joining us in this hallowed mission.
Yitzchok Melber
A personal request from Rabbi Melber to each one of you
Every year, Tahareinu’s annual campaign focuses on raising funds to bring more healthy Jewish children to more families.
Our campaign will be officially launching on January 10th.
But NOW is the time for the entire Tahareinu family – friends, callers, readers, and alumni – to sign up to raise a specific amount so we can continue to build families with purity and professionalism.
As the Jewish world grows more connected and the impact of Tahareinu is felt keenly worldwide, we ask for your personal support in growing our success.
Commit to raising $1,800 to partner with Tahareinu
Commit to raising $3,600 to sponsor a day of the Tahareinu Hotline
Commit to raising $5,000 to partner in the birth of a healthy Jewish child
Currently, our hotline answers questions on infertility, miscarriages, genetics, intimacy, high-risk pregnancies, and of course, Tahara challenges. We are always seeking ways to serve even more countries, build more families, and guide more couples to the successful birth of their children.
Aim for a high goal and start spreading the word.
Please don’t wait. There is no measuring the impact of completing a Jewish
family!
UPCOMING EVENTS
We are looking forward to Rabbi Melber’s visit to America on October 17th through 26th!
Rabbi Melber will be attending the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) conference, the largest of its kind, in Baltimore. He will also be seeing couples
individually in Baltimore and the tri- state area.
Three top doctors to present at NY/NJ events for professionals
All our Tahareinu course graduates are invited to exclusive evenings in Monsey, Lakewood, and Brooklyn. Rabbi Melber will be presenting and taking live questions, followed by lectures by Dr. Scott Chudnoff in Brooklyn, Dr. Isaac Glatstein in Lakewood, and Dr. Joshua Klein in Lakewood. Members will have a chance to network with fellow
professionals and present their questions to the experts. Reach out to education@tahareinu.com for more
details.
Rabbi Melber attends recent conferences and lectures on women’s health specialties
Last week Rabbi Melber traveled to nearby Tel Aviv to attend an in-person conference with fellow doctors and experts in women’s health. As the only Chareidi Jew in attendance, he feels compelled to bring this crucial information to our community.
David Zeevi, an Orthodox geneticist, has developed a new technology called SHaploseek which will offer whole-genome sequencing for those dealing with multiple or complicated medical conditions in a more cost-effective and timely manner.
Although the European Congress for Gynecological Endoscopy (ESGE) Conference is still virtual, this top-level compendium of experts offered an impressive portrayal of the latest information available worldwide.
Adenomyosis and its relation to fertility was a big focus of this year’s conference, with many lectures on this topic. In the last few years, there has been a big shift in the research; it had been widely opined that only older women suffer from this condition, and therefore the go to solution was a hysterectomy. It’s recently been established that adenomyosis is found in young women more than 20% of the time, and it is a major cause of infertility and miscarriages. Because hysterectomy is not a satisfactory solution in these cases, there are now many minimally invasive procedures being developed to help these women.
Chaim Jalas, renowned geneticist, in his session with Ayala Israel, clarified the importance of performing PGTA for miscarriages only in the most accurate labs. In a general lab, the IVF/embryo censoring process will have upwards of a 20% margin of error. In that case, Jalas warned, the outcomes would not necessarily be vastly improved and don’t warrant the intensive process. In these labs, many healthy embryos are destroyed, and defective ones are selected. There are, however, select labs that can boast a 2-3% error rate. It is only through those labs that PGTA should be done.
Doctor Shai Cirmi, professor at Hebrew University, recently procured funding to research in conjunction with a New York hospital. He will explore new technology for Polygenic Risk Scores/Polygenic Effect Score (PRS/PES), a new type of PGT that will analyze the whole genome for patients with complicated conditions such as cancer. There is currently only one company offering this innovative testing in the US, but in the future, this will be widely available. Although this level of genetic selection is controversial both Hashkafically and ethically, it offers an incredible new avenue for those suffering from medical challenges who want to birth healthy children.
“Following my repeated miscarriages, I’ve been to all the top doctors. I spared no expense or effort, but all avenues toward a successful pregnancy seemed blocked. I can honestly say Rabbi Melber was more knowledgeable, more clear, and more empowering than all the experts I’ve seen. I now have the latest information and a very optimistic plan of action. Thank you,
Tahareinu!”
-A mother from New York
Ten Things to Know About the AMH Test
At a recent training for the 60 incredible women answering thousands of calls on our hotline, Dr. Anat Hershko, Director of IVF at Hadassa Hospital, shared the most innovative information about the Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) test for women. This test is used to check a woman’s egg reserves that can be fertilized for pregnancy.
- The blood test can be performed at any time during the cycle.
- Women with irregular cycles (not breakthroughs/staining), very short or long cycles (22 days or several months) should take this test, which can indicate possible conditions.
- Women with medical conditions, such as cancer or endometriosis, should also take this test for additional insight.
- AMH results must be exact; therefore it must be done in a high-level professional lab.
- This test should be done before IVF; it will help the doctors determine the protocol.
- There are different levels of AMH suitable for each age range. If the numbers are very high, that indicates PCOS, and if they’re too low, that can mean POI (Primary Ovarian Insufficiency). If indeed the reserve of eggs is low, if the patient is young (under 25) it is still possible to have healthy children, but it is prudent to freeze eggs for the future so if the number drops even lower, she will have a backup.
- If a woman has an irregular or no cycle before marriage, she should have an AMH test done before entering Shidduchim.
- Middle-aged women (45-50) often wonder when they can stop their birth control. This test can be relied upon because the AMH level never goes back up once it’s low. If the level is at 0%, she can confidently assume she doesn’t need birth control any longer.
- In cancer patients, preservation of eggs will always be recommended before chemo. However, this test is also useful post-chemo, to determine what the current status of her egg availability is.
- Although this test is not covered by insurance, it is available at a reasonable price throughout the world.
Dr. Hershko also shared with us 5 things to know about the Covid-19 vaccine as it relates to women’s health and fertility:
- After analyzing the complete hormonal profile, including FSH & AMH, in many female patients, they found no change in female fertility after taking the vaccine. IVF outcomes were also virtually identical.
- After following male patients for 7 months after vaccine administration, there was no change in fertility or IVF success rate.
Hadassa hospital has seen a major increase in pregnancies and births in recent months! - Pregnant women in any trimester are encouraged to take the vaccine, as there has been no indication of any complications post-vaccine.
- Although the miscarriage rate this year has been slightly higher in general, this is unrelated to the vaccine. Dr. Hersko followed 3 groups: Women with Covid, Vaccinated women, and unvaccinated women – and the results were nearly identical across the board.
- Irregular bleeding as an outcome of the vaccine has been prevalent, but in 99% of women, it has no long-term effects
Wishing every Jewish couple a safe and healthy winter, and may your every dream be fulfilled!
Got a question about relieving tahara problems, infertility, reproductive health, pain or other related issues?
call the Tahareinu hotline
Call the Tahareinu Hotline!
For ongoing infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, or reproductive genetic issues,
you and your spouse are warmly invited to schedule an in-person, phone or Zoom consultation with our founder and president, Rabbi Yitzchok Melber.
Please send an email to rabbimelber@tahareinu.com Include your first name and location, and briefly describe your issue.
Personal consultations are for more involved reproductive issues. Note the Israel
office has reopened for in-person consultations, in line with the country’s coronavirus status.
IMPORTANT
Most Tahareinu issues are addressed by our hotline advisors, 13 hours a day, 5 days a week. If you are unsure whether to schedule a consultation, call the hotline first.
