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UPDATE: I first brought you this interview with Dr. Huang after Angelina Jolie was reported as having gone through IVF to conceive twins, Vivienne and Knox. Even though he did not treat her, his practice, Reproductive Partners was quoted in a US Weekly article. Since I knew him, I thought it would be interesting to ask him frequently asked questions and to clear up misunderstood facts about infertility. Since then, Dr. Huang is has become even more interesting to me because he has treated my sister who is now pregnant, after only one treatment of IUI! It is only fitting that this interview be brought back for Best of Tot Snob. =)

First of all, why did you get into infertility?

It's the best job in the world. Partnering with couples to help create families. (That's why we are "Reproductive Partners") What could be better?

What is the #1 reason for infertility?

There is really no #1 reason for infertility. 40% of the time, it's related to the male, 40% of the time it's related to the female, 20% you can't determine (unexplained).

Male factor has to do with the quality of sperm. Female factor can be associated with numerous reasons. This can include problems with anatomy, ovulation, or the quality of the eggs. Quality of eggs is most related to the natural process of aging. Women's peak fertility occurs around age 22. Until age 32, fertility remains relatively stable. Even to age 38, changes are relatively subtle. After age 38 however, fertility begins to drop more noticeably. Unexplained infertility means there is not a specific reason found for the infertility.

I am sure you have heard by now that Angelina Jolie opted for IVF when conceiving twins Vivienne and Knox. I read it in US Weekly in which there was a quote from Dr. Arthur Wisot of Reproductive Partners Medical Group. Since I know one of their partners, Dr. Andy Huang, I decided to have him sit down and answer some burning questions that has been swirling around regarding infertility treatment and all that it involves.

First of all, why did you get into infertility?

It's the best job in the world. Partnering with couples to help create families. (That's why we are "Reproductive Partners") What could be better?

What is the #1 reason for infertility?

There is really no #1 reason for infertility. 40% of the time, it's related to the male, 40% of the time it's related to the female, 20% you can't determine (unexplained).

Male factor has to do with the quality of sperm. Female factor can be associated with numerous reasons. This can include problems with anatomy, ovulation, or the quality of the eggs. Quality of eggs is most related to the natural process of aging. Women's peak fertility occurs around age 22. Until age 32, fertility remains relatively stable. Even to age 38, changes are relatively subtle. After age 38 however, fertility begins to drop more noticeably. Unexplained infertility means there is not a specific reason found for the infertility.

Melodie Dress in vintage fabric, $68; Pink and red dots Andrea Dress
We like to profile working moms on Tot Snob because it is always hard to find balance and it is nice to see how other women are doing it. So when I heard of Kayce Hughes, a mom of 7 (5 girls ages 2, 4, 6, 10, 12 and 2 boys 8 and 14) AND has her own company, Pears + Bears, you can image how impressed I was and how I HAD to talk to her. Pears + Bears is a collection of amazingly adorable clothes for girls and women and not only does Kayce design everything, she manages her own production, as well. I have worked in fashion and my job was just communicating with factories, I worked 12 hour days sometimes but I was single and 23 years old. So I can appreciate what a feat this is, it is beyond impressive. I was able to get a few minutes on the phone with Kayce for a quick chat, who lives and works in Nashville.

We recently featured TOMS shoes and the concept behind the company was so interesting we decided to do an interview with the founder. I got to catch up with Blake Mycoskie (who calls himself Chief Shoe Giver) while he was in Dallas for an event honoring TOMS. He had just received the Cooper-Hewitt People's Design Award - the National Design awards were conceived by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum to honor the best in American design. The core criteria are excellence, innovation, and contribution to the quality of life. Obviously, this is a tremendous honor since TOMS was only established 18 months ago. However, his fame and notoriety hasn't gone to his head, Blake is extremely down to earth and easy to talk to. He grew up in Arlington, Texas and attended SMU and is very close family. His parents still reside in Arlington, his sister and Amazing Race partner, Paige, started her own fashion line, Aviator Nation, and his brother, Jordan, works with him at TOMS in LA.