Check Out AIA's Upcoming Events

New !   A Message Board dedicated to PCOS

Find Out How The AIA Can Help You 

About The AIA PCOS Center

The American Infertility Association (AIA), headquartered in New York City, is a national organization dedicated to assisting women and men facing decisions related to family building and reproductive health from prevention and treatment to social and psychological concerns.  The mission of AIA is to serve as a lifetime resource for those needing reproductive information and support.  In addition, AIA is committed to reproductive health through advocacy, education, awareness building and research funding.

AIA recognizes that PCOS is not just an infertility issue but carries with it a number of lifetime medical and emotional concerns and risks, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, endometrial cancer and hirsutism. 

AIA provides a host of services for women with PCOS, including meetings and support groups.  On October 17, 1999, AIA and Mt. Sinai Hospital presented the first-ever full day lay conference devoted to PCOS in the New York City area.  The conference featured fifteen of the leading doctors and nutritionists working in the field and included talks on topics such as PCOS and Infertility, Breakthrough Medications for PCOS, PCOS in Women Over 40, Ovulation Induction and IVF for the PCOS Patient, Alternative Therapies, Hirsutism and Body Issues, Insulin Resistance, Glucose Intolerance and Diabetes, An Overview of Low Carbohydrate Diets, and Genetics and PCOS.

Recent events have included a PCOS Track at AIA's Infertility and Adoption Conference 2000 held on Sunday, March 5, 2000.  The conference was attended by over 700 people and was the largest gathering of its kind!   PCOS Workshops included: An Overview of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome by Drs. Alan Copperman and Daniel Stein, Managing Your PCOS by Dr. Harry Lieman and Fertility Drugs and PCOS: What's the Best Choice? by Dr. Steven Spandorfer.  On March 21st, AIA hosted a live PCOS Chat on line, moderated by Dr. Richard Grazi of Brooklyn IVF.  You can access the transcript of this chat on the website. Upcoming issues of AIA's newsletter will feature articles on PCOS by Dr. Steven Spandorfer and Dr. Samuel Thatcher. Finally, watch this website for more great articles about PCOS by leading practitioners and researchers.

We have also worked hard to get media attention focused on PCOS. Recent coverage has included a story on Good Morning America featuring interviews with Dr. Rogerio Lobo, a leading PCOS researcher and clinician and AIA board member and PCOS Conference co-chair Ellen Friedman Bender. The March issue of Ladies Home Journal featured an in-depth article on PCOS based on an interview with AIA board member and PCOS Conference co-chair Beth Kushnick. Channel 7-Eyewitness News (ABC) and News Channel 4 (NBC) in New York City have aired stories on PCOS as did Lifetime Live.. On the internet, look for a story on PCOS on Rx.com.  Keep your eye out for more articles and television coverage on PCOS in the next few months.

Our dedicated PCOS Message Board is up and running. It is being co-moderated by two reproductive endocrinologists, Dr. Steven Spandorfer and Dr. Daniel Stein and AIA volunteer, Ellen Friedman Bender. Our PCOS Study Center lists nationwide and local research studies involving PCOS and other useful information about the clinical trial process. As we look to the future, we plan to add an increased presence on the internet to those services, more PCOS online chats, a list of links to other PCOS sites on the internet, a PCOS bibliography and more articles by medical professionals. And, of course, we would love to hear from you about any other resources you think would be helpful in coping with PCOS. We are also always looking for volunteers to help with our programs and our website. Please send all inquiries and suggestions to and indicate that you are writing about our PCOS programs.

Although our internet services are available free of charge, we hope you will consider joining AIA to receive all of the benefits of membership in our organization. These benefits include a monthly 12 page newsletter, telephone counseling, a peer support network, reduced rates at seminars and symposia, monthly educational meetings in the NYC area, professionally led support groups and medical referrals. For more information about membership, return to the AIA homepage.

Thank you.

Living with PCOS - Support Group

The group provides a place where women, in groups of 8-15 members, can share feelings and experiences while supporting each other.  The group meets once a week for 1 and ½  hours on a weekday evening over the course of several months.  Groups are led by mental health professionals at a fee of $30 per session.

Visit AIA's PCOS Study Guide

A list of ongoing or upcoming research studies or clinical trials of interest to women with PCOS

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Get Involved ... Become A Volunteer

The AIA is seeking volunteers to help it reach out to the many men and women that need its services.  Learn more about becoming a volunteer for AIA.

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Upcoming Events at AIA's PCOS Center

First, on Monday, May 1st at 8:00 pm AIA will host an on line chat on PCOS and Nutrition: What's the Deal With Diets? The chat will be moderated by Martha McKittrick, RD, CDE, a registered dietician, certified diabetes educator and certified fitness instructor who specializes in PCOS, weight control, cardiovascular health, diabetes, sports and general nutrition. She has been a staff nutritionist at The New York Hospital for the past 14 years as well as in private practice. We hope you will join us for the chat and bring all your low carb questions.

Second, on Tuesday, May 16th, AIA will host a meeting on PCOS and Body Issues at the National Council of Jewish Women at 820 Second Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets, 2nd Floor. The meeting will feature a talk by Harry Lieman, M.D. of Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Department of Reproductive Endocrinology and Betty DeVito, President of the American Electrology Association. The meeting will start at 7 pm but there is an orientation for new and prospective members of AIA starting at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is free to members of AIA and $10.00 for non-members or you can join at the door ($45.00 for basic membership) and attend for free.

Finally, the April issue of AIA's newsletter features an article entitled "Pregnancy Outcome in ART: The Patient With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome" by Drs. Steven D. Spandorfer and Zev Rosenwaks of The Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility, New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center.

Be sure to explore AIA's PCOS Center and post questions on our physician-moderated PCOS message board,

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