Atlantic Fertility

Meet Dr. Cathy MacDougall. 👋

With experience in General Practice, Obstetrics, and Student Health, Cathy has been supporting people through life’s biggest moments for 38 years now. She joined Atlantic Fertility in 2022, bringing her compassion, warmth, and expertise with her. She is also on the Hearing Committee at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of N.S.

Cathy is especially passionate about helping those with chronic health challenges and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Outside of work, you’ll find Cathy hiking, biking, golfing, curling, skiing or painting!

We’re lucky to have her on the Atlantic Fertility team. 🤩

Grateful to be a part of this country. Happy Canada Day!

Have a great day with family and friends.

Atlantic Fertility uses a MODIFIED version of the basic Gardner system to better suit our patient needs. This means that grades of embryos from Atlantic Fertility are not directly comparable to some information found online.

Embryos are graded based on three structures:

Expansion grade: Blastocyst development
1 Blastocoel cavity less than half the volume of the embryo
2 Blastocoel cavity more than half the volume of the embryo
3 Full blastocyst, cavity completely filling the embryo
4 Expanded blastocyst, cavity larger than the embryo
5 Hatching out of the zona pellucida
6 Hatched out of the zona pellucida

ICM grade: Inner Cell Mass Quality
A Many cells, tightly packed
B Several cells, loosely grouped
C Few cells
D Poor quality, very few cells

TE grade: Trophectoderm Quality
A Many cells, forming a cohesive layer
B Few cells, forming a loose epithelium
C Few large cells
D Poor quality, very few cells

Remember, these grades only show potential worth. So, even if your embryos are lower graded, don’t lose hope!

"My husband and I had such a great experience with Atlantic Fertility. The journey of trying to conceive was difficult, with a lot of unknowns. Trusting the process, the science and the team was very easy. Communication, articulating scientific information in a way that anyone can digest… they do it well. After a fresh transfer, we conceived and have since welcomed our little girl. They will be a resource for us in the future if needed!"

These are the messages that make our hearts full. We love receiving updates and precious photos from our Atlantic Fertility families and are so grateful to celebrate these milestones alongside you. ❤️

This Men’s Health Week, we’re highlighting male fertility.

There are simple ways to start checking in on reproductive health early, whether that’s lifestyle changes, basic testing, or simply having the conversation.

For more information, we have linked an interview done by our Urologist, Dr. Jesse Ory, a few years back: https://www.besthealthmag.ca/article/male-fertility-test/ as well as this article he co-authored: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33474845/