Reproductive Health

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) refers to the process where a woman’s eggs are united with a man’s sperm outside of the body, in the laboratory, to generate embryos. For couples who struggle to become pregnant on their own, IVF is a common option. Once an embryo has been created, they can be transferred into the woman’s uterus within three to five days.

Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) is the introduction of prepared sperm into the uterus in order to improve the chances of pregnancy. IUI can be performed using either a fresh sperm sample (collected prior to IUI) or frozen sperm. It may be an option if you have:

· Open fallopian tubes

· A male partner with normal or mildly low semen parameters

· A female partner

· No partner

· Are a transgender male wanting to carry a pregnancy in your uterus

Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) can be performed during in vitro fertilization, where the egg is fertilized outside of the body by injecting the sperm directly into the egg. This is different from conventional fertilization where the sperm and egg are placed together in a dish and the sperm fertilizes the egg without assistance. The embryo(s) are then introduced back into the uterus.

Egg Freezing can occur for those wanting to preserve their eggs to become pregnant at a later time. The number and quality of eggs a woman has begins to dramatically decline after the age of 32. The egg freezing technique involves collecting eggs through the same process as if you were undergoing an IVF treatment cycle. The mature eggs are then frozen the same day and can be retrieved, thawed and fertilized by ICSI. Once the embryo(s) are created they are then transferred into the uterus.

Ovulation Induction (OI) is the administration of medications designed to stimulate the ovaries to produce mature eggs. OI is typically used for patients with irregular menstrual cycles and indications of not ovulating on a regular basis. OI can be used for women with no identifiable reason for not getting pregnant and who are not ready for IVF.

Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) can occur at the stage where the embryo develops to the blastocyst stage. The blastocyst stage occurs in nature, when the embryo travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus. It grows and divides until arriving in the uterus 5-6 days after fertilization. Once the embryos grow to blastocyst stages where a sample of the embryo cell can be tested allows for choosing the best developing embryos and also fewer transfer of embryos thus resulting in increased pregnancy rates and decreases multiple pregnancy rates.

Immunology Evaluation & Testing allows the provider to study and better understand the interaction between the immune system and the reproductive organs. A number of important components of the immune system have been recognized as having a key role in pregnancy.

Pre-Cycle Evaluation allows the provider to gain a basic understanding of you and your partner’s fertility. Initial assessment of your health and history paired with testing depending on you and your partners needs help the provider determine the best course of treatment. Common testing can include:

· Ovarian Reserve (AMH) blood test

· Ultrasound Scan

· Semen Analysis

· Semen Production

· HIV

· Hepatitis B & C

· HIV