In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
In this procedure, eggs are removed from the woman's ovaries using an ultrasound guided needle. The patient is sedated under the care of an anesthesiologist in our procedure room located in our office suite. Eggs are processed in the laboratory, and placed in a petri dish with sperm for fertilization. After several days in culture, selected embryos (typically 2 or 3 embryos) are transferred into the woman's uterus, where implantation will hopefully occur.

Thanks to a host of medical breakthroughs, including those addressing male factor infertility and implantation, IVF has become a viable option for an increasing number of patients. Laparoscopy is no longer needed to remove the oocytes.

Egg Donation
Women who are unable to produce healthy eggs, but have a healthy uterus are candidates for egg donation with IVF. This procedure is the same as described above, except a donor's egg is used to create the embryo.

IVF Gestational Carrier
Embryos created from the eggs and sperm of both members of the infertile couple are transferred to the uterus of a third party - the gestational carrier. The gestational carrier provides a host womb for the offspring, and does not contribute genetic material. Situations using gestational carriers are accepted on a case-by-case basis.

Male Factor - ICSI
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an assisted fertilization micromanipulation technique that provides help for men with severe sperm dysfunction. In this procedure, a single sperm is captured by the embryologist and drawn into a glass needle, then the captured sperm is injected directly into a mature egg.

Male Factor - TESE and MESA
Testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA) are surgical sperm retrieval procedures performed by experienced local urologists, in conjunction with our laboratory staff. Under local or general anesthesia, a small amount of testicular tissue and/or epididymal fluid is recovered by the urologist, and the materials are transported immediately to the IVF laboratory for processing. The sperm are typically cryopreserved for use during a subsequent IVF with ICSI procedure. Fertilization rates with testicular and epididymal sperm are similar to that achieved with ejaculated sperm. Male factor ICSI, in conjunction with TESE and MESA, has all but eliminated the need for vasectomy reversal, and has significantly reduced the need for donor sperm in other male factor categories.

Assisted Hatching
To improve the chances of successful implantation some embryos are subjected to assisted hatching (also called zona drilling). The process involves application of a weak acid solution to the zona pellucida to make a small hole in the zona (outer shell) of each embryo that is to be transferred. Making this hole allows the embryo to escape its shell easier for subsequent implantation into the uterine lining. Assisted Hatching is most often indicated for women who are: 38 years or older, or who have had adequate embryo production in the past but fail to become pregnant, women with a high FSH, or suffers from polycystic ovarian syndrome, and women whose eggs have thickened zona pellucidae.

Embryo Cryopreservation
Embryos can be frozen at different times after fertilization. Our laboratory prefers to freeze embryos at the blastocyst stage of development, on day 5 and/or day 6 after fertilization. Freezing is a highly sophisticated procedure, involving placing embryos into a series of cryoprotectant solutions to aid in removal of intracellular water, and to protect the embryos while they are slowly cooled. The cooling process is strictly controlled by a computer freezer, and the entire process can take several hours. The cryopreserved embryos are then placed into liquid nitrogen for storage, and are maintained on-site in secure storage containers.