The
Southeastern Fertility Center is proud to offer one of the nation's most successful programs in In Vitro Fertilization
(IVF). IVF is often used in combination with other fertility-enhancing procedures, including Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
(ICSI), Assisted Hatching (AH), and others.
There are three related technologies, termed IVF, GIFT, ans ZIFT. During IVF, GIFT, or
ZIFT, the wife's ovaries are stimulated with medications which cause multiple eggs to develop at the same time. Monitoring
with blood testing and ultrasound allows determination of egg maturity, at which time the eggs are retrieved by ultrasound
guidance using a specially designed aspiration needle. Thereafter, the three procedures differ somewhat.
With
IVF, the oocytes (eggs) are incubated with sperm and checked the following day for fertilization. The resulting embryos
are transferred two to four days later. Hormonal support is given and a pregnancy test is performed 10-12 days later.
During the GIFT procedure, the eggs are immediately mixed with a specially prepared solution
containing the husband's sperm, and this mixture is placed into the fallopian tube by laparoscopy.
ZIFT employs a combination of IVF and GIFT, in which the eggs and sperm are incubated
for one day, and the resulting fertilized eggs ("Zygotes") are transferred into the fallopian tubes via laparoscopy.
In the past, sub-optimal culture conditions for embryos, as well as other factors, resulted
in higher success rates for GIFT and ZIFT than for IVF. However, recent studies at the world's leading ART programs have
demonstrated comparable pregnancy rates for all three technologies. Consequently, GIFT and ZIFT, which are more costly
and invasive, are infrequently performed today.
ICSI has revolutionized treatment of severe male-factor infertility. With ICSI, only a
few (8-10) motile sperm are needed to achieve excellent success rates. These sperm may be obtained from the ejaculate
or surgically from the epididymis or testicles. These procedures are safe, fast, and essentially painless. Please see
our page on Male Infertility for further information.
Click here to see a video of the ICSI
procedure, in which a single sperm is injected directly into the egg.
Assisted Hatching (AH) is a procedure performed on the 'shell' (zona pellucida) of the
early embryo. This procedure weakens the shell and allows more successful 'hatching' which in turn results in higher
pregnancy rates in selected patients. Please contact your infertility specialist for further details or to find out if
AH would be beneficial in your case.
Click here to see a video
of the Assisted Hatching procedure, in which the Zona Pellucida (egg shell) is partially dissolved in order to improve
the chance for implantation and pregnancy.
Success Rates of ART's
The success rates among various ART programs vary widely, and can be one of the most confusing
issues for a couple to interpret. The most proper way to report ART success rates is in terms of number of deliveries
per number of egg retrievals. This is the reporting method used by SART (The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology).
SART compiles data from most of the U.S. programs, and publishes it yearly. Unfortunately, the data is always at least
two years behind, and couples should always check with their center on current success rates.
One should keep in mind that there are a variety of ways to manipulate success rates.
For example, a mediocre center that only accepts young, high prognosis patients may have a higher success rate than an
excellent referral center that accepts the most difficult and poor prognosis patients. Unfortunately, it is very hard
for patients to discern such manipulations of success rates.
The Southeastern Fertility Center has a stellar track
record in ART success. We have consistently experienced 40 - 50% delivery rates per egg retrieval. This compares very favorably with the U.S. SART data, which shows a 26% delivery rate in the
same group of women (under 40 years of age) for the most recent reporting year.
We attribute our success to many factors. We have an extremely experienced and dedicated
staff. Our laboratory personnel are highly trained, thoroughly knowledgeable, and detail-oriented. The relatively small
size of our program allows us to take an individual approach - an experience greatly appreciated by many of our patients
who have previously been unsuccessful with large "mill" type programs.
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions for additional
information.
How many embryos should I transfer?
Click here for the ASRM guidelines on embryo transfer number
for In Vitro Fertilization procedures.
