In Vitro Fertilization

Is IVF Right for You?

IVF treatment can help many types of patients, including the following groups:

• Tubal Issues: IVF can help women whose fallopian tubes are blocked or damaged since the procedure bypasses the fallopian tubes entirely.
• Fertility Disorders: Disorders such as endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) can prevent natural conception. IVF can help patients with these diagnoses become pregnant.
• Abnormal Ovulation: If your ovulation cycle is abnormal, IVF can help you achieve pregnancy and maximize the potential of your eggs.
• Do Not Produce Healthy Eggs: If you are unable to produce healthy eggs, IVF is still a potential treatment option with the use of donor eggs.
• Male Factor Infertility: If your male partner has a low sperm count or cannot produce healthy sperm, IVF may still be an option.
• Genetic Screening: For patients with known genetic disorders, or those simply seeking to increase chances of a healthy embryo, IVF allows for preimplantation genetic testing.
• Fertility Preservation: For patients who have preserved (frozen) eggs or sperm for social or medical reasons, IVF can help you achieve pregnancy when you are ready.
• Same-Sex Male Couples: IVF treatment can help couples who require donor eggs and gestational carriers to achieve parenthood. 
• Same-Sex Female Couples: IVF treatment can help couples who require donor sperm and have failed donor sperm insemination cycles.  IVF also allows for reciprocal IVF.

Why Choose Us?

We understand that patients need to feel comfortable with the professionals at the clinic, while also being reassured by a proven record of success. At Fertility Center of San Antonio, we offer both: professionals with a personal touch and impressive success rates. We are experienced, performing over 500 IVF cycles a year. Our compassionate team is ready to work with you to completely understand your needs and evaluate your medical condition (or reason for infertility) so that we can help you evaluate your family-building options and give you the best chances of success. Because we believe everyone deserves the chance to become a parent, we offer a range of financing options to help you afford care. 

IVF Basics: How Our Process Works

IVF treatment is a multi-step process:

1. Ovulation Induction: To begin IVF treatment, the patient is given fertility medications to stimulate the development of multiple eggs. Patients also require a final hormone injection (or trigger shot) to finalize the maturation of the eggs.
2. Egg Retrieval & Sperm Collection: We schedule the egg retrieval procedures 35-36 hours after the final hormone injection. During this quick procedure (less than 30 minutes), the doctor will use an ultrasound-guided needle to retrieve eggs from the ovaries.  We will then perform oocyte selection to identify ideal samples for fertilization. Sperm are then collected from the partner (or donor), and “washed” in our andrology and embryology lab to obtain the concentrated motile sperm.  
3. Fertilization: Once the eggs and sperm have been collected, fertilization can be achieved in one of two ways. Standard IVF Insemination involves mixing motile sperm with mature eggs and allowing them to incubate. In other cases, the direct injection of a single sperm into an egg using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be recommended. Fertilized eggs (embryos) are then cultured for 3 or 5 days to allow for development prior to the embryo transfer.
4. Embryo Transfer: Embryos that develop successfully, are then transferred to the patient’s uterus. During this procedure, our expert reproductive endocrinologists use a soft catheter to carefully deposit embryos into the uterus. 

Two weeks after embryo transfer, the patient will return for a blood pregnancy test. Our fertility specialists will monitor pregnant patients for the first trimester. For patients who do not conceive, we will work with you to evaluate your cycle and assess your treatment options that will help you achieve your family-building goals. 

Additional Services to Benefit IVF Patients

At Fertility Center of San Antonio, we offer advanced diagnostic techniques as well as additional services and treatment alternatives to meet your individual needs and give you the best chances of success.

• Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): This method of fertilizing eggs during the IVF process involves directly injecting a single motile sperm into a mature egg to facilitate fertilization. In some cases, your fertility specialist may also recommend partial ICSI (PICSI). 
• Preimplantation Genetic Testing: We offer our patients both PGT-A (formerly PGS) and PGT-M (formerly PGD).
• Gender selection: We offer our IVF patients gender selection.
• Nature’s IVF™: Nature’s IVF (also known as INVOcell™) is an affordable alternative with promising success rates for some IVF patients. Unlike traditional IVF, incubation takes place in the hopeful mother’s vagina using an FDA-approved device.
• Micro/Mini IVF: Mini IVF is a modified IVF cycle option that uses a minimal amount of medication to stimulate the ovaries. This can be a more affordable, less stressful, and possibly a less invasive treatment overall.

Our IVF Success Rates

IVF success rates are impacted by a range of factors, including the patient’s age, medical history, diagnosis, and treatment choices. At the Fertility Center of San Antonio, we are proud of our record in helping clients become parents. Our team of fertility experts offer both a personal touch and impressive IVF success rates. 

To support our patients with the best technology, we offer every patient a free, personalized Univfy PreIVF Report to help you assess your personal chances of success with different treatments so that you can make decisions with confidence. To understand your personal chances of success with different treatment alternatives, contact us today to schedule a consultation.