The Women's Center

fertreatTreatment Options

Aurora Fertility Services offers you the latest technologies and services for couples who dream of having a family. We provide fertility treatments that give couples the chance to fulfill that dream.

Treatment for infertility will depend on your individualized plan that takes into consideration factors such as cause, age and your personal preferences.

Infertility treatments and options may include:

Clomid

Clomid is a tablet that the female partner takes for 5 days typically beginning on day 3 of her menstrual cycle. It is used when there are problems with ovulation; such as If a woman has irregular cycles, or has menstruation without ovulation. Before starting Clomid, a baseline ultrasound is obtained. After completion of Clomid, a mid-cycle ultrasound is obtained to evaluate its effectiveness.

Ovulation induction

Ovulation induction utilizes injectable medications for 8-12 days to produce approximately 3-5 eggs. Regular ultrasounds and blood work are done to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment.  When the follicles reach a mature size, HCG (a medication to promote egg maturation and ovulation) will be given and then intrauterine insemination is performed 36 hours later.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI)

IUI involves the preparation of a semen sample (either fresh or frozen) in the laboratory followed by its direct placement into the uterine cavity for fertilization. This treatment may be utilized after a positive LH surge (a hormone that triggers ovulation) during a natural cycle, during a Clomid cycle or ovulation induction.

In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

IVF is typically a two-month process. The first month a medication is given to suppress the ovaries. Then in the second month, an injectable medication is used for 8-12 days to produce multiple follicles (each follicle contains a single oocyte or egg) and is closely monitored with ultrasounds and blood work. When the follicles reach a mature size HCG is given and 34 hours later the eggs are "harvested" under IV conscious sedation. The embryology lab then fertilizes the eggs by conventional method or ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and the fertilized eggs are then placed in an incubator. Embryo transfer will occur 3-5 days after the retrieval. 

Frozen Embryo Transfer

Frozen embryo transfer involves the use of cryopreserved (frozen) embryos and offers our patients a subsequent opportunity to achieve pregnancy without undergoing another complete IVF cycle. Embryos may remain frozen for many years, and are transferred during a cycle in which the uterine lining has been prepared using both synthetic estrogen and progesterone.

Embryo cryopreservation - vitrification or slow freeze

In approximately 60% of our in-vitro fertilization cases, there will be excess good quality embryos that are not transferred. In these cases, the opportunity exists to save the extra embryos through cryopreservation. Once cryopreserved, the embryos are stable for many years and will be stored for later use. The practical advantage of cryopreservation is that if a patient desires to have more than one child through IVF, the need to repeat a stimulation cycle to obtain more oocytes (eggs) is eliminated.

Semen cryopreservation

Semen cryopreservation is the process of freezing sperm for possible use in an insemination or in-vitro fertilization. Semen cryopreservation may be planned if the male partner will be unavailable during an IVF or IUI cycle. If a patient has a very low sperm count, cryopreservation allows the combination of multiple semen samples to produce one adequate sample.  Cryopreservation of sperm obtained from surgical sperm retrievals may eliminate the need for repeat surgeries. "Sperm banking" is offered for those patients at risk of becoming infertile due to illness or medical treatments.

Donor sperm

The use of anonymous donor sperm is an option for those wishing to become pregnant through either insemination or in vitro fertilization. Aurora Fertility Services will help patients locate an FDA regulated cryobank to purchase cryopreserved (frozen) sperm as well as receive, store and prepare the sperm for use.

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

ICSI is a laboratory procedure used to enhance fertilization in cases of poor sperm quality, reduced sperm numbers or low fertilization rates. The procedure utilizes highly specialized instruments to microscopically inject a single sperm into each individual egg.

Assisted Hatching

Assisted hatching is a laboratory procedure used to enhance the implantation of the embryo to the wall. This technique involves the microscopic creation of a small opening in the shell of the surrounding embryo. This is done with all day 3 embryo transfers and transfers involving vitrified (frozen) embryos.

Sperm Retrieval

We also offer surgical sperm retrieval options for men with obstructive and non-obstructive azospermia (Azospermia is the condition of not having a measurable level of sperm in a man's semen), including those men who have undergone vasectomies.  

Preimplantation Genetic Screening/Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGS/PGD)

For patients at risk for passing on genetic disorders, PGD/PGS is available.  PGD/PGS is capable of detecting certain inheritable disorders or abnormalities in the structure or number of chromosomes in a cell. Women who have repeated miscarriages or are of advanced maternal age, along with couples who knowingly have genetic disorders will benefit from PGD/PGS. The purpose of PGD/PGS is to detect chromosomal abnormalities and potentially avoid the transfer of a genetically abnormal embryo.