PART V: IVF OVERVIEW AND SUCCESS RATES FROM A DENVER FERTILITY CLINIC

In recognition of National Infertility Awareness Week, Rocky Mountain Fertility Center is publishing a 7 Part Series on Infertility (one each day).

For Part V, we provide an Overview of In Vitro Fertilization

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one of the most highly successful options for treating infertility, and increases the ability of a woman to conceive a child.  There are many types of IVF procedures but the most common involves  the collection of eggs from the ovaries, fertilization of those eggs with sperm in the laboratory and once the egg is fertilized and becomes a good quality embryo, it is implanted into the uterus.

The procedure has the highest pregnancy rates of all fertility treatments in all age groups and can be done using the woman’s own eggs along with the partner’s sperm or it can also be performed using a donor’s eggs, donor sperm or even donor embryos.

The age of the woman affects the success rate of Denver IVF.  The younger a woman is the more likely she is to get pregnant. Pregnancy rates vary from center to center in the United States. Some of this variation has to do with which patients the doctor’s treat (i.e. is there more younger or older patients, will the doctor treat women with poor/ borderline egg quality) and  some of the success depends on the skill and experience of the doctor and IVF lab.

For Dr. Smith’s patients at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center for women under the age of 35, the pregnancy rate of in vitro fertilization using their own eggs is approximately 70 percent in 2012.  Using fresh and not frozen donor eggs during the fertilization process offered a pregnancy rate of approximately 75%.

The cause of infertility also affects the success rate.  If the woman has a normal supply of eggs her chance of getting pregnant increases when using in vitro fertilization.  If the cause of infertility is endometriosis, the woman is less likely to get pregnant using in vitro fertilization than if the problem is tubal damage or unexplained infertility.

IVF Results

IVF success depends on each patients individual circumstances. Although most woman under 35 have high success rates it is important to remember there are woman under 35 that will have < 10% chance of getting pregnant with IVF based on their medical diagnosis.  It is best to discuss your individual chances with a Denver Infertility Specialist.

Dr. Deborah Smith, the Medical Director at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center, was recently named the top Reproductive Endocrinologist in Colorado by HealthTap. She offers compassionate, modern treatments in a contemporary setting for fertility and gynecology issues. Her success rates with IVF are very high, and she has received the coveted Patients Choice Award for the past three years and is one of the Best Fertility Doctors in country!