Women’s Center at Tomball Regional
Fertility Services
Many people are surprised to learn that human reproduction is a relatively inefficient process. In a healthy, fertile couple, the probability of fertilization in a given cycle may be as high as 70 percent. However, by the time of the first expected menstrual period after ovulation, approximately 60-70 percent of the early embryos have already failed to develop. It is believed that many of these lost embryos were abnormal and incapable of survival. The menstrual period may not have been delayed and the couple may not realize they lost an early pregnancy. The probability of a live birth in a healthy fertile couple is thought to be no higher than 30 percent.
Nearly one out of seven couples in the U.S. face infertility problems. Fertility tends to decrease as women get older and usually, in those over 35 years of age, the chances of getting pregnant decrease considerably. However, impressive technological and scientific advances in the area of assisted reproductive technologies offer more options to successfully treat infertile couples.
Infertility can be cause by any of the following:
- Sperm quality (35%)
- Blocked fallopian tubes (15%)
- Endometriosis (15%)
- Ovulation problems (25%)
- Unexplained infertility (10%)
Tomball Regional Medical Center’s Fertility Specialists are fully equipped to diagnose and address infertility problems due to:
- Ovulation difficulties
- Endocrine problems
- Endometriosis
- Premature menopause
- Polycystic ovarian disease
- Recurrent pregnancy loss
- Uterine or tubal disease
- Sperm functionality
Our Fertility Specialists also offer a full range of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), including:
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Female patients are given medicine to stimulate the maturation of eggs on the ovaries. These eggs are then retrieved, placed in a special solution outside the woman's body and combined with sperm. The resulting embryos are nourished in an incubator. At a predetermined stage of development, the embryos are replaced into the uterus to continue normal fetal development.
Blastocyst Transfer
We already know that with natural conception, embryos arrive in the uterus at day five or six after fertilization. With present-day IVF, however, embryos are routinely transferred back to the uterus on day three after fertilization. Recent breakthroughs have been made in the science of nurturing embryos from select patients to benefit from an additional two to three days of growth prior to embryo transfer.
By growing embryos to the blastocyst stage, we are able to transfer fewer embryos without lowering the chance that a patient will become pregnant. This breakthrough will help maintain the high pregnancy rates that patients have come to expect while decreasing the risk of conceiving a high order multiple pregnancy.
Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT)
As with IVF, the physician prescribes egg-stimulating medicine. But unlike IVF, the GIFT procedure does not call for the eggs to be removed and fertilized externally. With a minor surgical procedure known as laparoscopy, the eggs are removed from the ovaries and immediately replaced into the fallopian tubes along with the prepared sperm. The subsequent fertilized egg then descends into the uterus for normal fetal development.
Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT)
ZIFT is recommended to patients who may not be IVF candidates and whose success is inhibited by male factor or sperm antibodies. It is a combination of the IVF and GIFT procedures, with IVF being employed up to the stage of embryo transfer. A laparoscopy is then performed and the embryos, which have been loaded into a catheter, are placed into the ampulla of the fallopian tubes.
Egg Donation
When a woman’s ovaries stop functioning prematurely, she is no longer able to produce eggs. Egg donation is a process where an anonymous or known donor produces and donates eggs to the affected woman (the recipient). The eggs are fertilized and the resulting embryos are placed into the uterus of the recipient to continue normal fetal development.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Severe male factor infertility, once an impenetrable barrier to parenthood, has virtually ceased to exist. ICSI involves the insertion of a single sperm directly into a mature egg obtained from the ovary of a woman undergoing in vitro fertilization. Often, this results in fertilization and the development of a normal embryo. The babies born after ICSI are just as healthy as babies conceived spontaneously.
Testicular/Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (TESA)
Some men suffer a blockage or other abnormality that prevents the passage of sperm through ejaculation. A minor surgical procedure can be performed where sperm is retrieved from the epididymis or directly from the testicle itself. This sperm is then injected (ICSI) into the mature eggs obtained through IVF. Sperm Aspiration can be successfully cryopreserved for future use.
Embryo Cryopreservation and Transfer
Advanced cryopreservation techniques permit selected embryos that are not immediately returned to a woman's uterus to be frozen for the couples' later use. When thawed at a later date, these embryos can be transferred to the woman’s uterus in a menstrual cycle with little or no premedication. The babies born after cryopreservation are just as healthy as babies conceived spontaneously.
Assisted Embryo Hatching
Human eggs are surrounded by an egg shell. Once the egg is fertilized, the early embryo develops within the confines of that shell. When the embryo reaches the uterus, it needs to break out of the shell and make contact with the endometrium. Assisted Embryo Hatching is a technique for thinning the egg shell just before the embryo is placed back in the uterus following IVF. In selected women, helping the embryo to break through its egg shell may improve the chances of an IVF pregnancy.
For more information on Fertility Services available at Tomball Regional Medical Center, or for a Fertility Specialist referral, please call 281.401.7777.
