Fertility Treatment Options

Achieve your pregnancy

The fertility clinic at Aurora BayCare provides a full array of fertility treatment options to help you achieve pregnancy

Once your fertility testing is complete, we will review your results and sit down with you to recommend a treatment plan. This plan may include treatment options to induce ovulation, minimally invasive surgery, intrauterine insemination, or more advanced reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization.

Available infertility treatments and options may include:

Clomid / Letrozole

Clomid / Letrozole is a tablet that the female partner takes for 5 days, and may be started between cycle days 3-5. It is used when there are problems with ovulation, such as when you have irregular cycles or menstruation without ovulation.  Before starting Clomid or Letrozole, a baseline ultrasound is obtained.  After completion of medication, a mid-cycle ultrasound is obtained to evaluate its effectiveness.

Injectable Medications

Ovulation induction with injectable medications for 8-14 days typically produces approximately 3-5 eggs. Regular ultrasounds and blood work are done to evaluate the effectiveness of 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 / Letrozole cycle, or after injectable medications.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

IVF is typically a two-month process. In the first month, medication is given to suppress the ovaries.  In the second month, an injectable medication is used for 8-14 days to produce multiple follicles (each follicle contains a single oocyte or egg). This is closely monitored with ultrasounds and blood work.

When the follicles reach a mature size, HCG is given. About 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.

Embryo Freezing

In approximately 40-50% 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 freezing. Once frozen, the embryos are stable for many years and will be stored for later use. The practical advantage of embryo freezing is that if you desire to have more than one child through IVF, the need to repeat a stimulation cycle to obtain more oocytes (eggs) is eliminated.

Frozen Embryo Transfer

Frozen embryo transfer involves the use of frozen (cryopreserved) embryos and offers you 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.

Sperm Preservation

Sperm preservation is the process of freezing sperm for possible use in an insemination or in vitro fertilization. Sperm preservation 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, sperm preservation allows the combination of multiple semen samples to produce one adequate sample. Preserved sperm obtained from surgical sperm retrievals may eliminate the need for repeat surgeries. "Sperm banking" is offered for those 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. Our reproductive endocrinologist will help you locate an FDA regulated cryobank to purchase cryopreserved (frozen) sperm and will 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 uterine wall. This technique involves the microscopic creation of a small opening in the shell surrounding the embryo. This is done with all day 3 embryo transfers and transfers involving cryopreserved embryos.

Sperm Retrieval

We also offer surgical sperm retrieval options for men with obstructive and non-obstructive azoospermia, including those who have undergone vasectomies.   Azoospermia is the condition of not having a measurable level of sperm.