In vitro fertilization (IVF)

We help individuals and couples throughout northeast Wisconsin achieve their dream of starting a family. Aurora BayCare Medical Center’s expertise with in vitro fertilization (IVF) makes it possible for many people to overcome even the most complex types of infertility.

IVF treatment: Why choose Aurora BayCare Medical Center?

Highlights of our full-service fertility clinic include:

• National accreditation: Aurora BayCare has been recognized as a Reproductive Resource Services Center of Excellence by OptumHealth. This designation speaks to our superior patient care and support during fertility treatments such as IVF.
• Experienced specialists: Our team includes fellowship-trained reproductive endocrinologists, OB-GYNs, embryologists and andrologists. These experts have extensive experiencing diagnosing and treating infertility in men and women.
• Complete care: We offer total reproductive care and a full range of women’s health services at Aurora BayCare. Fertility specialists work with OB-GYNs, gynecological surgeons, radiologists and other providers to ensure that we meet all your needs.
• On-site laboratory: Unlike many fertility clinics, we have our own state-of-the-art fertility lab. Skilled embryologists and andrologists (scientists specializing in embryos and sperm) use leading-edge technology to increase your chances of pregnancy.
• Excellent success rates: Our success rates for IVF are consistently above the national average. Learn more about our success rates at the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART).

What is IVF?

IVF is a fertility treatment that fertilizes a woman’s egg with a man’s sperm in a laboratory. Once the egg is fertilized, it becomes an embryo. We grow the embryo in a controlled laboratory environment until it’s ready to be implanted in the woman’s uterus.

IVF may be the right fertility treatment for:

• Couples who haven’t been able to get pregnant after a year or more of unprotected sex
• Same-sex female couples using donor sperm
• Same-sex male couples using a surrogate
• People with complex fertility challenges, such as azoospermia (no sperm in the semen)
• Women with damaged or missing fallopian tubes

The IVF process

IVF is a multistep process that typically takes about 2 months. At Aurora BayCare, a dedicated team of doctors, nurses and social workers walks you through every stage of treatment.

Ovulation induction

We start the IVF process with fertility medication. Daily injections help stimulate your ovaries to produce more eggs. You give yourself the injections at home for about 8 to 14 days. We do periodic ultrasounds and blood tests to monitor your egg production.

Egg retrieval

Once your ovaries contain mature eggs, we give you one dose of a medication that helps release the eggs. A few days later, we do an egg retrieval procedure to harvest the eggs. We immediately take the eggs to our on-site laboratory and prepare them for fertilization.

Fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

Our skilled laboratory scientists fertilize the eggs with sperm, either from your partner or a donor. In some cases, we perform a specialized fertilization technique called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

During ICSI, we directly inject an egg with a single sperm. We may recommend ICSI during IVF if the man has an extremely low sperm count or poor sperm motility (ability to swim).

Embryo growth and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT)

We grow fertilized embryos for 3 to 5 days in an incubator. Our scientists and doctors monitor the embryos closely to make sure they’re developing.

At this stage, we may recommend preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). PGT screens embryos for chromosomal abnormalities, which are most common in:

• Older mothers (late 30s to early 40s)
• Parents who carry a genetic disorder or chromosomal abnormality
• Women with a history of miscarriages

Embryo transfer

When the embryos reach the right stage of maturity, we select the embryo most likely to implant in the uterus. We transfer the embryo directly to the woman’s uterus using a vaginal catheter (thin, flexible tube). The goal is for the embryo to implant in the uterine lining, where it can develop into a pregnancy.

In some cases, embryologists create a microscopic opening in the embryo’s outer shell before transfer. This advanced technique, called assisted hatching, helps embryos attach to the uterine wall.

Embryo freezing

We can freeze good-quality, unused embryos for use in a future IVF cycle. You don’t have to go through additional rounds of ovulation induction or egg retrieval if you choose to do IVF again.

How much does IVF cost?

We know that many people are concerned about the cost of IVF. At Aurora BayCare, we help you make a financial plan for IVF and give you several options for financing your fertility treatment.

Shared Success Program

The Shared Success Program is for women age 37 or younger who will be using their own eggs. It provides a 70% refund guarantee if you’re unable to have a baby. If you qualify for the Shared Success Program, you can try up to 3 IVF cycles and 3 frozen embryo cycles during a 12-month period, for a fixed fee.

Our Shared Success Donor Program offers the same guarantee for women age 45 or younger who will be using donor eggs.

Multicycle IVF package

If you don’t qualify for the Shared Success Program, we offer a discounted rate for a package of IVF treatments. Our multicycle IVF package does not include a refund if treatments are unsuccessful.