Treatment

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

Insemination (IUI)

Artificial Insemination involves the injection of sperm directly into the female's uterus, which improves pregnancy rates vs. intercourse alone. Our physicians may recommend IUI if you:

Are a single woman who is using donor sperm
Problems with ovulation
Had no success after using clomiphene alone
Have difficulty having normal intercourse with ejaculation into the vagina

Donor Insemination

Donor insemination is the process of inseminating a woman with sperm obtained from a sperm donor. The sperm is usually obtained as a frozen specimen from a sperm bank or may come from a known sperm donor. Most women seeking donor insemination are doing so because their husband has no sperm at all, they are single, or are lesbian .

Once a woman has decided that she would like to undergo donor insemination she must select from one of the several sperm banks. While there are many sperm banks in the United States, Mid-Iowa Fertility most commonly refers patients to one of the following banks:

California Cryobank at www.cryobank.com
Fairfax Cryobank at www.fairfaxcryobank.com
Xytex Corporation at www.xytex.com
Northwest Andrology at www.nwandrology.com
Cryogenic Laboratories at www.cryolab.com

You will need to contact our office when you are ready to place your order so that we may contact the bank and have the sperm shipped to us.

The Process of Insemination

A sperm sample can be collected at home using one of our collection kits and brought to our office within 45 minutes of collection. Our office has a collection room for those patients who live over one hour away. Once a sperm count and motility evaluation has been completed the sperm is placed in a small catheter, which will be placed directly into the uterus via the cervix. The procedure is done just like having a Pap smear. Few patients complain of mild cramping that will quickly subside. You will rest in our office for 15 minutes. You will have no restrictions on the rest of your day.

In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

The most advanced reproductive treatment. . IVF consists of complex steps in which the woman is given fertility drugs that stimulate her ovaries to produce a number of mature eggs; at the proper time, the eggs are retrieved by suction through a needle that has been inserted into her ovaries; the eggs are fertilized in a Petri dish in the laboratory with her partner's or donor sperm; and subsequently the embryos are transferred into the uterus.

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

Couples that carry a wide variety of genetic conditions can have their embryo screened for that condition. This involves performing IVF, growing the embryos for three days, taking one cell and analyzing that cell. Then, only non-affected embryos can be transferred back to the uterus. This technique is also used in couples with repeated miscarriages.

Tubal Reversal

Some women have decided in the past to have a tubal ligation, but due to changes in life circumstances, they are again interested in becoming pregnant. Mid-Iowa Fertility is one of few locations where tubal reversal surgery is offered. Read more about Tubal Reversal.

Egg Donor Program

Women who are unable to produce eggs on their own due to age, ovarian failure, surgical removal of ovaries or genetic diseases may be eligible to participate in our egg donor program. To be considered as a recipient for donor eggs you must be under the age of 50, have a normal uterus, and be in good health.

Egg donors go through a process called in vitro fertilization to mature multiple eggs. Those eggs are harvested through ultrasound guidance and fertilized with sperm. Embryos are formed and placed into the recipient's uterus. That has been prepared with a combination of hormonal medications (estrogen and progesterone) approximately 5 days later.

Evaluation of Donors

Egg donors can be known or anonymous. Known donors are women who are known to the recipient such as a family member or friend. Anonymous donors are recruited and screened through an egg donor program or agency. Donors should be between the ages of 21 and 32. Written personal, medical and family history on all donors is available for the recipient to review.

Egg donors are screened according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines. A complete personal, medical and family history is reviewed on all potential donors. Additional screening includes an interview, physical exam, and lab work to rule out evidence of communicable disease. Donors are also required to undergo a psychological evaluation prior to being accepted into the program.

Evaluation of Recipient Couple

The recipient couple is evaluated prior to an egg donor cycle. Testing includes but is not limited to physical exam, sonohysterogram (ultrasound evaluation of uterine cavity), and lab work to screen for infectious disease, semen analysis, and psychological evaluation.

Preparation of the Recipient

In order for embryos to implant in the recipient's uterus it is necessary to administer medication to the recipient to suppress her ovaries and synchronize her cycle with the egg donor. This takes approximately 2 months. Once this is accomplished the recipient will prepare the lining of the uterus with a combination of hormonal medications (estrogen and progesterone). These hormones mat be administered in the form of a pill, patch or injection. Vaginal ultrasound and blood tests are performed to assess the recipient during this time.

Embryo Transfer

The embryo transfer is done approximately 5 days after the eggs are harvested from the donor. This procedure is performed under ultrasound guidance. The embryos are placed in a small catheter (tube). The catheter is placed through the cervix and into the uterus. There is minimal discomfort with this procedure and no sedation is needed. A blood pregnancy test can be done as early as 12 days after the transfer. Physical activity is limited for 2 days after the transfer.

Contact

For more information on our Egg Donor Program you may contact our egg donor coordinator at 515-222-3060 or

Become an Egg Donor

Thank you for your interest in our egg donor program. Donor eggs offer the possibility of childbearing to women who otherwise would not be able to become pregnant due to age, ovarian failure, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, surgical removal of the ovaries, or genetic diseases.

Donated eggs are fertilized with the sperm to form embryos through a process called in vitro fertilization. These embryos are transferred into the recipient's uterus.

Couples seeking donor eggs may approach a friend or family member who may be willing to assist them, but most commonly couples choose an anonymous egg donor through an egg donor program.

Screening

All potential egg donors are screened according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines. Applicants must be between the ages of 21 and 32, non smokers, have a normal body weight, regular menstrual cycles when not on hormonal contraception, no history of substance abuse, and no family history of genetic diseases.

All donors must complete a detailed personal, medical and family history questionnaire. Our egg donor coordinator reviews this form and eligible applicants will be contacted to set up an appointment to begin further screening. All information provided will be kept completely confidential.

Further screening includes, but is not limited to an interview with our egg donor coordinator, complete physical exam, laboratory testing, and psychological evaluation. A donor is considered eligible for the program if screening and testing do not indicate risk of infection or communicable disease. A consent form will be provided by our office and reviewed with all participants.

Matching of Egg Donor and Recipient

Once an egg donor has completed the screening process they are placed on our egg donor list. Recipient couples have the opportunity to review the confidential written personal, medical and family history form provided by the donors.

Once selected by a recipient couple, donors are contacted by our egg donor coordinator to review timing of the IVF (in vitro fertilization) cycle. It takes approximately 2 months to synchronize the recipient's menstrual cycle with yours once you are matched.

Egg Donor IVF Cycle

This process involves a combination of low dose birth control pills and self-injected medications to stimulate the development of multiple eggs in the ovaries. Prior to beginning the injections, egg donors will meet with the egg donor coordinator to review all medications and side effects.

Donors are monitored by vaginal ultrasounds and hormonal blood tests. This requires frequent morning appointments during the stimulation process. The stimulation process lasts 7-10 days.

Once the eggs are mature, the eggs are harvested from the ovaries under ultrasound guidance with IV sedation. This procedure is done in the morning and requires donors to be at the office for approximately 2 hours. Because of the sedation a driver is required. Donors may feel tired and have minimal cramping after the procedure and should plan to rest the day of the egg harvesting. The eggs are fertilized with the sperm in the lab and embryos are transferred into the recipient's uterus approximately 5 days later.

Cost

There is no cost to egg donors to participate in the program. All fees related to screening, lab testing, medications, monitoring, and procedures are the recipient's responsibility.

Compensation

We are currently compensating our egg donors $5000.00 for the completion of the cycle.

Contact

You may contact Cheryl, Egg Donor Coordinator at 515-222-3060 or to find out more information about our program.

To view and print the personal and family history questionnaire, please click here.

Cryopreservation of Sperm

Men that most often utilize this service have received a diagnosis that will require chemotherapy or radiation treatment that may affect their reproductive potential.

Financial Counseling

Infertility diagnosis and treatment can become very confusing when insurance is involved. Mid-Iowa Fertility is pleased to provide expert help in navigating the insurance issues and obtaining the maximum benefit to which you are entitled. Couples who have no insurance coverage for fertility treatment may qualify for our Cost Sharing Program. Our financial counselor can provide the details and criteria of our program. Read more about Financial Counseling

Our Success Rates

Many of our patients desire to know our success rates. It is important to understand success rates are not the sole determining factor regarding the quality of a clinic. Success rates can vary widely from clinic to clinic for several reasons:

Some clinics may not attempt IVF treatment for patients with certain conditions, which would improve their success rate.
Some clinics may not attempt IVF treatment for patients who are older.
Some clinics have a "healthier" patient base than others.

However, we understand an individual's desire to know our success rates. For that reason, we provide below a links to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) web site, which is the government agency that collects data on all infertility clinics, also to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). The last year for which complete data has been reported to the CDC is 2005. For more recent years, we are providing you with the data that we have reported to the CDC and/or preliminary data that we have collected.

2005 Success Rates for Mid-Iowa Fertility

Note that this data has been submitted and validated by the CDC.

We welcome you to visit the home pages of the CDC and SART.
http://www.cdc.gov/art/pubs.htm

http://www.sart.org