Infertility Services
For more information on infertility treatments and in vitro fertilization, visit our
Common Questions about Infertility Treatments page.
For women having trouble becoming pregnant, we offer outstanding infertility services. Our experienced and caring team members have worked side by side for many years to help people like you start a family. They’ll be with you throughout your fertility treatments. We offer full fertility and reproductive endocrinology care and in many cases serve as the only provider of these procedures east of Raleigh.
If you choose in vitro fertilization, in which eggs are fertilized outside the body and transferred to a woman’s uterus, you can count on us for excellent pregnancy rates. Our in vitro fertilization program (IVF) is a member of the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART) and to understand success rates, you can go to the SART website at www.sart.org.
In 2008 women 35 years old and under who underwent embryo transfers had a live birth 68 per cent of the time and the success rate in 2009 was 55 percent. Pregnancy rates are the highest for women under the age of 35 and decrease with age and different patient populations. (www.sart.org)
We invite you to meet with our fertility specialists who will determine your next steps. You will undergo several tests to allow us to identify the cause of your infertility and develop a plan for conception. While fertility treatments may last several months, we will work closely and compassionately throughout your treatments. We also diagnose and surgically treat other conditions that interfere with fertility such as endometriosis and tubal disease.
Your infertility evaluation may include
- ovulation testing
- ovarian reserve testing to determine your fertility potential
- examination of fallopian tubes and uterus
- evaluation of male fertility and semen analysis
- blood tests as needed
Once we determine why you cannot become pregnant, your treatments may include
- ovulation induction, using oral or injectable medication
- intrauterine insemination, in which sperm is inserted into the uterus
- use of donor sperm
- surgery to correct an underlying procedure
Some of our patients may need in vitro fertilization. This procedure joins healthy eggs (or oocytes) with sperm capable of fertilizing the egg, in a highly controlled setting. After three to five days, these embryos are implanted into a woman’s healthy uterus (or womb). In vitro fertilization is generally sought after other options have failed.
Our in vitro services include
- egg retrieval
- use of donor eggs
- intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), the direct introduction of sperm into the egg
- assisted hatching when needed
- embryo transfer
- early pregnancy testing
If you would like to become an egg donor, we offer evaluation, egg retrieval and follow-up care. Donor eggs allow women to conceive when their own eggs are no longer fertile, or who have a hereditary disease they do not wish to transmit to their child.
We will be happy to schedule a consultation if you are interested in becoming an egg donor. You may be compensated. You may wish to donate for a friend or family member, as well.
If there are inherited diseases in your family, you may choose preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Our genetic diagnosis can help find genetic markers for inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia and other conditions. We can examine the embryo before implantation to screen for the likely presence of abnormalities indicating a hereditary disease.
We invite you to call us with your questions or to schedule a consultation. We will explain the options for fertility treatments and provide information about the cost. While we have a high rate of successful live births, it is not possible to guarantee you will become pregnant.
Resources
In vitro fertilization – video
ECU Women’s Physicians
Telephone
252 744 3850
Email
Debbie Hinton, R.N.
IVF Nurse Coordinator
hintond@ecu.edu
