Assisted Reproductive Technologies
Fertility Specialists of Houston offer multiple options to transfer the fertilized embryo into the woman's uterus
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
For couples with extremely low sperm counts or sperm fertilization defects, ICSI allows for the injection of a single sperm into an egg to achieve fertilization which might otherwise not be possible. If the procedure is successful, the fertilized egg is transferred into the woman's uterus through normal IVF practices. Couples are encouraged to receive genetic counseling prior to the procedure to understand the risks of transmitting a genetic defect to the baby.
Blastocyst Transfer
We at Fertility Specialists of Houston utilize state-of-the-art technology which makes it possible to grow an embryo in our labs for five or six days when it contains nearly 100 cells and enters what is known as the blastocyst stage. While only 30 to 40 percent of embryos survive to reach this stage, the main advantage of a blastocyst transfer is that the embryos are stronger and are more likely to lead to a successful pregnancy. The disadvantage of the procedure is that there is a small risk that no embryos will survive the blastocyst stage and the IVF cycle will have to be postponed.
Assisted Embryo Hatching
Embryo hatching occurs when an embryo emerges from its covering, or membrane, and implants in the uterus. In some women, as they age, the membrane can harden and can interfere with the hatching process. Assisted hatching involves thinning the membrane with a dilute acidic solution to help increase the chance of pregnancy.
Embryo Cryopreserve
Fertility Specialists of Houston utilize cryopreservation (preserving the egg via freezing) when more eggs are fertilized than are needed for a single IVF cycle. Cryopreservation may reduce the cost and inconvenience of subsequent procedures because doctors will not have to repeat the stimulation and retrieval stages. Patients may also elect to store fertilized embryos for a future pregnancy.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
PGD is a reproductive technology used at Fertility Specialists of Houston. PGD is a screening and diagnosis of unbalanced inheritance of chromosome abnormalities. The most common type of PGD used involves testing of embryos for a panel of the most common chromosome abnormalities and using only normal embryos to attempt a pregnancy. By utilizing PGD, each IVF cycle has a better potential outcome, since embryos screened with this method have been shown to have a higher rate of implantation in the uterus, lower spontaneous loss rate, and a reduced risk of children with chromosomal rearrangement.
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