When a patient of mine recently moved to California, she asked me to refer her to a specialist who could continue her care. Drs. Vaughn, Hansard, Burger, and I have each noticed that when we provide our patients with a couple of names, they frequently ask us why we chose those particular specialists over many others in the same area. This made us realize that many couples with infertility in Central Texas may be thinking the same thing about TFC – why should they come see us? WHY TFC? In an attempt to answer this question, we wrote an article that you can find on the home page of our website at www.txfertility.com. I have taken the liberty of breaking this article down into smaller blog entries so that patients can read it at their leisure. In this third blog, I will tell you a little about our embryology and andrology programs, and some of the things that make us different from other doctors who practice infertility.
Embryology and Andrology
Our CLIA-certified andrology laboratory performs all types of sperm evaluation and sperm function testing to determine the optimal treatment choice for men with low sperm count or poor sperm function. Our laboratories are recognized for excellence and in fact, our laboratory director, Tom Turner, and Dr. Kaylen Silverberg actually write the chapter in the Textbook of Assisted Reproductive Technology on sperm evaluation. Our andrologists also prepare sperm specimens for intrauterine insemination (IUI), choosing from among several different preparation methods in order to maximize the total number of rapidly moving sperm for insemination. In cases of severe male factor infertility, our andrologists and embryologists work together to isolate and prepare even extremely low numbers of sperm for fertilization or injection directly into eggs. In the most extreme cases of male factor – those following previous vasectomy or for men with genetic obstructions or other abnormalities – our embryologists work with Central Texas’ finest urologists to produce babies from cases in which we have had even fewer than twenty total sperm to work with.
When couples need advanced treatment using the assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), they can be comfortable knowing that Central Texas’ largest IVF program is again prepared to offer anything that they need. From frozen eggs – where we are the only program in Texas to have produced healthy children from both donor and non-donor vitrified eggs – to novel stimulation protocols, laser-assisted embryo hatching, and complete genetic embryo screening, TFC has proven time and again to be a worldwide leader.
Stay tuned for this weekly series on Why TFC? Or if you prefer to read the article in its entirety, please visit
http://www.txfertility.com/why-texas-fertility-center.php