ART

In addition to medication and surgical infertility treatments, Abington Reproductive Medicine offers an array of advanced procedures called Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART).

In Vitro fertilization (IVF) The In Vitro fertilization program here at Abington Reproductive Medicine in Abington, Pennsylvania is offered to women with blocked, damaged or missing fallopian tubes, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine fibroids, unexplained infertility, and recurrent implantation failures. IVF is also indicated for male factor infertility and for certain inherited or inheritable genetic conditions.

Other ART procedures offered at Abington Reproductive Medicine include:

• Transvaginal Ovum Retrieval – This is the process whereby a small needle is inserted through the back
  of the vagina and guided via ultrasound into the ovarian follicles to collect the fluid that contains the eggs.
• Assisted Hatching – performed shortly before the embryo is transferred to the uterus. A small opening is made in the outer layer surrounding the egg in order to help the embryo hatch out and aid in the implantation process of the growing embryo.
• Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) – beneficial in the case of male factor infertility where sperm counts are very low or failed fertilization occured with previous IVF attempt(s). The ICSI procedure involves a single sperm carefully injected into the center of an egg using a microneedle.
• Gamete Intrafallopian Tubal Transfer (GIFT) – a mixture of sperm and eggs is placed directly into a woman’s fallopian tubes using laparoscopy following a travsvaginal ovum retrieval.
• ZIFT– Zygote intrafallopian tubal transfer of embryo(s).
• Autologous Endometrial Coculture – possible treatment for patients who have failed previous IVF attempts or who have poor embryo quality. The patient’s fertilized eggs are placed on top of a layer of cells from the patient’s own uterine lining, creating a more natural environment for embryo development. Currently, Abington Reproductive Medicine is one of only a handful of centers in the world to offer this leading-edge procedure.
• Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) – PGD involves the use of Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) DNA amplification to help identify genetically abnormal embryos and improve healthy outcomes.
• Egg Donor Program – a resource for women with no eggs due to surgery, chemotherapy, or genetic causes; or with poor egg quality, previously unsuccessful IVF cycles or advanced maternal age. In the egg donor process, eggs are retrieved from a donor’s ovaries, fertilized in the laboratory with the sperm from the recipient’s partner, and the resulting healthy embryos are returned to the recipient’s uterus.
• Therapeutic Donor Insemination – used in situations where no sperm is available.
• Gestational Carrier and Surrogacy – an option when a patient’s medical condition prevents safe pregnancy or when a patient has ovaries but no uterus due to congenital absence or previous surgical removal.
• SSR– Surgical sperm retrieval. The reproductive urologist may obtain sperm from the vas deferens, epididymis or directly from the testis in a short outpatient procedure.

Variations of the above procedures are available to accommodate the different faiths and religious beliefs of our patients. For more information, please call our office at 215-887-2010.