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3 Major Reasons Couples Are Traveling to Tucson to Get Pregnant

importblogger on February 2, 2017

More and more women and couples are coming to Tucson in the hopes of getting pregnant. While Tucson’s weather might be part of the allure—especially in the winter—the real attraction is the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

People from all over the world are coming to our Tucson fertility clinic to conceive. The majority of patients are from Tucson and Phoenix, but many come in from California, Texas, and northern Mexico. The farthest patient we’ve helped was a woman from Africa who started her cycle in Africa, flew out to Tucson for treatment, and got pregnant before she returned home.

Here are three reasons couples and single women from all over the world are heading to the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in Tucson to get pregnant:

1. Success Rates

Perhaps the most important aspect to consider when choosing an infertility clinic is its success rates. Dr. Timothy Gelety and the rest of the team at Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility have been helping women and couples get pregnant for more than 20 years. We’re at an almost 30 percent pregnancy rate for a single live birth, and in fact, we are amongst the top 10 fertility clinics in the country.

Our success, in large part, is due to the quality of our laboratory; we are careful and meticulous when it comes to the stimulation and retrieving of higher quality eggs from our patients. Many clinics have their own in vitro laboratories, but our Tucson center stands out because of the exceptional, consistent quality of our lab and lab staff.

The reason couples and single women still come to us in the end is because they visit other clinics, and after multiple treatment attempts, still do not get pregnant. With our proven pregnancy rates, we are able to help these people. Many of them get pregnant even with the first in vitro treatment, because we have the experience and know what we are doing.

2. Pricing

Our quality of service doesn’t come at an extravagant price. We understand that insurance hardly covers infertility, and most people we work with are paying out of pocket; we don’t want cost to be a factor in our patients fulfilling their dreams of becoming parents. So, we keep our prices very reasonable. Our IVF package, which is a set price that covers all appointments and tests, is half the price of competing in vitro clinics.

We know that conceiving a baby is already an emotional part of our patients’ lives. That’s why we don’t burden them with more financial costs when they’re not necessary. We want to give our patients hope of a pregnancy and eliminate the worry about being financially strapped.

3. Team

To us, the in vitro fertilization process is second nature. But we realize that the couples and women we work with have generally never been through it; it’s a completely new experience to them. We’re very adamant about supporting our patients throughout the entire process—from reviewing treatment options to looking at what their insurance will cover and helping them manage costs.

Because we have a single doctor working with every patient, we get to know every couple and woman we work with. Our patients become a part of our family, and we truly take a personal interest and responsibility in helping them start a family.

It’s clear that the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility has made Tucson a destination for getting pregnant. Wherever in the world you may be, we would welcome the opportunity to walk with you on your journey to pregnancy. Visit us online or call us at 520-326-0001 to set up an appointment.

Patient Profile: One Woman Beats the Odds and Gets Pregnant at the Age of 44

importblogger on January 30, 2017

At the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, we specialize in helping older women get pregnant, especially women who are over 40 years of age. We are almost at a 30 percent pregnancy rate for a single live birth, and our success rates with women in their 40s are consistently higher than nearby infertility centers.

As women get older, their egg production begins to diminish and the quality of their eggs also decline. Because of this, it becomes more difficult to retrieve viable eggs to use in fertilization. Once a woman has hit a certain age, many other centers will recommend using eggs donated by a younger woman. Several of the patients we work with have been turned down by other centers, so they come to us, and we are able to help them realize their dream of getting pregnant.

Dr. Timothy Gelety and the team at the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility were able to help one woman, despite her age and other obstacles, get pregnant.

Her Story

With this particular patient, we were able to help her conceive a healthy baby using her own eggs at the age of 44. This woman had actually gotten pregnant several times, but had miscarried each time. Unfortunately, as women age, not only is it more difficult for them to get pregnant, but the chance of miscarrying increases.

When she came to us, we were able to help her conceive. And using our pre-implantation genetic diagnosis technology, we were able to analyze the fertilized embryos to make sure they were entirely healthy. This technology allows us to extend the reproductive rates to well beyond the age of 40 and greatly cut down the chance of her having a miscarriage.

The Obstacles

This woman’s story is doubly astounding. Age was the biggest obstacle in this patient getting and staying pregnant. But on top of that, she had been treated for breast cancer.

Sometimes cancer treatments, like chemotherapy or radiation, will decrease the number and quality of eggs a woman produces. Before this patient went through treatment for her breast cancer, we retrieved and froze her eggs in anticipation of potentially having to use in vitro later for her to get pregnant. So she underwent successful treatment for breast cancer, was still able to get pregnant with her own eggs, and went on to have a healthy baby.

The Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility is known for helping older women get pregnant using their own eggs. Egg donation is always an option for older women, but we work extremely hard to help our patients who want to have their own genetic offspring.

For some couples and women who already have their own children, egg donation might not be a particular contention point. For example, an older woman who has already had children, but wants to have a baby at an older age with a new husband, may be much more amendable to using an egg donor. But in this woman’s case, because she was a single mom, it was very important to her to have her own egg and offspring.

If age has become a factor in your ability to get pregnant, contact the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility today by visiting us online or calling 520-326-0001. Our proven success has made us one of the best clinics in the country, and we look forward to helping you achieve your pregnancy goals.

What Costs Do I Need to Consider If My Insurance Doesn’t Cover Infertility?

importblogger on January 27, 2017

Starting a family is a blessing for many of the patients who visit the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. We want each of the couples or single women who visit our center to have the opportunity to get pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby, without worrying about the costs and obstacles that are often associated with infertility treatments.

Through more than 20 years of helping women conceive, we’ve realized that much of the cost of treatments is paid out of pocket. This is because 90 percent of fertility treatments are not covered by insurance. So, we’ve developed a unique IVF package to help couples see their dreams of pregnancy come true, without the stress of worrying about costly procedures.

High Success, Low Cost

Dr. Timothy Gelety and the team at Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility have one of the highest pregnancy rates in the country. In fact, we have patients who visit us from all over the world because of our success. Our center is nearing a 30 percent success rate for a single live birth through in vitro, and in general, about two-thirds of those patients get pregnant on the first try. Most of the time, the initial in vitro process provides enough embryos for two or three attempts, giving us up to three chances to get pregnant and bringing the chance of a successful pregnancy up to almost 100 percent. This means our patients don’t have to continue to pay over and over for a chance of conception.

Still, we’re very conscious that patients have to pay for treatments on their own, which is why we created the IVF package, so patients know exactly how much they will have to pay for the procedures up front, without any added costs or surprises.

The package is priced at less than $6,000, and includes all patients’ visits and procedures. They don’t need to worry about paying for extra visits or ultrasounds—everything related to in-office treatments is included in the pricing.

We’re on Your Side

The team at the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility is very supportive of our patients throughout the entire process. This includes deciding on the best option for conceiving (taking into account the most cost-effective solution), looking into what their insurance will and won’t cover, and helping them manage the costs. Our medical assistants and our billing department are very hands on with our patients, and we’re with them every step of the way, answering any and all of their questions.

Part of the support we provide to patients is helping them find the most cost-effective hormones and medications needed for the IVF treatment. Competing clinics often require their patients to purchase the medication through their clinic, driving up the total price of the procedures. The hormones and medication used for in vitro have been around for years, are easily obtainable, and are not terribly expensive (outside the U.S.). The cost of the medication is artificially high because of the low demand, since it’s typically used just for infertility procedures. Pricing can often be a sticking point for people considering infertility treatments—especially if it’s not covered by insurance. We try to help our patients mitigate the costs by recommending alternative places to buy the medication, but ultimately allowing them to purchase it wherever they choose.

Besides helping them get pregnant, our goal is to save our patients some money while allowing them to realize their dreams of having a family. To learn more about the Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility’s affordable IVF package, visit us online or call us at 520-326-0001 to make an appointment.

What is IVF? A Simplified Look at the IVF Process

importblogger on January 24, 2017

In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is the fertilization of the egg and sperm outside the body. At Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, we use IVF to help couples who have been unable to conceive after a long period of trying, to finally achieve pregnancy.

IVF treatment was originally developed in 1978 to help women who had issues conceiving due to blocked fallopian tubes. Today, nearly 40 years later, it’s been proven as a very safe and cost-effective technology to help women get pregnant who wouldn’t be able to any other way. IVF is an effective solution to women above the age of 40 who have problems conceiving due to age.

The IVF Treatment Process 

Women produce many eggs every month, but they only ovulate one—so many eggs go unused at the end of every month. The number of eggs a woman produces is partially dependent on a woman’s age; a younger woman can sometimes produce 20-30 eggs in a month. In vitro is a simple method, using hormones that the body usually manufactures and produces, to retrieve all the eggs a woman develops during any given month.

During the process of taking the hormones, the patient comes in for a series of ultrasounds. The eggs are retrieved in the office during a safe and simple in-office process that uses the ultrasound. Then, the eggs are paired with the man’s sperm (provided through a specimen) and fertilized in vitro, literally meaning in glass, in the laboratory.

After fertilization, we monitor and test the development and health of the embryos. Because of today’s technologies, we are able to test the embryos to determine not only the sex of the baby, but if the baby will have any chromosomal abnormalities, such as down syndrome, or genetic abnormalities, like cystic fibrosis. We can also screen the embryos to make sure they are developing normally and are chromosomally competent, which dramatically cuts down the probability of a miscarriage.

Once the embryos are developed, we re-insert them back into the woman’s uterus and then follow up with the patient in two weeks to determine if she is pregnant. Overall, it’s a simple procedure that’s very similar to a routine pap smear.

6 Things to Know About IVF

The most important thing to know about IVF is that the chance of pregnancy is very high with the process. But there are five other things patients should know about in vitro.

  • In general, about two-thirds of patients will get pregnant on the first try using in vitro. Oftentimes, the in vitro process will provide us with enough embryos for two or three attempts. So if you factor in the fact that a patient might have three tries per treatment, the overall chance of getting pregnant approaches 100 percent.
  • Success rates are very dependent on the patient’s age. As women get older, they have fewer healthy eggs. That’s why it’s more difficult, in general, for women to get pregnant as they get older.
  • There is the possibility of birthing twins. If we place more than one developing embryo in the uterus, having twins is always a possibility. However, the chances of having multiple pregnancies (like triplets and quadruplets) are minimal to non-existent.
  • Babies born from in vitro are just as healthy as babies born naturally. More than 1 million babies have been born throughout the world through in vitro fertilization. And, because of genetic testing, babies born through IVF may be even more likely to be healthy overall than babies born naturally.
  • The procedure is safe and risk-free for the moms-to-be. All of our patients who have gone through the in vitro process would do it again if they had to, because in the end, they’ve given birth to a bundle of joy. The procedure is painless, and in the end, having a baby is the best gift for our patients.

Having difficulty conceiving naturally can be an incredible burden and extremely stressful; the in vitro process takes some of that stress away by offering women and couples the chance to finally have a baby. To make an appointment and learn more about in vitro options, visit Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility online or call us at 520-326-0001.

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