Palo Alto Fertility Clinic

Reciprocal IVF

In reciprocal lesbian IVF, one partner assumes the role of the Genetic Mother by providing the eggs retrieved during the IVF cycle, while the other partner serves as the Birth Mother who carries the pregnancy.

The eggs obtained from the Genetic Mother are fertilized with donor sperm within a laboratory setting. Subsequently, the resulting embryos are transferred to the uterus of the partner who will carry the pregnancy.

This method enables both partners to actively participate in the creation and gestation of their child, fostering a deep sense of involvement and connection.

Egg Freezing

Egg freezing success rates are highly influenced by a woman’s age when the eggs are frozen. Ideally, eggs should be frozen before age 35 for the best chance of success. However, thanks to advancements in the procedure, egg freezing can still be a viable option for women past 35.

The process involves stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. These eggs are then retrieved, frozen using a special vitrification technique, and stored in liquid nitrogen.

It’s important to note that the chance of a successful pregnancy using frozen eggs hinges on the quality of the eggs at the time of freezing, not the woman’s age when they are thawed. Once thawed, the eggs can be fertilized with sperm, and the resulting embryos can be transferred to the uterus for implantation and, hopefully, pregnancy.

Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing (PGT)

PGT can be added to IVF, Donor Egg IVF, and Embryo Banking treatments. It aims to increase the probability of a successful outcome by minimizing the likelihood of transferring genetically abnormal embryos.

Embryo genetic testing has been recommended for patients of advanced maternal age (35 or older), those with a history of repeated early pregnancy loss (three or more), and individuals who have experienced multiple failed IVF cycles despite the transfer of high-quality embryos.

Male Infertility

Approximately 10% to 15% of men are born with some degree of male infertility, and about one-third of the time, a couple’s infertility can be solely attributed to male infertility.

In recent years, the chances of infertile men conceiving their genetic child have significantly improved. In situations where patients previously had to rely on donor sperm, we can now almost always utilize the partner’s sperm to fertilize the eggs with the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure.

Embryo Banking

Some couples may delay starting their family to the extent that when they finally decide to have children, it can be challenging, if not impossible, to conceive naturally.

Embryo Banking can be a valuable option for postponing parenthood while pursuing educational and professional goals.

Embryo Banking involves stimulating the development of several eggs, the retrieval of eggs from the ovaries, fertilization with the partner’s semen, cryopreservation of the resulting embryos, and their storage at our Clinic for future use.

Egg Donation

Egg Donation can be a highly successful treatment used by patients who no longer have high-quality eggs.

Children conceived with the help of donor eggs are genetically linked to the male partner and the egg donor, while the female partner is the one who becomes pregnant, nourishes the baby throughout the pregnancy, and experiences childbirth.

You have the option to choose an egg donor from an egg donor agency or purchase frozen donor eggs from an egg bank.

Gestational Surrogacy

There are numerous reasons why individuals and couples turn to gestational surrogacy. The most common are:

– Same-sex male couples
– Men who are single parents
– Women with previous hysterectomy
– Medical conditions making being pregnant too risky

The intended parents’ or donor eggs are fertilized with sperm through In Vitro Fertilization. The resulting embryo(s) are then transferred to the surrogate, typically only one at a time.

The Gestational surrogate carries the pregnancy and delivers the child.

Frozen Embryo Transfer

Fertility treatments may involve embryo freezing and the storage of embryos in liquid nitrogen. Subsequently, the stored embryos can be thawed and transferred into the uterus.

The embryo cryopreservation, storage, and the Frozen Embryo Transfer procedure are done on-site at Bay IVF.

Frozen Embryo Transfer is very safe. Hundreds of thousands of babies have been born worldwide from cryopreserved embryos.

Sperm Aspiration IVF

Some men either do not produce sperm at all or produce them in insufficient numbers and low quality.

Many of these men can have their sperm directly aspirated from their testicles or the epididymis (tightly coiled tubules attached to the top of the testes that store sperm before ejaculation).

The two most common indications for sperm aspiration are a previous vasectomy and the congenital absence of the epididymis.

Fertility Tests

Your reproductive history and the results of your testing will determine the most likely and cost-effective treatment for achieving pregnancy.

We plan your fertility testing based on three categories of infertility factors: (1) Male factor infertility, (2) Ovulation and egg quality disorders, and (3) Uterine and Fallopian tubes factors.

Whenever possible, we utilize fertility test results performed before you become a patient at Bay IVF to minimize your costs.