Access to fertility care can be difficult all around the world.

Access to fertility care can be difficult all around the world.

Hi, this is Dr. Michael DiMattina, Reproductive Physician of Dominion Fertility in Arlington, Virginia. Access to fertility care can be difficult, not only in the United States, but all over the world. Dominion Fertility understands this and we have responded. Ten years ago, we started doing Natural Cycle IVF to help those who are in need of infertility care and to allow them to have access to IVF. Natural Cycle IVF has been performed all over the world, in over 50 countries, with much success.

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Ten years ago, we started doing Natural Cycle IVF to help those who are in need of infertility care and to allow them to have access to IVF.

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Well, I have a great news story for you today, on a patient of ours, who had difficulty accessing IVF because of cost. We offered her Natural Cycle IVF and she got pregnant. This was a 34-year-old patient. At the age of 6, she developed leukemia. She was successfully treated with chemotherapy and is a cancer survivor. She married a 40-year-old man who is a military officer, and interestingly, he too had cancer, of the testicle, which was surgically treated. He, too, is a cancer survivor. So, they were trying to get pregnant for about 1½ years and nothing was happening. They went to another facility and had 10 cycles of artificial insemination, with and without drugs, and no pregnancy occurred. They came here interested in Natural Cycle IVF because of cost, and that allowed them to access IVF treatment. Natural Cycle IVF does not use ovarian stimulation drugs, which cost between 5,000 and 10,000 dollars per cycle, independent of the additional cost involved in performing stimulated IVF. Natural Cycle IVF costs, at our clinic, about 5,000 dollars per cycle. She got pregnant in her second embryo transfer and we are told today they are the proud parents of a very healthy, normal baby. We are greatly excited for these people. Because of Natural Cycle IVF they were successful. Natural Cycle IVF can be performed in any patient who has regular menstrual cycles and a normal uterus. So, it’s another option for patients, and we have had much success with Natural Cycle IVF over the last 10 years. We are currently the largest Natural Cycle IVF program in the country.

In addition to Natural Cycle IVF, Dominion Fertility is a leader in the field of stimulated IVF. We perform that regularly. We freeze all the embryos and most of the embryos are biopsied, tested for genetics using preimplantation genetic screening or PGS, so that the embryos placed back in the uterus result in higher pregnancy rates, less miscarriages, and healthy babies. So, we are very excited for this couple!

‍Dr. Michael DiMattina, Reproductive Physician at Dominion Fertility in Arlington, Virginia.