Level of Expertise

The Physician directly in charge of the infertile couple should be an infertility specialist with proven experience and training in gynecology, infertility and reproductive surgery. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine recommends that such physicians should perform a minimum of 20 follicular recruitment cycles yearly. In addition, it is desirable that your health care provider should be able to treat tubal obstructions, endometriosis, uterine abnormalities and other reproductive organ disorders which require surgical repair and use of laparoscopic and microsurgery techniques.

The Laboratory Director directing the Embryology, Andrology, Endocrinology, and Micro manipulation Laboratories and the Embryo/Sperm bank should have a medical or doctorate degree in biological science. In addition he/she should be properly certified as a High Complexity Laboratory Director. At this moment the only board providing this accreditation is the American Board of Bioanalysts. Experience and expertise in embryo manipulation, cryobiology, tissue culture and sterile techniques, with the ability and knowledge to relate and communicate adequately with the physician regarding findings associated with patients endocrine profiles, eggs, sperm or embryos to ensure the best possible outcome for the infertile patient.

The nursing and laboratory staff should have knowledge of all procedures assigned to them. The nursing staff should be able to establish adequate communications channels between the patients, medical and laboratory staff to make sure that all the steps in a cycle are conducted as programmed.

We are proud to announce that the staff at the Infertility & IVF Center meets or exceeds all of the above recommendations.

Team Approach

Your infertility treatment involves so many disciplines that it would be impossible for a person to have enough knowledge and be able to be in charge of all steps involved. We have a diverse group of individuals ready to assist you with all your needs. Friendly and helpful receptionists, concerned individuals to help you with all your insurance and other economic concerns, supportive and caring nursing staff along with very competent and highly motivated physicians and laboratory personnel.

Availability and Coverage

Once you are enrolled in our program you can rest assured that we will make ourselves available to give you adequate treatment when you need it. You have coverage essentially 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Furthermore, our center does not have an extensive waiting list. Some centers use a waiting list for patients less likely to conceive, hoping their pregnancy rates will increase as these patients get frustrated and leave. We don't play that game.

Range of Services

Virtually ALL services provided in different places by other institutions are concentrated in our facility. Rarely will you have to go somewhere else to receive treatment associated with infertility. Even for services that we do not provide ourselves, we do the specimen collection and send it out for you. You do not need to go anywhere else because we are a full service, office-based center.

Additionally, we provide the most advanced services. If you are in need of more sophisticated services than what is currently attempted, there is no need to start over with another facility. We provide a complete line of therapy.

Certifications and Accredations

Under the guidance of our quality assurance program, we are constantly under pressure to attain the highest standards of excellence. Therefore we have joined the select group of institutions that have attained certification and accreditation status after detailed inspection of different national institutions. We are accredited and inspected by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the Commission of Office Laboratory Accreditation (COLA). In addition, our personnel are members of different societies (see our "Staff page" for further information)

National Proficiency

We participate in national proficiency testing programs. Our Andrology, Embryology and Endocrinology Laboratories are enrolled in proficiency testing programs at the national level. Our proficiency testing program gives you further assurance that our standards of care at the laboratory level are scrutinized by agencies properly certified.

Central Location

Centrally located facilities

You do not need to go to different places in the building, city or the country to get all the services you need for you to have a baby. Everything is conveniently located under the same roof to avoid further inconvenience discomfort for you and your partner.

A secondary benefit to this is billing. Medical bills are often confusing. There are bills from the lab, from the doctor's office, from the hospital, etc. Our process simplifies this necessary aspect of getting therapy.

Volume of Patients

Bigger is not necessarily better. One of the main lessons obtained from the 1995 and 1996 ART Success Rates report indicates that the size of an ART practice does not influence its success rates. However, the bigger the practice the less personal the relationship with the infertility team can be.

At Infertility and IVF Center, we are not one of the largest IVF center in the country, nor do we have goals to be one. We are currently one of the larger fertility centers in the St. Louis area. This has given us a volume of patients that provides us experience with many different infertility procedures, but not a volume of patients that makes patients feel like a number.

Often, patients say to us that they know us better than they know their primary care physician that they have been seeing for several years. We simply make the time to get to know our patients - professionally, personally, clinically, and emotionally.

Emotional Aspects

Emotional Aspects / Concern about the couple

Concern and understanding for you and your spouse's emotional needs. We try to give you as much support as we can during the ups and downs of the infertility roller-coaster. We do it in a friendly and supportive manner. The cheerful atmosphere in our clinic should help ease your anxiety.

Many of the emotional aspects of infertility can be controlled with a little basic human kindness. Our understanding of the emotional aspects of infertility help us put in place strict office policies about children in the waiting room, specific questions from our staff, financial discussions, specimen protocols and the like. We know when a situation is uncomfortable. We can help prevent those that are unnecessary and help you through those situations or discussions that simply must take place.

Additionally, infertility can put a strain on marriages. This web site isn't the time or place to expand on that, but if you need help, we can recommend some professionals that are very familiar with the roller-coaster ride of therapy and its impact on a marriage.