Fertility Treatment

Fertility Treatments 101

Many people equate fertility treatments with in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, it's important to understand that IVF is simply one type of fertility treatment offered at HRC Fertility.Basically, if are having trouble getting pregnant, there are several types of fertility treatments. From least invasive to most invasive, fertility treatments you may experience are: Fertility drugs, such as Clomid and other ovulation-inducing... Read more

Infertility Treatment Questions to Ask

When you schedule a consultation with HRC Fertility, you and your partner may want to sit down together and talk about your thoughts and feelings about infertility treatment. For example, think about: What are our feelings about different types of infertility treatments? How much are we willing to spend on infertility treatment? How much time are we willing to dedicated to infertility treatment? At your consultation with an HRC fertility... Read more

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is a treatment for infertility in which sperm are washed, processed and concentrated prior to placement in the uterus. IUI is a first line treatment for women with cervical factor infertility. The cervical mucus may be too thick or thin or it may not be present in adequate quantities. Sometimes the woman's immune system mistakes sperm for invading germs. When this happens her body dispatches its natural defense... Read more

Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) Test

As part of our commitment to providing comprehensive care to patients undergoing evaluation and treatment of infertility, HRC Fertility Encino is proud to announce that the X-ray dye test known as a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) is now available! What is an HSG Test? The HSG is an integral part of an initial infertility evaluation.  The test determines if a woman’s fallopian tubes are open and evaluates the uterus to rule out the presence of... Read more

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

IVF has literally made possible thousands of healthy births from couples previously considered infertile. Long-range studies indicate there is no increased risk for birth defects or other abnormalities in children born from the procedure. HRC Fertility's IVF success rates exceed the national averages. How IVF Works IVF consists of a series of steps. It begins with ovulation induction. The female is given a drug, usually Lupron or Ganirelix, to... Read more

Third Party Reproduction

Since 1988, HRC Fertility has been in the forefront of developing and expanding  egg donation and gestational surrogacy. HRC presently has one of the largest and most successful Third Party Reproductive Programs in the world. Additionally, we are one of a few infertility clinics that are able to offer egg freezing. Over the past several years, HRC's Third Party Reproductive Program has continued to expand at a rapid pace. These services... Read more

Egg Donation Program

Donor egg in vitro fertilization (IVF) has allowed thousands of otherwise infertile couples to create families. Donor eggs are usually needed when woman's eggs will not fertilize and develop properly due to age, genetic abnormalities, damage from treatments such as cancer therapy, premature menopause or unexplained infertility. With egg donation, the father contributes genetically and the recipient mother carries the... Read more

Egg Freezing

HRC's California infertility clinics are leaders in infertility research and recently began offering egg freezing.  Egg freezing is particularly important for women who undergo therapies, such as cancer chemotherapy or radiation, that will destroy their ovaries.  Eggs can be retrieved and frozen prior to the therapy for use at a later date. The membrane surrounding the egg, the zona pellucida, is more fragile than the... Read more

Gender Selection

Gender selection has become a popular option for couples desiring to choose the sex of their children. HRC offers gender selection, sometimes referred to as "family balancing", at our California infertility clinics. Gender selection is often used to reduce the possibility of transmitting sex linked genetic diseases to an offspring in "at risk" couples. Other couples want to experience the joy of raising both a male and female... Read more

Surrogacy

A surrogate is a woman who carries and delivers a baby for an infertile couple. The intended mother may have damage to her uterus that makes carrying a child impossible, including uterine cancer, a uterus damaged by infection or congenital uterine abnormalities. Sometimes the health of the intended mother prevents her from carrying a baby or she may have a history of recurrent miscarriages. A surrogate can be a friend, family member, a... Read more

Minimal Stimulation and Natural In Vitro Fertilization

Background Several years ago, a couple of centers reported that if a woman had an FSH level over 15, her success rate with IVF was zero.  Since then, most physicians held strongly to this belief when advising women as to their best options for having children.  Over the ensuing years, throughout the world, many groups challenged this hypothesis, based on the belief that nature provides a mechanism for selecting good eggs that is... Read more

Fertility Treatment in Your 40s

Age affects the success of fertility treatments, such as intrauterine insemination (IUI), fertility drugs and in vitro fertilization (IVF). For example, in women over 40, the success rate of using fertility drugs with intrauterine insemination is generally less than 5 percent per cycle, according to ASRM. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is more effective for women in their 40s. At HRC Fertility, the success rate for a woman using fresh embryos... Read more

Treatment Costs

Fertility Drugs

Fertility drugs are available to treat many of the conditions that cause infertility, and many are known as "ovulation inducing" drugs. Most patients should undergo a fertility workup prior to beginning any fertility drug treatment. There could be many causes of infertility in addition to ovulatory disorders, including endometriosis, tubal disease, cervical factor and others. Also, fertility drug treatment should not be initiated... Read more