GURNEE, Ill. (Business Wire EON) November 12, 2007 -- The U.S. government Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released a preliminary report for their 2005 annual national report of Assisted Reproductive Technology IVF success statistics. Once again the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago was among the leading U.S. clinics reporting successful in vitro fertilization treatment. The data for this national report come from the 422 fertility clinics in operation in 2005 that provided and verified data on the outcomes of all IVF cycles performed in their clinics (the final 2005 report will probably not be made public by the CDC until early 2008).

“We’ve always been pleased to report our data to the CDC because for the past 9 consecutive years, our IVF success rates have exceeded the national averages. In 2005, our IVF pregnancy rate per initiated cycle for women under 35 years of age was 51%, as compared to the national average of 43%,” according to Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago’s Richard Sherbahn, MD, a Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility physician. “I believe that it is important to maintain high IVF success rates, while at the same time limiting the number of embryos transferred in order to minimize the risks for having a triplet pregnancy. For example, in 2005 we transferred an average of 2.0 embryos per cycle as compared to the national average of 2.4 embryos transferred.”

“We have been able to maintain a very low rate of triplet pregnancy by following a strict policy limiting the maximum number of embryos transferred to the uterus to 1 or 2 in selected patients.” Dr. Sherbahn believes that the increased use of blastocyst transfer (when the embryo is at a later stage of development) has allowed his IVF program to select higher quality embryos in comparison to traditional Day 3 (cleavage stage) transfer, when embryo quality is less certain.

Dr. Sherbahn recommends that the best way for a couple needing specialized fertility treatments to increase their chances for successful outcome is by having the procedures done at a high quality program. He attributes their high success rates to a state-of-the-art in vitro fertilization lab, highly skilled personnel, and constant maintenance of quality control throughout the entire system. “This level of quality control must be consistently maintained. Quality control in an IVF cycle begins with selection of the proper ovarian stimulation protocol for the individual woman and must continue through all aspects of care provided by the physicians and nursing staff. Quality control issues in the IVF laboratory are numerous and critical. Human embryos are extremely sensitive to small changes in environmental conditions, therefore constant monitoring and corrective adjustments are required in order to maintain the ideal culture environment for the embryos.”

Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago also achieved outstanding success rates with their growing egg donation program. Per the 2005 CDC data, their live birth rate was 73% per transfer procedure while transferring an average of only 2.0 embryos per cycle. In comparison, the national average live birth rate was 52% per transfer with an average of 2.3 embryos transferred per cycle.

The Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago, with locations in Gurnee and Crystal Lake, Illinois is a leading provider of infertility services in the Midwest. Their center specializes in IVF and egg donation, as well as other female and male infertility treatment. “Our team consists of specialized infertility doctors, embryologists, nurses, and support staff dedicated to providing high quality and compassionate care for couples seeking fertility solutions,” explains Dr. Sherbahn.

Dr. Sherbahn completed his Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He has been involved in research and patient care in reproductive medicine for more than 14 years, and is Board Certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He has recently been joined by Dr. Akas Jain who completed his Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

For more information, visit www.advancedfertility.com or call 847.662.1818.

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