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Advances in Fertility Treatment: In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Allen Morgan, MD,
Shore IVF and
Reproductive Medicine,
Lakewood and Colts Neck
Infertility is diag-
nosed when a woman
is unable to become
pregnant or bring a
pregnancy to term after
a full year’s attempt.
As Americans delay
the age at which they
begin to have children,
the rate of infertility
has gradually risen.
I 20 percent of all American
n fact, statistics show that
couples are infertile (whether due
to the man, woman, or both).
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an
excellent option for couples who
have been unable to conceive a
baby.
IVF can be a good option
when treatments such as fertility
medicines, sperm injection, and
surgery have not been successful.
Good candidates for IVF also
include couples in which the
woman has endometriosis or fallopian tube problems; the man
has a low sperm count, sperm
motility problems, or an autoimmune response that destroys
sperm; or when the cause of
infertility is unknown.
How Does IVF Work?
At Shore IVF & Reproductive
Medicine, we begin the IVF procedure by administering fertility
drugs to the woman. These medications enable her to produce
multiple eggs at once instead
of only one. We use ultrasound
technology and hormone testing
to determine when the eggs are
ready to be harvested.
At that time, we remove
eggs in a process known as follicular aspiration. This usually
is accomplished with only local
anesthesia. The eggs then are
placed with the man’s sperm in
our CAP-accredited laboratory,
where fertilization occurs. We
then place several pre-embryos
back inside the woman’s uterus
through her cervix. We should
know whether or not she is pregnant within two weeks. Women
who undergo IVF have about the
same chance for pregnancy as a
fertile couple would have in the
same month.
Intracytoplasmic
Sperm Injection (ICSI)
damage occurs when they are
drawn into the injecting needle.
The needle then is inserted into
the egg and the sperm is injected
directly into the egg’s center.
When the needle is withdrawn, it only takes a minute
for the egg to retake its normal
shape. The fertility clinic monitors the egg for the first 15 hours
to see whether or not fertilization
has taken place. Early cell division begins within the first 24
hours. In some instances, assisted
hatching must be performed in
order to ensure proper cleavage
(the early divisions of the fertilized egg).
Once the embryos have developed sufficiently, the patient
returns to the office, where fertilized eggs are reinserted into the
woman’s uterus. To facilitate this
process, the embryos are placed
in a small amount of fluid and
inserted through the cervix and
then into the uterus. The woman
then is given blood tests, urine
tests, and ultrasound exams to
monitor whether or not preg-
nancy has occurred. The chance
of becoming pregnant depends
on a number of factors, including the number of eggs extracted,
the age of the female patient, and
the male sperm count.
Egg and Sperm
Donation
In some cases, the woman
may be unable to produce
eggs for an assisted-reproductive technology (ART) procedure or the man’s sperm may
be unable to fertilize her egg.
In these situations, egg and
sperm donors can provide a
solution. Choosing a donor is
a sensitive process that should
be done with care, planning,
and patience.
We help match donors
with patients. Our experience
enables us to account for all
of the legal and emotional
issues at stake.
ICSI is an advanced technique that drastically improves
the chance of achieving pregnancy. Like IVF, we begin by
prescribing fertility drugs for the
woman. Once the eggs
are at the proper stage,
we extract them by folliMost HMO and traditional
cular aspiration. After the
health insurance plans
eggs are taken from the
accepted.
ovaries, they are brought
to the laboratory and
HORMONE
placed into an incubator
EVALUATION & TREATMENT
dish. Normally, cumulus• PolycysticOvarianSyndrome
corona cells surround the
• PrematureOvarianSyndrome
ACCREDITED, FULL–SERVICE
female’s egg(s).
SURGERY
ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE
During ICSI, we
TECHNOLOGY LAB
• LaparoscopicSurgery
remove these cells in order
• Endometriosis
• InVitroFertilization(IVF)
to properly view the egg
• FibroidTreatment
• Intra-cytoplasmicSpermInjection
and inject the sperm. We
• ArtificialInsemination
ANCILLARY SERVICES
then place the eggs in
• DonorEggandSperm
• EggDonorProgram
• InjectionClassesfor
either a petri dish or on
• CryopreservationofEmbryos,
FertilityDrugs
a glass slide with a slight
Sperm,andEggs
• InjectionServices
depression in the middle.
The man’s active sperm,
www.shoreivf.com
which has been collected
www.facebook.com/AllenMorganMD
several hours before,
is placed into a small
732.363.4777 Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM 732.845.0034
Weekends As Necessary 340 Highway 34, Suite D2
amount of solution.
475 Route 70 West
Lakewood,
NJ
08701
Colts Neck, NJ 07722
The sperm and solution then are placed in
a viscous medium (e.g.,
mineral oil). This viscous
medium slows the sperm’s
movement, making it
possible for the infertility specialist to locate the
sperm and ensure that no
The County Woman Magazine
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Chances for a successful
pregnancy vary, so please
contact our office for more
information.
Dr. Allen Morgan of Shore IVF
and Reproductive Medicine has
been practicing for 16 years and
is board certified by the American
Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
and Reproductive Endocrinology
and Infertility. Dr. Morgan teaches
OB-GYN residents at Jersey Shore
University Medical Center who get
their clinical experience in reproductive endocrinology under his tutelage.
Dr. Morgan is a Fellow of the
American College of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, the American Society
for Reproductive Medicine and the
American Association of Gynecologic
Laparoscopic Surgeons. He is an
associate member of the Society of
Reproductive Endocrinologists.
Dr. Morgan is on the staff of
Monmouth Medical Center, Long
Branch; Riverview Medical Center,
Red Bank; Community Medical
Center, Toms River; Central State
Hospital, Freehold; Kimball
Medical Center, Lakewood; Ocean
Medical Center, Brick; Jersey Shore
Medical Center, Neptune; and
Southern Ocean County Hospital,
Manahawkin.
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www.TheCountyWoman.com
Infertility specialist Allen
Morgan, MD, once again has
received a two-year accreditation
for Shore Area In Vitro Fertilization Laboratories from the College
of American Pathologists (CAP).
Accreditation was granted based on
the results of a comprehensive onsite inspection of the laboratory’s facilities and overall management, as
well as its records, staff credentials,
and safety program and record.
January/February 2011