Baystate Reproductive Medicine, the only full-service fertility program in Western Massachusetts, has helped thousands of couples to become parents over the past 15 years. We offer state-of-the-art fertility services and are committed to offering the very best in reproductive medicine.
A recent study by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) identifies Baystate Reproductive Medicine as the program with the highest In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) success rates in MA. SART is the primary organization of professionals dedicated to the practice of assisted reproductive technology in the United States.
Baystate Reproductive Medicine specialists will treat you as an individual with specific concerns and needs. We are sensitive to the personal nature of this treatment. In addition to outstanding expertise and treatment, you will also experience the comfort, convenience and security of staying right here, close to home.
Our services include:
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Fertility Services
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Reproductive Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Fibroid and endometriosis Treatment
- Fallopian Tube Ligation Reversal
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Reproductive Endocrinology
- Reproductive Loss Evaluation
- Menopause/Hormone Replacement
- Disorders of Menstruation
For a free brochure about our services, call Baystate Health Link at 413-794-2255 or e-mail a request to prof@bhs.org.
The Baystate Reproductive Medicine Assisted Reproductive Technology program and its laboratory consistently record excellent pregnancy rates.
Baystate Reproductive Medicine has been a member of the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technologists (SART) since 1992. We are fully accredited by SART and the College of American Pathologists.
SART Statistics are reported by the Centers for Disease Control, and Baystate Reproductive Medicine statistics can also be viewed on that website. Statistics for years prior to 2000 appear under Baystate IVF, the former name of the program.
Pregnancy rates after fertility treatment depend on many factors. For Ovulation Induction and Intrauterine Insemination, pregnancy rates depend upon:
- Age
- The condition of the fallopian tubes
- Sperm quality
- Presence of endometriosis
- Ovarian response to medications.
Pregnancy rates after In Vitro Fertilization or Assisted Reproductive Technology are also condition- and age-dependent.
Our physicians are all on the faculty of Tufts University School of Medicine. They are all board certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
While the mainstay of the program is the treatment of infertility, our physicians are also experts in:
- Hormone-related gynecologic concerns, including polycystic ovary
- Menopause
- Disorders of puberty
- Hirsutism
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids
as well as hysteroscopic and laparoscopic surgery.
The program offers state-of-the-art fertility services and are committed to offering the very best in reproductive medicine, including:
- Assisted Hatching - Early human embryos develop for the first 6 to 7 days within the jelly-like coat of the zona pellucida, which is the outer covering of the embryo. Prior to an embryo attaching itself successfully to the uterine wall, it must first hatch out of its zona pellucida. A number of studies suggest that human embryos fertilized in vitro sometimes lack the ability to hatch through this outer covering. To counteract this potential hazard, a small hole or perforation can be made in the zona pellucida just before embryo transfer through which the new embryo can emerge several days later into the uterine cavity.
- Donor oocyte for those women with premature ovarian failure or other causes of poor ovarian response. For a variety of reasons, some women may not be able to use their own eggs for an in vitro fertilization procedure. In these cases, donated eggs may be an option for the couple.
To be a recipient of donated oocytes (eggs), the woman must have a uterus with a normal uterine cavity.
Typical candidates for oocyte (egg) donation include:
- Premature menopause or low ovarian reserve
- Ovarian response to fertility drugs has been inadequate in the past
- Absence of the ovaries from birth
- Prior chemotherapy
- Prior ovarian surgery
- Carriers of genetic disorders
Egg donors are women, usually between the ages of 21 and 34 years of age. They are carefully screened to confirm good general and reproductive health, genetic history, and psychological stability.
What Egg Donation Entails
While similar in principle to sperm donation, egg donation is significantly more difficult due to the time commitment.
- Egg donation involves the same steps required for in vitro fertilization.
- Donors receive daily hormone injections, daily ultrasounds and blood work, and undergo vaginal ultrasound-guided egg retrieval.
- Some couples have a friend or relative who agrees to donate eggs
- Others use anonymous donors who are recruited through referrals and advertisements. The anonymous donor does not meet the recipient couple and will not know whether a pregnancy has resulted for the recipient couple. Anonymous donors are compensated financially for their time and effort.
- Conventional IVF
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an option for many couples who cannot conceive through conventional therapies.
In IVF, fertilization occurs outside of the woman's body. The woman's eggs and the man's sperm are united in the laboratory. Once fertilization occurs, the early embryo(s) are transferred to the woman's uterus.
IVF was initially developed to help women conceive who had blocked, damaged or absent fallopian tubes. Other eligible patients are those with infertility due to a condition not responsive to conventional therapy, including one or more of the following:
- Tubal blockage or failed tubal reversal
- Endometriosis
- Cervical factor
- Pelvic adhesions
- Antibody problems
- Male factor
- Unexplained infertility or failed conventional therapy
To be considered for IVF, a woman must have either a uterus capable of carrying a child, or a compassionate gestational carrier. For optimal results, a woman should not be more than 20 percent over her ideal body weight.
With blastocyst transfer, it is possible to transfer these advanced stage embryos into the uterine cavity, which duplicates what happens in nature. Implantation rates for blastocyst transfer are higher than for transfer of early stage (i.e., day 2 or 3) embryos. In part, the increase in implantation rates is due to the duplication of normal reproductive physiology. In addition, better quality embryos may be selected for transfer when embryos are cultured to the blastocyst stage. Culturing embryos to the blastocyst stage results in about half the number of embryos available for transfer as is available on days 2 and 3. However, the decrease in the number of available embryos is offset by the increase in implantation efficiency. The increase in implantation rate decreases the number of embryos that are usually transferred to two, decreasing the rate of multiple pregnancy, especially "high order" (i.e., more than two) multiple pregnancies.
- Cryopreservation of embryos -
The cryopreservation procedure provides couples the option of reducing the number of embryos initially replaced in the uterus and to freeze the unused embryos for future use.
Cryopreservation reduces the number of fertility drug stimulations and subsequent egg retrievals required. During an egg retrieval multiple eggs may be harvested and fertilized. A maximum number of embryos, usually four, are transferred often leaving additional embryos. With cryopreservation, these extra embryos can be saved for a future transfer, making additional costly retrievals unnecessary.
It is important to note that not all of the unused embryos will be frozen for later use. Only those that appear to be of sufficient quality to survive the cryopreservation procedure will be chosen. Because, typically, three or four embryos are transferred into the uterus, cryopreservation reduces the chance of having twins or triplets. Quadruplets are a rare occurrence.
Frozen embryos may be thawed and transferred to the woman¿s uterus during her natural cycle. Alternatively, complete hormonal replacement may be undertaken to create an entirely artificial cycle in which to replace the thawed embryo(s). The embryo(s) are placed in an environment in which growth and development are enhanced.
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection for severe male factor. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into the egg.
ICSI is currently the most successful form of micromanipulative assisted fertilization available for male factor infertility. On average, of all the eggs collected, about one-half fertilize normally.
Following this procedure, all embryos are treated identically to those that arise following conventional IVF.
We are a participating program of the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technologies and are fully accredited by the College of American Pathologists.
