Frequently Asked Questions

Infertility is defined by The International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ICMART) as a disease characterized by the failure to establish a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse or due to an impairment of a person’s capacity to reproduce either as an individual or with his/her partner.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends that women under 35 years of age see an infertility specialist after one year of trying to become pregnant. Women over 35 should be seen after 6 months of trying. Fertility can decline rapidly and we recommend that egg quality be determined by ovarian reserve testing as soon as infertility is suspected.

Our billing staff evaluates each patient’s situation and works with the insurance company as applicable. Many insurance companies in the Utah area cover the initial evaluation and diagnostic testing. We bill the insurance company for services when appropriate. Regretfully, many insurance carriers do not cover infertility treatments such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF).

IVF is an acronym for in vitro fertilization, a procedure that has enabled thousands of patients to have children and is routinely used by infertility clinics. “In vitro” means fertilization outside of the body. The eggs are fertilized in petri dishes leading to the formation of embryos. The embryos are later transferred to the uterus.

IVF may be a first line treatment for women with tubal disease, those of advanced age (reduced ovarian reserve), ovarian failure, or unexplained infertility. However, most patients may become pregnant with less aggressive treatment options such as, ovulation induction with timed intercourse or intrauterine insemination (IUI). Your doctor will perform diagnostic testing to determine the best, most cost- effective treatment.

PGT is an acronym for preimplantation genetic testing, which can be broken down into two categories: preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) provides a means to screen embryos for abnormalities in chromosome number prior to uterine transfer in an IVF cycle. PGS is also an extremely accurate method for identifying male and female embryos making gender selection, or family balancing, a scientific reality. Many patients want to experience the joy of raising children of both genders.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) allows for preventing the transmission of sex linked genetic diseases. These are disorders that can only be present in a child of a particular sex. For example, hemophilia A and B are X (female chromosome) linked recessive and can only occur in males (XY). If a woman has the gene for hemophilia, after PGD only female embryos will be transferred to the uterus thus eliminating the chance for hemophilia in the child.

The risk of genetic disorders is directly related to female age. Women over 35 years of age are at higher risk for chromosomal abnormalities, which can lead to early miscarriage or conditions such as Down’s syndrome.