SERVICES » Fertility Treatments

Services

The CONCEPTIA Clinic accepts any patients referred by their physician, with at least one year of infertility or with one of the following factors: anovulation, male infertility or tubular obstruction.

A full range of services are offered, notably In-vitro Fertilization (IVF), Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), Sperm Aspiration (PESA/TESA) and cryopreservation of sperm and embryos.
Please note that psychological and emotional types of services are also available. Please refer to our Support and Resources section.


Fertility Treatments

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
An Intrauterine insemination is a relatively quick and simple procedure. The ovaries are stimulated beforehand by fertility drugs to stimulate the maturation of two to three eggs and the ovulation is induced. The proper timing being assured, a preparation of "washed" sperm is then deposited directly into the uterus by the doctor with the aid of a small catheter.


Donor Sperm Intrauterine Insemination (Donor-IUI)
Again, this is a relatively quick and simple procedure. The timing of the insemination is determined with the use of “LH kits”, which predict ovulation. The Donor Sperm has to be obtained beforehand from an accredited sperm distributor. They assure that Donor Sperm have been rigorously tested for the presence of infectious diseases and genetic (hereditary) conditions.

The Donor Sperm is first thawed, then washed and deposited directly into the uterus by the doctor with the aid of a small catheter.

This procedure is used when there is no sperm available from a partner for fertilization (ex.: following a failed vasectomy reversal), with single women, women with a female partner, or for other reasons.


In vitro Fertilization (IVF)
In vitro fertilization involves several steps:

  • Ovarian hyperstimulation by fertility drugs,
  • Harvesting the eggs by ultrasound-guided needle,
  • Fertilization of the harvested eggs in vitro (in a Petri dish),
  • Culture of the resulting embryos for three to five days,
  • Finally, the transfer of 1 to 3 of these embryos into the uterus.

This procedure is generally used in cases where women have blocked fallopian tubes, after several failed IUIs (unexplained infertility), or in cases of endometriosis.


If there are any extra (surnumerous) embryos from the procedure after the transfer, they can be frozen and kept in storage for another procedure, if necessary, or for a subsequent pregnancy.

 

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
This procedure is similar to IVF (above) except that a single sperm is selected and injected directly into each egg by micromanipulation.
ICSI is chosen over IVF when there is severe male factor (very low sperm count or very low motility), or following failed fertilization by IVF.







Sperm Cryopreservation
Sperm is frozen in liquid nitrogen and can be safely stored for many years.
Some examples of why this procedure is done include:

  • Before cancer treatments (this can destroy the sperm in the testicles).
  • Before a vasectomy.
  • Before a reproduction technique (such as IVF or ICSI) when there is a variation in the sperm count.


Embryo Cryopreservation
Embryos are frozen when there is an excess of viable embryos following an IVF or ICSI procedure. These can be used if the first transfer was unsuccessful or for a later pregnancy.

Testicular or Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (PESA/TESA)
Sperm is obtained by needle aspiration directly from the epididymis or from the testicle. This is done when there is infertility due to a blockage in the vas deferens, following a vasectomy, or with congenital absence of tubule.

For information regarding prices associated with these procedures, please refer to our FAQ section.