California IVF Update - Family Reunion Photos, Sacramento Fertility Center, UC Davis Research #ivf



In October 2011, California IVF Fertility Center hosted our annual "babies and bellies" event. Patients from all over Northern California came to Davis for a day in the park with the fertility specialists and staff that helped to take part in their successful pregnancy. It was a beautiful, sunny day to celebrate overcoming infertility with friends and family as well an eventful past year at the clinic.

The California IVF Family



In 2011, California IVF signed a collaboration agreement to take over fertility services for the UC Davis Department of OB/GYN, purchased a competitor's facility in Sacramento and added three physicians to its roster. This coming year, California IVF will continue to expand and build the practice so we can help more patients in the Northern California region and from around the world. 

Some of the most recent updates include: the installation of a new California IVF sign at our Sacramento facility, finalized renovation plans to bring a modernized IVF center to the Northern California region early next year, and new work with researchers at UC Davis to improve our ability to assess male fertility and embryo competency. Our California Conceptions Donated Embryo Program continues to grow and is providing an embryo adoption alternative for Canadian and Australian couples faced with restrictive oocyte donor laws. 

Dr. Ernest Zeringue and Alisa Zeringue Enjoy the Picnic

Many of the journeys to pregnancy were difficult, but it's easy to see from the photos that the end result was well worth the effort. There is no greater joy than the joy experienced by being a parent to a happy and beautiful baby. We are always excited to be reunited with our former patients and see the impact we have had on their lives.



Toddling Around the Party



View All of the Photos from Our California IVF Family Reunion Events

© California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. Male and female infertility specialists near Sacramento.

Nobel Prize for IVF Pioneer Highlights How Far Local Fertility Clinics Have Come in Helping Patients Get Pregnant

As a Sacramento area fertility doctor who regularly helps patients struggling with infertility get pregnant with the help of in vitro fertilization (IVF), Dr. Zeringue said. "Dr. Robert Edwards' win of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine highlights just how far advanced reproductive therapy has come since the first succesful IVF, "test tube" baby was born in 1978".

Because of his work, the once revoluntionary and seemingly impossible task of fertilizing eggs outside of the womb is now commonplace at fertility centers across the country and around the world.

However, even as reproductive technology moves into new and exciting areas like the pre-implantation genetic screening of embryos (PGS), we will more than likely never get to look completely "under the hood" or know exactly why some people's eggs and sperm just don't seem to work. In many ways, this lack of knowing is what binds fertility experts with couples struggling to get pregnant.

Everyone is looking for a "glimpse behind the curtain" to find out why the magic and mystery of conception and child birth seems evasive to some potential parents. It is this basic human link between cutting edge fertility science and a woman's need to have a child that will drive the newest innovations in reproductive technology.

As Dr. Edward's probably knows, the latest technological advances may never compete with seeing the joy patients feel when they are finally pregnant and on their way to having a baby.

--> © California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. Male and female infertility specialists in the Sacramento, Roseville and greater Northern California area.

Why is in vitro fertilization (IVF) so expensive?

California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. strives to make in vitro fertilization (IVF) a cost effective approach to maximizing the chances of pregnancy. We understand the additional stress finances place on patients wishing to get pregnant and that for many, the cost of starting or continuing treatment is a barrier to pregnancy.

Cost, Overhead and the Modern Embryology Lab

The combination of physician, embryologist and staff experience along with our modern embryology laboratory, which creates an environment that mimics the human body, is why we can help women get pregnant with in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, in addition to high staffing costs, maintaining a high tech lab contributes significant overhead and affects the cost of treatment. Major lab systems include the:

Air System – Designed by a specialized engineer, this system creates a positive airflow that pushes air out of the lab, limits temperature fluctuations within 1-2 degrees and constantly removes contaminants with four Hepa filtration units. It is inspected annually for clean air compliance and maintains a 96% seal from the outside world.

Gas System – The oxygen concentration of normal air is toxic to embryos. Specialized incubators, microscopes and handling techniques protect the embryos and maintain a gas mixer that optimizes growth.

Microscope System – Given the tiny size of embryos, high powered microscopes fitted with mechanical manipulation devices are required to perform treatments such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or embryo biopsy for pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).

Safety System – This system continuously monitors the lab for proper air and incubator temperatures and gas levels as well as the liquid nitrogen level of frozen embryos and semen samples. If there is a power outage, our diesel generator automatically starts and can run for several days without refueling.

California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. uses its modern embryology lab to increase the effectiveness of fertility treatment and patient pregnancy rates. If you have any questions regarding the embryology lab and its affect on the cost of treatment, please ask. We remain committed to helping patients realize the joy and miracle pregnancy can bring.

--> © California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. Male and female infertility specialists near Sacramento.

Northern California Fertility Doctor Joins Genetic Testing Clinical Study to Help Roseville and Sacramento IVF Infertility Patients Get Pregnant

Getting pregnant using fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization is stressful for any couple. But for couples in which one or both partners has the potential of having a child with a genetically based disease like Tay Sachs or Gaucher’s disease can be frightening. A new genetic screening under clinical study gives at-risk IVF patients a fuller glimpse of their developing embryos.

Until now, IVF patients have had to choose between testing for chromosome abnormalities like Down Syndrome or single-gene hereditary disorders like Tay Sachs. A new screening from Redwood City, Calif. based Gene Security Network combines single gene hereditary disease testing and a 24-chromosome comparison into one test.

Dr. Ernest Zeringue, founder of California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. says “this test will offer at risk couples an additional tool for increasing their chance of pregnancy while minimizing the risk of having a baby with a genetic disorder.”

While new technology can not completely relieve the worries of getting pregnant, this next step in the genetic testing of embryos will help at risk patients make more informed decisions about their best options for bringing home a healthy baby.

Learn more about female infertility issues, male infertility, in vitro fertilization (IVF), artificial insemination (IUI) and genetic testing (PGD/PGS) from California IVF's Sacramento area fertility experts at our convenient Northern California fertility medical center with offices in Davis and Roseville.