NEW YORK, June 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Neway Fertility reported its first three pregnancies as result of in vitro maturation (IVM), an emerging alternative to in vitro fertilization (IVF) that requires little to no fertility drugs.
The announcement marks a North American milestone for Dr. Jin-Ho Lim, founder of the New York-based clinic as well as owner of nine IVF clinics in Korea. In contrast to standard IVF, which has helped conceive more than 5 million babies worldwide, Dr. Lim believes less than 4,000 babies have been born globally from IVM. Approximately one-third were from patients of his clinics, he says.
A fertility treatment that's less expensive than traditional IVF, the IVM procedure is a promising alternative for women who require IVF and are prone to a dangerous – even potentially lethal – side effect of IVF known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). The occurrence of OHSS is significantly increased in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance affecting the ovaries.
"The practice of IVM is scarce in the U.S., because there are very few of us trained in extracting the immature eggs from patients and maturing them successfully in the lab," said Dr. Lim. "With this technology, we can give hope to women who didn't think they could conceive."
Dr. Jesse Hade, medical director at Neway Fertility, performed all three successful IVM procedures after training by Dr. Lim, who estimates that there have been less than 50 births as result of IVM in the U.S.
Cecilia and Talya are Neway IVM patients who are now expecting twins later this fall.
"No weeks and weeks of heavy meds like IVF? No risk of hyper-stimulation? No need to take a second mortgage to cover the cost? We were on board," said Talya whose partner Cecilia has PCOS and would potentially be unable to conceive without the IVM treatments she received from Neway Fertility.
Neway will be able to take on the very challenging infertility cases that many of the larger clinics will not approach, says Dr. Hade. "For many women, we are their last best hope to have a child."
Neway Fertility was born from the vision of Dr. Jin-Ho Lim, the founder of one of the largest fertility centers in the world, the Maria Fertility Hospital Network. In 2010, the Maria Network celebrated the birth of 50,000 babies born as result of IVF performed within its hospitals.
The mission of Neway Fertility is to help couples achieve their dream of having a baby. We aim to use the least invasive, more natural and economical approach possible.
For more information, please visit www.newayfertility.com. Real-time updates available at Facebook.com.