CCRM Seeks Participants for Groundbreaking In Vitro Follicle Activation Study

DENVER, July 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM) is looking for women under the age of 40 with primary ovarian insufficiency for a research study on in vitro follicle activation (IVA). It is currently the only active study of its kind taking place in the U.S.

Primary ovarian insufficiency is characterized by a low number of eggs in a woman's ovaries and is one of the major conditions leading to infertility in women. Some patients with primary ovarian insufficiency have residual structures in the ovaries called follicles. IVA helps stimulate these immature follicles potentially allowing the follicles to mature and release eggs, which could eventually lead to pregnancy.

IVA requires one ovary (or a portion of the ovary) to be laparoscopically removed, treated outside the body and re-implanted near the fallopian tubes. The woman is then treated with hormones to stimulate the growth of follicles in which eggs develop.

When follicles reach the mature stage, eggs will be retrieved and fertilized with a male's sperm in the laboratory to generate embryos for freezing (also known as in vitro fertilization, or IVF).  The patient will then be treated with hormones to prepare the uterus. When the uterus is ready for implantation, the doctor will thaw the embryos and transfer them back to the patient for pregnancy.

The IVA technique was pioneered by Kazuhiro Kawamura, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Japan and Aaron Hsueh, Ph.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University.

An initial IVA study took place in Japan with 37 participants. In 2013, the researchers collected mature eggs for IVF from six of the participants and two resulted in a live birth.

"We're excited to partner with Drs. Kawamura and Hsueh on this revolutionary study. This technique could provide hope for patients to have a genetic child that otherwise wouldn't be able to," says William Schoolcraft, M.D., medical director of CCRM.

To learn more about participating in this Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved IVA study, call (303) 788-8300 and ask for Clinical Research Coordinator Lindsey Munkwitz or email [email protected].

About the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine

Founded in 1987 by Dr. William Schoolcraft, the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine is one of the nation's leading infertility treatment centers, providing a wide spectrum of infertility treatments ranging from basic infertility care to advanced in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology. Today, joined by Drs. Eric Surrey, Debra Minjarez, Robert Gustofson and Laxmi Kondapalli, Dr. Schoolcraft and his staff achieve some of the highest pregnancy rates in the country. CCRM has been ranked "The #1 Fertility Center in the U.S. with the Greatest Chance of Success" by Child.com. For more information, visit www.ColoCRM.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Contacts:

Erich Kirshner, Evolution Communications Agency
303.921.6733 or [email protected]

Katie Trexler Kern, Evolution Communications Agency
303.941.4118 or [email protected]

SOURCE Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM)

Related Links

http://www.ColoCRM.com