Saturday, May 10, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics will celebrate the 20th reunion of babies born through its in vitro fertilization, or IVF program. Amy Sparks, PhD, HCLD, Director of the In Vitro Fertilization and Reproductive Testing Laboratories at UI Hospitals and Clinics, talks about the program and Saturday's event:
How many families have gone through the IVF program over the past 20 years?
We believe about 3,200 families or couples have gone through.
Do you have an idea of how many families with their children will be invited to the reunion this weekend?
Everyone has been invited to the reunion, whether or not they had success with our program, so thousands of invitations have gone out.
Do you expect to see any 20-year-old young men and women whose parents went through IVF in 1987?
We have six 18-year-olds coming back for the reunion, so we're really looking forward to seeing those older kids from long ago.
Has IVF changed a lot in the 20 years of the program? How?
We've seen dramatic improvements in the way we go about in vitro fertilization. From improved hormone availability for stimulation of the women to improvements in the laboratory, we now can transfer an average of just under two embryos and have four times the success we had 20 years ago when we were still transferring four or five embryos and having a success rate of about 15 percent. Today we're looking at success rates of well over 50 percent.
In terms of success, compared with other IVF programs, how does UI Hospitals and Clinics rank with successful outcomes?
We believe that we have one of the most successful programs in the country. We are the most conservative with our single embryo transfer policy that we're quite proud of, where we're helping women achieve a pregnancy in a safe, singleton gestation by transferring just one embryo and still maintaining good outcomes and high pregnancy rates for these patients.
Tell us more about this weekend. How many families are expected to come to the reunion?
We've had 1,100 people respond favorably and the responses continue to roll in. We will hold the reunion in the Krause Family Plaza just outside Kinnick Stadium, so we have plenty of room for folks. We have BF Burt providing music during the event, which is from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday; and the Iowa Children's Museum is providing games and crafts for the kids. We'll have other activities such as a large inflatable slide and radar speed pitch game, as well as refreshments and guest appearances by Herky and Perky.
How far will these families travel to come back for the reunion?
I believe we have quite a few families traveling to Iowa City from out of state for this event. We're really looking forward to seeing everyone again.
Is this event as much for staff who worked with the families as it is for the families in the IVF program?
It is a lot for the staff because once we've had a favorable outcome, we release the patients to their obstetricians. Some of them are so kind and send us Christmas cards and notes throughout the years, but this is an opportunity for us to reunite with these families who have gone through so much and spent so much time with our staff—we're really looking forward to it.
If someone wanted to learn more about the IVF program, where should they start?
They can call 319-356-8483 or going to our Web site. |
