Family Focus
A team of compassionate experts can help couples
who are trying to conceive find joy
Two Texas “Super Doctors*” at Scott & White Healthcare are skilled leaders in the
field of reproductive medicine. With expertise in assisted reproductive technology
and a new in vitro fertilization (IVF) suite in Temple, TX, for couples who choose
this path of treatment, the team is able to provide real hope.
nfertility is defined as a year of
trying to conceive without
success. The frustration and
disappointment of infertility affect up to
10 percent of all couples. The National
Infertility Association estimates that the
causes are evenly split between female and
male factors, although many people assume
infertility is usually a woman’s issue.
“When people ask ‘why us?’ we tell them
that a number of issues can affect healthy
sperm-egg interaction,” says Thomas
Wincek, MD, PhD, chief of the Section of
Reproductive Endocrinology at Scott &
White Healthcare.
José Pliego, MD, director of the IVF
Program at Scott & White Healthcare,
says, “We get between 100 and 150 calls
per day. Infertility takes away choices, so
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we try to help bring control back to
patients, who are going through a very
difficult time.” After a comprehensive
evaluation, couples are given options and
recommendations for a course of
treatment, enabling them to decide what
will work best for them. Dr. Pliego says
that the least invasive and least expensive
methods are encouraged, always with a
time frame in mind so that patients know
what next steps are available and when they
can take place.
The science of ART
When patients do seek care, many find that
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
can help them fulfill their dream of having
a child. The goal of ART is to increase and
optimize the interaction between sperm
and egg to promote fertilization. Two of
the most common procedures are artificial
insemination and IVF. With artificial
insemination, sperm are inserted directly
into the female reproductive tract to
increase the odds of egg-sperm interaction.
IVF combines the couple’s egg and sperm
outside the body to create a growing
embryo that is placed back in the womb, a
process called implantation. All services at
Scott & White follow strict national
guidelines set by the Society for Assisted
Reproductive Technology to ensure the
highest quality of care.
“Our new IVF suite is convenient for
patients who undergo procedures, some of
which are available seven days a week,” says
Dr. Pliego. The state-of-the-art suite offers
integrated care, from evaluation and
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