New IVF technology enhances safety for aspiring parents in Austin
AUSTIN (KXAN) — New technology is making it safer for mothers to get pregnant in Austin. The device, called TMRW, is an automated storage system that uses barcodes to ensure that frozen eggs are protected ahead of IVF or in vitro fertilization.
“You’re able to say which patient you want, and it brings it out for you. There are barcodes, so there’s just a lot less room for error, and that makes it a lot safer,” said Dr. Sydney Chang with CCRM Fertility of Austin.
The facility, which opened last July, is celebrating the pregnancy of their first lesbian couple this Pride month.
A family’s journey
“We were looking for, in choosing a fertility clinic, one that was upfront and open about serving all people, including gay and lesbian couples in their fertility journeys,” said future mother Elise. Her wife, Emma, is carrying their baby boy, due this October.
“It was surprising, being in Austin, there were some offices that there wasn’t any kind of criteria for LGBT couples,” said Emma.
“People are people, and so it’s really just about understanding what their values and preferences and beliefs are, and helping them understand what’s the best path for them, what’s going to be the most successful,” Chang said.
Technology behind IVF
In vitro fertilization involves fertilizing a woman’s eggs in a lab, before implantation in a womb. “Reproduction is just a very inefficient process, no matter what way you’re doing,” Chang said.
TMRW is a giant freezer that uses RFID to track specimens. 24-hour security ensures that the specimen can be protected in case of a catastrophe like a power outage.
Older storage tanks used handwritten IDs. Dr. Chang said TMRW decreases the likelihood of human error.
“I think a lot of patients are really nervous when they come in here, because they think if I’m going to see a reproductive endocrinologist, they’re going to say that I have to do IVF, and that’s all, you know, we’re going to be talking about. But it’s really, you know, it ranges from just ovulation induction, where we’re giving oral medications to help them ovulate. We can do inseminations, and, you know, at the very end of the spectrum is IVF,” Chang said.
IVF is growing
IVF is on the rise around the world. According to Yale Medicine, there are over 500,000 IVF deliveries around the world each year and 2% of all births in the U.S. are a result of IVF.
“It’s a tough process. It’s an emotionally draining and just logistically complicated process, but just because a family isn’t necessarily traditional, they still deserve, you know, the chance to make their family what they want it to,” Elise said.
Chang said she had a good feeling about the parents.
“Elise is an emergency vet. They take in all these animals whose owners, like, can’t afford treatment, and so just right away, I knew that they were going to be amazing parents,” she said.
