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KARMA provides a full service fertility program for residents of the
Kitchener area. Click on the following links for an overview of our program.
- Fertility Facts
- On-Site Investigations
- On-Site Treatment
- Assisted Reproductive
Technologies
- IVF Pregnancy Rates
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Infertility is frequently defined as the inability of a couple to conceive after one year of unprotected intercourse.
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In 70 per cent of cases there is a specific cause for infertility that can be diagnosed and successfully treated.
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An estimated 250,000 Canadians -- about one in six couples -- have difficulty achieving a pregnancy.
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Age and undiagnosed or untreated sexually transmitted diseases can contribute to reproductive problems.
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Environmental factors can also influence fertility in both men and women.
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Other barriers to conception could include: male infertility, irregular ovulation, blocked fallopian tubes and timing of intercourse.
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At KARMA, our team, under the leadership of Dr. Judy Campanaro, uses state of the art diagnostic techniques, to assess fertility status, and plan the best method of achieving pregnancy.
Medical History
Physical Examination
Laboratory Tests
We offer a full service hormonal laboratory. Patients’ specimens are tested on-site seven days a week, with results the same day. We also perform semen analysis, as well as advanced tests of sperm function.
Ultrasound Examinations
Our ultrasound facility is regarded by some as the best in the region, and has received two consecutive perfect scores in assessments by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Like KARMA’s lab, we are open seven days a week.
Sonohysterogram (SHG)
Uses ultrasound to evaluate the inside of the uterine cavity. Involves the injection of saline (sterile salt solution) or contrast (“dye”) into the cavity of the uterus to assess anatomy and determine if the tubes are open.
Counselling
Our on-site counselor assesses all new patients. She determines, among other factors, the role of stress (a common factor in infertility), and makes recommendations as to how best to handle the stress, in an effort to ultimately improve the chances of achieving a pregnancy.
Cycle Monitoring
No medication is given. The patient’s cycle is monitored (often on a daily basis) to assess how her hormones and ovaries respond throughout her typical “normal” menstrual cycle. This is done by means of blood hormone assays and ultrasound examinations.
Ovulation Induction
Oral medications or injections are given to improve or enhance ovulation (to increase the chances of ovulation and/or produce more eggs). Specific drug therapy depends on diagnosis of the male and/or female factors contributing to infertility.
AIH (Artificial Insemination with Husband or Partner) with IUI (Intrauterine Insemination)
The sperm sample is prepared (“washed”) so as to remove seminal fluid, then placed in a small volume of media. This process yields sperm with improved motility, as compared to the raw sample. This sample is loaded in a catheter, which is placed through the cervix, allowing sperm to be injected directly into the uterine cavity. This results in a higher concentration of motile sperm in the uterus than can be achieved by intercourse. This technique is used when there is male factor of mild to moderate degree.
Therapeutic Donor Insemination (TDI)
Donor sperm is purchased from a sperm bank which meets Health Canada’ requirements (one of the strictest jurisdictions in the world for compulsory testing of donor sperm) to ensure that samples are safe and of the highest quality. The sperm samples are handled and injected in the same manner as with
AIH.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Involves ovarian stimulation and removal of eggs, which are fertilized in the laboratory, grown into embryos, which are then transferred into the uterus 3days (8 cell stage embryo) or 5 days (blastocyst stage) later, under ultrasound guidance.
ICSI – “Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection”
The injection of a single sperm into an egg, for fertilization. The procedure is necessary when the male’s sperm count is very low.
Cryo-preservation
Good quality embryos remaining after the initial transfer may be frozen. These embryos can be frozen indefinitely, and transferred at a later date.
Other Technologies Available *
Assisted Hatching
Weakening the outside shell of an embryo to allow the dividing embryo a greater ability to “hatch” which the embryo must do before it can implant into the uterus.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
Before an embryo is transferred into the uterus, it can be tested using PGD to rule out a genetic disease.
Egg Donation Program
The program has been developed for women who have poor egg production due to age, or premature ovarian failure. Known donor and anonymous donation is available.
* KARMA’s patients receive most of these treatments at the ISIS Regional Fertility Centre.
** Clinical pregnancy is defined as a
pregnancy where the fetal heart is detected
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