Complimentary IVF Cycle Awarded to Florida Couple in Desperate Need

Wellington, FL, August 16, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The Palm Beach Center for Reproductive Medicine in Wellington, Florida, directed by Scott Roseff, MD, FACOG, has agreed to donate a cycle of IVF to a couple who would otherwise be unable to fulfill their dream of having a child. When the couple began their fertility journey, they could never have imagined the insurmountable hurdles they would ultimately face in their quest to complete their family.

Kristina and Alfred Simpson of Winter Park, Florida, have been trying to conceive unsuccessfully for the past seven years. Endometriosis, a disease that affects over five million women in North America alone, is an inflammatory process associated with chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Both endometriosis and pelvic infections caused severe damage to Kristina's fallopian tubes, necessitating no less than seven surgical procedures to try and repair her tubes. The destruction had been so severe, though, that those operations only left her with fluid-filled and non-functioning fallopian tubes that ultimately had to be removed. One of her ovaries had to be removed as well. Since the egg is normally fertilized in the fallopian tube during conception, Ms. Simpson's possibility of a natural pregnancy would be impossible. To make matters worse, Kristina's husband Al had a normal sperm analysis in 2006. However, since that time, his diabetes has taken its toll on his reproductive system, and his sperm count is now zero. Fortunately, Kristina's eggs can be surgically removed from her ovary, and Al's sperm can be taken directly from his testicles to be injected into his wife's eggs to create embryos in a process called in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The couple's final hurdle to pregnancy is the high costs associated with the IVF process.

Kristina and Alfred applied for, and were granted, the "From INCIID the Heart" award. The program is designed for financially- and fertility-challenged couples by the InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination (pronounced "inside"). INCIID connects needy couples with fertility specialists such as Drs. Scott Roseff, Michael Graubert, Rafael Cabrera, and urologist Mark Licht who selflessly donate their time and resources towards a free IVF cycle for people like Kristina and Al. Kristina Simpson says, "IVF is the only possible way we would be able to have a baby. Al and I are thrilled beyond words that Dr. Roseff and his colleagues are generous enough to give us the opportunity to attempt the IVF process and start our family Dr. Roseff s success rates are among the highest and we anticipate being part of his long list of happy parents following our September IVF cycle."

There are at least five million infertile couples in the U.S., and, of those, approximately two million will not be able to conceive without IVF treatment. Most of these couples have no insurance coverage for IVF, and the out-of-pocket costs for IVF and its associated medications can range between $10,000 and $20,000 per couple.

###