Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, known for its advances in fertility research, has opened its first center in North Texas and partnered with Frisco Institute for Reproductive Medicine.

Nationally, the Colorado center has been on the front end of assisted reproductive technology research with its work on comprehensive chromosome screening and frozen and single embryo transfers.

CCRM was founded by Dr. William Schoolcraft in 1987 and operates 10 other fertility centers throughout the U.S. and Canada, including one in Houston.  

The new facility includes an on-site clinic, surgery center, in vitro fertilization laboratory, and clinical laboratory and will offer services including in vitro fertilization, fertility assessment and preservation, genetic testing, third party reproduction, and egg donation.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, patients will be able to visit two office locations: 8160 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 208 in Dallas and 8380 Warren Parkway, Suite 201 in Frisco.

CCRM is now accepting new patients and also will work with present and past Frisco Institute for Reproductive Medicine patients. New physicians will be brought on in the fall, according to a release.

“Most importantly, we know that CCRM delivers some of the highest success rates in the industry, making this partnership invaluable.” 

Dr. Marius Meintjes

Dr. Marius Meintjes, who is the CEO and director of laboratories for FIRM, founded the institute in 2008. It is currently staffed by reproductive endocrinologists Dr. Rinku Mehta and Dr. Ali Guerami. FIRM was the first IVF lab in Texas to use EmbryoScope, an incubator with a built-in microscope that allows continuous time-lapse photography of a developing embryo.

“Joining the preeminent CCRM network will enable our patients and patients throughout Dallas-Fort Worth access to its leading fertility services, innovative technology, and cutting-edge labs right here in Dallas,” said Meintjes in a release. “Most importantly, we know that CCRM delivers some of the highest success rates in the industry, making this partnership invaluable.”

Comprehensive chromosome screening is performed along with in vitro fertilization and pertinent for women ages 35 and older whose eggs are more at risk for chromosome errors. According to CCRM, an estimated 70 percent of early miscarriages are related to a chromosomal abnormality.

[Photo courtesy of CCRM}

CCRM’s chromosome screening process is done on cells biopsied from a day five embryo called a blastocyst, and while being screened, the blastocysts are cryopreserved using a freezing method called vitrification, which increases the embryo’s survival rate. Only embryos with the correct number of chromosomes are transferred.  

According to 2016 data released in April 2018 from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, the use of assisted reproductive technology has continued to steadily increase in the U.S.

SART reported 71,296 babies were born as a result of 242,618 cycles performed during 2016 at 377 SART member clinics, including CCRM. 

[Photo courtesy of CCRM}