For immediate release

July 5, 2005

Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine Ranks # 1 In the Nation of “10 Best Fertility Centers”

Child Magazine applauds local fertility clinic for high success rates and research

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – For the first time, a comprehensive, data-driven comparison lists the top fertility centers in the nation, ranking the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM) as number one. Information submitted to and reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and surveys sent to 40 select U.S. clinics provided the data for the study, which gives people facing infertility a new, credible resource to help choose a center that best meets their needs. The research was conducted by Child magazine and appears in its August 2005 issue.

In order to be considered for the study, clinics had to have a certified laboratory and achieve high live-birth rates without high incidences of triplets. They also needed to handle a large number of difficult cases. Since it was founded in 1987, CCRM has achieved nearly 7,000 successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) births for its patients. It offers a variety of infertility treatments to ensure programs suit each patient’s situation and conducts cutting-edge, on-site research that directly benefits patients – from new methods to freeze embryos, to tests that identify the most viable embryo to transfer, thereby increasing pregnancy rates. Additionally, the center offers genetic and psychological counseling to help support people through every step of the process.

“We’re especially proud of our research efforts, including our advancements in single embryo transfers, which reduces multiple births, thereby increasing the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy,” said Dr. William Schoolcraft, founder and medical director of the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine. “Having state-of-the-art medical equipment, hand-picked international researchers, and a distinguished team of fertility specialists allows us to achieve our ultimate goal of helping patients become parents.”

In addition to national recognition for its high live-birth success rates for patients who have undergone IVF, the center was applauded for its published research involving single embryo transfer, the practice of putting one embryo in a woman’s uterus with the hope of implantation. Doctors will often transfer several embryos to achieve a pregnancy, which can result in multiple pregnancies, increasing the risks for both the mother and the fetuses. With triplets, the chance of pregnancy complications and perinatal mortality (death between 28 weeks gestation and one week after delivery) increases by at least seven times over that of a single pregnancy. In the study, a remarkable 60.9 percent ongoing pregnancy rate was achieved in women undergoing transfer of only a single embryo with no twins. The ongoing pregnancy rate in those receiving two embryos was slightly higher, at 76 percent.

About Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine Founded in 1987 by Dr. William Schoolcraft, the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine offers a complete spectrum of infertility treatments and specializes in IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies. Today, joined by Drs. Eric Surrey and Debra Minjarez, Dr. Schoolcraft and his staff achieve some of the highest pregnancy rates in the country. Thanks in part to extensive research led by CCRM scientific director David K. Gardner, Ph.D., the clinic attracts nearly 50 percent of its patients from other states and foreign countries. CCRM has four locations in Colorado: Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Rose Medical Center in Denver, Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, and Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville. Additional information is available by visiting www.colocrm.com.

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