Fertility Services

The desire to have a child is deeply personal, and so is infertility. Getting pregnant is a natural function. And when it doesn't happen as planned, we understand the frustration. When pregnancy occurs but ends with miscarriage, we understand the heartbreak.

That's why MetroHealth's caring, supportive fertility team is focused on helping you achieve a successful pregnancy, in a warm, personal and friendly environment. We know that you want to be a parent—not just a patient.

If you have questions about our program or would like to schedule an appointment, call 216-778-4444.

Finding the Causes of Infertility

Our fertility team specializes in the evaluation and treatment of all types of reproductive problems, such as:

• Decreased sperm quality
• Endometriosis
• Fallopian tube blockage
• Fibroids
• Menstrual disorders
• Ovulation problems
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Recurrent miscarriage
• Uterine and reproductive anomalies
• Weight-related reproductive issues

Evaluation of female patients. You and your fertility specialist will thoroughly review your medical history. We understand that discussing past attempts at childbirth can be difficult, especially with a new doctor. But we will try to make all of your visits both pleasant and productive. Depending on your history, common tests and procedures include ultrasound, hysterosalpingogram (an X-ray of your fallopian tubes and uterus) and hormone testing, as well as assessing your overall health in preparation for pregnancy.

Evaluation of male patients. Evaluation of the male partner is essential for couples who are having difficulty getting pregnant. Many fertility problems can be related to the man's sperm quality. When a couple comes in for evaluation, the male partner can expect to be asked for a complete medical history and a semen analysis may be requested. One or more semen samples may be needed to evaluate a man's fertility. We now have our own dedicated Sperm Lab and a comfortable, private room next to the lab for our male patients to collect sperm samples for semen analysis or insemination.

Addressing Your Infertility Issue

Some causes of infertility can be corrected by hormone therapy and lifestyle changes. Other causes—such as uterine fibroids—may require surgery.

We also offer:

• Donor insemination. You may be considering this approach to parenthood if you are single or in a same-sex relationship. If you are considering becoming a single parent by donor insemination, please schedule an appointment for a detailed discussion of the process.
• Fertility help for same-sex couples. MetroHealth offers the same personalized, experienced care to all of our patients, whether gay or straight. If you and your partner feel it's time to consider parenthood, we will strive to help you achieve your goals.
• Fertility help for individuals facing cancer treatment. Some types of cancer treatment can permanently damage a woman's ovaries, making a future pregnancy difficult or even impossible. However, women in this situation can undergo fertility preservation that will allow them to store their eggs or embryos in advance. Our lab can also provide sperm cryopreservation and storage (sperm banking) for men facing medical treatment that could affect sperm quality.
• Intrauterine insemination. This procedure involves injecting a sperm sample through a catheter that's inserted in the cervix. The procedure is performed around the time the woman is ovulating. Intrauterine insemination may be helpful in cases of cervical scarring, decreased sperm quality and in cases of unexplained infertility.
• MetroHealth does not have its own IVF program, but for those patients for whom IVF is recommended, we will help make your transition to an IVF program as smooth as possible.This procedure involves combining a man's sperm with a woman's eggs outside the body in a laboratory dish. Fertilized eggs, or embryos, are then transferred into the woman's uterus where they may develop. IVF is a multistep process that includes the use of fertility drugs to help increase the woman's production of eggs. 

We're Experts at Making Families

Our medical director, Bryan Hecht, MD, has more than 25 years of experience treating female and male infertility, pregnancy loss issues, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and other menstrual and reproductive disorders. Dr. Hecht's philosophy is to help you achieve a pregnancy as safely, quickly and inexpensively as possible.

He is joined by an equally experienced nurse and laboratory specialist who help provide compassionate care, focused on your needs. Our nursing team has Spanish-language capability.

Understanding the Financial Impact

Your insurance plan may cover none, some, or all the cost of your infertility treatment. But the statements from your insurance plan and the bills you receive for your portion of the expense can be difficult to understand.

If you're wondering about your insurance coverage for fertility testing and treatment, we can help. Our team can work with you to provide preauthorization paperwork, and we can address problems with insurance claims that occur after submission.

If you have questions about our program or would like to schedule an appointment, call 216-778-4444.