At Yale Fertility Center, we abide by a closely held philosophy: our patient’s dream is our dream, too. We are physicians, specialized staff and scientists who have dedicated our life's work to improving our patients’ chances at conceiving.

“We offer the breadth and depth of fertility services comparable to that any state of the art private practice offers, and more," says Yale Medicine's Lubna Pal, MBBS, director of Yale Medicine Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Program. “Our physicians, are not only experts in the art of medicine, but also in reproductive biology sciences. Our breadth and depth of experience ranges from successfully helping thousands of patients and couples with common fertility problems to managing the most complicated patients, such as a woman with a heart defect or who has had a kidney transplant or someone with a bleeding disorder, conditions where both fertility related medical treatment as well as procedure of egg collection can be challenging."

Using the latest research and fertility science, our goal is to maximize our patient’s chances of successful pregnancy in the shortest possible time and with utmost attention to the wellbeing of our patients and their future generation. 

We offer a comprehensive range of services for both female-factor and male-factor infertility, for women and men seeking fertility preservation in the setting of an illness that could potentially harm their ability to conceive in the future, for single women and men, same gender couples interested in family building to transgender individuals seeking fertility preservation. 

"Fertility is a team sport. There are two players and there is a playing field. If the team (couple) has not succeeding in the achieving the goal (i.e., pregnancy) despite trying over a one year, the couple/patient meets criteria for infertility. Underlying mechanism/s contributing to a couple’s infertility can lie with the woman (female factor) or the man (male factor); it is not uncommon that both partners may have factors that are contributing to their infertility.

Infertility is a common problem, affecting approximately 10% of women in the United States. In most cases, the cause of infertility may be with the female partner (such as ovulation problems, blocked tubes, common conditions such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis), whereas in about one-third of the cases, male factors (few sperm, slow sperm, abnormal sperm or no sperm) may contribute in addition to female factors, Dr. Pal estimates.

"I really believe that primary health care providers (pediatricians, primary care, obstetrician-gynecologists) must utilize every opportunity to engage reproductive age women in discussing and counseling on aspects of reproductive wellbeing" Dr. Pal says. "By the time patients get to a specialist, it can be too late. We want women to know that aging is a part of healthy existence, and not a disease." 

However, medical professionals must do a better job in conveying the relevance of reproductive aging for pregnancy success, Dr. Pal says. "Women in their mid-30s should preemptively be asking their providers about this topic. Give them a timeline," she says. "There is no need to wait six months before seeking input from a fertility specialist for those with concerns such as irregular menstrual cycles, a history of sexually transmitted infection, uterine fibroids or endometriosis, or those who have had trouble conceiving in a prior relationship." 

For women 35 or older, fertility evaluation is warranted after six months of trying to conceive as timing is of the essence in situations of advancing age of the female partner, Dr. Pal says.

In addition to advancing age (mid 30s and beyond), other factors that can affect fertility include sexually acquired infections, smoking, stress and obesity.

"A woman’s family history can be relevant to her own reproductive wellbeing. For example, history that her mother had a hysterectomy in her 30s or 40s could be very relevant to a young woman’s reproductive wellbeing, regardless of whether she has been attempting to conceive or plans to do so in the future," Dr. Pal says. "Maternal history may be very relevant to a woman’s reproductive health and we all (providers as well as women) should be paying attention to these aspects."

Although sometimes cast as a female issue, male-factor infertility may be the sole cause of problems with conception in about 20 to 25 percent of infertile couples. Similar to women, a man's medical and reproductive history should be taken into account.

"Knowing that a man fathered a pregnancy in the past is reassuring in that while it is possible for him to have abnormalities in his semen, but the chance of finding no sperm in this patient is quite unlikely," Dr. Pal says. "Obesity, alcoholism, smoking, substance use, other medical conditions including diabetes, sexually transmitted infections, as well as lifestyle (profession, exercise), all of these can contribute to male-factor infertility."

Our team of experts at the sperm physiology laboratory offers state of the art investigations to help our fertility specialist clinicians identify male contributions to couple’s infertility.

The Yale Medicine Fertility Center offers the diagnosis and treatment of many different conditions besides female and male infertility. The most common ones include:

• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): PCOS is the most common hormonal reproductive problem in women of childbearing age. It can affect a woman's menstrual cycle, fertility, appearance as well as future health.
• Endometriosis: A common condition that sometimes causes pelvic pain or infertility. Despite being common, it is often misdiagnosed or overlooked. It’s very common in younger patients.
• Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: The loss of multiple pregnancies, either through stillbirth or miscarriage. 
• Issues of Adolescent Gynecology: Disorders of puberty (too early or too late), of menstruation (absent, too frequent, too much, too infrequent, totally erratic) and issues related to development of the female genital tract (vagina and uterus) offer unique challenges for the adolescent population, and require particular management expertise.
• Menopause: Symptoms of perimenopause and menopause can be particularly bothersome for some women, and menopause management can be particularly challenging in those with complex medical history (such as those with known heart disease, diabetes). 

The State of Connecticut passed a bill in 2005 that requires insurance companies to cover most infertility related services. At Yale Medicine Fertility Center, we will work with your insurance carrier to help you understand your benefits.

At Yale Fertility Center, we understand that when a couple is having trouble conceiving they often want to face the issue together. Typically, male infertility is treated by a urologist, while a woman will see a reproductive endocrinologist. 

Unlike other practices where each partner may need to be evaluated separately, we evaluate and treat both partners simultaneously. Our couple-focused approach is deeply appreciated by patients who say it helps deal with the emotional ups and downs of treatment. We believe that when any treatment is made simpler for patients, they are empowered to spend more energy on their medical goals—and in this case, one another.

Our patient centered approach, our experienced team of physicians and highly trained staff, our pioneering research and our leading advances in the field, set us apart from other reproductive health care providers in the region and the country.

"When it comes to fertility, technology is cookie cutter. Our true strength and what differentiates us from others in the field, lies in the depth of knowledge and the expertise of our clinicians, who have experience with complicated cases," Dr. Pal says. "We have built a collaborative network of subspecialists (including hematologists, oncologists, immunologists and many other specialists) here at Yale to ensure the most optimal treatment that is individualized for each and every patient."  

All treatments we offer are vetted by solid data. "We prioritize patient safety and maximize patient success," she says. 

We prioritize psychological support and counseling to individuals and couples who are navigating treatment options or simply struggling with the complex emotions that accompany infertility. 

And we recognize that those seeking fertility treatments come from all walks of life, and with individual life choices and preferences. We offer assisted reproductive services to address fertility needs of a diverse patient population, from infertile couples, to same gender couples, to single men and women and transgender individuals. 

Lastly, we have several locations. 

Our Fertility Center in New Haven is our full-service facility that functions seven days a week. 

Our Westport office is a fully staffed facility that allows patients to receive specialist care in all aspects related to reproductive endocrinology and infertility including all basic infertility services and daily fertility treatment monitoring for patients closer to home, while allowing infertility patients undergoing IVF treatment the benefit of our state of the art IVF lab and our expert embryology team at the Yale Medicine Fertility Center in New Haven. 

Our Guilford and Stamford offices similarly allow patients seeking specialist care in all aspects related to reproductive endocrinology and infertility closer to home.