One of the Country's Top Infertility Programs –
Right Here in Oklahoma City!
 Bennett Fertility Institute at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center has been in existence for 23 years, helping infertile couples from Oklahoma and surrounding states fulfill their ultimate dream of having children. Named after Dr. Henry G. Bennett, a prominent, Johns Hopkins-educated gynecologist in Oklahoma, BFI was one of the first in vitro fertilization programs in the United States. The first child born from IVF at BFI, Ashton Edwards, is now a senior at the University of Oklahoma. Since its inception in 1985, thousands of babies have been born as a result of the advanced reproductive techniques practiced at BFI. In 2006, the overall live birth rate from IVF at BFI placed it in the top 10 programs out of 343 that reported to the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology, a national organization overseeing IVF programs in the United States.
“Our success is the result of close collaboration among physicians specialized in reproduction, skilled and compassionate nurses, and superiorly trained laboratory personnel,” says David Kallenberger, M.D., BFI’s program director and one of its original founders. J.W. Edward Wortham, Ph.D., has been BFI’s laboratory director since its establishment. He has a high complexity laboratory director certification and serves as an inspector of other IVF laboratories nationwide. “The IVF process requires a very high level of quality control,” he says. “The success of an IVF program is strongly dependent on the performance of the lab, even though much of its work is done behind the scenes.” Eli Reshef, M.D., BFI’s medical director, agrees. “Much like an engine room of a valuable ship, the laboratory is the main factor that propels us forward and accounts for our superior pregnancy rate, though it is usually invisible to patients.” The embryologists at BFI often interact with patients to discuss the details of the IVF process, giving a human face to a very intricate technical process.
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Dr. Eli Reshef, M.D., BFI medical director (left), and Dr. David Kallenberger, M.D., BFI program director | While IVF is still considered state-of-the-art in the treatment of infertility, it has been practiced since 1978, the year Louise Brown, the first child conceived by this technique, was born in England. Ms. Brown is now a mother herself, underscoring the fact that this revolutionary procedure has become a routine offering of any modern infertility program. In the United States alone, more than 40,000 babies were born from IVF in 2006. IVF offers hope for patients who had to resort to adoption or remain childless before its introduction. IVF also is offered to infertile couples who have severe sperm problems, blocked fallopian tubes, severe endometriosis or severe scarring of the reproductive organs. IVF is also offered to couples in which the cause of infertility is unexplained and other treatments failed to help.
Amy and Jeff Johnson are doubly blessed. Their son, conceived by IVF, is now three years old. Amy is now pregnant with her second baby, also from IVF. “It would be an understatement to say that Jeff and I felt we were in good hands throughout our infertility treatment process,” she says. “Due to the sincerity and kindness of the office staff , nurses, and doctors, we actually looked forward to our appointments. Never once did we feel rushed. More importantly, we were never made to feel as though we were asking too many questions … and believe me, we asked lots of questions.”
 In addition to traditional IVF, BFI offers intracytoplasmic sperm injection, a procedure in which individual sperm is injected into the egg under the microscope, designed to treat severe sperm deficiency. For women unable to produce eggs, egg donation or embryo donation is offered. Sperm and embryo freezing and storage are also available, as are artificial insemination with husband or donor sperm. These state-of-the-art procedures are carefully applied to the appropriate candidates with meticulous attention to both technical and ethical issues. While the success rate for IVF at BFI makes it one of the most prominent assisted reproductive technology programs in the country, failure to conceive is inevitable in some cases. “One of the most meaningful compliments we get are from couples who, despite their deep disappointment from failing to get pregnant from IVF, are very thankful for the compassionate and skilled care they received here,” says Karen Johnson, RN, one of BFI’s nurses.
To Learn More
For more information about the Bennett Fertility Institute, visit www.integrisOK.com. Click on Services, then Fertility Institute.
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