"The practice of medicine is an art based on science."
Sir William Osler

The in-vitro fertilization laboratory at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center's Bennett Fertility Institute in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has state-of-the-art micromanipulators, incubators and special surgical equipment. It has the ability to assist couples with dismal chance for conception and create miracles babies out of seemingly hopeless reproductive situations.

Assisted reproductive technology – also called ART – is the high-technology approach to infertility that does not respond to traditional treatment such as fertility pills. In-vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), assisted hatching and artificial insemination are some of the sophisticated procedures offered at Bennett Fertility Institute to help couples conceive babies. These procedures represent the pinnacle of the high-tech approach to infertility.

Baby photos adorn the walls of the Bennett Fertility Institute, creating an intimate and hopeful atmosphere.

At the institute, these techniques have helped thousands of infertile couples fulfill their dreams of building families. Yet achieving a pregnancy requires more than merely combining human gametes in the test tube. Infertile couples' often experience high levels of stress because of their inability to conceive, societal pressures, the high cost of treatments and the lack of guaranteed success. To reduce patient anxiety, the institute's personnel go to great lengths to explain the process and the procedures to couples.

"Our nurses and physicians go over the steps of each high-tech infertility process in detail to avoid unpleasant surprises," says Dr. Eli Reshef, the institute's medical director.

"By combining compassionate care with detailed technical instructions, we can alleviate some of the high anxiety and stress among our patients."

"Our patients are highly educated and require and deserve much attention," says Dr. David Kallenberger, the institute's program director.

"Even our laboratory technicians closely interact with our patients. This way, patients become familiar with the individuals who handle their gametes and our technicians interact with real patients, not only with test tubes and Petri dishes."

All of these technical procedures and terms can be overwhelming and difficult to understand. To soften the institute's high-tech image and reassure patients, the institute's walls are now decorated with art inspired by conception, pregnancies and, of course, babies.

When the institute's recent renovation was nearly complete, Kallenberger considered going to Dallas to find art to hang on the walls. His wife, Jenny, however, encouraged him to seek out original Oklahoma art instead. So the Kallenbergers asked several prominent local artists if they wanted to donate a few works of art. All but one said "yes."

The art, which ranges from photography to paintings, has as its themes fertility and parenthood, which echo Bennett Fertility's mission.

The Bennett Fertility Institute renovation provided larger waiting and reception areas; a larger recovery and surgical waiting area; and added administrative offices for its nurses and the laboratory director. Art adorns the walls from the waiting room to the exam rooms. The art collection is called "Art for ART."

Rebecca Wheeler, Rebecca Collins, Robin Thompson, Rebecca Wheeler, Nick Irza and Suzie Hupfeld donated paintings, while Dr. William E. Hood donated a pencil drawing. Photographers Erick Gfeller, Marsha See, Elayne Bryant and Charity Bryant-Logan donated work, and furniture artist Charles Twelves created a coffee table for the waiting room.

Marsha See often photographs pregnant women to create gelatin silver prints that will last for at least 100 years. She views it as historical documentation of what a woman looks like when she's pregnant. It's especially meaningful for women who have girls, she says.

"How much fun is it to know what your mother looked like when she was pregnant?" See asks. "You forget what you look like when you're pregnant."

The Bennett Fertility Institute's success rates in the past several years place it among the top fertility programs in the country, according to 2005 statistics released by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. More than 55 percent of BFI's patients in certain age groups have babies with each in-vitro fertilization attempt. Nationally, approximately 40 percent of fertilization attempts result in pregnancies in women younger than 35.

In 2005, the institute's overall viable pregnancy per retrieval was 48 percent and 58 percent in patients under 35. The institute was established in 1985.