IVI clinic opens in Orlando, Florida

IVI have long been world leaders in fertility treatments, with cutting edge technologies and a ground-breaking approach to the science of infertility. With 70 clinics worldwide, which included 31 in IVI’s home country of Spain, in 2017 we were already on course to become the go-to experts for people hoping to become parents. A merger with Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey (RMAJN) in February of last year enabled us to bring our expertise to a new market. Taking on the new name of IVI-RMA Global the company vowed to continue to bring experience and expertise to RMANJ’s ten existing clinics, and to open brand new clinics in other locations around the United States. These clinics already serve patients from 40 countries and 30 states, and the opening of IVI-RMA Orlando will provide access to fertility treatments for the 20 million residents of the area that includes Miami, Tallahassee, Tampa, Jacksonville and Orlando.

Merger of two giants

Since 1990, IVI has been at the forefront of reproductive health in Europe. The first clinic in Valencia is still running strong today and continues to be a beacon of hope for patients travelling from Spain and from the rest of the continent for treatment. With 70 clinics worldwide, we treat 5000 couples from 100 countries each year. RMANJ, on the other hand, has almost two decades of expertise in the American market and ten clinics spread through the USA. By merging, we have brought two behemoths together to combine our knowledge and passion for innovative techniques, to give the people of America a better chance of starting or expanding their families.

Largest provider worldwide

Following this consolidation, IVI-RMA Global is the largest provider of assisted reproduction in the world. That does not mean, however, that care will be negatively affected. At IVI we pride ourselves on providing high-quality care to each patient individually, by listening to and working with that patient’s own specific set of circumstances. No two patients are alike, and so the way we treat each patient is tailored to match. RMANJ also has a stellar track record of individual care, with a special focus on producing medical studies which benefit the field of assisted reproduction as a whole. Studies include examinations of embryology, genetic screening, embryo biopsy and patient psychology, all of which contribute to raising rates of success when it comes to fertility treatments.

Benefit for patients and employees

IVI-RMA Global boasts revenue of around €300m. IVI shareholders retain a majority stake with around 70%, while RMANJ maintains 30% of shares. The merger followed a year of strict negotiations and ended with both companies feeling positive and ready to move forward. Professor Antonio Pellicer, Co-President of IVI, said: “I have always pursued the goal of introducing my company in the USA… The key to achieve this step was to go hand-in-hand with RMANJ. We share much of the same medical-scientific and business values and interests.” He continued: “This merger will allow us to take full advantage of the expertise, experience and distinguishing elements of both companies for the benefit of our patients and employees.”

IVI-RMA Global in the USA

By merging, IVI added RMANJ’s ten existing clinics to our list of locations around the world, but the intention was always to grow and offer even more choice to those across America. With this clinic, IVI-RMA Global expands across the East Coast of the United States, making treatment available to more than 20 million residents of the surrounding area and bringing expertise to this new market. IVI-RMA Global has a success rate of 20% higher than the national average for that country, as found by the Society for Assisted Reproduction Technology (SART). Our in vitro fertilisation (IVF) programme is one of the most successful in America, drawing on experiences from our clinics in Europe and the rest of the world. Part of that success comes from the approach of transferring a single embryo, favouring safer results and eliminating the risks associated with multiple births.

High rates of success

IVI’s success rates are undisputed, with 9 out of 10 couples who consult one of our clinics achieving their goal of becoming parents. More than 160,000 babies have been born with the help of IVI. RMANJ also has outstanding results, with consistently higher-than-average rates of success for IVF at all age ranges. They had a 72.4% cumulative outcome per egg retrieval cycle for women under the age of 35, while the national average was 54.4%.  Co-president José Remohí, said: “The IVI-RMA Orlando team share our philosophy of the best possible care, with the most advances techniques.” It is the hope and aim of IVI-RMA Global that by working as a team, the company will be able to continue to improve and offer fantastically high rates of success to patients in North America.

Treatments offered by IVI-RMA Global

The technologies put to use by IVI in clinics in 13 countries around the world are at the forefront of assisted reproduction. By facilitating research and exploring new approaches, IVI have been able to become world leaders in treatment for infertility. With chromosomal screening techniques, both preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), it is safer than ever before to go through the process of IVF. Being able to screen for factors which may affect pregnancy means that IVI’s medical professionals are able to select the healthiest embryos for transfer, reducing the risk of miscarriage, and improving rates of pregnancy overall to 70%. This also reduces the need for more than one cycle of IVF in a great number of cases.

Regional regulations

There are, of course, regional regulations which will affect the care provided by IVI-RMA Global. For example, IVI’s approach to egg and sperm donors in Spain is in line with that country’s own laws. These state that the donor must have full anonymity and must not be compensated, other than expenses for travel and time taken off work. These laws mean that there are always donors, allowing patients from countries with different laws regarding anonymity or compensation to travel to Spain in order to undergo IVF with donor material. America does not have any laws regulating donations of genetic materials, though there are accepted guidelines available, and so it is up to the clinic on how to proceed regarding donor anonymity. Regulations regarding compensation outline that monetary gain must never be the primary reason for donating either sperm or eggs.

IVI-RMA Global in Orlando

Florida is also called The Sunshine State and is known for its year-round beautiful weather. With a sub-tropical climate and thousands of miles of beaches, Florida is a wonderful destination for those who want to relax. Travelling for assisted reproduction treatments can be overwhelming, even when the clinic has the expertise and knowledge of IVI-RMA Global, and being able to visit somewhere pleasant may make a difference to the patient’s overall experience. Miami receives around 60 million tourists each year, keen to take part in the local culture and fantastic weather. Roughly 250 miles from Orlando, the state capital is a great starting point for a patient’s journey. And for those who are visiting with children, patients who are hoping to add to their families rather than start them, taking the opportunity to visit Orlando’s many magnificent theme parks could be a way to entertain everyone and keep their minds off of the important medical procedure that is their primary concern.