Photo by Erin Nelson.
Dr. Cecil Long, a reproductive endocrinologist, in the fertility lab at the America Institute of Reproductive Medicine in Homewood. Long has begun using a new in-vitro fertilization process, in which a sperm is inserted into an embryonic egg and then placed in an Invocell device. The device is then placed in the patient’s vagina so that she is the incubator in the fertilization process rather than a regulated machine.
If you ever notice a larger than usual number of out-of-towners in Homewood, there are at least 10 weeks each year that they might be in town because of Dr. Cecil A. Long.
Long, a board-certified endocrinologist, has 30 years of experience treating infertility, and he’s pioneered a method of in-vitro fertilization called Invocell that cuts costs in at least half and has just as good of a success rate as conventional IVF methods, if not better, he said.
Joseph Bolen — chief operating officer of Long’s clinic, America Institute of Reproductive Medicine — said the treatment “really put us on the map and makes us unique.”
“We’re drawing a lot of interest from the Southeast but also from farther away,” he said. “We pick about 10 weeks a year where we serve 40 to 60 patients a week.”
Long said the Invocell process uses a device approved by the FDA in 2016 that acts as an incubator for embryos. With conventional IVF, a physician would retrieve the eggs, inject the sperm and then incubate the embryos in the lab. But with Long’s new process, gametes are placed in the Invocell device, then inserted back into the vagina for five days before they’re retrieved for IVF.
“So the female is actually the incubator,” Long said. “What we have found is that the embryo quality may be even better [than with conventional IVF]. That could be in part because as the person with the Invocell is moving, the embryos are moving, and the temperature also varies throughout the day.”
All of that equals a happy clinician and happy patients, he said.
“We have been able to do the IVF for one-third to one-fourth of the cost of conventional IVF, which attracts a lot of patients,” Long said. “And we have seen at least as good, if not a little bit better, pregnancy rate than conventional IVF.”
Bolen said the staff at America Institute of Reproductive Medicine is excited to offer the procedure at their two Homewood offices. One is at Brookwood Medical Center, and the other is at Independence Plaza in the Regions building.
“Fertility is a very expensive process, and we’re glad there’s a new technology out there that makes it more affordable for our patients so we can serve more people,” he said. “It’s very gratifying. It’s great.”
America Institute of Reproductive Medicine is a “fairly small clinic,” Bolen said. It has one physician, one nurse practitioner and about 15 employees. The size is great, he said, because you “get to really know the patients from all aspects of their care, and so you build a personal connection with them.”
Visiting the clinic is “not as intimidating as people think it is,” Bolen said. Long meets with couples for about an hour to an hour-and-a half, talks about the treatment options and determines what tests are needed. Those could include a transvaginal ultrasound, blood testing or, in some cases, a semen analysis.
“We have a very private, comfortable semen analysis collection room for our men,” Bolen said.
And throughout the visit, Long is thorough and open with his patients about treatment options.
“He’s very accessible and sometimes gives his cellphone number to patients,” Bolen said. “He has a phenomenal bedside manner, and from a financial standpoint, he’s very transparent and competitive with pricing.”
For more information, go to ivfalabama.com.