Collier County’s only IVF clinic expands, reopens

Families struggling to have a child are getting a glimpse of hope.

Collier County’s only in vitro fertilization clinic has expanded and reopened Thursday.

The full-service clinic, called IVFMD, is on Arthrex’s campus in North Naples right off Immokalee Road.

In vitro fertilization has come a long way since the first IVF baby was born in 1977. That’s why the doctors at IVFMD said having a state of the art facility right on Arthrex’s campus is such a benefit to patients in Collier County.

Though she works for IVFMD, Cynthia Hunt knows all too well what it’s like to be a patient, unable to have children without help.

“I ended up with a twin pregnancy, miscarried, did a few frozen embryo transfers, and wasn’t successful,” Hunt said.

With the help of the IVFMD offices, she’s the proud mother of 19-year-old twins.

“I’m so grateful to be a mom. My kids are the world to me, it’s a great gift,” Hunt said.

To create this same miracle for many others, IVFMD needed to upgrade its facility in Collier County.

Thursday, the ribbon was cut on their new state-of-the-art center.

“The technology is constantly advancing to make what we do a lot more successful,” Dr. Connie Alford with IVFMD said.

Staff at the facility do it all from consultations, to ultrasounds, to growing embryos. They have specialized freezers as well, which is important to note after two facilities in other states had freezer failures this year, jeopardizing frozen eggs and embryos.

“It will not slip through the cracks,” Alford said. “We have alarm systems on the tanks, we have several people that are involved in checking on these alarm systems.”

In the end, it’s all about making families possible for people who need the help.

“It means that we’re able to treat more patients, we’re able to give that helping hand and to give them that miracle,” Hunt said.

One of Hunt’s 19-year-old sons, so inspired by his mother’s journey, is now studying to become an embryologist himself.

“To go through so many struggles, have him, and then his journey in life is to help other couples, it’s like wow,” Hunt said.

The new facility is already open and taking patients.