The questions everyone asks.

A good rule of thumb: if you’re under 35 and have been trying for 12 months, or 35 and over and have been trying for 6 months, it’s time. Come sooner if you have irregular cycles, a known condition, or simply want answers. You never need a referral to ask — an assessment is just information.

They can. Smoking, heavy alcohol use, weight extremes, and significant stress can all play a role for either partner, and small changes can help. That said, infertility is usually medical — not something you caused. We’ll never make you feel blamed; we’ll just help where lifestyle genuinely matters.

IUI places prepared sperm directly into the uterus around ovulation; it’s simpler and lower-cost, and is often a first step for mild factors or donor sperm. IVF retrieves eggs, fertilizes them in our lab, and transfers an embryo; it’s more involved but more effective for many diagnoses. Your REI recommends the right starting point for your specific situation — there’s no one answer.

Usually one. Single-embryo transfer is the modern standard because it dramatically reduces the risks that come with twins or triplets — for both you and your baby. We follow ASRM guidelines and discuss the right choice for you individually.

PGT-A screens embryos for the correct number of chromosomes before transfer; PGT-M tests for a specific inherited condition. It can reduce miscarriage risk and time to pregnancy, and is often recommended for older patients, recurrent miscarriage, or known genetic conditions. It’s optional — a genetic counselor helps you decide what’s right for you.

Costs vary by treatment — an IUI cycle is illustratively around $1,000–$1,500, while an IVF base cycle is around $13,000–$16,000 plus medications. Washington and many states mandate some coverage, and our financial counselor verifies your specific benefits for free before you commit. You always get a written estimate first, and we’ll review financing, multi-cycle, and grant options with you.

Success depends mostly on your age when you freeze and how many mature eggs are stored — younger eggs and more of them mean better odds later. Freezing earlier is generally better. We’ll do ovarian-reserve testing first so you have realistic expectations and can decide how many cycles, if any, make sense.

We begin with implications counseling, then help you choose a screened donor — from our program or an agency — with full medical and genetic screening. Treatment then proceeds as IVF or IUI. We coordinate the medical and legal logistics so you can focus on the decision, not the paperwork.

A gestational carrier is the right path when carrying a pregnancy would be unsafe or isn’t possible — for example, after a hysterectomy, with certain medical conditions, after repeated loss, or for gay male couples. We coordinate with agencies, attorneys, and counselors and handle the medical side with your care team.

Absolutely, and with providers trained in exactly these journeys. We offer reciprocal IVF (where one partner provides the egg and the other carries), IUI or IVF with donor sperm or eggs, and surrogacy. Single parents by choice are warmly welcome — you never need to justify how you build your family.

Most people tolerate treatment well. Possible effects include bloating and mood changes from medications, and — less commonly — ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which we monitor carefully to prevent. The emotional toll is real too, which is why support is built into your care. Your REI will review the specific risks for your plan honestly.

You can begin with a virtual consultation from anywhere, and we use a secure patient portal for records and messaging. Monitoring (bloodwork and ultrasounds) and procedures happen in our Seattle clinic, but we coordinate with local labs when distance is a challenge.