New IVF protocol offered in Texas provides hope to families

Shady Grove Fertility offers fertility hope

Shady Grove Fertility in Clear Lake is pioneering a new IVF protocol called "Fertilo" which can help alleviate the long and emotionally draining road to parenthood. FOX 26's Melissa Wilson has an inside look.

HOUSTON - Shady Grove Fertility in Clear Lake is pioneering a new IVF protocol called "Fertilo," which reduces the duration of hormone injections from 9 to 12 days to just two to three days, minimizing stress and medical risks.

The Phase 3 clinical trial is actively recruiting patients at Shady Grove Fertility, with interim data expected in 2026. Fertilo has already received regulatory clearance in Australia and several Latin American countries.

What is ‘Fertilo’?

For nearly 50 years, couples have relied on IVF to conceive. The traditional process involves collecting eggs, fertilizing them in a lab, and transferring them to the uterus. Fertilo introduces a new advancement in this process.

Traditional IVF can be stressful and confusing. With the new Gameto, it decreases stress and medical risks like hyperstimulation and possible errors in the dosing.

What they're saying:

"It is exciting to have new technologies to apply to invitro that could potentially improve the outcome. It is very important to be very careful as we proceed with this to ensure patient safety and to counsel our patients along the way that this is the investigational study and that it could potentially improve the outcome, but that will be determined, as we moved forward," shares Dr. Vicki Schnell with Shady Grove Fertility.

"The idea behind Gameto was to use the advances in stem cells and cell engineering, for which a Nobel Prize was received," explains Dr. Dina Radenkovic, CEO of Gameto.

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"I think this concept of doing something over a weekend and not over two weeks and without injections, or almost without injections, as opposed to having so many of them, it's not going to change the outcome. The outcome is you get a baby, and you get them now doing IVF or freezing, but I think it will change the outcome in the number of babies being born out of IVF because when things are easier, more people will undertake them," says Martin Varsavsky, Chairman of Gameto and Founder of Prelude Fertility.

What's next:

The Phase 3 trial continues to recruit patients, with more data expected in 2026. Fertilo is currently available in clinics outside the U.S., including Peru, Mexico, and Australia.

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Benefits of new ‘Fertilo’ protocol

Why you should care:

This new protocol could make IVF more accessible and affordable, offering hope to couples struggling with infertility. Couples would be able to take much less time away from their regular activities, like work, to undergo this procedure.

By the numbers:

So far, four babies have been born using this method, and about 20 women are currently pregnant.

Local perspective:

Shady Grove Fertility in Clear Lake is leading the charge in Texas, offering this groundbreaking protocol to local patients.

What you can do:

Interested patients can learn more and participate in the trial by visiting the Clinical Trials website.

Dig deeper:

For more information, you can also visit Shady Grove Fertility.