{"id":28948,"date":"2020-01-31T15:13:26","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T22:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=28948"},"modified":"2022-08-18T08:11:21","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T14:11:21","slug":"protect-frozen-embryos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/protect-frozen-embryos\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado fertility lab first in the world to protect frozen embryos with new thermal imaging system"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_28961\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28961\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28961 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130201\/mom-dad-til-fave-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Kheli and Kirk Sears with their middle son, Tilman. He was born thanks to IVF. The University of Colorado fertility lab now has a new system to protect frozen embryos.\" width=\"800\" height=\"693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130201\/mom-dad-til-fave-tiny.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130201\/mom-dad-til-fave-tiny-300x260.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130201\/mom-dad-til-fave-tiny-768x665.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130201\/mom-dad-til-fave-tiny-150x130.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130201\/mom-dad-til-fave-tiny-200x173.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28961\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kheli and Kirk Sears struggled with infertility, then, with help, gave birth to their second son, Tilman, now 2. Photos by Elizabeth Peterson Photography for UCHealth.,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A fertility lab at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-uch\/\">UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> is the first in the world to add a new thermal imaging system to protect frozen embryos, eggs and sperm for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/services\/womens-care\/infertility-reproductive-care\/\">people coping with infertility<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a great relief to patients like Dr. Kheli Sears, a veterinarian, who successfully got pregnant with her second son thanks to help from specialists at the <a href=\"https:\/\/arm.coloradowomenshealth.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of Colorado\u2019s Advanced Reproductive Medicine program<\/a>. Sears has additional embryos stored in the lab and is relieved to know that nitrogen-cooled tanks now have an extra layer of protection.<\/p>\n<p>Two years ago, thousands of people were devastated when tanks failed at two fertility clinics \u2013 one in Cleveland and the other in San Francisco.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28965\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28965\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28965\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31132118\/Family-with-arches-tiny-e1580507110218.webp\" alt=\"Kheli and Kirk Sears with their three sons. \" width=\"600\" height=\"840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31132118\/Family-with-arches-tiny-e1580507110218.webp 600w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31132118\/Family-with-arches-tiny-e1580507110218-214x300.webp 214w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31132118\/Family-with-arches-tiny-e1580507110218-107x150.webp 107w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31132118\/Family-with-arches-tiny-e1580507110218-200x280.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28965\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kirk and Kheli Sears with their three sons, Tilman, 2, left, George, 6, center, and Cody, 5-months, right. Photo by Elizabeth Peterson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI couldn\u2019t even fathom what that would be like,\u201d Sears said. \u201cSome of those people probably didn\u2019t have children and their embryos at least gave them hope. It\u2019s gut wrenching. It probably felt like losing a child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The University of Colorado clinic has never suffered a tank failure. But, Colorado leaders wanted to do everything they could to protect frozen embryos and be sure that a similar catastrophic loss would never happen here.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are acutely aware that these tissues in our care represent the hopes and dreams for many people dealing with infertility, for those who stored sperm or eggs before cancer treatments and for young women preserving their eggs for future use,\u201d said Dr.\u00a0Liesl\u00a0Nel-Themaat, director of the Colorado lab.<\/p>\n<p>After the tank failures elsewhere, Nel-Themaat and her colleagues began exploring options to further safeguard the nitrogen-cooled tanks at the lab in Aurora. And, the center recently became the first in the world to install a system called <a href=\"http:\/\/cryosentinel.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cryo Sentinel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_29044\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29044\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-29044\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/04153628\/Liesl-new-tiny.webp\" alt=\"A new system called Cryo Sentinel protects frozen embryos at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. Here Dr. Liesl Nel-Themat, who manages the lab, stands with tanks that hold frozen embryos and a new system which uses thermal imaging to monitor the temperatures of the tanks.\" width=\"400\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/04153628\/Liesl-new-tiny.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/04153628\/Liesl-new-tiny-267x300.webp 267w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/04153628\/Liesl-new-tiny-768x863.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/04153628\/Liesl-new-tiny-133x150.webp 133w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/04153628\/Liesl-new-tiny-200x225.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-29044\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Liesl Nel-Themaat oversees the lab at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, which now boasts a new thermal imaging system to protect frozen embryos. Photo courtesy of Dr. Liesl Nel-Themaat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Each of the tanks already has a built-in temperature gauge, as is standard for tanks at most fertility clinics. But, when the failures occurred in Ohio and California, alarms did not sound until most of the cooling nitrogen had evaporated, hours too late to protect frozen embryos, sperm and eggs.<\/p>\n<p>Cryo Sentinel uses an entirely different system to provide real-time data on the external temperature of the tanks. Multiple infrared cameras aimed at the tanks can immediately sense temperature changes and sound an alarm if a tank is failing up to 20 hours earlier than the other temperature gauges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Cryo Sentinel triggers an alert the moment the tank integrity is compromised, providing ample time to move any eggs, embryos or sperm to safety,\u201d Nel-Themaat said.<\/p>\n<p>Nel-Themaat can monitor the status of the tanks from anywhere in the world. She routinely checks on them every night before she goes to sleep.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m checking on our patients\u2019 babies every night,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u2018It\u2019s a boy\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-6 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<p><strong>How the <a href=\"http:\/\/cryosentinel.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cryo Sentinel<\/a> system protects frozen embryos<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Thermal imaging cameras monitor tanks that protect frozen embryos, eggs and sperm.<\/li>\n<li>The tanks are cooled with liquid nitrogen. At room temperature, nitrogen is a gas. When it\u2019s cooled below about negative 320 degrees Fahrenheit (or negative 196 Celsius), it becomes a very cold liquid.<\/li>\n<li>If the liquid nitrogen doesn\u2019t stay cool enough, it evaporates and would no longer protect frozen embryos.<\/li>\n<li>If nitrogen evaporates, the internal temperature in the tank doesn\u2019t cool immediately, and thus, the alarm doesn\u2019t trigger right away.<\/li>\n<li>The tanks are like insulated coffee flasks. If the inner vacuum fails, it first causes the outside of the tank to cool.<\/li>\n<li>The Cryo Sentinel\u2019s thermal imaging cameras can detect this external cooling right away and immediately trigger alarms.<\/li>\n<li>Liesl Nel-Themaat and others can check live videos of their cyrostorage room at any time, from anywhere in the world.<\/li>\n<li>If there\u2019s a change in temperature, lab employees can immediately check the tanks, which are also called Dewars.<\/li>\n<li>If a tank failed, lab workers would have plenty of time to protect frozen embryos, eggs and sperm to transfer them to a properly functioning tank.<\/li>\n<li>Said Nel-Themaat: \u201cWe are constantly trying to making things better and safer, and to improve our outcomes.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Cryo Sentinel initially went through extensive testing at a fertility center in Georgia. The Colorado center received the first commercially available system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nNew technology that can safeguard precious frozen tissues means a great deal to patients, many of whom have already dealt with tough health challenges. Some have been diagnosed with cancer at a young age and choose to store eggs or sperm before going through additional cancer treatments. Others have coped with fertility issues and the decision to go through <a href=\"https:\/\/arm.coloradowomenshealth.com\/services\/ivf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in vitro fertilization or IVF<\/a> can be emotionally and physically exhausting.<\/p>\n<p>The prospect of losing precious embryos, eggs or sperm \u2013 that represent dreams of future children \u2013 is simply unthinkable.<\/p>\n<p>Kheli Sears had been through so much \u2013 including a painful miscarriage \u2013 before having her second child that she chose not to learn the sex of the baby that she and her husband conceived through IVF. With her first, conceived easily the first month she and her husband tried, Kheli and Kirk, who is also a veterinarian, loved knowing they were having a boy. George is now 6.<\/p>\n<p>After coping with infertility issues following George\u2019s birth, Kheli feared another loss and couldn\u2019t bear to know whether she was having a boy or a girl.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil we had Tilman in our arms at the delivery, I didn\u2019t think we were going to have a sibling for George,\u201d Kheli said.<\/p>\n<p>Nurses had asked about her birth plan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll I care about is that this baby comes out healthy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>And she wanted her husband to give her the news about whether their baby was a boy or a girl.<\/p>\n<p>The moment arrived at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-memorial-hospital-central\/\">UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central<\/a> in Colorado Springs. Tilman made his debut on Jan. 8, 2018.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28967\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28967\" style=\"width: 224px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-28967\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31132143\/Tilman-baby-pic-smiling-e1580507064724.webp\" alt=\"Tilman Sears soon after birth.\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31132143\/Tilman-baby-pic-smiling-e1580507064724.webp 224w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31132143\/Tilman-baby-pic-smiling-e1580507064724-112x150.webp 112w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31132143\/Tilman-baby-pic-smiling-e1580507064724-200x268.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tilman Sears soon after birth. Photo courtesy of Kheli Sears.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHe came flying out with two pushes. The doctor walked in at 8 a.m. and he was out by 8:13 a.m.,\u201d Kheli said.<\/p>\n<p>She looked at Kirk to hear the big news. Overcome with emotion, he was unable to speak at first. Then, choking through tears, he said, \u201cIt\u2019s a boy!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kheli was crying too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I saw Tilman, I just thought, \u2018This is a miracle.\u2019 Yes, he was created thanks to medicine, but he\u2019s no different.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was this pudgy, perfect little being with two dimples, just like my husband. He was my husband\u2019s little twin. He was beautiful and I fell in love with him instantly,\u201d Kheli said.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Excited to start their family<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Kheli and Kirk had both studied veterinary medicine at <a href=\"https:\/\/vetmed.tamu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Texas A &amp; M<\/a> (although Kirk had gone to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ttu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Texas Tech<\/a> in Lubbock for undergrad and is very much a Red Raider fan, not an Aggie, thank you very much.)<\/p>\n<p>Kheli grew up in California where she attended <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandiego.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of San Diego<\/a> for undergrad, then vet school for three years in the Caribbean, followed by a fourth year at Texas A &amp; M. Kirk already had graduated and was busy doing an internship in New York City and a residency in Pennsylvania. A Texan through and through, Kheli is sure Kirk stood out while living up north.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28959\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28959\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28959\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130153\/George-and-Til-tiny.webp\" alt=\"George Sears, 6, with his little brother, Tilman, now 2.\" width=\"600\" height=\"840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130153\/George-and-Til-tiny.webp 600w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130153\/George-and-Til-tiny-214x300.webp 214w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130153\/George-and-Til-tiny-107x150.webp 107w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130153\/George-and-Til-tiny-200x280.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28959\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">George Sears, 6, hugs his little brother, Tilman, 2. Photo by Elizabeth Peterson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHe probably wore cowboy boots, said \u2018howdy\u2019 and was a slow talker,\u201d Kheli says with a grin.<\/p>\n<p>Both she and Kirk are small-animal veterinarians, who primarily care for dogs and cats. They\u2019re animal lovers, of course, and at the moment have a Golden retriever-Labrador mix named Heidi Beth and a cat Frankie, named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s very official. He\u2019s white and gray with blue eyes. He\u2019s handsome and he knows it,\u201d Kheli said.<\/p>\n<p>Kirk is a specialist in internal medicine and tends to pets with challenging health issues. Funny enough, the two doctors hadn\u2019t met through school. Rather, after their training, each was working in Dallas and they happened to be living in the same apartment complex. That\u2019s where their romance began.<\/p>\n<p>Eager to start a family after getting married, they soon had George. They figured it would be nice to have a second child a couple of years later.<\/p>\n<p>At that point, Kheli and Kirk had moved from Texas to Colorado, where he was starting a new job.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Fertility challenges and a solution through IVF<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Unfortunately, that\u2019s when the fertility challenges began.<\/p>\n<p>By then, Kheli was 35. She had heard talk among friends that it was harder to get pregnant after 35, but had mostly dismissed those thoughts. Then month after month passed without a positive pregnancy test.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28984\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28984\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28984\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31143919\/Dr.-Polotsky.webp\" alt=\"Dr. Alex Polotsky\" width=\"200\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31143919\/Dr.-Polotsky.webp 332w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31143919\/Dr.-Polotsky-300x276.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31143919\/Dr.-Polotsky-150x138.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31143919\/Dr.-Polotsky-200x184.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28984\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Alex Polotsky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kheli consulted with her obstetrician, who suggested she see Dr. Alex Polotsky at the <a href=\"https:\/\/arm.coloradowomenshealth.com\/contact\/locations\/colorado-springs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Colorado Springs IVF &amp; Fertility Center<\/a>. Polotsky also sees patients in Denver&#8217;s Stapleton neighborhood at <a href=\"https:\/\/arm.coloradowomenshealth.com\/contact\/locations\/denver\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CU Advanced Reproductive Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Polotsky conducted various tests and determined that there was no specific reason that Kheli and Kirk were having trouble conceiving.<\/p>\n<p>He diagnosed what\u2019s known as \u201csecondary infertility,\u201d or difficulty conceiving after having had a first baby naturally.<\/p>\n<p>Polotsky likes giving patients options and letting them determine how aggressively they want to proceed.<\/p>\n<p>Kheli and Kirk decided to first try <a href=\"https:\/\/arm.coloradowomenshealth.com\/services\/treatments\/iui\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">intrauterine insemination or IUI<\/a>, what some people informally refer to as the turkey baster method. Doctors inseminated Kheli three times and she was thrilled to get a positive pregnancy test.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, tough news arrived within weeks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn ultrasound showed an empty sac. The baby had never formed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was more of a chemical pregnancy, but still heartbreaking,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Kheli had a miscarriage and she and Kirk were at a crossroads. Her eggs and his sperm were healthy. They decided to boost their chances of success by having doctors create embryos outside the womb, the procedure known as IVF.<\/p>\n<p>Kheli said the process was tough and she has a great deal of empathy for women who go through multiple rounds of fertility treatments. She traveled from Colorado Springs to University of Colorado Hospital for the additional treatments. First, she took medication to stimulate her ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Then, Polotsky harvested her eggs. Kheli had produced a large number: 47.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28963\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28963\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28963\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130210\/Til-in-the-air-tiny-e1580507021866.webp\" alt=\"Tilman's dad throws him in the air. His mom gave birth to him after going through IVF.\" width=\"600\" height=\"661\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130210\/Til-in-the-air-tiny-e1580507021866.webp 600w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130210\/Til-in-the-air-tiny-e1580507021866-272x300.webp 272w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130210\/Til-in-the-air-tiny-e1580507021866-136x150.webp 136w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130210\/Til-in-the-air-tiny-e1580507021866-200x220.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28963\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kirk Sears throws son, Tilman, up in the air. His mom gave birth to him after coping with unexplained infertility and going through IVF. Photo by Elizabeth Peterson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMy ovaries were healthy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Then, the team fertilized Kheli\u2019s eggs with Kirk\u2019s sperm and gave the couple the option of having their embryos tested for any genetic defects.<\/p>\n<p>Both Kheli and Kirk are Christians. They are also scientists, and after extensive discussions with each other and their team, they decided to proceed with testing so doctors could implant a healthy embryo, most likely to lead to a successful pregnancy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28962\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28962\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28962 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130205\/parents-with-til-tiny-e1580507988785.webp\" alt=\"Kheli and Kirk Sears with their son, Tilman.\" width=\"600\" height=\"668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130205\/parents-with-til-tiny-e1580507988785.webp 600w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130205\/parents-with-til-tiny-e1580507988785-269x300.webp 269w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130205\/parents-with-til-tiny-e1580507988785-135x150.webp 135w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130205\/parents-with-til-tiny-e1580507988785-200x223.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28962\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kheli Sears couldn&#8217;t bear to learn if her second baby would be a boy or a girl after going through a miscarriage and infertility. Then, through IVF, she and her husband, Kirk, had Tilman, now 2. Photo by Elizabeth Peterson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe believe all children are beautiful in God\u2019s eyes. We would not have selected against something like Down syndrome,\u201d Kheli said.<\/p>\n<p>The test results were quite revealing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe obtained 47 eggs. That is a lot,\u201d Polotsky said. \u201cWe got 13 embryos genetically tested to determine whether they were chromosomally normal. Of those, Kheli had three normal embryos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doctors implanted one and Kheli was successful in getting pregnant the first time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really interesting,\u201d she said. \u201cThey implant a 5-day-old embryo. There\u2019s no sedation because it doesn\u2019t hurt. They defrost the embryo, then take a long pipette and inject it into the uterus. You watch on a screen. It\u2019s very small.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kheli got to save an image of her future son when he was only a tiny cluster of cells on a screen.<\/p>\n<p>After the procedure, she had to wait about two weeks to learn if the implantation had worked.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Infertility challenges common <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Polotsky said that as many as one in eight couples struggles with infertility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a very common condition. It\u2019s something that unfortunately is very prevalent and should be approached as a medical condition,\u201d said Polotsky, who is also the Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology and a professor at the <a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.cuanschutz.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He said infertility is almost always emotionally and physically challenging, but thankfully many patients have good options and can successfully have children. The Colorado program boasts a <a href=\"https:\/\/arm.coloradowomenshealth.com\/success\/rates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">72% embryo transfer success rate<\/a> for patients of all ages and a 78% success rate for women under age 35.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the path that individuals or couples choose, Polotsky and Nel-Themaat advise them to work only with reputable clinics that report data in a transparent way to a governing board for clinics called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sart.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Society for Reproductive Technology<\/a> (SART). SART membership ensures University of Colorado\u2019s Advanced Reproductive Medicine abides by the strictest reporting standards.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28956\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28956\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28956 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130140\/3-boys-george-grinning-tiny-e1580507375488.webp\" alt=\"Tilman, left, George and Cody.\" width=\"600\" height=\"429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130140\/3-boys-george-grinning-tiny-e1580507375488.webp 600w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130140\/3-boys-george-grinning-tiny-e1580507375488-300x215.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130140\/3-boys-george-grinning-tiny-e1580507375488-150x107.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130140\/3-boys-george-grinning-tiny-e1580507375488-200x143.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28956\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kheli and Kirk Sears first had their son George, 6, center. Then they struggled with infertility and had Tilman, left, through IVF. Baby, Cody, then arrived 19 months later. Photo by Elizabeth Peterson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With respect to the causes of infertility, increased age is certainly the chief factor, but Polotsky said it\u2019s relatively common for couples not to know exactly what\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome folks have unexplained infertility. We might not be able to scientifically prove the reason, but we can do something to overcome the difficulties,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Kheli\u2019s case, it worked out well. I told them that IVF was not something they absolutely had to do. It was their choice. They could continue trying on their own. One of the cornerstones of our philosophy is that patients should be in the driver\u2019s seat as much as possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m truly blessed to work with such a superb team,\u201d Polotsky said. \u201cAll of our doctors, nurses and other staff together make what we do worthwhile. And, if you do it right, you\u2019ll be successful for patients. We love it when they come back with their babies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He saluted Nel-Themaat for finding the new Cryo Sentinel system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really wanted to go to an extra step to protect the tanks. This issue is very, very critical to our patients. When Dr. Nel-Themaat found out about this opportunity, it was a no brainer to provide this extra protection. In this day and age, we should not have alarms malfunctioning,\u201d Polotsky said.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>IVF success and a bonus baby<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For the Sears family, some beautiful surprises followed Tilman\u2019s healthy birth. First, they got to move back to Texas and they now live in Lubbock, where Kirk can cheer for Texas Tech up close. Second, Kheli unexpectedly became pregnant before Tilman turned a year old. Now Kheli and Kirk are the happy parents of three boys: George, 6, Tilman, 2, and Cody, who is nearly five-months-old.<\/p>\n<p>George is in his first year of kindergarten. He loves school and being a big brother.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has a huge heart. He\u2019s sensitive and funny. He\u2019s getting into sports and likes baseball and soccer,\u201d Kheli said.<\/p>\n<p>George also loves his family. Kheli lost her father a year ago. <a href=\"https:\/\/airandspace.si.edu\/stories\/editorial\/remembering-darryl-greenamyer-air-racing-champion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darryl Greenamyer<\/a> was a legendary test pilot and much beloved in the aviation world. George is very curious about his grandfather and has a keen interest in airplanes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28964\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28964\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28964\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130215\/Til-throwing-ball-with-dad-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Tilman loves balls.\" width=\"600\" height=\"840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130215\/Til-throwing-ball-with-dad-tiny.webp 600w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130215\/Til-throwing-ball-with-dad-tiny-214x300.webp 214w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130215\/Til-throwing-ball-with-dad-tiny-107x150.webp 107w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130215\/Til-throwing-ball-with-dad-tiny-200x280.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28964\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tilman loves balls. He&#8217;s already throwing a spiral with a football and hitting a ball off a tee. Photo by Elizabeth Peterson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tilman, on the other hand, is obsessed with balls.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s going to be our athlete. He\u2019s hitting a ball off of a tee and he can throw a spiral already,\u201d Kheli said.<\/p>\n<p>Like most other 2-year-olds, Tilman is very independent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s &#8216;Mr. do-it-myself,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>He calls his big brother, Bubba, and his little brother Coco Baby.<\/p>\n<p>As for Cody, he\u2019s Mr. Easy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28958\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28958\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28958\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130149\/Family-photo-seated-tiny-e1580507791701.webp\" alt=\"The Sears family benefited from fertility treatments.\" width=\"800\" height=\"572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130149\/Family-photo-seated-tiny-e1580507791701.webp 600w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130149\/Family-photo-seated-tiny-e1580507791701-300x215.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130149\/Family-photo-seated-tiny-e1580507791701-150x107.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130149\/Family-photo-seated-tiny-e1580507791701-200x143.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28958\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kheli and Kirk Sears feel blessed with their family of three boys. Photo by Elizabeth Peterson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kheli marvels at what a gift her surprise baby has been.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s such an angel baby. He\u2019s only 19 months younger than Tilman. He came out easy as can be. He sleeps. He eats. He plays with his brothers. He\u2019s just a happy boy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Each child arrived in the world in his own way.<\/p>\n<p>Kheli and Kirk still have two frozen embryos stored \u2013 and safely monitored \u2013 in the Colorado lab. They haven\u2019t decided yet what to do with the embryos, but are grateful for the help they received.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat Dr. Polotsky and his colleagues do is really amazing. Most people don\u2019t understand what women go through when they can\u2019t conceive,\u201d Kheli said.<\/p>\n<p>She marvels at her family\u2019s good fortune after struggling to have a second child.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel so blessed. Each child is truly a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A fertility lab at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital is the first in the world to add a new thermal imaging system to protect frozen embryos, eggs and sperm for people coping with infertility. That\u2019s a great relief to patients like Dr. Kheli Sears, a veterinarian, who successfully got pregnant with her second son thanks [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":28961,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[4856,25,309,57,4010,212],"class_list":["post-28948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-infertility-and-reproductive-care","tag-labor-delivery","tag-pregnancy","tag-pregnancy-childbirth-newborn-care","tag-pregnancy-childbirth-and-newborn-care","tag-womens-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Colorado IVF experts protect frozen embryos with new thermal imaging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Colorado infertility experts added a first-in-the-world thermal monitoring system to protect frozen embryos and increase IVF success for hopeful parents.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/protect-frozen-embryos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Colorado fertility lab first in the world to protect frozen embryos with new thermal imaging system\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Colorado infertility experts added a first-in-the-world thermal monitoring system to protect frozen embryos and increase IVF success for hopeful parents.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/protect-frozen-embryos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-31T22:13:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-18T14:11:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/01\/31130201\/mom-dad-til-fave-tiny.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/protect-frozen-embryos\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/protect-frozen-embryos\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d43cd81d6f8e440a3e496f8a012c68e9\"},\"headline\":\"Colorado fertility lab first in the world to protect frozen embryos with new thermal imaging system\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-31T22:13:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-18T14:11:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/protect-frozen-embryos\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2977,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/protect-frozen-embryos\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/31130201\\\/mom-dad-til-fave-tiny.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Infertility and reproductive care\",\"Labor &amp; 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