Before enrolling in a research study at TFC, it is
important that you as a prospective participant
fully understand the study and what your involvement
would entail. In the event that either your
physician or our clinical staff determines that you
would be a good candidate for one of our trials, you
will meet with our research coordinator, who will
thoroughly discuss the goals and requirements of the
study with you. As part of this process, you will be
provided with an informed consent form. This
document contains detailed information about the
study, including the length of the study, the number
of visits that you will be required to attend, and a
detailed discussion of the medical procedures and
medications included. It also discusses expected
treatment outcomes, along with a thorough
presentation of potential benefits and possible
risks.
Our research coordinator will review the informed
consent statement with you and answer all of your
questions. If you decide to participate, after
reviewing the statement and talking with staff and
family members, you will need to sign the informed
consent statement. Your signature indicates that you
understand the study and voluntarily agree to
participate.
At TFC we would never ask you to participate in a
study that we feel could harm you and in fact we
only participate in clinical trials that we believe
should be potentially helpful. However because these
are trials involving medications and/or products
which are relatively new, we can’t possibly
anticipate every potential outcome. For example, it
is always possible that you could have an adverse
response to a new medication or fail to respond
favorably to a new product. This is one of the major
risks of participating in a clinical trial.
Before deciding to participate, you should carefully
weigh the risks described in the informed consent
against any potential benefits. You may or may not
receive direct benefit for yourself and your
condition as a result of participating in a research
study, but in any event, you will know that the
knowledge developed may help others. It is important
to understand that some risks are involved in
clinical research, just as in routine medical care
and daily life. In thinking about the risks of
research, it may be helpful to focus on two things:
the degree of harm that could result from taking
part in a particular study, and the chance of any
harm occurring. Most clinical studies pose a risk of
minor discomfort, such as that associated with an
injection or having your blood drawn, that lasts
only a short time. On rare occasions, however, a
volunteer subject may experience more significant
complications that require medical attention. The
specific risks associated with any research protocol
are always described in detail in the informed
consent document, which you will be asked to sign
before taking part in research. In addition, the
major risks of participating in any study will be
thoroughly explained to you by a member of the
research team, who will answer your questions about
the study before you actually enroll.
Texas Fertility Center and Austin IVF have both been
recognized for excellence in clinical research.
Clinical research is an important component of our
educational growth at TFC. It is also integral to
our clinical practice, as we stay on the cutting
edge of new developments in the field of
infertility. As part of our ongoing commitment to
excellence in patient care, we have been a leader in
fertility research and employ a full-time dedicated
research staff. We have actively participated in
many industry-sponsored clinical trials evaluating
the safety and efficacy of new medications,
therapeutic devices, and treatment protocols for
over 15 years. These studies help expand our
scientific knowledge base, and allow us to be among
the first practices in the United States to be able
to provide new technologies to our patients. The
list of previous research
studies we have participated in over the years is
long and varied, and may be accessed by following
this link.
Participation in all clinical trials is voluntary
and frequently the research grants that we receive
allow our patients to undergo treatment at a
markedly reduced cost. Before making a decision to
participate in a clinical trial, it is important to
have a basic understanding about clinical trials.
The National Institute of Health has established
guidelines on treatment of study participants.
Texas Fertility Center also sponsors a significant
amount of our own “in-house” research, including
trials of new techniques in our IVF laboratory and
in the clinical practice, as well as reviews of our
extensive records of treatments and outcomes. This
research has resulted in many published abstracts
and papers in some of the leading journals of
infertility and reproductive medicine. We have also
presented many of these papers at scientific
meetings including annual meetings of the American
Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM –
www.asrm.org), the American College of Obstetrics
and Gynecology (ACOG), and the Pacific Coast
Reproductive Society (PCRS).
We are always looking for study participants for any
study we are doing, as well as studies that might be
conducted in the future. As the timing and
availability of future study opportunities is
uncertain, we keep a database of patients who we
know are potentially interested in particular
studies. To participate in one of our studies you
must be a current patient of the Texas Fertility
Center, so this would be the first step if you are
interested. To make a new patient appointment,
please go to the “new patient” tab on our website,
or call our office at (512) 451-0149.
Online Enrollment Form
If you meet the above criteria and are interested
in participating in this trial, or if you would like
to be included in our database for possible
inclusion in future studies, please fill out the
form below so that we can contact you as new studies
arise.
