Why Choose Duke

Duke Fertility Centers offers many advantages over other fertility clinics. These advantages include:

Experience: Duke was one of the earliest programs in the United States to offer fertility services to infertile couples. The first in vitro fertilization (IVF) baby in the world was born in 1978. The first IVF baby in the United States was born in 1981 and Duke achieved its first IVF success in 1982.

Leadership: Duke University invests in all aspects of women’s healthcare. Did you know that Duke’s gynecology services were ranked #5 in the nation by the US News & World Report in 2006 and #4 in 2007? We didn’t get there overnight. After achieving its first IVF success, Duke has continued to lead by being among the first programs to achieve success in embryo freezing and thawing, blastocyst culturing, etc. Duke continues its leadership in fertility care today in the areas of egg freezing, fertility services for cancer survivors, pre-implantation genetics, non-surgical management of uterine fibroids tumors, etc. Duke recently invested over $6 million to build one of the few ultrapure laboratories in the United States to prevent the myriad of embryo-toxic airborne chemicals demand is producing and dumping into our environment from the entering air in the IVF laboratory. These changes have resulted in a 30 percent increase in IVF success rates over the last year making Duke one of the most successful IVF programs in the United States.

Excellence: The senior Duke fertility doctors have all competed subspecialty fellowship training and they help to set the standards for fertility care in the United States.

How do we do this? Duke doctors direct one of the top fellowship training programs in the United States. Each year over 150 fully-trained OB/GYN physicians compete for 15 – 37 fellowship positions in the United States.

The Duke program attracts one of the top candidates from this pool every year. This one elite physician then spends three years observing and assisting the four senior Duke doctors

Each April, one of the senior Duke faculty travels to Dallas to participate in the oral examinations of all of the doctors who have completed specialty training around the United States to make sure that the quality of newly trained doctors is of the highest standards.

Personalized care: Duke moved its fertility center out of the main hospital into the community on April 10, 2006. The Duke Fertility Center is located in Durham, NC, just off I-40 on Fayetteville Road north of the Southpoint Mall. This location is convenient to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill and less than an hour from Greensboro.

Within the center, the four senior Duke physicians each have a private practice to provide personal care to couples with infertility. Just as in a private practice, the critical stages of care such as embryo transfers are only performed by the most senior and experienced physicians.

The Duke Fertility Center is also concerned about the quality of life as couples go through high-tech fertility services. We have a full-time psychologist on staff who directs a stress reduction program that includes psychology services, acupuncture, massage and fitness training. The Duke Fertility Center selects staff that enjoy their work and who are committed to helping you through the process of pursuing parenthood.

For more information about the Duke Fertility Center, call us at 919-572-HOPE(4673). We would love to have you become part of our growing family.

Success Stories

I had tried for six years to become pregnant and was considering adoption, but my friend, who was already a patient at Duke Fertility Center, told me to just go talk to the doctors. I was set on just one shot – one chance to make it happen – and I am so happy that I did.

... Read more Stephanie, 37, mother of twins
I had been unsuccessful at another fertility clinic and had been told point-blank that I would never have children of my own. What made the difference at Duke? First, I was actively involved in participating in my medical care. Options were presented at each crossroads and my choices determined the next steps of my care. Secondly, my care was specifically formulated for me. It was not a case where if I didn’t fit into the normal protocol, I was outside the boundaries of what they could do to help. Thirdly, the optimism and hope of everyone – from doctors, nurses and staff, made me believe that my miracle could happen. We now have a daughter and two more on the way thanks to our team at Duke. My family – and my life – are complete because of the caring people at the Duke Fertility Center.

... Read more Whitney, 35, mother of a two-year-old daughter and twins on the way