The Fertility Institute’s 200th Baby Gave Birth to Twins

Julie was conceived through gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) and welcomed twins 32 years later

Leta Fletcher struggled to conceive for seven years due a hormonal imbalance and her endometriosis. Thanks to the innovative specialists at The Fertility Institute of New Orleans (FINO), Leta’s dream of having a family became a reality in 1989 when she learned she was pregnant after her gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT). Leta suffered a head-on collision during her pregnancy. But both she and her daughter survived the accident, and 11 weeks later Julie was born.

The story comes full circle as Julie, the 200th baby to be born with the help of FINO, gave birth to twins three decades later.

“It’s amazing how far we have come with reproductive science since Leta was our patient,” says Dr. Jay Huber, FINO medical director. “While the GIFT procedure was cutting-edge technology in the ’80s and had a 10%-20% success rate with high chances of twins, we now have IVF with success rates as high as 50%-60% in some cases. And we now have the ability to perform elective single embryo transfer, which significantly reduces the risk of becoming pregnant with multiples.”

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