The Fertility Institute of New Orleans
Outstanding fertility medicine and success encompasses both advanced science and a compassionate personal touch. Our fertility clinic values the intimate trust placed in us by couples, women, men and LGBTQ+ individuals who need help having children.
Infertility wasn’t your plan. Let’s make a new one.
Louisiana’s first fertility clinic – 19,000 pregnancies & counting
Essentials
We believe patient education, empathy and expertise is the best strategy for your success
At The Fertility Institute of New Orleans (FINO), we follow these guiding principles on our journey to building relationships and trust with hopeful parents-to-be.
- FINO’s firsts: The Fertility Institute is the first fertility clinic in Louisiana. FINO was the first to achieve many fertility medicine advancements in the Gulf South, helping advance reproductive medicine. We draw on our experience to continue leading and innovating.
- From our founding in 1976 to this day, we make sure our patient care is cutting-edge, informed by our physicians who teach the latest in fertility medicine to the next generation of OB-GYN/fertility specialists at Louisiana State University (LSU) and Tulane medical schools.
- Broadening your fertility treatment options: We provide competitive costs and treatments not offered at other Louisiana fertility clinics, and we welcome difficult cases that may have been unsuccessful elsewhere.
- Our care philosophy is to first, and continually, educate our patients about infertility and their individual treatment options so they are knowledgeable partners in their own care and planning for their baby.
- Our fertility clinic experts engage beyond conventional doctor-patient interactions to forge relationships. We don’t spend time on proving our expertise; we listen and come up with a plan together.
- Safe in the event of a natural disaster: protecting our patients’ reproductive specimens in our care is our top priority.
Our Experience Leads to Your Experience
The Fertility Institute of New Orleans is proud to be a part of First Fertility, a fertility company that offers comprehensive and customized care for patients to grow their families. First Fertility has the most experienced leadership team in fertility healthcare, and this depth of understanding helps create a foundation upon which the most positive outcomes can be achieved.
FINO firsts
History, experience, innovation and leadership at The Fertility Institute of New Orleans
When Dr. Richard Dickey founded our practice as the first fertility clinic in Louisiana, he left his position at LSU’s School of Medicine OB-GYN department. His vision was to provide a specialized, accessible place in the community for people to receive infertility diagnosis and treatment outside the realm of academic medicine, while administering care informed by that same expertise.
Our fertility clinic continues to deliver on that care mission today. Along the way, The Fertility Institute of New Orleans achieved many notable fertility firsts in Louisiana and the Gulf South:
- First sperm bank established in the Gulf South, 1982.
- First in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure performed in the Gulf South, 1983.
- First IVF baby in Louisiana, 1984.
- First intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) birth in the Gulf South, 1995.
- First successful IVF pregnancy in a woman beyond age 44 in the United States.
- First frozen embryo program in the Gulf South.
- First birth from donor egg in the Gulf South.
Finer Points
Some of our other treatment firsts helped advance fertility and IVF medicine, paving the way for further improvements in treatment approaches and success
- First gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT, in which eggs are removed from the follicle and placed in the fallopian tube with sperm for fertilization) procedure in the Gulf South, 1985.
- First successful IVF pregnancy in a patient with a unicornuate uterus (in which only half of a woman’s uterus has developed), 1987.
- First zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT, in which a fertilized egg is placed in the fallopian tube and then develops into a viable embryo in the uterus) birth in the Gulf South, 1989.
- First partial zona dissection (PZD, in which an egg is partially cut to allow for fertilization) birth in the Gulf South, 1993.
- First subzonal insertion (SUZI, in which a sperm is injected into a portion of the egg – a precursor to ICSI) birth in the Gulf South, 1994.
- First recombinant FSH (for ovulation induction) birth in the United States.
FINO has always been quick to incorporate new techniques into its offerings, particularly advances that promise to improve outcomes. Better cryopreservation techniques (vitrification), preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), and oocyte cryopreservation were advances that we embraced and mastered quickly.
Broadening fertility treatment options
Understanding infertility helps you overcome it
Infertility uncovered
One of our guiding care principles is to foster in couples and individuals an understanding of their fertility. Beginning infertility care can be daunting, so we uncover infertility through the use of education and clarification of the steps involved.
We feel that by understanding the rationale of testing and treatment, each patient will feel more comfortable and better engage with the process. We believe that this approach results in better outcomes.
Keys to planning for your baby
- Doctors take their time to help patients feel both seen and heard; no one is going to rush you through your appointment.
- Patients always leave an appointment knowing their next step in treatment.
- Doctors develop a treatment plan as unique as the individual patient. And this means we often recommend less invasive steps before IVF.
- We make decisions with our patients, talking about diagnoses, listening to concerns, and deciding on a course of action together. We strongly believe patients should be an active part of their own care team.
Aids to your infertility understanding
Health Info
Solid explanations of infertility causes, diagnoses and treatments – in language patients can easily understand.
Treatments Explained
We break down what you need to know about fertility treatment and reproductive assistance options.
Fertility Blogs
A wealth of fertility insights, advice on what to expect, and guidance for adapting your family building journey.
Our fertility clinic experts
Leading the way on the path to parenthood
“I cannot say enough how wonderful the entire team was throughout our journey. They were caring, dedicated, always willing to listen, and truly supportive. I will never forget them!”
– Facebook comment | read more testimonials
Our doctors
Our doctors have a patients-first philosophy, emphasizing hope and focusing on the next step. They believe in second, third and fourth chances. If treatment doesn’t work the first time, it’s just part of the journey to uncover success on the path to parenthood.
Many of our doctors are long-time university medical school professors, keeping abreast of the latest scientific research and breakthroughs. They institute the best, evidence-based clinical practices, from advancements in IVF to recognizing and tending to the emotional needs of our patients. The Fertility Institute has more doctors board certified in OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinology & infertility (REI) than any other practice in Louisiana.
Our staff
Our fertility clinic staff of nurses, embryologists, administrators, clinical assistants, financial coordinators and lab professionals is a tight-knit team. Several of our team members have been with the practice for 20-30 years.
Many of our nurses are certified by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Our IVF lab staff is at the heart of the fertility clinic’s important work to help people overcome infertility. The entire team works with patients to make whole-body decisions based on finances, emotions, spirituality and biology.