You’ve likely heard of a honeymoon and a babymoon, when couples go on vacation right before their baby is due, but have you ever heard of a conceptionmoon? A conceptionmoon, also known as fertility tourism, is when you and your partner travel somewhere new in the hopes of conceiving a baby or undergoing fertility treatment.
For couples that are undergoing fertility treatment, taking a conceptionmoon might be just what the doctor ordered, and there’s no better place than Las Vegas! Not only is this amazing city home to some of the best entertainment, food, and activities in the country, but we are also home to some of the most successful and qualified fertility experts. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas, especially when it’s a baby!
There are many reasons why couples come to Las Vegas to undergo fertility treatments. The team at Red Rock Fertility Center is here to show you the way to your fertility dreams with some tips on what to expect during treatment and a full Las Vegas itinerary of things to do to make the most out of your trip.
Why Seek Fertility Treatment in Las Vegas?Before we dive into your fertility tourism itinerary, let’s look at some of the most compelling reasons why you and your partner would want to come to Las Vegas for fertility treatment.
As the Founder and Practice Director of Red Rock Fertility Center, Dr. Eva Littman has guided the center to produce many successful pregnancies. Dr. Littman also specializes in challenging cases where the patient has less than a five percent chance of pregnancy and helps them welcome new lives into their families.
“We specialize in difficult fertility cases that other clinics would not accept. We believe that there needs to be thorough investigation into cases where people have failed previous therapy. A review of medication protocols, and further testing may allow a previous failure to turn into an absolute success! Even with a difficult patient population, we still have outstanding pregnancy rates.” – Dr. Eva Littman
Dr.Littman has also contributed to worldwide knowledge of specific infertility problems by publishing numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals and regularly presenting at international meetings and local conferences. She also helps mentor future OB/GYN residents by serving as a Volunteer Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of OB/GYN at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. The entire team at RRFC is committed to helping you grow your family in whatever way you choose.
If you’ve made the decision to come to Vegas to try to get pregnant, congratulations! You’re taking a big step in the process of growing your family and hopefully you’ll have fun doing it. We want to walk you through everything to expect before you make the trip, while you’re here, and after you go home. We’ll also share some of our favorite Las Vegas activities to help you relax and fully enjoy the city while you’re here.
There are a few things to note before you head out on your conceptionmoon. We have worked with many patients in the past that are interested in fertility tourism and whether you’re coming from across the country or across the world, it’s easy to start your fertility treatment process remotely.
First, you’ll schedule a Skype consultation with Dr. Littman and the team. Following the initial conversation, patients will work closely with Dr. Littman and an assigned patient coordinator who will guide you through the process. Often times we can coordinate some of your care with your local doctor and the typical stay in Las Vegas is 7 to 10 days, but it could be more depending on your case.
During this consultation, we will discuss:
Out of state patients may have their testing done in their local area, which will minimize travel to and from during this diagnostic phase. Once recommended tests are completed, records can be faxed over to our office and then another phone consult will be conducted to discuss treatment options based on the results.
If we all decide that Red Rock Fertility Center is a good match for your family goals, come on down to Las Vegas! We will base this itinerary on the general timeline of IVF, one of the most common fertility treatment options. We are one of the few IVF centers in Nevada to have two embryologists with Executive Laboratory Director (ELD) Qualifications. Our third embryologist has an advanced certification as a Laboratory Technical Supervisor and our Andrologist is certified as an Andrology Laboratory Scientist.
Day 1On day one, you’ll land at McCarran International Airport and can get settled into your hotel room. We’ve partnered with local hotels to provide our clients with the utmost care and comfort. Here is a list of our recommended hotels in the city.
Red Rock Fertility Center has partnerships with the following Station Casinos properties, just a short distance from our location and other Las Vegas attractions throughout the city. Contact Red Rock Fertility for rare code.
Additional partnerships with Red Rock Fertility Center includes the following:
After traveling to Las Vegas, you’re likely going to want to grab a bite to eat. Eating healthy will help increase your chances of getting pregnant and Vegas is home to some delicious, nutritious restaurants right by the clinic. For dinner, check out:
Day 2Get excited, because it’s time for your first appointment with Dr. Littman! You’ve made it all this way and during this first meeting, we will confirm treatment and get you started on your IVF process. Your first day of the IVF cycle will be on the first day of your period and our fertility experts can help determine this exact start date for your body.
Once we have a start date, we will begin the stimulation phase, which is when we stimulate your ovaries to produce many eggs (rather than just the one that is common with most menstrual cycles). We do this by using hormone medications like follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. We will walk you through how to undergo these hormone injections, including exactly how and where to give them.
Now that you’ve officially began your fertility treatment, it’s time to celebrate! Treat yourself to a spectacular show to have a little fun. Favorite shows include:
Day 3-4Another great way to give yourself the best chances of getting pregnant is to take some time to relax. Las Vegas is home to world-class spas, including:
Day 5-7Throughout the next few days, you will continue to meet with the doctors to monitor how your follicles are developing. We might take blood tests and ultrasounds to closely monitor your IVF cycle. At the end of the stimulation phase, it will be time for the “trigger injection,” which gets the eggs ready for ovulation. While you wait for your body to produce eggs, check out these fun and free things to do in Vegas! The city is full of extravagant indulgences, but sometimes the best things on a conceptionmoon are free!
There are plenty of options when it comes to free activities and experiences in Las Vegas. Make sure to enjoy as many as you can during your stay in this desert city.
Day 8The stimulation phase of IVF can take anywhere from 8-14 days, depending on your body. Once the eggs, which are contained in the follicles, mature, the patient is then ready for their egg retrieval. This involves a mild, sedative anesthetic. Once the patient is anesthetized, Dr. Littman uses ultrasound guidance to retrieve the mature eggs with an aspiration needle. The eggs are removed through the needle and given to the embryologist, who identifies them and places them into a dish.
That same day, our scientists and embryologists will fertilize your eggs. Fertilization can occur naturally, where the sperm are placed in the dish and the fastest, luckiest sperm fertilizes the egg. Or, in cases of sperm with poor motility, fertilization can occur via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where the sperm are injected directly into the egg. After fertilization, the embryos are placed in our triple gas incubators, which most closely replicate the environment of the uterus.
The stimulation process takes about 20 to 30 minutes and after recovering, you’ll be able to walk out on your own. From there, treat yourself to room service, a massage, and an in-room movie to reward yourself that you’ve made it this far. You now have a fertilized egg growing into an embryo, so cuddle up with your partner and cheers to a beautiful future. Maybe even think of some baby names while you’re at it!
Day 9-11As you wait for your embryo to grow, now’s the time to explore Las Vegas. There are so many things to do outside of the Strip including hiking, swimming, and exploring. Branch out and experience these top Vegas adventures:
Day 12Five days after the embryo is created, the embryo will undergo biopsy and freezing in order to get the result of chromosome testing. Then, 3-4 weeks later the best embryo(s) can be transferred into the uterus. This is a painless procedure, requires no anesthesia, and is the last step before finding out whether or not the process was successful. There is an approximately 30-80% chance the transferred embryo(s) will produce a pregnancy. With further steps and testing, our Ultra IVF protocol, which includes PGS testing, significantly increases the chance for a successful pregnancy.
Two weeks after transfer, you will take a blood test to see if the pregnancy was successful. These blood tests measure hCG, which is a hormone in your blood stream that usually means a positive pregnancy test. If all goes well, you’ll welcome a little bundle of joy into your lives very soon. And to think, it all started in Vegas!
*If IVF is recommended, patients are looking at an approximate stay of 9-14 days if a fresh cycle is the choice of treatment. This may vary depending on if the patient is out of state or out of country.
For out of country, length of stay may be longer as medications will have to be done while in Las Vegas, as opposed to out of state patients who may have an option to start their medications in their local area.
Treatment for an IVF cycle will include medications, monitoring ultrasounds and blood work, retrieval and transfer. Keep in mind that days may vary depending on what type of IVF cycle is done, whether it be a fresh or frozen cycle. With frozen cycles, the length of stay is less (approximately 2 weeks) and the patient will have to return back to do a frozen embryo transfer.
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