BWH’s Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery (CIRS) is one of America’s premier fertility centers. Exclusively staffed by world-renowned Harvard Medical School faculty, CIRS is an epicenter of clinical and scientific innovation and home to the oldest infertility subspecialty program in the country.
Situated in the heart of Boston, one of the great cultural hubs of North America, CIRS has helped patients the world over to start or complete healthy families. As our name implies, CIRS provides a level of medical care that goes well beyond that of a fertility center: our approach to any reproductive challenge is comprehensive.
Our in vitro fertilization program has consistently demonstrated excellent safety and success rates.
- In addition to standard fertility treatments such as IVF, ICSI and embryo cryopreservation, we offer reproductive services that are not commonly available in other parts of the world, including:
- Gamete Donation (both egg and sperm)
- Gestational carrier services (also known as nontraditional gestational surrogacy)
- Fertility preservation for patients with cancer and other chronic diseases
- Elective fertility preservation for women choosing to defer maternity
- Preimplantation genetic diagnosis for chromosomal and single gene disorders
- Fertility treatments for single individuals and same sex couples; our medical ethos is progressive: all of our fertility services, without exception, are open to single individuals and couples independently of their gender and sexual orientation
- Our program is one of the few in the world to feature highly specialized reproductive surgery services for the care of congenital and acquired reproductive anomalies.
- Under the CIRS rubric, we run the Boston Center for Endometriosis and the Boston Center for Uterine Fibroids, both of which offer cutting edge medical and minimally invasive surgical treatment options, including the most advanced options for computer-assisted reproductive surgery.
- The Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery is poised to provide scientifically rigorous, highly effective, progressive and comprehensive care to individuals and couples anywhere in the world.
- Our program has helped patients the world over to start or complete healthy families, with several members being fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and Russian.
Our international program is led by Antonio Gargiulo, MD and Elena Yanushpolsky, MD. Dr. Gargiulo and Dr. Yanushpolsky have extensive experience working international patients.
The CIRS International Patient Coordinator will work with the BWH International Patient Center to coordinate your treatment and visit. The International Patient Center will register you as a patient and provide assistance with transportation to and from the airport. The CIRS International Patient Coordinator will provide you with information about our treatment program and can also assist with making hotel accommodations.
Treatment costs vary by the plan you and your physician agree upon. Our International Patient Coordinator can discuss the costs of each option with you.
Getting Started
To help you understand what to expect, we’ve outlined the steps of our treatment process. Our team is committed to helping you along the way, through each step of your journey.
- Step 1: Register as a patient with BWH
- Call the Patient Service Center to register: (866) 489-4056.
- You will be assigned a Medical Record Number.
- Both partners will need to register.
- Step 2: Schedule a consult with your physician
- Before we can get started, you need to meet with one of our physicians to discuss your treatment plan and options.
- The CIRS International Patient Coordinator will help you find accommodations and provide information about the city for your reference.
- Step 3: Select an Agency
- You will need to select an egg donor or gestational carrier agency. We have a list of agencies of with whom we’ve had good working relationships, but we do not formally endorse any.
- You can start working with an agency to begin reviewing potential candidates for your egg donor and/or gestational carrier
- Step 4: Coordinate Financials
- One of our Managed Care Coordinators will be in touch with you to discuss your financial obligations for the cycle.
- You will work with our Managed Care Coordinator to make sure everything is settled before we start treatment
- Step 5: Screening Appointments
- Screening is required for you and for the individual acting as your egg donor or gestational carrier. If an anonymous egg donor, this screening will be coordinated separately. If you will be working with a known egg donor or gestational carrier, we will coordinate your screening appointments together,
- The CIRS International Program Coordinator will help you to schedule all of these appointments
Patient Resources
Our goal is to make sure you have the proper support in place at the start of your cycle and throughout the duration of your treatment.
Patient Education
We offer many educational videos and booklets to help you understand the fertility treatment process.
Emotional Support
Our social workers are available to meet with you at any point during your treatment cycle. They can help you manage the physical and emotional aspects of your treatment and also help you understand the expectations and requirements involved.
Travel Information and Assistance
The CIRS International Patient Coordinator can help you navigate around the city of Boston, the hospital and surrounding area. The International Patient Coordinator can also help you make your travel accommodations.
Contact Us
Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns you have about reproductive healthcare services at CRIS. Our International Patient Coordinator is available to help you.
The Brigham and Women’s Hospital International Patient Center can assist overseas patients with many of the above steps and can be reached at +1-617-732-5777 (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. EST), or by email at BHIntl@bwh.harvard.edu.
