Fertility Center & Applied Genetics of Florida (formerly Fertility Center of Sarasota), the offices of Julio E. Pabon, M.D., P.A., with locations in Sarasota and Bonita Springs, Florida, is proud to celebrate our 29th year practicing Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, serving the west coast of Florida, the entire state, and patients from near and far. We have been operating continuously in Florida since 1997.
Our name change from Fertility Center of Sarasota came about in 2005, when we opened an office in Naples, Florida that subsequently moved to Bonita Springs. We wanted a more inclusive, broader name as we grew. Fertility Center & Applied Genetics of Florida reflects our leadership in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility in this state: we were pioneers in the early application of pre-implantation genetics, performing our first IVF cycle for the prevention of a genetic disease in late 1999, with the birth of a healthy baby girl in 2000.
Our IVF clinic has been active in the treatment of severe male factor infertility, tubal factor infertility, endometriosis-associated infertility, unexplained infertility, and the application of pre-implantation genetics since 1999. As the years passed, the technology for testing embryos improved from the initial ability to image a few chromosomes with fluorescent techniques, then to next-generation sequencing, and on to our current SNP array techniques that test up to 800,000 genetic loci per embryo. We have even expanded to single-embryo whole genome sequencing when indicated, using technologies pioneered by Orchid Genetics. We can test for chromosome numbers, single gene defects, and chromosomal rearrangements such as translocations — and even for genetic aberrations unique to a single family.
Alongside the patients who seek IVF and pre-implantation embryo testing, we serve many others struggling with infertility. They commonly find their way to us through professional referrals or, increasingly, through our strong online reputation as a uniquely private clinic where patients are treated like family: with personal attention from their Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. Pabon, rather than from a rotating cast of physician extenders.
Julio E. Pabon, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., graduated with Honors from The University of Texas at Austin and subsequently attended his dream school, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he pursued additional research training while attending medical school. He worked with the Baylor Embryo Culture research lab, where he learned laboratory techniques and embryology and published seminal work on the requirements for embryo growth in low oxygen concentrations. His research supported a shift across the entire IVF industry toward new culture conditions for human embryos, and led to patents through Baylor Technologies that produced significant changes potentially affecting tens of thousands of families.
After medical school, Dr. Pabon completed postgraduate training at the University of Miami, The University of Texas HSC Houston, and finally a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Louisville, at the time, one of the two oldest programs in the United States, offering the broadest available surgical and IVF experience. There he developed his endocrinology, IVF, and surgical skills. In 1995, Dr. Pabon joined a practice in St. Petersburg, Florida, and subsequently joined The Center of Human Reproduction’s Florida offices until leaving that group to start his own private practice in Sarasota, Florida in 1997.
Our current services include evaluation and treatment of infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, chronic anovulation, male factor infertility, egg donor IVF, gestational surrogacy, unexplained infertility, embryo adoption, outpatient microsurgery for tubal reversals, hysteroscopy for uterine fibroids or polyps, hysteroscopy for Asherman’s syndrome and uterine septums, myomectomies, and IVF with pre-implantation testing of embryos.
Our IVF program treats nearly all patients with PGT-A (pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy). The reason: once we know an embryo has 23 pairs of chromosomes, we can select a single embryo for transfer with a high chance of pregnancy and a much lower risk of miscarriage. Consistent use of PGT-A has reduced our rate of multiple pregnancies to less than 1 in 300. In the past, twin and higher-order pregnancies were common with IVF, as more embryos had to be transferred when patients failed cycles or were older. Twin pregnancies carry serious risks, roughly six times the rate of cerebral palsy, cardiac malformations, preterm birth, and other complications for mother and baby. PGT-A allows us to achieve high success with low complications, and patients gain clarity about which embryos to transfer, store, or not use. IVF with PGT-A is also markedly more efficient, so most patients can be referred back to their obstetrician sooner.
We welcome you to join our family and experience a fertility practice that is increasingly rare in today’s climate of corporate- and hospital-owned clinics. Please read our Google reviews and expect to share in the experience of a doctor who truly cares and knows you as an individual.
