Q&A with Dr. Eva Littman:

For fertility doctor, helping couples conceive is the most rewarding part of the job

Dr. Eva Littman, founder and practice director of Red Rock Fertility Center, poses at the center Wednesday Sept. 24, 2014.

Last week was National Infertility Awareness Week. According to the national infertility association Resolve, 1 in 8 couples of childbearing age is diagnosed with infertility. That’s where Dr. Eva Littman comes in. She is founder and practice director at Red Rock Fertility Center, which offers a boutique-style approach to helping couples start a family. She also hosts free fertility seminars. The next is scheduled for May 23, with online registration available at lasvegasfertility.com.

What makes Red Rock Fertility Center different?

The goal has always been to be a boutique clinic, where patients feel comfortable and part of the process. Studies show that a calm, peaceful environment can lead to higher success. My hope is that our patients will never feel like numbers but like partners in the process of growing their families.

I like to take on difficult cases, where couples have failed elsewhere. I designed our protocols and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratory with these challenges in mind, using only the best technology and advances in the field. For instance, we include pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) in our IVF pricing and have the only certified IVF clean room in Nevada.

You specialize in cases where patients have a less than 5 percent chance of pregnancy, and you provide fertility services for same-sex couples. What are your success rates?

Given that we take on couples who otherwise have been told to adopt or use an egg or sperm donor, the fact that we get approximately 15 percent pregnant with their own DNA is amazing.

Same-sex couples’ success rates are very high, usually 80 percent per attempt, as they typically don’t struggle with infertility. Same-sex couples more commonly struggle with social, legal and emotional issues. Our nurse practitioner, Shannon McGrath, specializes in same-sex couples and is amazing at guiding them through these challenges with a clear focus on their goal of building a family.

Red Rock Fertility Center has a mostly female staff. What’s the office environment like and was that part of your business model?

It was never an intentional part of my business model. The office environment is very supportive of each other and our patients. Having so many female employees does present challenges. We have had four pregnancies over the past year and have had to shuffle people’s positions to cover everything. Because we work so well as a team, we were able to work through it.

We do keep a couple of guys around, too. Both our lab director and our IT and marketing director are men and are an integral part of the team.

What are your goals for Red Rock Fertility Center?

I would like to expand our practice without losing the personal, boutique-style approach to treating infertility. I also would like to create more awareness in the Las Vegas community about infertility and the challenges couples face when dealing with it.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

Young, infertile couples are always a big challenge, because if they are young and infertile, it usually means something more severe is wrong. This doesn’t mean we can’t overcome the situation together, it just means a much more intensive diagnostic challenge.

What has been the most rewarding part of your job?

The babies, of course. When parents visit our clinic and we get to hold their children and see the parents smile, it is so wonderful! It warms my heart every time.

We host a baby reunion and Easter egg hunt every spring. I look forward to seeing all of our babies together every year. To watch them grow from year to year and to see them interacting with their families and other children makes it all worth it.

What are you reading right now?

“Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, “Art of War” by Sun Tzu and stepparenting books.

What do you do after work?

Spend time with my family. Most of my nonwork hours are spent with my girls, helping them with their homework and attending extracurricular activities such as volleyball, piano and Girl Scouts. I also am working on a project with chef Alex Stratta.

Blackberry, iPhone or Android?

iPhone

Describe your management style.

I manage from the rear. I’m not a micromanager. I have high expectations, and I let people know if I don’t think they are meeting them.

Where do you see yourself and the center in 10 years?

I would like to create a network of IVF clinics across the country with the same high standards and boutique-style personal level of service as Red Rock Fertility.

What is your dream job, outside of your current field?

Food critic. I want to be the female John Curtas. He gets to go to restaurants around the world and try out all these different menus. I’m a definite foodie.

Whom do you admire and why?

Dr. Florence Jameson. She has risen from a not-so-fortunate upbringing, turned her life into a success and selflessly gives back to others. I truly admire her and all she represents, and hope to do the same with my life.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Slow drivers.

What is something people might not know about you?

I am quite the dancer. I started dancing at age 4. In college, I was a Duke Dancing Devil and danced at halftime shows.

Tags: The Sunday
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