10 Fertility Lessons from a Doctor with IVF Success

Dr. Robert Kaufmann of Fort Worth Fertility has been helping couples build families for over three decades. In a conversation on The Sexytime Podcast by sisters Belle Daza and Ava Daza, he broke down everything from male infertility to surrogacy to embryo adoption—and why, in 2026, there are more paths to parenthood than ever before.

Dr. Kaufmann has been practicing fertility medicine for over 30 years, and he's seen the landscape shift significantly. While social media has brought more awareness to the topic, he points to a real underlying trend, which is that more couples are waiting longer to have children, and age is one of the biggest factors in fertility outcomes, particularly egg quality.

"Women take sort of the blame," Dr. Kaufmann said. "They really shouldn't." Male factor infertility accounts for roughly a third of all fertility challenges, yet it's consistently overlooked—both socially and in how couples approach diagnosis. His message to couples: It's not "him" or "her." It's "us."

Alcohol and smoking can all negatively impact both sperm and egg quality. If a couple is trying to conceive and their habits aren't optimal, Dr. Kaufmann advises cleaning them up first—but warns that it can take three to six months before any difference appears in test results.

One of the most common gaps Dr. Kaufmann sees is couples not knowing when to have sex. Understanding your ovulation window—especially if your cycle isn't a standard 28 days—can change everything. "Everybody has an image of fertility needing in vitro fertilization," he said. "But not everybody needs it." Before escalating to more advanced treatments, it's worth going back to basics

For those who do need IVF, the process starts about a month before egg retrieval, sometimes with birth control pills to help with timing and egg development. Then come 10 to 13 days of fertility injections to mature the follicles. "Before running a race, you want to get ready," Dr. Kaufmann explained. "I can't just pluck eggs from the ovaries—it's like having green tomatoes. I need to grow them to be red tomatoes."

Fort Worth Fertility uses AI tools that factor in a patient's age, height, weight, sperm quality, fallopian tube status, and egg count to generate pregnancy probability estimates across different treatment options. "No longer are we saying, 'Well, you're 32, these are your chances,'" Dr. Kaufmann said. The technology draws on data from hundreds of patients with similar profiles to give couples a clearer picture of their journey before it even begins.

If a couple doesn't want to use their own eggs or sperm, they can adopt an embryo from another couple who no longer needs theirs. The intended mother carries the pregnancy herself, experiencing everything from conception to birth—just not with her own genetics. In the US, couples can even choose an embryo that matches their ethnic background. It's a lesser-known path, but one Dr. Kaufmann sees as genuinely life-changing for the right couple.

Through a process called Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing (PGT), embryos can be screened for chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome, as well as hereditary conditions like thalassemia, sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, and hemophilia, up to 800 different genetic evaluations. Gender selection is also possible, as the test identifies sex chromosomes (XX for girls, XY for boys). Dr. Kaufmann was, in fact, one of the first doctors in the world to perform PGT for Tay-Sachs disease. "If we know what to look for, we can test for it," he said.

For couples considering surrogacy, Dr. Kaufmann walked through the full process. Surrogates must have given birth before, pass physical and psychological screenings, have no history of antidepressant use or multiple pregnancy losses, and even have their partners screened for infectious diseases. The FDA conducts spot inspections on fertility centers. Legal parenthood is established through a pre-birth order, so there is no ambiguity about who the child belongs to. "I always look at a surrogate and ask, ‘Would I use her for my own family?’" he said.

Dr. Kaufmann confirmed that women who are physically able to carry a pregnancy can still choose surrogacy—whether for career reasons, personal trauma, or simply personal choice. He also touched on egg freezing as an option for those who aren't ready yet: "If you're 34 or 38 and you don't know if you want kids, that way you can preserve your probabilities." Frozen eggs and embryos, he noted, can remain viable indefinitely—he's had patients successfully use embryos frozen as far back as 2006.

Dr. Robert Kaufmann is the founder of Fort Worth Fertility, located about 30 miles from Dallas, Texas. He offers virtual consultations for international patients. You can reach his clinic at https://fwivf.com/.

This article is based on Dr. Kaufmann conversation on The Sexytime Podcast, by sisters Isabelle and Ava Daza. Listen to the full episode on Spotify and YouTube.