New Directions in Fertility Inc. Unveils New Cure for Tubal Infertility: Treatment Could Help About 3 Million Women Conceive Naturally.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 1999--

Officials of New Directions in Fertility Inc. (NDIF), of Los Angeles, today announced a revolutionary new medical procedure that can cure women of tubal infertility and enable them to conceive a child without surgery or in vitro fertilization.

"According to Resolve, a national fertility clearinghouse, about 6 million women in the United States alone are infertile and cannot conceive a child naturally," said Dr. Bassett H. Brown, NDIF chairman of the board and senior vice president, and developer of the treatment. "For about 3 million of these women suffering from tubal infertility, our medical procedure offers new hope and a viable alternative to in vitro fertilization or adoption.

"We know our procedure can cure infertility in women by fallopian tube blockage," he said. "Our procedure is non-surgical and safe. The treatment is given in stages, in either two or three (two-hour) treatment sessions over a two- to three-week period.

"Patients receive mild sedatives during each treatment, which is about as painless as placing an IV line, and less invasive. Patients can work immediately after and in between treatments with only mild discomfort," Brown said.

Other doctors verify Brown's claims.

"When I first heard that Dr. Brown had come up with a cure for tubal blockage, I was highly skeptical," said Dr. Charles Ballard, former chief of the Division of Gynecology at County/USC Medical Center, a full professor of medicine in the Obstetrics and Gynecology USC Medical School, and a practicing physician there.

"But after examining his patients' case history and actually meeting some of his patients, I'm convinced this procedure is for real," Ballard said. "Furthermore, at $3,500, the procedure is quite affordable, giving previously infertile couples real hope for having a child the `old-fashioned way,' without risky and expensive in vitro or adoption." Ballard has agreed to serve as the national medical spokesperson for NDIF.

Five women significantly affected by Brown's breakthrough procedure attended today's media conference at the Sheraton Universal here.

They include: Lucia Rodriquez, a resident of Tijuana, Mexico, who is expecting her first child in January; Sylvia Godinez of Los Angeles, who had her first child in February 1988; Stella Chapman of Detroit, who, 25 years ago today gave birth to her daughter, Shineka, who attended today's event with her own daughter and was served birthday cake.

Rodriquez and her husband had unsuccessfully tried to have a baby for eight years. Upon the advice of her private physician, she traveled to Southern California last January for an in vitro fertilization procedure. When that $15,000 procedure failed, her sister-in-law referred her to Brown.

"I was so sad after the in vitro failed," Rodriquez said. "Dr. Brown was my last hope." Rodriquez first visited Brown's clinic in South Central Los Angeles on Jan. 20, 1999, where she had the first of three treatments.

"When Lucia was referred to me, I tried to keep her from being too optimistic," Brown said. "I conducted the procedure for her, but there was so much tissue damage from her past condition; I was not confident that we would be effective in treating her."

Uncertain as to whether the procedures had worked, Rodriquez was considering having another in vitro procedure, but first called Brown, complaining of not feeling well. "We all had a pleasant surprise," Brown said. "On May 27, 1999, Lucia tested positive in a pregnancy test. Her conception was confirmed by ultrasound the next day."

Stella Chapman was the first patient ever to receive the procedure by Brown. Now living near the Detroit area, Chapman in January 1974 lived in Los Angeles. "I had been married for some time, but was unable to get pregnant, having suffered with pelvic inflammatory disease for so long and so severely that I was literally disabled," Chapman said.

"When I was told that the only way to get off disability was to have a hysterectomy, I appealed to Dr. Brown," Chapman said.

"I was only 26 years old and not ready for a hysterectomy," Chapman said. "I asked him if there wasn't something else he could do. When Dr. Brown told me of a non-surgical treatment that might work and had little, if any, risk, I told him, `let's try it.'"

Chapman had the first stage of her first treatment from Dr. Brown on New Year's Day 1974. It would prove to be a momentous occasion. Later, after two more treatment stages, she started feeling much better, got off disability and returned to work. Much to her surprise, however, she soon became pregnant. "I couldn't believe it. So I had two more tests. They were positive as well. As a result of Dr. Brown's treatment, I had two children to bless my life."

"Stella had a very uncomplicated pregnancy, with regular prenatal care," Brown said. "She had her beautiful daughter on Dec. 6, 1974, weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces."

Another of Brown's patients, Sylvia Godinez, first visited his clinic in May 1987. "I had been trying to get pregnant for about two years," Godinez said. "When I visited Dr. Brown's office and learned about his procedure, I made up my mind to have it immediately." Godinez had her first treatment the very next day, followed by subsequent ones over the next two weeks.

"Sylvia became pregnant in May 1987 almost immediately following the procedures," Brown said. "She had a very uneventful prenatal course and delivered a healthy baby boy on Feb. 14, 1988," he said.

"Although this procedure is `new,' Dr. Brown has been practicing it successfully for some time," said Dr. John Kirk, a board eligible OB/GYN with an active practice in Los Angeles.

Brown explained why he has kept the procedure quiet for so long. "Originally, I thought up this procedure as a treatment for persistent pelvic inflammatory disease," Brown said. "The development of new antibiotics made the procedure, in my mind, obsolete. Then, I started seeing women who were infertile but ovulating.

"I remembered that virtually all of the women I had treated in the past had become pregnant soon after their treatment, even though I had not treated them for infertility, per se.

"Since my patients who were infertile typically could not afford in vitro fertilization or surgical treatment options, I offered them the procedure -- and they started having babies. Lucia Rodriquez's was the case that really convinced me that I was on to something important, since in her case there had been laparoscopic evidence of blocked tubes and she had already failed to conceive with in vitro fertilization," Brown said.

Kirk said that while Brown's procedure remains a "trade secret" for proprietary reasons, Kirk has observed the treatment firsthand, as well as examined documentation.

"I was made privy to the protocol, observed actual procedures and examined patients' records," Kirk said. "I can confirm that the procedure is safe and has worked on patients with established infertility problems with substantially greater success than one could anticipate -- using any other treatment, surgical or non-surgical.

"The results are irrefutable. Each woman had a prior documented history of infertility for between four and eight years," he said. "All became pregnant, conceiving within six months of completing their treatment with Dr. Brown," Kirk said. "I'm so confident in the treatment, I'm referring all my tubal blockage patients to NDIF."

"Because the demand for this exciting new service is so great, and since we currently have so few locations, we're allowing interested clients to make their reservations with us by telephone by personal check or credit card," said Mitchell W. Roth, president of NDIF. "We encourage only those persons who are serious about starting their families to call us."

Roth said NDIF plans to open 100 clinics during the next five years, located in most major U.S., Canadian and European cities.

Following today's announcement in Los Angeles, NDIF's next service offering will be available in the New York City area in early 2000.

Persons interested in making a medical reservation, or seeking more information, should call NDIF's Fertility Counselors at 877HAVEBABY (877/428-3222), or visit the NDIF Web site at www.1877havebaby.com.