The Kaali IVF Center was established by Dr. Steven G. Kaali in 1992. Early on Dr. Wilfried Feichtinger (1950-2021), a pioneer in the field on in vitro fertilization (IVF), provided scientific and professional support. The clinic in Budapest started its clinical operations in May 1992. The opening of this center was soon followed by the opening of further clinics: in Szeged (1997), in Győr (1999), in Debrecen (2003); in Tapolca (2005) and in Kaposvár (2010). In 2019, similarly to other fertility clinics, the operations in the Kaáli Clinics were taken over by the Hungarian government.
In the past close to 30 years tens of thousands of couples were treated by us. Our experience and highly effective treatments offer a perfect solution to the many couples who face problems with starting a family. The quality of the care we provide is guaranteed by the vast experience and international training of our embryologists and fertility specialists. The clinic in Budapest was not only the first to introduce new technologies but often participated in the development of these technologies. In 1994 we were the first to use intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) that revolutionized the care of couples affected by male factor infertility in Hungary. In the mid-90’s, only a few clinics across Europe offered this intervention. This was followed by the introduction of assisted hatching (AH) in 1994. In March 1995, we were the first to use sperm obtained from testicular biopsy for in vitro fertilization of oocytes. We reported the first case of successful cleavage stage frozen embryo transfer in Hungary. The Budapest clinic was among the first IVF centers to introduce extended embryo culture that enabled us to offer transfer at the blastocyst stage. In collaboration with the Istenhegyi Géndiagnosztika (genetic center) we established the first FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridization)-based preimplantation genetic diagnosis program to offer a solution to those affected by numeric or structural chromosome abnormalities. We participated in the development of time-lapse embryo observation technology from its early days and contributed significantly to the development of the special culture dish the systems utilize. Our clinic reported the first successful pregnancy after the transfer of a single blastocyst selected by time-lapse algorithm (2010).
In addition to the high volume and high-quality clinical care, our embryologists, doctors publish their scientific work in national and international journals and routinely present them at scientific meetings. We have participated in both pharmaceutical industry sponsored research as well as in our own clinical investigations. Among these studies some are unique like the studies assessing the impact of high hydrostatic pressure treatment (PTAT) prior to oocyte cryopreservation on oocyte recovery rate. The first Hungarian textbook of infertility work-up and treatment was also written by the staff of the Kaali clinics („A meddőség korszerű diagnosztikája és kezelése” Medicina Könyvkiadó, 2006).
We have been involved in the development of the Hungarian infertility evaluation and treatment guidelines. During this process we always paid attention to incorporate evidence-based recommendations that are supported by international experts and guidelines. Our goals have not changed over the years; we still try to do our best to provide effective, safe and evidence-based treatments to those couples who trust us with their care.