Around 25% of cases of female sterility are due to tubal factors, in other words, some abnormality of the Fallopian tubes. There are many reasons for fallopian tube damage. Partial damage to the tubes due to an adhesion, or complete damage due to tubal obstruction, will prevent this transport and as a result fertilisation will not take place. Some of Tubal damage reasons are • Infections rising from the cervix or uterus towards the tubes (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, PID), or else per continuum from the abdominal cavity, e.g. an appendicitis. The germs most frequently involved in PID are Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia and other pathogens. • Previous pelvic surgery, which may have produced adhesions on the tubes or endometriosis.
The term PCO refers to the increase in the number of small cysts (antral follicles) that can be observed on the ovary surface when analysed in an ultrasound scan. There are many women with PCO who have no problems ovulating and getting pregnant. However, some women who have this characteristic ultrasound scan pattern also have the condition known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). These women have irregular menstrual cycles or even a lack of menstruation; therefore, they may have problems getting pregnant because they do not ovulate.
Ovulation, or a woman’s fertile period, occurs around halfway through each cycle, on roughly the fourteenth day in a supposed 28-day cycle. It has been proven that 24 hours after ovulation there is a rise in base body temperature of between 0.4 and 0.6 degrees. This is the signal on which the control method is based, marking the days on which ovulation occurs.
To study male fertility, semen analysis is done which analyse the number, motility and shape of the sperm. A suitable result sample is with sperm count of more than 39 million in the ejaculate, with at least 32% of the sperms having progressive motility and at least 4% having a normal shape.
Sperms can have abnormalities in the motility, shape or vitality.
Some of the causes are • Infections or the presence of antibodies. • Alterations in the number of chromosomes; DNA fragmentation; oxidation phenomena; varicocele, etc. • Diabetes, thyroid disorders, kidney disease and hepatic insufficiency, as well as taking certain medications, drugs, tobacco and stress.
For optimum results, it is better to give the sample after a period of sexual abstinence of 3-5 days. The semen is obtained from masturbation in a room adapted for this purpose and is analysed in andrology laboratory at the clinic where it is analysed.
After a year of regular sexual relations without achieving pregnancy, you might begin to suspect that there is some kind of problem. Obviously, you must not use any kind of protection during sex. For older women, we recommend that you go for a consultation when six months of sexual relations have failed to result in a pregnancy.
When you come to our assisted reproduction clinics for the first time you should bring any previous test results or reports that you have, as well as your passport or identity card.
There is no waiting list for any treatment.
There are no differences in the process of development of the embryo once the transfer has been carried out, nor later in the development of the baby. The pregnancy develops in the same way as a natural pregnancy.
When you are pregnant, you often have symptoms which are new or uncomfortable, like, for example feeling sick or experiencing indigestion. In general, these are passing discomforts and are not any cause for alarm.
However, some symptoms can indicate a more important problem and, in this case it is best to go to your doctor or hospital immediately. For example: severe pain at the beginning of a pregnancy.
The risk of miscarriage is the same (10-15%) as in a natural pregnancy and goes up according to the age of the patients receiving the IVF or insemination.
It has been scientifically demonstrated that children born from Assisted Reproduction Techniques do not have a higher risk of genetic alterations or deformities than those children born from a natural pregnancy.
Depending on the treatment, we will tell you how to administer the medication and if there are preferred times of day for it to be taken. For example, in the case of insemination or IVF, the doctor will give you a time period for certain medicines to be taken, according to your follicular development.
Each follicular control consists of:
The ultrasound is a visual control which helps us to check that the follicles are growing correctly. With this analysis we are able to see how the follicles are maturing.
Some patients do experience discomfort and suffer from symptoms such as a bloating, sensitive breasts, water retention, light headaches… If this occurs, inform the medical team and they will tell you what to do.
We work with a group of healthy donors of between 18 and 28 years of age and we select the donors according to their physical resemblance to the oocyte recipients. We match you with a donor in accordance with the law and ICMR Guidelines. The donation is anonymous. Education, intellectual level, religion, beliefs or physical or psychological abilities are not determining factors; we believe this is all a question of the personal education of the parents along with the social environment,
Once you have started your hormonal treatment, we will assign you one of the donors, who coincides with your physical characteristics and we will tell you the day she will be ready to carry out the egg retrieval. This waiting period is variable and often depends on the duration of the donors’ stimulation.
On the day of the insemination, you must reach the clinic, 2 hours before the scheduled time for the insemination along you’re your partner to provide a fresh semen sample, without having missed any meals. This is usually a swift and painless technique. After the insemination you will rest for approximately 10 minutes in the doctor’s office and then can travel home that same day by any means of transport.
On the day of the egg retrieval, you should not eat or drink anything for at least six hours. You must arrive at the clinic 45 minutes before the time of the appointment and not be wearing any make-up, perfume, jewellery…
The doctor will carry out the Egg Retrieval under an anaesthetic sedation in order for it to be completely painless. After the Egg Retrieval you will remain resting for approximately 2-3 hours in clinic and after that discharged. You can eat and drink normally in a progressive fashion, initially light diet then normal.
On the day of your transfer you must arrive at the Clinic 30 minutes before the scheduled time. The transfer is painless and does not require any anaesthesia or sedation. The transfer is done using an ultrasound control: it is very important that you have your bladder full at the time of the transfer (drink 3-4 glasses of water and do not urinate for 2 or 3 hours before the transfer). This procedure facilitates the transfer and allows better ultrasound visualisation of the technique.
We recommend that you spend the 2-3 days after receiving treatment at home because it is an emotion filled day for patients. However, many patients cannot stay, and return home by plane, train or car.
A naturally pregnant woman is unaware of her pregnancy until the following month, and when she does the pregnancy test she will find that the embryo has developed independently of her lifestyle. Once the embryos have been transferred, an assisted pregnancy is a pregnancy like any other and there is no need to be too cautious with yourself. The only thing that we do recommend in the first two weeks is that you avoid intense exercise and carrying heavy bags.
The psychological factor then comes into play and it is advisable to keep your mind occupied until your pregnancy test.