Assisted Reproduction
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Other complementary therapies:
TESA
What is TESA?
TESA is the aspiration of the male testicular tissue in order to try to identify and freeze mobile spermatozoids to be used for assisted reproduction.
When is this used?
This process is used in cases where there are no spermatozoids in the ejaculated sperm (secretory or obstructive azoosperma). It is also used when it has been impossible to obtain a sperm sample.
Advantages:
This procedure may be the only solution in cases where sperm cannot be identified or extracted.
Long culture of embryos (up to five days)
What is it?
With the conventional technique, embryo transfer is performed within two or three days of egg retrieval (they cannot be kept longer in the culture). With this new technique, the embryos are kept in incubators or ovens for longer. Therefore, only good quality and suitable embryos will proceed to the blastocyst stage.
When is it used?
Long culture is used in cases in where there have been several transfers of good quality embryos and all indications have been good, however no pregnancy has resulted.
Advantages:
A smaller number of embryos are transferred which decreases the risk of multiple pregnancies, but they have greater potential for development and therefore there is a higher chance of pregnancy.
Assisted "Hatching"
What is it?
This is a technique which is complementary to the process of in vitro fertilisation. It involves opening a small hole in the cover (pellucid zone) that surrounds the embryo, to remove it and implant it into the woman´s uterus.
When is it used?
This procedure is used in older women with high hormone levels of FSH, cases of highly fragmented embryos or a thickened pellucid zone.
Advantages:
If several attempts at in vitro fertilization have failed, this process can facilitate the embryo implantation in the womb.
Thawed embryo transfer
What is it?
If the couple has frozen embryos, they can avoid having to repeat the whole IVF cycle. The embryos are thawed at the exact time that they will be implanted in the woman and are used in the same way as if they were a fresh embryo.
When is this used?
Thawed embryo transfer is used with couples who have already undertaken an IVF cycle and where the non transferred embryos were frozen and stored.
Advantages:
This process only repeats the last phase of the IVF cycle, which significantly lowers costs.
Disadvantages:
In some cases the embryos do not develop after being thawed and therefore there is no transfer.
Sperm bank
What is it?
The sperm are frozen and are immersed in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196 degrees for as long as necessary. When the couple decide to undergo treatment, part of the frozen sample is thawed and used to achieve fertilisation. It is convenient to freeze semen samples:
- When there is difficulty in the man collecting a semen sample. - To ensure the possibility of offspring for the couple, in case of accident, death, vasectomy, or treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy which may reduce fertility or cause infertility in the man.
