Assisted Reproduction

There is no legal age limit to prevent a couple seeking fertility treatment. The couple´s personal circumstances are important, in terms of their their health and fitness, and other considerations. For women, fertility treatment is discouraged after the age of 50. 

Once the egg leaves the ovary it survives approximately 48 hours and it is only during this time that it can be fertilised by a sperm, whose fertilising power is a maximum of 72 hours. However, patients are discouraged from becoming obsessed with identifying the point of ovulation, as anxiety can actually reduce the chance of a woman becoming pregnant and may damage the relationship. 

Currently treatment, science and technology are very advanced, which guarantees a high rate of success in assisted reproduction treatments. There is a solution for approximately 80 to 90% of all cases. 

The main advantages are that artificial insemination is an outpatient technique,  it is minimally invasive and is absolutely painless. 
Some of the main risks of insemination are multiple pregnancies (20% of pregnancies are twins), ectopic pregnancy, which is where the embryo implants outside the uterus (2% of pregnancies) and and ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome.

The main advantage of this technique is in observing extracted eggs and sperm, which allows the clinicians to obtain information about the couple's infertility and to detect any morphological abnormality. This information results in a more reliable evaluation of the chances of getting pregnant and helps to improve the treatment in later attempts.

This technique ensures that almost 99% of eggs are fertilized, which does not always occur in conventional IV fertilisation.  There is a low risk of complications as a general anaesthetic is not required.  Patients may occasionally react to hormone treatments by producing an excessive number of eggs (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome). There is also the possibility of multiple pregnancies.

Ovulation irregularities are a common cause of infertility. In women with regular cycles (every 26-30 days), ovulation occurs mid-cycle, around day 12-14. If, however, the intervals between periods are longer than 35 days, it is possible that there is no ovulation in a cycle, or it may occur 20-25 days after menstruation. 

The solution to this problem is the use of drugs to stimulate the ovaries, used with ultrasound guidance. If there is no other additional problem, then it is possible to simply program intercourse when the ultrasound indicates that ovulation is close.

The fallopian tube is where the egg and sperm combine.  Therefore, if both fallopian tubes are blocked, it is almost impossible to produce a spontaneous pregnancy. Previously, this was treated  by surgical recanalisation of the tubes, but now in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is much more effective.

Endometriosis is a disease of unknown causes that may be operated upon, depending on the location and extent of the problem.  The result is fragments of intrauterine tissue located outside the uterus in different locations within the pelvic cavity.

Women with endometriosis may have more difficulty becoming pregnant; in fact, about 30 - 40% of women with endometriosis have fertility problems. Endometriosis is thought to trigger a hostile environment for embryo implantation, so that some women with endometriosis need fertility treatment to be able conceive.

It is quite common for both men and women who have undergone surgery for birth control to face a change of circumstances and therefore want another child.  In these cases, Assisted Reproductive Technology is emerging as a fast and effective option compared to surgical repair.

More and more couples in this situation choose to resort to in vitro fertilisation or intracytoplasmic sperm injections. Choosing one option over the other will be based on tests, which determine whether the partner has another fertility problem.

Men who have had a vasectomy will require a minor surgical procedure known as TESA. This is a testicular biopsy which recovers sperm from the testes, epididymis or vas deferens.

Spanish legislation on Assisted Reproductive Technology allows any woman the rights to use these techniques to become pregnant, regardless of whether they have a male partner. If the woman does not have any fertility problems (which would be determined in preliminary tests) the recommended treatment is artificial insemination with donor sperm.  When fertility problems exist, then in vitro fertilisation may be used, also with donor sperm. Legislation requires the medical centre to maintain the anonymity of the donor and the recipient. Sperm donors are strictly selected and undergo rigorous health checks.

In order to achieve a pregnancy it is necessary for the ovaries to produce eggs. When the ovaries stop functioning earlier than expected and a woman reaches menopause, the only means of pregnancy is to use eggs (embryos or otherwise) from another woman. The use of in vitro fertilisation with donated eggs has a high success rate, and the eggs come from young women without fertility problems.

When there appears to be an absence of sperm in semen, a sperm count is undertaken to confirm the diagnosis, to see if it would be possible to isolate spermatozoids from the sample and freeze them.

If the absence of sperm is confirmed, the urologist undertakes a study to determine possible causes. This study includes a series of analytical tests such as hormonal and genetic tests.  If the results are favorable, then a testicular biopsy is taken in order to retrieve sperm from the tissue and if there are any, they will be frozen. It is then possible to attempt pregnancy through in vitro fertilisation with an intracytoplasmic sperm injection, using the previously frozen sperm.

The Assisted Reproduction Service is available to both customers and non customers of Sanitas who are over 18 years of age.  It is not necessary to be a Sanitas policyholder to use these treatments.

• Consultation with the specialist.
• Biological and gynaecological procedures.
• Standard check-ups.

• Artificial insemination (homologous and heterologous).
• In Vitro Fertilisation.
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
• Embryo transfer.
• Egg Donation IVF +.
• Sperm conservation (annual).
• Testicular biopsy to recuperate sperm.

No, the service is available whether you are a customer or not.
You do not need to be a Sanitas policyholder to use this service.

The Customer Service helpline (902 310 122) will give you a free, no-obligation appointment, so that a specialist may recommend the next steps.

Payment can be made by VISA card or by bank transfer.

Yes, financing is available for 1 year at 0% interest. For other financing options, please contact us. 

Sanitas will return any unused funds that have been paid in advance for treatment.