Reproductive biology
Discover in depth the biological processes related to fertilization, embryo implantation and all aspects affecting human reproductive biology.
Rh incompatibility: could it affect my baby during pregnancy?
A person’s blood group is determined by a number of proteins that are found on the surface of red blood cells. There are 4 main blood groups depending on if these proteins are present or […]
Absent uterus or Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome: what can I do?
Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome – or simply MRKH syndrome – is a congenital disorder (birth defect), the main characteristic of which is that the women who suffer from it do not have a uterus. The cause of this infrequent […]
Is the EmbryoGlue® culture medium that is used during embryo development efficient?
The embryo transfer procedure is one of the most crucial and decisive procedures carried out during an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. For this process to be successful, the culture media in which the embryos […]
What happens to excess embryos following assisted reproduction treatment?
When in vitro fertilisation treatment commences, one of the aims is to try and achieve an appropriate number of good quality embryos in the laboratory so that the best ones can be selected and transferred. Whilst the Spanish law […]
Can patients manage embryo and gamete transportation?
Whilst it is not part of the day-to-day routine at reproductive medicine clinics, it is now increasingly common to have to transport biological samples (oocytes, semen or embryos) from one clinic to another and even […]
Exhaustive sperm donor selection and exclusion criteria
Nowadays, many couples have to turn to gamete donation in order to make their dream of becoming parents come true. In cases such as these, the couple tends to have common and understandable doubts about […]
AIDS. Assisted reproduction is the best option
The risk of contracting HIV during unprotected sexual intercourse is estimated to be between 0.5 and 1%. For serodiscordant couples (one partner is a carrier), trying for a child naturally can entail an elevated risk […]
Embryonic development: the embryo on day 1 (D1)
When an oocyte is in an optimum state of maturation, ovulation takes place. This is known as day 0 of development (D0) and fertilisation by a competent spermatozoon must take place during this period. When the oocyte […]
Infertility in men and cryptorchidism
Cryptorchidism, from the Greek words kriptos (hidden) and orquis (testicle), is the failure of one or both testes to descend to the scrotum. It is estimated that between 2 and 5% of newborn boys have […]
The impact of Turner syndrome on women
Turner syndrome is a chromosomal condition caused by partial or total loss of one of the X chromosomes. All human beings have 23 pairs of chromosomes and this is what is known as the karyotype. […]