After ovulation, follicles transform into the corpus luteum or ‘yellow body’. Corpus luteum development depends on the luteinising hormone (LH) surge before ovulation and on the number of receptors for this gonadotropin in the granulosa cells and in the theca cells. Both types of cells go through significant changes in structure and composition and this turns the walls of the corpus […]
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 from
one country to another.
There can be several reasons for this such as the following:
– The
couple wishes to continue their treatment in a […]
Personalising courses of treatment is undoubtedly currently the
most important area of change in the field of medicine. A specific strategy should be designed
depending on each patient’s individual characteristics.
One of the key areas for developing personalised medical healthcare is the use of pharmacogenetics. A patient needs different doses or types of pharmaceutical drugs depending on certain genetic variations. […]
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 of transmission. In cases such as these, assisted reproduction techniques are an excellent choice for getting pregnant without the risk […]
Embryo fragmentation is a phenomenon that takes place in most embryos and its origin is not entirely clear. Some studies would seem to suggest that the fragments come from cell remains that have no nucleus or that they are the result of the decomposition of one or more cells from the embryo itself. The oocyte plays the most important role in fragmentation. Poor oocyte quality can lead to embryos that are highly fragmented. Embryo quality is determined by several characteristics such as the number of cells, their size or if the cell interior has an abnormality of any kind such as granularity or vacuolisation. However, one of the factors that has most impact on embryo quality is the extent of fragmentation. Based on the amount, in percentage, of space that it occupies, fragmentation is categorised into 4 types or degrees. […]
One of the main limitations of assisted reproduction techniques are its embryo implantation failure rates. The implantation rate is the embryo’s ability to implant in the mother’s uterus. In other words, not all embryos are able to give rise to a pregnancy. Some have a greater chance of doing so than others. If it were possible to select embryos with the greatest ability to implant, it would be possible to improve assisted reproduction technique success rates. […]
In vitro fertilisation treatment (IVF) techniques consist of fertilising oocytes with spermatozoa in a laboratory. They are held under conditions that are similar to their natural environment and, a few days later, the best embryo is selected and placed in the woman’s uterus where it remains until it implants. From this point on, monitoring procedures are the same as in any other spontaneous or natural pregnancy. […]
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis B (HBV) are viruses that are transmitted through blood and body fluids as well as through vertical transmission (from the mother to the foetus). As a result, couples wishing to get pregnant in which one partner is a carrier of a virus are faced with the question of whether or not it is possible to do so without the other partner getting infected. If the male partner has one of these viruses and his female partner does not (serodiscordant couples), assisted reproduction technology (ART) can be used in order to avoid transmission. […]
A hysterosalpingography is an examination using x-rays and, as its name suggests, it is used for exploring the uterus (hystero-) and fallopian tubes (salpingo-).
The examination is rather uncomfortable but this is remedied by giving the patient some form of pain relief or muscle relaxant before proceeding. An alternative test called a hysterosonography does now exist, too. It is pain free, does not require the use of x-rays and, furthermore, obtains the same results as a hysterosalpingography. Nowadays, hysterosonographies are the preferred choice over hysterosalpingographies. This technique can be performed at Instituto Bernabeu and the results are provided immediately. […]
Spontaneous abortion is defined as an unexpected pregnancy loss before the foetus is viable. In other words, before week 22 of pregnancy and under 500g in weight. The frequency rate of spontaneous abortion is estimated to be between 15 and 20% amongst the general population and it is the most common of all complications during pregnancy.
A small percentage (between 2 and 5%) of cases are recurrent and this is what is known as recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). […]
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