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There are many reasons why women cannot achieve a pregnancy with their own oocytes. In addition to medical reasons (e.g. cancer treatment, genetic diseases, premature menopause etc.), today, there is an increasing number of cases where socio-economic causes are at the root of the problem. Women often delay having children beyond the age of 35. From age 40, it is getting more and more difficult to achieve a pregnancy.
In situations of this kind, egg donation could be an opportunity for the infertile couple to overcome unwanted childlessness. The relevant legislative framework conditions vary from one State to another.

But how does an appropriate treatment actually look like? Artikel lesen

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Course of IVF treatment using donor eggs

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“How many times have we discussed this matter and have spent endless nights browsing the internet to find firsthand reports by other couples dealing with unwanted childlessness. Now it is about time to give luck a bit of a boost. The decision is made: Tomorrow we are going to call the IVF center and make an appointment.”

Such thoughts occupy many couples before they have their first consultation. Their wish to have a child remained unfulfilled, despite many years of endeavoring to achieve a pregnancy. In the same way as the underlying causes are different, so are the treatment options that are available today for use in reproductive medicine. The couples should gather comprehensive information on the subject, since the legal provisions vary from one State to another.

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Variety of treatment options as an opportunity for infertile couples

Fertility-Treatment BLOG interview with clinical psychologist Mag. Karl-Heinz Brandt:

(Click here to read the first part of the interview)

Mag. Karl-Heinz Brandt(l) | Rene Winsauer(r)

Mr. Brandt, the IVF Centers Prof. Zech offer their patients the possibility to have access to psychological counseling. We have already talked about situations in which this option may prove to be very important. Now I will address in greater detail the social environment and how it may impact patients dealing with fertility issues.

Buzzword: “world wide web”. How do the couples concerned deal with information from the Internet, for instance information provided by community forums?
Mag. Brandt: Let me start with a comparison: The proverbial other side of the coin can also be observed with respect to Internet fora. Firstly, the positive side: Forums usually offer useful tips and competent assistance, and in addition give the couple the feeling that they are not alone with their concerns: “We are not the only ones being treated for this“. Exchanging experiences and information with others concerned may become very important, especially for women. The reason for this is that it is often hard for them to talk about the issue with the people in their surroundings. As their husband/partner is the only person to whom they can talk about the matter, it is often too much for him to handle. Such forums offer a valuable platform for discussion and exchange of experiences, in which women console, support and advise one another.

Let us now turn to the negative side: Theme forums may seem confusing at times, because users post their individual experiences with a strong personal and emotional touch, leaving out important aspects of the very complex issue of unwanted childlessness. Such statements can be perceived as “suggestive truths” by the readers. In this way, women can drive themselves “crazy” – which may very well be carried to extremes.

How would you describe the influence exerted on the couple by their immediate social environment, for instance by family and friends? Artikel lesen

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Psychological support for couples with unfulfilled desire for children – Part 2

Mag. Karl-Heinz Brandt(l) | Rene Winsauer(r)

Mr. Brandt, the IVF Centers Prof. Zech offer their patients the possibility to benefit from psychological assistance, if desired.
What does this assistance look like in detail?

Mag. Brandt: The support is geared to issues of particular concern to the couple. These, in a nutshell, are the key issues:

• The fear that a pregnancy test comes back negative for the first time or once again
• Reducing tension during the waiting period
• Disturbances related to the personal surroundings
• A suspected psychological block
• Providing support through hypnosis
• Coming to terms with traumatic experiences relating to pregnancy / birth
• Coming to terms with traumatic experiences encountered during their life, and which are still seen as a burden
• Stresses and strains at the workplace
• Fear of needles and injections

The psychological support itself involves 1-5 sessions, depending on how complex the subject is. To this end, however, there are no fixed rules. We are flexible to determine how best to proceed to meet the requirements of the patients.

In what situations do couples seek your assistance? Artikel lesen

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Psychological support for couples with unfulfilled desire for children – Part 1

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Since the clinic has been founded by Prof. Herbert Zech in Bregenz in 1984, the IVF centers of the same name are characterized by the highest standards in terms of certified quality, innovative technologies and passionate commitment.

Together with his family and his team, the passionate specialist in reproductive medicine strives to help involuntary childless couples by assisted reproductive technologies.

Long-standing experience

With the experience of over three decades of successful fertility treatment leading to the birth of more than 30.000 children, the
IVF Centers Prof. Zech are today among the worldwide leading specialists in the field of reproductive medicine. Artikel lesen

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For 30 years the guidelines and motivation of a family – Promoting family happiness in more than 30.000 cases

…Prof. Herbert Zech in a detailed interview in our Fertility-Treatment-BLOG:

Professor Zech, already 29 years ago you have been on everyone’s lips in Vorarlberg, South Tyrol, Switzerland and Southern Germany after having achieved the first pregnancies following IVF treatment. What has happened since then?

Prof. Dr Herbert Zech

It is true that since I have started my medical work, we have been successfully performing fertility treatment first at the University of Innsbruck (1981-1983), and then, since the end of 1984 in Bregenz. The key factor in this success was, above all, our tremendous commitment and hard work. At that time there was no possibility to monitor and trigger ovulation by drug treatment in order to allow egg retrieval to be performed at a specific moment.
We therefore needed to rely on the “natural” onset of ovulation, which in turn meant that we had to work almost round-the-clock. To this end, we also performed egg retrieval during night time, for instance after midnight or in the morning around five so as to create optimal conditions to achieve a pregnancy.
And this is how we achieved the birth of the first “test-tube-babies” in Austria – 1983 in Tyrol and 1985 in Vorarlberg. At that time, this was a real sensation, and of course there was considerable press interest in the issue.

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Setting benchmarks in fertility treatment…

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“I am frightened – to be more precise – it is almost like a feeling of panic, when I think about the ticking of my biological clock!”

“I am going to have ovarian surgery, and I am concerned about the impact this may have on my fertility.”

Our experience has shown that these scenarios reflect the worries of many women. Most of them are under enormous pressure when it comes to family planning. More and more physicians have to deal with their patients’ desire to take precautionary measures. Modern reproductive medicine offers the option of female fertility preservation, which is often referred to as “Social Freezing”.

But what does this mean in practical terms? Artikel lesen

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Emancipated family planning or a lifestyle trend?

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It was Charles Lindbergh’s ambitious goal to be the first pilot to fly an aircraft non-stop across the Atlantic. This made him a pioneer in the history of aviation. Being a pioneer in the field of reproductive medicine, Prof. Herbert Zech has always been concerned with helping couples all over the world to overcome unwanted childlessness.

30 years ago, he founded the IVF Centers Prof. Zech in Bregenz, thus setting global standards. He managed for instance to fulfill the heartfelt desire of the first couples undergoing fertility treatment in Russia (former USSR) and Hungary. Artikel lesen

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This is about pioneers, innovations and heart’s desires