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Dr Maximilian Murtinger | Medical director
IVF Centers Prof. Zech Bregenz

With ultrasound scan you normally associate a pregnancy and the happy parents sharing the first ultrasound pictures of their baby with friends and family. But even before pregnancy occurs, ultrasound diagnostics play a key role, especially in fertility treatment.

In fertility treatment, ultrasound examinations are performed both during the gynecological assessment of the patient’s medical situation which forms part of the initial consultation and during ovarian stimulation. Ultrasound scanning during ovarian stimulation aims at monitoring the number of growing follicles (prevention of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) and precisely determining their size in order to be able to choose the optimal moment to trigger ovulation.

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Part 3 of the topic-series »Fertility treatment procedure«

[← article overview of the topic-series »Fertility treatment procedure«]

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They are closely associated with human growth and are essential for the metabolism. Human reproduction processes are mainly controlled by them. Hormones: messenger substances, thus playing a crucial role at the beginning of each IVF treatment. Hence, following the initial consultation, the woman provides a decisive boost by undergoing hormone therapy (ovarian stimulation).

About the background:

What is the nature of ovarian stimulation?

Since in the “natural” menstrual cycle of a woman several oocytes start to ripen, on average about 10 follicles (containing the maturing oocytes) compete for dominance each month. Only ONE follicle becomes the so-called dominant follicle containing the mature oocyte. The other follicles stop developing. This is exactly where hormonal stimulation comes into play:
The woman needs to take appropriate hormone medication (e.g.: gonadotropins = pituitary hormones) in order to induce as many of these follicles – that would otherwise loose the battle for dominance – to grow further and produce a mature oocyte. This requires a targeted and exactly timed approach. Artikel lesen

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Part 2 of the topic-series »Fertility treatment procedure«

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How do I arrange an appointment for an initial consultation?
What will be discussed there?
How should I prepare for it?
What happens next?

… Questions which bother many of the couples when starting fertility treatment. The team of the IVF Centers Prof. Zech is always there for you right from the day of the first contact and will be pleased to answer all your open questions and give you detailed advice in order to provide for an easy access to the treatment.

On the way from the first contact to the birth of the long-awaited child, the initial consultation is supposed to be the first important step. Artikel lesen

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Part 1 of the topic-series »Fertility treatment procedure«

[← article overview of the topic-series »Fertility treatment procedure«]

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In order to provide couples undergoing IVF treatment with optimum treatment conditions, the specialists at the IVF Centers Prof. Zech in Bregenz are supported by a team of anesthetists – the Bodensee ANÄSTHESIE GbR. The medical specialists Michael Brandt, Erich Goldscheider and Andreas Franz are working on an outpatient basis, using the latest anesthesia techniques in various clinics and medical practices in the Lake Constance region. Apart from working with the highest quality standards, their main focus is always on people.

This will be of paramount importance, in particular shortly before oocyte retrieval (follicular puncture), a time which, for many patients, can be extremely nerve-racking and disturbing. In order to relieve the strain on the couple, at the IVF Centers Prof. Zech there is always a joint discussion with the patient, the treating doctor and the anesthetist about the details of the intervention under short-term anesthesia (sedoanalgesia). Artikel lesen

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Part 4 of the topic-series »Fertility treatment procedure«

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…then these patients suffer from so-called autoimmune diseases, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. The disorder leads to a chronic inflammation of the thyroid, thus impairing the reproductive health of these patients. Patients undergoing treatment at the
IVF Centers Prof. Zech are routinely tested for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and, if necessary, receive appropriate treatment.

The disorder was named after the Japanese physician Hakaru Hashimoto, who was the first to describe it in 1912. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a condition resulting from chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland (chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis). The “misguided” immune system mistakenly produces antibodies that attack healthy thyroid tissue and cause damage to it. The thyroid gland is part of the endocrine system and produces hormones that play an essential role in human metabolism.
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If so, you are only one among many! For many patients, the start of an IVF treatment is associated with a great deal of discomfort, since the regular injections of hormone preparations present a major challenge to them. This is perfectly normal and absolutely understandable.

Most patients, however, will get used to giving themselves injections after having overcome the demanding initial phase. After all, the injections bring you closer to fulfilling your dream of conceiving and giving birth to your longed-for child. Artikel lesen

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