[← article overview of the topic-series »Trying to conceive after a miscarriage«] Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock If a pregnancy cannot be brought to term but instead ends in spontaneous abortion or miscarriage, this could be a devastating experience, especially for those couples who had long been trying in vain to get pregnant and have
Spermiogram
| What’s possible nowadays when it comes to the assessment of male fertility
Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock The causes of unwanted childlessness may vary widely from one couple to another and therefore require an individual approach. This is why the male factor is moving more and more into the focus of attention of science. Today, we know that spermatozoa ought to be investigated with considerably greater accuracy
“Good Swimmers” – but is this enough?
| Additional information as part of the semen analysis can be provided by molecular biological assessment of sperm quality
Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock In the evaluation of male fertility through the analysis of a semen sample under a microscope, the desired outcome is to see a lot of “good swimmers” among the spermatozoa – although this still says little or nothing about their morphology and inner structure. Thanks to modern technologies, it is
Diagnosis: PCO Syndrome
| A syndrome with a complex nature as the potential cause of the involuntary childlessness
Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock One evening, my friend Gudrun called, telling me that she had been diagnosed with PCO syndrome by her gynecologist. She asked me to exactly explain the disorder to her. Gudrun is a healthy woman in her early 30s. She has taken the pill for several years for contraceptive purposes and
Sperm quality
Assessment and significance in fertility treatments
Structure spermatozoon/oocyte | Photo: Shutterstock Egg and sperm cell are of equal importance for the development of the embryo. A closer look at the sperm factor suggests that the assessment of sperm quality followed by the selection of appropriate spermatozoa for the fertilization of the oocyte are important steps on the path towards the much
“How old is too old?”
Fertility and advanced maternal age
Icon Image | Photo: Shutterstock It is not only the term itself but also the definition of “advanced age” in connection with the desire to have children which gives rise to numerous discussions. In English speaking countries the term “advanced maternal age” is most commonly used for all women aged 35 or more at the
Fertility Test for Everybody
Icon Image | Photo: Shutterstock Sperm-Check using a smartphone app, ovulation tests, testing of hormone levels using ready-to-use test kits … Fertility tests for self-/home testing are not entirely new, but obviously there are ever more inventive products featuring supposedly greater user friendliness. This, of course, arouses the interest of many men and women. US
Why an embryo does not “spill out”?
A biological-physical approach regarding embryo implantation in fertility treatment
Graphical representation of female genital organs | Photo: Shutterstock Among patients undergoing fertility treatment (IVF/ICSI/IMSI), the following question is repeatedly raised in the relevant forums: “Could it be possible that my embryo may somehow ‘spill out’ of the uterus after embryo transfer?” In this respect, it should be noted that the uterine cavity is not
