Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock “How can we make it happen? Can we even afford it?” … Especially in difficult times like these, when the coronavirus pandemic is causing widespread economic and social insecurity, such considerations are thoroughly understandable. Many couples who wish to have children may have similar concerns, particularly in situations where costs
“IMSI versus ICSI”
| Study on the potential impacts of laboratory techniques used on the live birth rates and the health of children conceived by IVF
Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock IVF treatment involves the fertilization of an oocyte by a sperm under the microscope. To this end, different techniques may be used, such as ICSI and IMSI. In order to learn more about the role played by these laboratory techniques in the assessment of sperm quality and subsequently also in
“Large or Small?”
| Study on how to optimize ovarian stimulation/follicular aspiration
Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock Fertility treatment usually starts with the stimulation phase. This means that the woman has to undergo customized hormone therapy in order to induce her ovaries to produce multiple follicles, each containing an oocyte. The number and growth of follicles within the ovaries are closely monitored by ultrasound examinations. During the
Increased Risk of Hypertension due to IVF?
| A new study has created a great deal of uncertainty among patients
Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock A recently published study (see link) conducted by a Swiss working group on the increased risk of high blood pressure in children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is currently making big waves, not least through nonstop media coverage. Additionally, this was fueled by some statements made by the senior
Close to nature
| IVF treatment involving blastocyst culture
Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock The aim of this medical specialty can already be inferred from the term Reproductive Medicine. It means understanding and copying nature right down to the smallest details, i.e. supporting human procreation using medical-technical procedures designed to help sub-fertile couples. Based on current scientific knowledge, an important role is played by
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
Love in Times of Egg Donation
Study on the relationship between mother and child after IVF treatment using donated eggs
Icon Image | Photo: Shutterstock Some couples with an unfulfilled desire to have a child have a long way to go until they have achieved their goal of starting a family – inseminations, hormonal treatments used for ‘artificial insemination’, IVF therapies, cryo cycles, etc. Some couples, however, need a “Plan B”: An egg donation. With
