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
“I’m not a real woman, because I’m not able to have children”
Icon image | Photo: Shutterstock Women and their partners – who, for a long time, have been struggling in vain to conceive – talk about the above and many other thoughts and feelings associated with their situation. It is in particular the social environment that fuels such thoughts by quotes like: “Now you are married.
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
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
“Understanding the miracle of nature”
What contributes to the success of fertility treatment
Icon Image | Photo: Shutterstock Many couples wish for nothing more than to have their own child. But for some of them, their wish to conceive a child has remained unfulfilled, despite prolonged efforts to achieve a pregnancy. But, regardless of how different the underlying causes may be, today there are promising therapeutic options in
“If the stork needs a little help”
Course of IVF treatment using donor eggs
Icon Image | Photo: Shutterstock 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
Blastocyst Culture
How treatment methods may help to make the dream of having a child come true
Blastocyst Involuntary childlessness today is no longer an inevitable fate, thanks to a wide range of treatment methods. This variety includes different approaches in terms of their efficiency which, from the perspective of the respective physicians, biologists and experts, undoubtedly also play a role here. However, from a scientific point of view, it is important
On the trail of Lindbergh
This is about pioneers, innovations and heart’s desires
Icon Image | Photo: Shutterstock 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
“Down…Set…Go!”
Icon Image | Photo: Shutterstock The hormonal stimulation of the woman can give the decisive impetus for the long-awaited offspring. The body is gently prepared for pregnancy. Ovarian stimulation is aimed at inducing the maturation of multiple that contain the maturing oocytes. This requires a targeted and perfectly timed approach. It is actually comparable to
Stress test for spermatozoa
Stress test for spermatozoa
Egg and sperm contribute equally to the successful development of the embryo. Nuclear vacuoles in the sperm head are associated with reduced natural fertility in men. Questions arise about what causes the nuclear vacuolization. Do we, as biologists, even promote the development of vacuoles in the laboratory without knowing?
