FAQs

What is it? It is the analytical parameter that tells us what the ovarian reserve is at a certain moment.

When is it measured? It can be measured at any time during the cycle, as it remains stable and varies very discretely throughout the menstrual cycle.

What is it used for? Before performing assisted reproduction treatment, we assess the AMH to predict the potential response that a woman will have when undergoing ovarian stimulation. The greater the ovarian reserve, the greater the response to stimulation and, therefore, the greater the number of oocytes recovered in the follicular puncture.

It is very common to confuse these two concepts. On the one hand, we refer to “polycystic-looking ovary” as an ovary with very good ovarian reserve and with a high antral follicle count (AFC). On the other hand, “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome” is a set of symptoms and signs that are characterized by altering both the reproductive system and the endocrine and hormonal system of the woman who suffers from it. The most common symptoms are irregular menstrual cycles, excess of body hair, polycystic-looking ovaries and a very high level of Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH).

What is it? Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for the correct absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestine, the reabsorption of calcium in the kidneys, bone formation and mineralization, and in the intervention of immune system processes.

How does it intervene in implantation? It has a direct effect on the cells that form the immune system at the endometrial level, producing an anti-inflammatory effect and promoting immunotolerance; thus, facilitating the implantation and invasion of the embryo at the endometrial level.

And in pregnancy? Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and immunotolerance effect, it is also present during the 1st and 2nd trimester, playing an important role in correct placentation and reducing complications such as spontaneous abortion or preeclampsia.

Where can we find it? The essential sources of Vitamin D are exposure to UV rays from the sun and foods such as milk and eggs.

Marijuana use is associated with alterations in the neuroendocrine signals involved in the reproductive process.

• In women, it has been linked to alterations in the menstrual cycle due to hormonal dysfunction, in addition to negatively affecting tubal transport, fertilization, and placental development. It has also been associated with a higher rate of abortion.
• In men, marijuana use can cause a significant reduction in sperm motility and an increase in alterations in sperm morphology, which reduces the capacity for acrosomal reaction, that is, the process that allows fusion between the sperm and the egg.

Where do we find caffeine? Caffeine is present in coffee, tea, chocolate and energy drinks.

What effect does it have? Caffeine has an oxidative effect and can increase the rate of double-strand fragmentation in the DNA carried by sperm.

What does it lead to? Less embryo quality, higher abortion rate and, consequently, lower rate of live births.

Can the rate of sperm DNA fragmentation be improved? Yes, reducing or eliminating the consumption of this type of drink in the diet, in addition to associating vitamins and antioxidant food, can reduce this rate of altered double-strand DNA fragmentation and, consequently, improve the couple’s fertility.

In assisted reproduction treatments we have the Fertilechip®, a device that filters the sperm before inseminating the eggs of the partner or the donor, achieving a reduction in double-chain fragmentation and thus improving the results of the treatment.

• It helps to achieve pregnancy in couples with moderate or severe male factor.
• It offers the possibility of achieving pregnancy with a donor egg and/or sperm.
• It allows the ROPA method to be performed in female couples.
• It shortens the time to achieve pregnancy in couples with subfertility.
• It allows preimplantation genetic analysis to be performed.

Firstly, natural selection of embryos with greater implantation potential. Secondly, better morphological correlation with embryonic quality is obtained. And, last but not least, better synchronization with the endometrium is achieved, since, naturally, an embryo implants on day 5-6 of its development.

Time-lapse technology allows the embryo to be kept in the incubator from fertilization to transfer to the mother’s uterus or vitrification, thereby minimizing possible artifacts in embryonic development such as temperature variations and exposure to other agents.

In addition to evaluating the morphology of the embryo at the specific times when routine observations are made, this technology allows information to be obtained at any time during embryonic development, making it easier for the embryologist to select the best quality embryo and, therefore, the one with the greatest implantation capacity.

Aneuploidies are chromosomal abnormalities in embryos and are a major cause of sterility and infertility. The rate of aneuploidy in embryos is higher in older women, probably due to defects in meiotic recombination due to age. These age-related defects increase the incidence of spontaneous abortions and reduce the rate of embryo implantation at the endometrial level.

What is it? It is a technique that allows the identification of embryos with numerical alterations in their chromosomes (aneuploidies) before transferring them to the mother’s uterus.

When is it indicated? In cases of implantation failure, in repeated abortion cases, in women aged 38 years or older, in couples with previous pregnancies with chromosomal abnormalities, in couples with an alteration in the karyotype of one of the two members of the couple and, also, to optimize the first embryo transfer in patients under 38 years of age.

What are its advantages? To increase the implantation rate for each transfer carried out and reduce the abortion rate.

In this section, it is very important to individualize each case and carry out a comprehensive assessment of the woman or couple. But the general features in order to indicate or recommend an egg donation treatment are the following:

• Age >40 years and low ovarian reserve. It is known that the probability of achieving pregnancy with own oocytes is inversely proportional to age, since the biological quality of the oocytes decreases over the years.
• Young woman with premature ovarian failure or early menopause.
• Repeated IVF failures with own egg – this is the way to identify that the fertilization failure is due to the poor quality of the oocytes.
• Poor oocyte quality that has generated at least two IVF cycles with poor embryo quality.