Assisted Human Reproduction Unit
The Assisted Human Reproduction Unit treats infertility in couples, both female and male, using assisted reproduction techniques that make it possible for couples or people who cannot have children naturally to reproduce.
In this unit we study and treat both alterations of the reproductive function in couples, as well as personal situations in which it is necessary to resort to reproductive treatments to achieve pregnancy, such as shared motherhood or single-parent families.
Why choose our centres?
Vithas’ Human Reproduction Unit is a leader in implementing methods for achieving high pregnancy rates, minimising the risk of multiple pregnancies and maximising the chances of obtaining healthy newborns. All this within a hospitable setting and with the support, resources and facilities of a leading healthcare group.
The unit is made up of a team of professionals specialised in offering our patients the most scientifically advanced assisted reproduction techniques.
We provide our patients with medical knowledge, cutting-edge technology in the laboratory and genetics to achieve the maximum chances of pregnancy with minimum risk.
Every patient or couple who comes to our unit is treated individually and achieving conception becomes our own challenge, adapting to their circumstances in all aspects.
Treatments
Fertility study
Every patient or couple who comes to the Reproduction Unit will have a first consultation in which each case is assessed individually by looking at their medical history and performing an examination and ultrasound, following which the corresponding tests are conducted.
Once the study has been carried out, the most appropriate technique in each case will be selected. This is decided by the medical team together with the patients. With individualised, personalised care for each case and always with your informed consent.
Who is it suitable for?
Most couples will get pregnant within a year if they have regular sex and don’t use contraception. If you’re unable to conceive after a full year of trying, it’s a good idea to consult a specialist to rule out any sterility problems.
However, there are some cases in which it may be wise to consult before one year:
- History of gynaecological and urological disorders
- Advanced maternal age
- Family history of hereditary diseases
Sterility is when a couple cannot conceive and infertility is when you’re unable to carry a baby to full-term after getting pregnant.
Vithas’ Assisted Human Reproduction Unit also treats this problem and recommends seeing a specialist if you have had two miscarriages.
In vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation is the most effective technique of assisted reproduction.
It involves fertilising the egg with sperm in a laboratory.
The fertilised eggs (embryos) are then transferred to the uterus.
Who is it suitable for?
In vitro fertilisation is recommended when a problem is detected in the couple that does not allow fertilisation to occur naturally in the fallopian tube.
It is carried out when pregnancy is not achieved through simpler techniques such as insemination, with no obvious cause, or after a prolonged period of sterility.
In general, the most common indications are:
- Absence of tubular permeability
- Seminal alteration
- Endometriosis
- Advanced maternal age
- Failure of other techniques
Sterility is when a couple cannot conceive and infertility is when you are unable to carry a baby to full-term after getting pregnant.
Vithas’ Assisted Human Reproduction Unit also treats this problem and recommends seeing a specialist if you have had two miscarriages.
In vitro fertilisation with donor eggs
This is an assisted reproduction technique in which in vitro fertilisation is performed using oocytes from a young, healthy and anonymous donor, after which the embryos are transferred to the recipient patient.
Egg donation is a process in which a fertile woman donates her eggs to another woman anonymously to help her conceive.
The egg donor is a healthy woman, aged between 18 and 35, and in addition to the gynaecological study and psychological interview, serological and genetic tests are carried out to confirm her good health.
First, the donor will undergo ovarian stimulation and puncture. The eggs are then fertilised with the seminal sample in a laboratory. Following this, the recipient receives treatment to prepare for the embryo transfer.
Who is it suitable for?
In vitro fertilisation with donor eggs is aimed at women who cannot achieve a successful pregnancy with their own eggs.
This circumstance can occur in women with early menopause or diminishing ovarian reserve, in which treatments with their own oocytes have not been successful.
Conjugal insemination
Artificial insemination is a reproductive treatment. It involves monitoring the ovarian cycle to introduce the couple’s semen into the women’s uterus when she is most fertile, with the aim of achieving pregnancy.
The semen sample is prepared in the laboratory. In this way, as many mobile sperm as possible are concentrated in a small volume of semen.
The sample is then inserted inside the uterus using a catheter, at the time of natural or stimulated ovulation.
This process is performed without anaesthesia or sedation as it is a completely painless process.
Who is it suitable for?
Artificial conjugal insemination is suitable for young couples who have been sterile for a short time and have very minor causes of sterility as it has a relatively low pregnancy rate.
Before treatment, it is important to determine that the spermogram has sufficient concentration and mobility.
In addition, an exam will be performed to confirm that the woman’s anatomy is normal, that is, that the fallopian tubes are permeable.
Insemination with donor semen
Artificial insemination is a reproductive treatment. It involves monitoring the ovarian cycle to introduce the couple’s semen into the women’s uterus when she is most fertile, with the aim of achieving pregnancy.
The donor semen sample is prepared in the laboratory. In this way, as many mobile sperm as possible are concentrated in a small volume of semen. The sample is then inserted inside the uterus using a catheter, at the time of natural or stimulated ovulation.
The sperm donor will be a healthy male. Various studies are carried out to confirm this, such as serological and genetic tests and a semen analysis. This process is performed without anaesthesia or sedation as it is a completely painless process.
Who is it suitable for?
Artificial insemination with donor semen is the most preferred method for women without a male partner who wish to become pregnant.
It is also commonly used in couples with male infertility problems that have not responded well to other more complex techniques.
Gamete donation is also an alternative for couples with hereditary diseases.
Fertility preservation
Egg vitrification is mainly used by women who wish to postpone motherhood for personal or social reasons.
Other reasons are:
- Fertility preservationin women with a medical condition that forces them to delay motherhood due to the incompatibility of their treatment with pregnancy (widely used in cancer patients).
- Before ovarian surgery or in assisted reproduction treatments when collecting the seminal specimen is not possible after stimulation or other unforeseen events.
In order to perform egg vitrification, the woman must undergo ovarian stimulation and puncture treatment to remove the oocytes and vitrify them.
Oocyte vitrification is a preservation technique that involves using extreme cooling rates in conjunction with a cryoprotectant solution. The cytoplasm becomes very viscous and solidifies forming a structure with physical characteristics similar to those of glass, preventing ice crystals from forming.
In the case of semen, sperm freezing is almost always indicated for medical reasons, since age is not a determining factor in the loss of seminal quality.
Therefore, it is a good option before undergoing a process that may alter the seminal quality, be it surgery or a treatment that affects subsequent fertility (vasectomy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.).
Embryo vitrification
Embryo vitrification is the newest and most successful freezing technique in assisted reproduction. It is commonly used in in vitro fertilisation so that embryos that have not been transferred in a cycle can be optimally maintained in our embryo banks.
Vitrification is an ultra-rapid freezing technique that prevents ice crystals from forming inside the cell. This results in much higher embryo survival rates.
Who is it suitable for?
This procedure is suitable for men and women wishing to delay parenthood for social or medical reasons.
It was initially mainly used in cancer patients, but has now spread to any other disease that may compromise the future fertility of patients.
Oocyte vitrification is an advantageous technique in women under 35 years of age as at this age your obstetric prognosis is better, that is, it is more likely to achieve an adequate number of oocytes after stimulation.
In addition, a deterioration in oocyte quality has been demonstrated in women above this age group, so an individualised assessment should be performed according to your ovarian reserve.
Vithas has a gamete bank where you can keep your oocytes or semen until you want to be a parent.
Genetic Counselling Service
Vithas offers patients a genetic counselling service to minimise the chances of passing genetic diseases to your children.
Sometimes, a parent may have genetic risks they are unaware or unsure of and can pass on to children.
Thanks to current advances in genetics, we can perform a personalised study of each future parent to minimise the risk of passing a hereditary disease to the baby.
Vithas offers personalised genetic counselling. An assessment is made of whether there are any hereditary diseases in the family, the probability of risk in the offspring is determined, and we study what can be done to avoid risk in the offspring.
For this, we have the most advanced molecular tests in the study of the human genome.
Among the services we offer, there is the carrier test, suitable for prospective parents who want to minimise the risk of having a child with a monogenic disease that is not detectable through family history and can be transmitted in a hidden way for generations.
We also carry out cytogenetic studies, which allow us to analyse the existence of chromosomal abnormalities, detecting a large number of diseases, such as Down’s syndrome, Patau’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome, etc.
Vithas’ Assisted Human Reproduction Unit specialises in preimplantation genetic diagnosis, which involves screening for abnormal embryos so that only those that are free of the genetic anomalies studied are transferred to the woman.
Once pregnant, we also offer the non-invasive prenatal test, which screens for chromosomal abnormalities in the foetus after 10 weeks of pregnancy with 99.9% sensitivity.
Who is it suitable for?
The genetic counselling service is suitable for women or couples who suspect they may be carrying a hereditary disease, or those wishing to minimise the risk of passing down these diseases.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is a procedure that involves performing a genetic analysis of embryos from an in vitro fertilisation cycle.
This technique screens for chromosomal or monogenic alterations. Chromosomal alterations can cause miscarriages and are responsible for congenital malformation syndromes, such as Edwards’ syndrome, Patau’s syndrome and Down’s syndrome.
Monogenic diseases are caused by a mutation in a single gene. Examples of monogenic diseases include haemophilia, cystic fibrosis, spinal cord atrophy, fragile X syndrome, etc.
When there is a hereditary disease or a transmissible genetic alteration, the preimplantation genetic diagnosis allows a genetic analysis of the embryos to be carried out in a laboratory so that only embryos free of alterations are transferred to the uterus.
PGD consists of a molecular analysis of the embryo. To do this, an embryo biopsy sample will be taken on the third or fifth day of embryo development.
Who is it suitable for?
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is intended for patients at high risk of transmitting genetic or chromosomal alterations to children.