Frequently asked questions in assisted reproduction

2023-07-10 09:40:04

What are the most frequently asked questions in assisted reproduction? This question is answered in this article by Dr. Pascual Sánchez, co-founder and medical manager of Ginemed

Ginemed is a healthcare group specializing in gynecology, obstetrics and assisted reproduction. Its co-founder and medical manager, Dr. Pascual Sánchez, analyzes and deepens in EFEsalud the most frequently asked questions regarding assisted reproduction treatment.

The most frequent questions before an assisted reproduction treatment, by Dr. Pascual Sánchez.

Reproductive medicine was born as a medical specialty to help heterosexual couples who had fertility problems.

Today it has expanded its field of action, also helping people who could not have children without the help of reproductive medicine (single-parent families and homoparental families).

These new opportunities have meant a notable growth in Reproductive Medicine and in the demand for its treatments.

In fact, the latest report published by the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF) details a total of 152,236 assisted reproduction treatments performed in Spain. In addition, around 10% of the babies born in our country did so through this route.

Doctor Pascual Sánchez/Courtesy photo

Doubts and questions about assisted reproduction

It is common for patients to attend the first consultations at the fertility clinic with doubts. Usually the most frequently asked questions are related to the steps to follow, the possible risks or consequences, the requirements to access certain assisted reproduction treatments and even the success rates.

Infertility and its causes are one of the most consulted topics; It is understandable, since fertility problems affect 15% of the Spanish population.

Despite having various causes, infertility is a condition that is not hereditary, since there is no cause that causes sterility and is of hereditary origin.

However, some of the factors that can contribute to triggering it may have some hereditary component.

Myths and doubts

On the other hand, there are frequent myths and doubts about assisted reproduction treatment that are linked to those factors in which doctors do not have the capacity to intervene.

The first factor includes the genetic problems of the people who undergo assisted reproduction treatment, since we still do not have the possibility of reversing certain hereditary pathologies.

However, we can prevent the transmission of genetic diseases to offspring through the selection of gametes or embryos that do not carry the problem, thanks to techniques such as the Preimplantation Genetic Test (PGT).

The second factor is age. In Spain, 10.7% of women have children over the age of 40, and, in many cases, they have to resort to assisted reproduction techniques.

There is still no way to go back in time and avoid the damage caused by the passing of the years in fertility, both in women and in men.

When due to age we do not achieve pregnancy with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) with our own eggs, we can resort to other techniques, such as fertility programs with gamete donation (eggs and/or spermatozoa), or embryo donation programs, which today offer the possibility of having offspring to people who cannot do so with their own gametes.

Finally, there is the ovarian reserve. Women are born with a limited number of eggs and we still do not have the possibility to increase them.

The good news is that thanks to scientific advances we can preserve fertility by freezing eggs at young ages (preferably between 25 and 35 years old) when there are abundant and good quality eggs.

More doubts during assisted reproduction treatment

In relation to assisted reproduction treatments and techniques, patients often have doubts about sexual intercourse during treatment, the number of assisted reproduction attempts and some more specific questions, such as whether there is a possibility of conceiving after procedures such as a tubal ligation.

First, it is essential to understand that sexual activity can be practiced without any inconvenience during an assisted reproduction processexcept in exceptional cases, where the doctors indicate otherwise for a particular reason.

On the other hand, regarding the number of attempts in assisted reproduction, it is important to know that fertility treatments carried out correctly do not cause any type of damage to either the man or the woman.

Therefore, from a medical point of view, Assisted reproduction techniques or treatments could be repeated on multiple occasions without any kind of harm to the physical health of the woman. Although it is advisable to change the medical procedure if pregnancy is not achieved in 3 or 4 attempts.

Lastly, tubal ligation is a technique used to prevent the sperm from traveling through the tube and reuniting with the egg for fertilization.

Therefore, naturally, with a tubal ligation we prevent pregnancy, and as a consequence, pregnancy.

It should be noted that, even if the tubes are obstructed, Thanks to certain assisted reproduction techniques such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), in which the fertilization of the egg is carried out in the laboratory, pregnancy can be achieved.