At that time the method was considered experimental and the success rates were in single digits. In the intervening years there has been a dizzying development of the technique that has no precedent in the history of medicine.
The social scourge of all male and female infertility was addressed in percentages over 90%. At the same time, this technology was successfully applied in cases that were not related to fertility such as the pre-implantation diagnosis of inherited serious diseases (Mediterranean anemia, cystic fibrosis, etc.). Also, the freezing of eggs and sperm before treatment for malignant diseases allowed fertility to be maintained in patients of reproductive age.
Today, IVF is a simple, documented and completely safe routine medical procedure, at the outpatient level. Its duration has been reduced from 4 to 2 weeks and it is very friendly for the patient since it is part of her daily routine.
Success rates have skyrocketed to more than 50% with the first attempt and more than 75% with the completion of three embryo transfers. In the last twenty years, amazing progress has been made, mainly in the Embryological Laboratory. We better understood the nutrient needs and friendly environment of the developing fetus until the fifth day of its life (blastocyst) when implanted in the uterus.
The friendly and non-toxic environment in the laboratory guarantees a modern filtering mechanism of the incoming air at a constant temperature, which frees the air from suspended microparticles and various toxic gases for the fetus. In the same vein, the new generation of advanced culture materials and incubators optimizes smooth early embryonic development. Modern incubators maintain perfectly stable and accurate temperature and pH conditions and at the same time are equipped with a time lapse camera of the embryonic course and development that informs about the viability and dynamics of each embryo. This information is used digitally and an artificial intelligence system assists embryologists in selecting the most implantable embryos.
But all these impressive procedures must be performed in a safe environment free from the possibility of error. Confirmation (testimony) of the data of patients, their gametes and their embryos (witnessing) is done today throughout the evolution of the IVF program digitally and electronically. This provides security and the ability to extract information for each phase of the effort.
In our country we are fortunate to have pioneering scientists in the field and the level of services provided is one of the highest in Europe. In our country, 4,000 children are born every year from the approximately 12,000 attempts of in vitro fertilization. About one in six couples of reproductive age will need to resort to in vitro fertilization assistance.
The choice of the IVF center by the patients is crucial for the successful completion of the effort. The modern and successful IVF centers are fully equipped with state-of-the-art digital equipment, fully trained and specialized scientists and of course, provide the full range of diagnosis and treatment of male and female infertility.
If we wanted to describe in three words IVF in the 21st century, these would be Efficiency, Safety, Simplicity. And all this in a humane and friendly environment that embraces with warmth, interest and individualization the needs of each couple.
Writes:
Minas Mastrominas
Gynecologist of Human Reproduction
Chairman of the Board HYGEIA IVF Embryogenesis
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