Quite often, young couples face infertility problems in their attempt to have a child. Their questions are many and we will answer them below.

First of all, we should make it clear that infertility is not a dead end. A milestone in the in vitro fertilization process was the birth of the first child through in vitro fertilization, an event that brought hope to thousands of couples and was the beginning of a huge global innovation in the field of Medicine. Since then, a whole 40 years have passed, a lot has changed, the then nascent field of embryology has evolved, but also the technologies of Assisted Reproduction (ART) have advanced. At the same time, experience is gained and technologies are perfected.

But above all, many healthy children have been born through the process of IVF, which developed without problems, filling their parents with joy and happiness.

Nowadays 17.5% of couples who are of reproductive age have an infertility problem. The causes are many and many times they are very difficult to find or cure. In dealing with infertility, the couple must be united and harmonized to solve the problems. However, since scientific answers should also be given regarding the causes of infertility, these are many and varied (ovulatory disorders, fallopian tube blockage, endometriosis, fibroids, polyps, oligospermia or aspermia, autoimmune disorders), the lifestyle of couple, as well as nutrition, since many times these two elements play a very important role in reducing fertility.

New techniques to treat infertility

In the context of the existing needs and the progress of science in the sensitive field of assisted reproduction, the four new techniques that are applied with excellent results and come to give us solutions are the following: The first technique comes to complement the already existing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI ) and is called ZYMOT. With this technique, the overall pregnancy rate for the group of patients who underwent ZYMOT is remarkably higher than that of ICSI. At the same time – and this is very important – miscarriage rates have dropped significantly.

Another method, just as revolutionary as the first, is the possibility that science now has monitoring of embryos over time (TIME LAPSE). This particular technique allows their actual image to be captured as they develop inside the furnace. It should be noted here that the system’s video can record an egg, from the very moment of its reception (via IVF), until the moment when – as an embryo – it will be transferred. The selection of the healthiest embryos is achieved through the devices used, resulting in improved IVF success rates.

The third method in a row is also innovative, i blastocyst embryo transfer. The blastocyst is the stage of embryonic development after 5 or 6 days of culture in the laboratory. Until recently it has not been possible to grow embryos to this stage with great success, but thanks to a better understanding of the nutritional needs of the embryo, we have been able to make new culture fluids. With this technique, the blastocysts have a higher chance of implantation and thus couples undergoing blastocyst embryo transfer have a higher chance of pregnancy.

Another new technique is the assisted hatching. Here, the procedure is usually performed before embryo transfer, with the risk of harming the embryo being extremely rare.

The ability to select embryos for embryo transfer with the help of artificial intelligencewhich is expected to help increase success in this field in multiple ways.

The success rates

It is important to note that since 2004 success rates have risen from 25% to over 40% mainly in cases involving older women with multiple attempts in their history. This increase is due to the fact that now the treatment is completely personalized, with the use of laboratory techniques that significantly increase the chances.

The role of the doctor beyond the scientific part

It is important that the attending physician always chooses and guides the couples according to their real needs. And one more thing: the methods and laboratory techniques should be done within the framework of medical ethics and the rules of the National Authority for Assisted Reproduction. The doctor, in addition to being a scientist, is a human being and must build a relationship of trust with the couple who will undertake to help with his scientific knowledge and techniques.