Many women cannot conceive a child genetically because of problems associated with ovarian malfunctioning. Many of these women could become mothers if they had ann egg donated. The eggs that are donated are eggs that are a surplus, because any fertile woman can have up to 400.000 potential ovules, and she will use only 10% during her life. Scientific developments allow eggs to be donated in a personalized and controlled manner, with minimal discomfort and with no risk for the donor. If you are between 18 and 35, you can be an egg donor, and thanks to you another woman will make her dream come true and become a mother.
When after a year of unprotected sexual realtions conception has not taken place, it is time to think there might be some sort of alteration. This period of time may vary depending on the age of the couple. In very young couples this waiting time can be extended up to a year and a half; in women over 34 it can be shorter, especially if there is any reason to think there might be a cause for sterility.
Approximately 15 to 19% of couples in reproductive age will present esterility problems. Around 800.000 couples in Spain suffer fertility problems. The WHO estimates that there are 60-80 million infertile couples in the world. The percentage of sterile couples has increased considerably in the last few years mainly because of the delay in the age in the first pregnancy and because of the increase in infections that alter the fallopian tubes. Also, masculine fertility has deteriorated because of a lowering of the spermatozoid count, and a decrease in their mobility.
Age is an important factor in a couple's fertility, because fertility decreases as time goes by, especially in women. The period for maximum fertility is around 20 years of age. Many women will delay their maternity until after they are 35. About one third of these women will have problems to become pregnant, and at least 50% if their age is over 50 years.
In 50% of the cases sterility is due to the female, and in 40% of the cases, due to the male, although in many of these cases, causes for sterility are mixed. In 10-15% of the couples no cause can be found, even after doing every diagnostic test; we call this idiopathic sterility or from an unknown cause. Female causes for sterility can be alterations in ovulation (39%), damage in the fallopian tubes (30%), and endometriosis (19%).
Yes. Our Assisted Reproduction Medical Center achieves pregnancy in 90% of cases of patients which visit us with sterility problems (accumulative pregnancy rate).
This syndrome produces longer cycles (32 days) and an increase in body hair. The name is due to the appearance of the ovaries, which seem to be covered in multiple cysts because of the incapacity for ovulation. It affects between 4 to 7% of women in reproductive age. The cause of this syndrome is unknown. In the hormone analysis we find a high ratio of luteinizing hormone (LH) compared to follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), this causes the under development of the follicles, and in turn this causes an absence of ovulation. At the same time, there can also be a high production of masculine hormones. This entails an increase in body hair, acne, insulin alterations, lack or alterations in menstruation and sterility.
The most frequent cause is an infection called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. In this infection, germs go from the vagina to the fallopian tubes, causing the tubes to become blocked. Other causes for obstruction are endometriosis and previous operations such as appendicitis. Alterations in the fallopian tubes can affect fertility in two ways. In some cases, the fallopian tubes can be blocked completely, so the ovules cannot be received. In others, the blockage may be partial (accretions), and the embryo will not be able to migrate to the uterine cavity because it will not be moved by the cilia or the peristaltic movements of the tubes. This would produce extrauterine or ectopic pregnancies.
Endometriosis is a benign condition or disease that affects women during their reproductive life. It happens when the endometrium grows outside of the uterine cavity. This is thought to happen because during menstruation, small quantities of blood and endometrial tissue have access to the uterine cavity through the fallopian tubes. This tissue can settle in any part of the abdominal cavity, although the most frequent location is the ovary. These tissues are called implants when they are small and endometriomas when they affect the ovaries causing cysts. Endometriosis causes inflammation that then causes adherences, creating bands of tissue, and causing different organs to adhere to one another. Syntoms for endometriosis are not related to the extent of the disease. Internal irritation of the abdomen and adherences cause pain during menstruation, abdominal pain outside menstruation period, pain during intercourse, or sterility problems.