Frequently asked questions: Infertility:
We hope to answer all of your most frequently asked questions. These are the answers to the most frequently asked questions to help you decide.
1. When should you ask about infertility?
After having sexual relations without a contraceptive for a whole year without becoming pregnant.
2. How many couples have problems with fertility?
Statistics show that between 15 and 17% of couples have problems having a child.
3. Who in the relationship should ask?
Both should go to the appointment. Looking into causes of infertility in couples shows that a third are because of the woman, a third to the man and third to both of them.
4. How important is age in a couple's fertility?
The woman's age plays a more important role than the man's. In women age´s negative effect on becoming pregnant is first noted after the age of 35 and accelerates after 40.
5. How important is having had previous abortions in the couples reproductive history?
Spontaneous abortions are common in fertile women in general, so it does not have to be related to future problems. However, when a woman has three spontaneous abortions she may be considered a habitual aborter and the causes should be studied.
6. What are the most common studies for diagnosing sterility?
Currently sterility studies have been downsized a lot. For the women, in general, hormone testing and tube x-rays are performed. For men the semen sample is tested through a semen analysis. These tests can be expanded on for specific pathologies.
7. What are the most common treatments?
One is ovulation induction for artificial insemination with the partner's semen (IAC) or donor's semen (IAD). In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF-ICSI) and ovum donations are also common.
8. What risks are involved with these treatments?
Currently these treatments are very standardised and the medication's dosage is very well-adjusted to each case. Therefore, these treatments are performed with a minimal risk.
9. Are treatments painful?
In general they do not have to be painful. Steps in treatment that may be bothersome or painful are done with anaesthesia (ex. obtaining ovocytes). In any case, it depends on each woman's handling of pain.
10. What risks are there of multiple pregnancies?
For artificial insemination rates oscillate around 15% with the majority being twins. For In Vitro Fertilisation it depends on the number of embryos transferred. In general more than two are not usually transferred, and sometimes there are three. Approximately 70-80% of pregnancies with IVF techniques are single, while 20% of the cases result with twins, and 1-3% with triplets. Currently the general tendency is to reduce the number of embryos transferred, adjusting it to each case and the patient's decision.
11. What can we do when the man has no sperm?
The lack of sperm in the ejaculation is known as azoospermia. First one should check if it is caused by an obstruction. That is, the man generates sperm but it does not appear in the ejaculation. If not, another pathology is possible. In the majority of the cases, sperm can be directly obtained from the testicle through a simple intervention with anaesthesia.
12. Does chemotherapy affect a man's reproductive future?
Yes, it does. In many cases it is irreversible even though there are exceptions. There is the possibility of freezing sperm samples in our sperm bank in order to use them after the chemotherapy treatment.
13. Can the child's sex be selected?
Spanish legislation only allows it when a disease is linked to the sex of the newborn.
14. Can a single woman, or without a male partner, use assisted fertility techniques?
Single women with or without a male partner may use these techniques with a semen donor.
15. Can we have a healthy child if my partner is HIV positive or is a carrier of the hepatitis C?
Yes, there are semen treatment techniques that eliminate the virus from the sample to then be used in assisted reproduction. This way we can avoid passing the virus to the future child and mother.
16. When is ovum donation recommended?
In women with non-functioning ovaries or who have repeatedly failed with other treatments. This treatment is growing in use due to women's increase in age for becoming pregnant.
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