INFERTILITY TREATMENT
Marital Infertility
Many couples when planning on having a family face a serious problem, marital infertility. Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive a pregnancy despite regular sexual intercourse for at least a year in a row. There are no accurate statistics in Kosovo but based on the data given from the World Health Organization, 10-15% of couples are affected from infertility.
Even after of regular sexual intercourse over a year, the couple has no success in getting pregnant, they should contact a doctor on the diagnosis. This is also the first step in sterility treatment. If the diagnosis is incomplete, then all subsequent treatment procedures are compromised.
The examination of both partners is necessary. Due to an increasing percentage of bilateral sterility, it is mandatory to diagnose the man and the woman. Since the human reproductive system is very complicated, tests can take several months and require patience. When the examination is fully completed the therapy is coordinated for both partners.
In a society where a professional career is a priority, some women delay pregnancy until they are 30 or later. As a result, these women may have more difficulty conceiving and a greater risk of miscarriages. Women older than 35 years old, is it better to do a full evaluation after 4-6 months of trying to conceive because their response to the treatment may be suboptimal due to decreased ovarian reserve.
The basic examinations, with which we aim to find the cause of infertility in both partners, are:
- Postcoital test- sperm vitality and motility in a woman’s cervical mucus. For example, their ability to survive and penetrate through cervical mucus and enter the uterine cavity;
- Microbiological tests – bacteria, chlamydia, mycoplasma, and ureaplasma;
- Hormone status testing;
- Examination of the genetic basis – testing the number and structure of chromosomes as well as changes in sex chromosomes that are often associated with reduced fertility;
- Histopathological tests – biopsy
Female Infertility
The female infertility diagnosis starts with an overview, which mainly involves a general gynecological examination, and then a history of disease and issues related to the menstrual cycle, sexual habits, and medications that women use. If a woman’s menstrual cycle lasts more than a month or absents, it can certainly be said that she has rare ovulation. Common causes of rare ovulation are stress, eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia) excessive physical exertion, sudden weight loss, malnutrition, obesity, etc.
Hormonal disorders can slow down or block completely the maturation and release of the egg cell causing menstrual disorders. The symptoms that can show hormonal disorders are unexpected weight gain or loss, constant fatigue, increased prevalence of malnutrition, hair loss, acne, pain in the pelvic due to the existence of ovarian cysts.
Symptoms of polyps or fibroid tumors can be abundant and prolonged menstrual bleeding, pain in the small pelvis, and enlargement of the uterus.
Disorders of the cervical form and uterine cavity disorders obstruct the attachment of the embryo and normal development of the fetus so they may be the cause of miscarriage and fetal loss.
Evaluation of ovarian function, egg conductivity and uterine condition can be done in different ways. Ultrasound is the most appropriate method, cheap, non-invasive and highly reliable.
Ultrasound examination is performed in the second or third cycle, of menstruation and on the same day blood is given for the evaluation of female hormones. Within the status of hormonal testing thyroid and adrenal gland hormones. Through the ultrasound followed the growth, maturation, and quadriceps of the follicles (ovulation).
The condition of the egg conductor is determined by gynecological ultrasound examination, hysterosalpingography (HSG) where the fluid enters the uterus and through x-ray determine whether the fluid has reached the conduction egg.
It is possible to determine whether there is a blockade of the egg conductor and where it is located. The existence of endometriosis or scarring can be determined with laparoscopy as well as uterine defects and egg conductor. The uterine condition can be evaluated by ultrasound examination, where it is taken into report the characteristics of the mucous membranes of the uterus, HSG, hysteroscopy and laparoscopy.
European Clinic offers you the best contemporary possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of marital infertility problems. We are prepared to help women and men with infertility problems and who wish to have children. The European Clinic staff is specialized in all aspects of reproductive endocrinology, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ovulation problems, tubal pathology, and other infertility problems. The clinic has the most advanced procedures and technologies of the time, to perform a pregnancy both in a normal way and through assisted reproduction techniques.
Intra-uterine insemination IUI
This method of infertility treatment is used in couples who were not able to conceive. Despite regular sexual intercourse as well as following the ovulation cycle for at least 3 months by an infertility specialist. To perform IUI, a man must have at least 5 million sperms in his spermogram and a woman must ovulate. To women, it is important that the fallopian tubes are open and healthy. This is usually determined (checked) through fallopian tube tests. Patients with spermogram problem are advised to have an IUI before starting other IVF procedures. If IUI is considered appropriate, the future mother is examined by the doctor on her third day of menstruation cycle. In this examination, the condition of the ovaries is checked and if it is necessary medications are used to stimulate the ovaries. If the situation is suitable for fertilization, a subcutaneous injection is given and the IUI process begins. The semen sample collected by the father is examined in the laboratory. Higher quality sperm that are more likely to result in pregnancy are selected and transferred to the uterus with the help of a catheter.
The insemination procedure is not a painful or dangerous procedure. Lasts only a few minutes. The procedure is performed without the need for total anesthesia, with the patient lying in the same position as during the gynecological examination. It is mainly preferred in male infertility, more precisely in cases when we are dealing with the reduction of the number of sperm. It is not preferable to perform when this number is less than 500 thousand / cc, while success is greater when the number of sperm is > 3 million / cc. You should wait two weeks before taking a pregnancy test at home. If performed earlier the results could be false. If the procedure does not result in pregnancy, you can try IUI again before going to other fertility treatments. This type of intervention can be done 3 to 6 times.
In Vitro Fertilization-IVF
With the term ” In Vitro Fertilization ” we mean a wide range of techniques that are intended to help infertile couples to have a baby. IVF means the fusion of egg cells and sperm to provide a combination of genome namely the formation of the embryo in the laboratory. In 1978 the first IVF baby named Louise Brown was born in England. Today millions of couples have been able to make their dream come true. This is a procedure in which the egg cell is fertilized with sperm outside the woman’s body in laboratory conditions (in vitro). IVF is the method of choice during egg carrier disease as well as during reduced number or poor quality of sperm in sperm fluid. IVF is performed when there is no other way to get pregnant. In vitro fertilization has unparalleled diagnostic capabilities in nature as well as in other methods that assess or treat infertility. Under ideal circumstances there is a 70% chance that each egg will be fertilized in the laboratory. The couple must undergo some preliminary examinations starting with simple examinations such as ultrasound, assessment of hormonal function, sperm count in the male partner.
The specialist doctor gives the woman medication to produce more eggs. When all conditions indicate the eggs are ready, they are removed from the woman’s body through a mini-invasive intervention. These eggs along with sperm, taken from a man’s sperm are joined in the laboratory to create embryos. After 3-5 days which is the perfect amount of time for the embryo to form they are ready to be transformed into the woman’s uterus and ready to be conceived. Our fertilization clinic uses European standards to guarantee maximum safety for our patients. The whole process will be followed by our most qualified doctors and the pregnancy will be monitored at all stages
ICSI
Any assisted reproductive technology method gives couples hope of having a baby.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a technique in which a single sperm is injected into the center of the egg. The ICSI is a method that is done with microscopes which are specialized in ICSI and by embryologists specialized in this method. During ICSI the embryologist chooses a suitable sperm for injection into the egg. In this way good or bad eggs can be fertilized even by weak sperm. In cases of obstructive azoospermia, sperm is obtained from testicles surgically.
On one side of the microscope is the woman’s cell is placed and on the other side of the needle is the man’s sperm being injected into the cell. Then the cell is fertilized and sent to special incubators and the result of embryo development is monitored every day. Nowadays, this is the most favored method of fertilization in the world for all types of IVF, although it was developed for the treatment of male infertility. The rate of fertilization depends on the condition of the reproductive cells at man and women (probably one of them carries a genetic abnormality), as well as the qualified embryologist who performs the procedure. If fertilization has occurred, the probability that the newly formed cells will develop a healthy embryo is 90%.
In many cases, success depends on the strength of self-confidence and the expected result!
In any situation believe in the results and success is guaranteed!