ROPA Method ROPA Method

Reciprocal IVF

This technique allows a couple formed by two women to share the process of In Vitro Fertilization in an active way, where one of them is the genetic mother who provides the egg for the baby and the other is the biological mother who carries the pregnancy.

What is the Shared motherhood?

What is the Shared motherhood?

Reciprocal IVF

In what cases is it indicated?

  • Same-sex female couples who wish to share motherhood and become active participants in the reproductive process, either by own choice and/or by other medical reasons concerning one of the partners, such as:
    • Alterations in oocyte quality
    • Absence of own oocytes
    • Absence or severe ovarian dysfunction
    • Risk of hereditary transmission of any disease
    • Chromosomal or genetic abnormalities
    • Failure of previous fertility treatments

Procedure

Shared motherhood is characterized by the fact that both women share the IVF process in an active way. One of them will be the genetic mother of the resulting child and the other and the second one the gestational mother.

Pharmacological treatment
1

Pharmacological treatment

The woman contributing with her oocytes will undergo the same process as a conventional IVF treatment. First, she will undergo ovarian stimulation in order to produce follicles in an attempt to obtain an optimal number of oocytes. The patient will be regularly followed up during the whole procedure by means of U/S scan and hormonal blood tests. Once the follicles have reached the appropriate size, the mature oocytes are retrieved from the ovaries. It is a very simple and quick procedure – it takes no more than 15 minutes– and it is done under sedation.

Sperm Preparation
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Sperm Preparation

The cryopreserved (frozen) sperm sample from an anonymous donor, after being thawed, is prepared inside the lab to separate out and select the optimal the best sperm cells for fertilization. Then, sperm and oocytes are joined for several hours in an incubator that provides optimal conditions for fertilization.

Fertilization and Embryo Transfer
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Fertilization and Embryo Transfer

Once the oocytes are obtained, and the sperm from an anonymous donor is prepared (capacited), they are fertilized and kept under observation inside the lab until the day of transfer. In the meantime, the woman who will receive the embryo starts treatment to prepare her uterus and increase the chances of embryo implantation. The preparation of the endometrium requires the administration of hormones, such as oestrogens and progesterone, to obtain appropriate endometrial thickness. Once the uterus of the gestational mother is ready for implantation, we will select the best quality embryo to be implanted inside the uterine cavity. The Embryo Transfer is a quick, painless procedure that does not require any anaesthesia or recovery time. Approximately 15 days after embryo transfer, a beta-hCG test will be performed to confirm pregnancy.

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