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What is a septate uterus? Unless you have a medical background, you may struggle for a definition. You may assume that it has something to do with infection because the word is similar to sepsis or septic, but this is not the case. The word comes from septum, which is simply a tissue dividing two chambers, such as those found in the heart or the middle of the nose. A septate uterus is therefore a uterus which is divided into two by a septum.
A simple definition of intrauterine insemination is the introduction of semen into a woman’s uterus via the vagina or cervix by any means other than sexual intercourse. The best-known assisted production technique, in vitro fertilisation (IVF), was invented a mere 40 years ago – and people were using IUI long before that. Intrauterine insemination, also known as artificial insemination, was used in humans as long ago as the 18th century, but techniques and refinements to make it more successful have steadily developed since those early days.
Being able to control our fertility is a hugely positive advance. It gives us freedom of choice in career, social and relationship issues that previous generations of women could only have dreamt of. But what if the freedom to access contraception turned out to be a double-edged sword? Suppose it actually damaged our freedom to… View Article
When you have decided to try for a baby, you can’t help but think about whether you have conceived as each month goes through its cycle. It is inevitably a time of heightened emotion, often tipping over into feelings of anxiety and stress. This can feel even more intense when you are going through a cycle of IVF. The very fact of assisting the process of conception is bound to focus all of those stressful feelings.
If you are one of the fortunate majority of people who have no fertility problems, you may not be aware that there are a lot of men and women out there who do have problems and so this is quite likely to happen to a friend. The experience is inevitably accompanied by anxiety and some level of sensitivity and stress, and so it’s really important to have a helpful approach and know how to support a friend with fertility problems.
Today we are celebrating World Breast Cancer Day, the most frequent cancer among western women. Estrella, Susana and Irene are three positive examples of how it is possible to overcome breast cancer, three heroines who share their story of courage in beating cancer. “When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, straight away I thought: I’m… View Article
Today marks the end of the 75th Congress of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), an event at which hundreds of professionals in the field of reproduction came together to share the latest advances in reproductive medicine. Among these, we would like to share two studies with you that we presented at this congress… View Article
A diagnosis of breast cancer brings with it a whole raft of questions and unknowns for patients and their families. However, improved options for treatment and recovery also bring with them the chance to plan for a future relatively unaffected by the illness and its treatment. Breast cancer most often affects older, post-menopausal women, but for those still in their childbearing years, a common concern is whether or not they can plan pregnancy after breast cancer treatment.
If you are experiencing fertility difficulties and thinking about seeking help, the array of assisted reproductive technology treatments can seem bewildering. In this article we aim to guide you through the decision-making process and offer helpful advice on the most suitable assisted reproductive technology programme for your circumstances.
Double strollers, twin brothers and sisters, identical twins (though not so many) of different ages are not an uncommon sight in the streets… And that is because in recent years, Spain has registered a steady increase in the number of multiple pregnancies, a fact frequently associated with assisted reproductive technologies. There is clear evidence supporting… View Article
We would like to present an initiative set out within our Sustainability area, which will count on the participation of all IVI employees worldwide in order to meet the goal: Stronger Together. At IVI we help thousands of people to make their dream of having a child come true, while we innovate with our hearts… View Article
Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) is used to examine the genetic and chromosomal makeup of a pre-embryo in the laboratory before it is implanted into the maternal womb. Like many scientific advances, this is a breakthrough that might hold the promise of hugely significant benefits to both individuals and scientific communities but also carries the potential for misuse. These potential uses of the technology in ways that were not part of the original intention have raised ethical concerns for current and future applications.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition which can affect women during their fertile years. It affects how the ovaries work, and can reduce their function and effectiveness. It is a common hormonal condition, present in as many as one in five of the relevant population, although many women with PCOS do not experience any symptoms and it remains undiagnosed in around 70% of those who have it.
The medical term for a false pregnancy, or phantom pregnancy, is pseudocyesis, from the mid-century English pseudo-meaning ‘false’ and the ancient Greek kuesis meaning ‘conception’. It is a rare condition, estimated in the US, for example, to affect only around six out of 22,000 pregnancies. It is often assumed to be ‘all in the mind’ but the reality of the condition is much more complex.
We have been helping people to start families for 29 years now. It is the way we have been paving on a daily basis with our social and environmental commitment. In fact, at IVI, we work on making the journey towards motherhood a sustainable one. A journey that we embark on even before the patients… View Article
In the last decade the number of treatments involving donated embryos has tripled here at IVI. Although just over half of these patients were Spanish, IVI is still experiencing a lot more patients coming from overseas to receive this treatment, mainly due to the legality aspects that come with embryo transfer. We have spoken to… View Article
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) 5-15% of all woman within the fertile age are affected by polycystic ovaries (PCOS) mainly because there is no cure. The main tell-tale sign of PCOS is lack of ovulation, leading to irregular periods and increased levels of male hormones. Other symptoms related to PCOS that some woman may experience is… View Article
Preconception is the period of time when you prepare to start trying for a baby. In medical circles there is a growing recognition that maternal health before conception, not only during pregnancy, can have a major effect on the development and prospects of the unborn child. The best-known example of this is the now widely known development in spina bifida prevention. We now know that a small amount of the B-vitamin folic acid can reduce neural tube defects by up to 70%. This clinches the case for pre-conception health having a direct impact on the unborn child. But what about smoking? In this article we take a look at the benefits of quitting smoking before pregnancy. We also examine the potential damage it can do, some aspects of which you may not be aware.
As with many complex issues, the only truthful response to the question of whether or not you can get pregnant after ovarian cancer is: it depends. The main factors relate to the severity of the cancer and its subsequent treatment plan. This could involve chemotherapy and/or different types of surgery, with each of these circumstances putting a different angle on the possible solutions to pregnancy after cancer treatment.
The 8th International IVIRMA Congress on Reproduction took place in Mallorca 4th to 6th April 2019. More than 1,600 participants from 71 countries attended the event in Palma de Mallorca including Javier Marqueta, President of the Congress and Director of IVI Mallorca, Scientific Director Juan Antonio García-Velasco and Dr. Dagan Wells, all members of the scientific committee.
A lot of us have a general idea of how important progesterone is during pregnancy, knowing that the progesterone-oestrogen balance is important for the menstrual cycle and a healthy hormone balance. For most of the non-medical community, that’s probably the extent of the awareness. Now, new research, unveiled at the 35th European Society of Human… View Article
New research conducted by IVI has revealed important new discoveries in the field of embryo selection as part of the IVF process. This is highly significant because improved embryo selection is key to IVF success rates and can therefore help more people in their ambition build their families. These exciting advances were presented to a… View Article
Egg donation or the use of sperm from a sperm donor has long been successful fertility techniques. These are often but not exclusively used by people for whom other interventions have not been successful. In the past, major concerns about these techniques have been the health of the resulting offspring and the extent to which… View Article
Anejaculation simply means no ejaculation and it is defined as an inability to ejaculate semen. Men who have this condition can produce sperm, but these are not expelled during ejaculation even though there can be normal orgasmic sensation. Clearly this situation has implications for male fertility and the ability to become a parent. The condition… View Article
Research by the world’s largest assisted reproduction group, IVI, has revealed some vital statistics concerning fertility preservation. The results will be of compelling interest for those considering the possibility of delaying motherhood through the freezing of oocytes. They found that success rates were significantly higher – showing a 40% increase – when the first stage… View Article
Fibroids are small growths inside the uterus and the condition is surprisingly common, with around 1 in 3 women developing them at some time in their lives. In many cases there is no need for fibroid removal and they often diminish over time, particularly after the menopause. In fact many people only discover that they… View Article
In just the same way as there’s no such thing as being ‘a little bit pregnant’, when you take a pregnancy test at home, there should ideally be no such thing as an ambiguous result. But unfortunately that is in fact sometimes the case. Even though a faint positive pregnancy test sounds almost as illogical… View Article
Pregnancy can be the most wonderful time of life, full of feelings of promise, excitement and, for many people, a time of glowing health and a sense of wellbeing. However, it is also a time of heightened anxiety and fears, some of them non-specific and irrational (but understandable) about a specific danger or risk. For… View Article
A heart-shaped womb may sound picturesque and endearing but in fact it can sometimes, but not always, lead to problems. This is the common term for a bicornuate uterus, a condition in which the womb is literally heart-shaped as opposed to its normal form, often likened to an inverted pear. A heart-shaped womb during pregnancy… View Article
The causes of infertility for couples may originate in the man (30%), in the woman (30%) or sometimes both, but in this IVI blog article we are focusing on infertility in women. The causes of infertility are many and varied. They range from anovulation resulting from physical stress, to hormonal disturbances. Some of the most… View Article
A ground-breaking study into current levels of male fertility has been undertaken by fertility specialists at IVI. It used the largest sample of men ever studied to date in world scientific literature. Its findings confirm what many people have suspected for some time on the basis of anecdotal evidence, and what fertility specialists working in… View Article
