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Innovations at the Mediterranean Fertility Center, Crete, Greece

8-Apr-2011

Infertility is a term that describes the inability to conceive a pregnancy. Approximately 30% of couples of childbearing age have fertility problems. A couple is considered to have fertility problems when trying for a year to conceive without success. About 60% of couples conceive within six months naturally and 20% achieve it after 18. In 20% of couples, there are problems in the man or woman that can be cured or corrected. In the remaining 10% the cause of infertility is unknown (idiopathic infertility).

Infertility is a problem that has been mistakenly associated only with the female factor. New statistical data reveal that male factor is responsible for 50% of all cases. The main causes of infertility are genetic, lifestyle, eating habits and stress.

The increase in infertility has been attributed to a variety of factors including lifestyle and stress, poor eating habits, consumption of alcohol and tobacco contribute greatly to the problem.

Treatment options include ovulation induction, treatment of endometriosis, artificial insemination with partner's sperm (IUI) or donor (IUD), in vitro fertilization (IVF) and similar methods such as Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The success rates in the treatments available vary from couple to couple. Given then the number of embryos that can be legally transferred to the uterus in the process of embryo transfer, ie the final stage of IVF, the success rate ranges between 40-45%. The number is in principle refers to women aged 35 years. After this age, success rates are reduced each until the age of 40 (approximately 15%) and then fall even more and reach 2-5% in 44 years. It's also worth noting that these percentages as those that follow, refer to the average of women regardless of hormone levels, their anatomical characteristics, previous efforts and the quality of sperm. Each couple is unique and has his own success rates which are impossible to quantify.

Our centre is promoting new drugs that reduce dramatically the number of injections that a female patient is required to undergo a woman during therapy, which decrease patient stress and increases success rates. Our laboratory has introduced the innovative method of evaluation of embryo metabolomic testing that helps us to choose the most viable embryos. By creating the metabolic profile of an embryo in combination with morphological criteria we can increase the implantation rate ensuring the transfer of fewer embryos and avoiding multiple pregnancies.

Dr Giakoumakis and his team has supported a significant development that has come from our genetics department that allows us now to select embryos that are completely healthy by the method of Array - CGH. This is a fast and very precise method for detecting any abnormalities of all 23 pairs of chromosomes. Such abnormalities in the embryos are involved in miscarriages and birth defects. Full chromosomal analysis can increase the chances of success for couples who have a history of failed treatments and miscarriage, and significantly increase the chances of pregnancy for all couples. To date, pre-implantation genetic testing is conducted by analyzing 9 of the 23 pairs of chromosomes using the technique termed FISH, which is still applied in some individual cases. This new method of embryonic analysis (Array-CGH) can be simultaneously for the analysis of chromosomal abnormalities and to detect the most common mutations of known monogenic diseases such as thalassaemia, cystic fibrosis and myotonic dystrophy from the same sample (single cell).

Author / Source

Mediterranean Fertility Center, Crete, Greece

Country

Greece

Related links

http://www.fertilitycenter-crete.gr/

 

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