The treatment - Embryoadoption desarrollo

During the first consultation, we check whether the woman is in good enough health to carry a pregnancy. We carry out a gynaecological test (the woman may provide one from her gynaecologist), and embryos are assigned. We then perform an ultrasound scan and (painlessly) test the catheter that will be used to transfer embryos through the cervix.

This determines the best course of treatment, and a date is chosen to unfreeze and transfer the embryos.

The uterus is made ready to receive embryos by applying skin patches and administering vaginal tablets. After a few days, the uterus is ready and the embryos can be unfrozen and transferred with no need for hospital admission. You should just avoid physical strain in the hours following the procedure.

PROFILE OF COUPLES RECEIVING EMBRYOS

Women without a male partner who would like a child.
Couples with fertility problems for whom IVF treatment has repeatedly failed.
Patients who have had repeated miscarriages.
Couples or women on child adoption waiting lists. In many cases, they have stopped receiving reproduction treatment or have not contemplated it due to their religious or ethical beliefs. Due to restrictive laws in other states and the prestige of reproductive medicine in Spain, our patients come from several different countries.

The process

1) EMBRYO ALLOCATION

An embryo is assigned anonymously to the adoptive parents. During the allocation process, care is only taken to ensure the embryo is of the same race as its future parents.

To minimise the risk of two siblings meeting each other in the future, the system designed for embryo allocation ensures that embryos are assigned to different regions or countries.

3) TRANSFER

Before the transfer, the selected embryos are laid in a specific culture. The embryos gather at the end of the catheter used to transfer them, and they are gently deposited inside the uterine cavity.

The embryo transfer can be guided by ultrasound, in order to clearly see the endometrium and deposit the embryos in the uterine cavity. This is done transcervically, i.e. by way of the uterine cervix. In order to see the cervix, a speculum is positioned in the vagina. This is a painless procedure that does not require any kind of analgesia or sedation, and the patient may be accompanied by her partner for the duration of the process.

At our centre, we use soft, atraumatic catheters to penetrate the cervical opening and deposit the embryos in the perfect part of the endometrium, causing the patient no pain at all. The catheter is then removed carefully and examined under a microscope to make sure the embryos have been deposited successfully.

2) PREPARATION

In order to prepare the endometrium in the best way possible and improve the chance of pregnancy, before an embryo can be transferred, medication is administered using tablets or skin patches (oestradiol valerate) and vaginal tablets (progesterone) for approximately 15 days.

4) IMPLANTATION

Implantation is the process by which an embryo sticks to the inner wall of the uterus (endometrium) and penetrates it to continue its development. The implantation is performed when the embryo is at the blastocyst stage (5-6 days after its formation).

For the implantation to be carried out, the endometrium must be perfectly prepared, the embryo has to have the potential to develop, and symbiosis must be established during the changes that are constantly occurring in both organisms.

PREGNANCY

TEST

A pregnancy test is carried out 10 to 12 days later and, in the event of a positive result, the same procedure is followed as with a normal pregnancy. You only need to carry on the initial treatment for another two months.

Pregnancy check-ups are carried out by your regular gynaecologist.

ADVICE

Thanks to other couples’ selfless donations, we can make dreams come true for many people who are unlikely to conceive a child themselves by letting them adopt embryos.

EXPERT OPINION

Embryo donation is a highly recommended treatment for single women and couples who are unlikely to conceive with their own eggs and semen. The embryos donated are high quality because, in order to be donated, the biological parents must meet the exact same requirements as those given to sperm and egg donors. This leads to excellent results. It really is an option to bear in mind.