Additional Therapies

Under certain conditions a blastocyst culture is helpful. Here we cultivate the embryos for a period of up to 5 days in a special incubator. This monitoring can be carried out under video surveillance so as not to disturb the development of the embryos.

Hyaluronan is a natural substance that is involved during the process of implantation of an embryo into the lining of the uterus. By the additional application of EmbryoGlue® the probability of implantation can be improved.

EmbryoGen® is a special nutrient fluid for embryos which contains natural growth factors (cytokines). These are produced in the mother during pregnancy and play a significant role in the immune reactions of the organism. If the cytokine level in a pregnant woman is low, this leads to defective communication between the embryo and the uterus. The addition of these cytokines promotes implantation and rejection can thus be prevented.

If the shell of an embryo is too thick or dense, it can be thinned out a little at one point. This allows the embryo to hatch out of its shell more easily during implantation.

Sperm selection by means of PICSI is a non-invasive hyaluron binding test. Mature sperm bind to the hyaluronic acid of the egg cell complex during the fertilisation process. PICSI selects sperm that have reached a certain stage of maturity. According to the results of the study, these sperm show a lower level of genetic degradation and thus lead to a significant improvement in genetic make-up. In a second step, the selected sperm are used for microinjection into the egg cell.

TESE (Testicular Sperm Extraction) refers to the extraction of sperm from testicular tissue that has previously been surgically removed by urologists. The obtained sperm are introduced into the egg cell by means of ICSI. The testicular samples taken can also be cryopreserved (frozen) for a later date.

In MESA (Microsurgical Epididymal Sperm Aspiration), sperm-containing fluid is aspirated from the epididymis. The sperm from this are processed and can be used for ICSI.

In some cases, injecting a sperm with ICSI into the egg is not enough to achieve fertilisation. In this case, the sperm do not succeed in activating the mechanism of fertilisation. In such cases, the fertilisation process can be supported by a calcium ionophore bath of the egg cell immediately after ICSI."

Studies have shown that when the uterus is rinsed with HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin, pregnancy hormone) immediately prior to embryo transfer, an increase in pregnancy rate can be observed.

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Seminal fluid, so-called ''seminal plasma'', is removed during insemination or IVF or ICSI treatment for technical reasons and only the sperm cells are used. However, a biochemically useful effect is lost in this process, because the substances contained in the seminal fluid are not only used to feed the sperm. The substances are possibly important for the immune tolerance of the uterine lining and promote the implantation of the embryo. According to studies, higher implantation rates have been observed after seminal plasma rinsing.

The fatty acids contained in Intralipid or Omegaven are anti-inflammatory and thus directly counteract an activation of the immune system in a woman's body by, among other things, reducing the activity of natural killer cells. This increases the probability of the embryo implanting.

Intralipid and Omegaven are administered as short infusions over a period of 1-2 hours. A first infusion is given on the day of egg collection. In case of a positive pregnancy test, further infusions are given every 14 days until at least the 12th week of pregnancy.

Scratching of the uterine lining in the luteal phase of the pre-cycle has been found to increase the likelihood of implantation.

For this purpose, a small amount of uterine mucosa is extracted between the 21st and 24th day of the cycle of the precycle using a very thin plastic suction cup (pipette). This procedure causes a slight injury, which results in the release of growth factors (cytokines).

This extraction only takes about 5 minutes and can be performed without anesthesia.

Granocyte is a drug that contains the growth factor G-CSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor). G-CSF is found in virtually all tissues of the body; it accelerates cell growth and cell division.

G-CSF is also an important embryonic growth factor. It is produced by cells in the lining of the uterus and positively promotes embryonic cell division, a prerequisite for the success of the implantation process.

Patients with previous abortions or embryo transfers without implantation may have a lack of growth and cell division promoting factors. The administration of G-CSF promotes embryonic development and implantation.

Granozyte is offered as a ready-to-use syringe. The first administration is made two hours before the embryo transfer, and if necessary, a second administration is made the following day. From then on, one injection is given every three to four days.