If you want to achieve a pregnancy with a sperm bank, you have several treatments at your fingertips. One of them is natural cycle IVF, an usual technique at FIVclínic, mainly in women who do not want hormonal treatment. As Aina Borràs, a reproduction specialist at FIVclínic, explains to us, natural cycle fertilization is an alternative to obtain good chances of pregnancy with an advantage over other techniques: it does not require medication.

When would this natural cycle in Vitro Fertilization treatment with donor semen be indicated?

If you have already done other treatments, such as intra-uterine insemination with sperm donor (IUI-D), you have several tests performed. You just have to keep in mind some requirement to consider natural cycle IVF as a treatment to achieve pregnancy:

• That you are less than 40 years old, since the probability of pregnancy is greater the younger you are and we have adequate options for women under 40 years of age.
• Regular menstrual cycles, since it is a treatment where we control the follicle growth in the ovary, therefore it is important to be able to do the treatment.

What are the advantages of natural cycle IVF?

Natural cycle in vitro fertilization is a friendly treatment that allows us to optimize the development of the oocyte that grows within the follicle that has decided to grow in the ovary. Thus promote the best embryo in a treatment carried out without medication and with the probability of success.

FIVclínic is a reference center in natural cycle IVF, a treatment that we have used for more than 10 years with good success rates. It is a technique that more and more women choose who consider an alternative treatment to In Vitro Fertilization with sperm donor when they have already performed intra-uterine insemination with sperm donor (IUI-D), and, in addition, it does not require the administration of hormones.

In fact, it is increasingly being viewed as a good option for several reasons:

• Absence of hormonal treatment, only hCG is administered when the puncture is programmed to promote the maturation of the oocyte within the follicle.
• Control without modification of the growth of the follicle and the preparation of the endometrium, thus favoring an optimal environment for the implantation of the embryo.
• Optimal chances of pregnancy, especially if you are under 40 years of age, which can lead to a higher gestation rate than in women who undergo treatment for other reasons, such as low ovarian reserve.

What is the procedure for a natural cycle IVF with sperm donor?

It is a treatment in which we only monitor the ovarian cycle, controlling follicular growth in a spontaneous cycle. We do a careful and personalized monitoring of the dominant follicle of the cycle, with ultrasound and hormonal analytical controls. Just a final administration of HCG is necessary to program the time of the oocyte retrieval and I will obtain the oocyte.

Oocyte retrieval is performed in the operating room and is usually done without sedation, since it is very well tolerated and we explain it in detail to the woman before entering the operating room. If we obtain the oocyte, later fertilization is carried out with the bank semen sample, and finally the embryo transfer, guided by ultrasound.

How do you reserve the donor’s sperm?

We perform sperm bank treatments in certain situations, such as in women without a partner or female partner. Or in couples where there is an absence of sperm in the ejaculate (azoospermia). Or in those where men are carriers of certain hereditary diseases that they can be transmitted to their offspring and cannot be discarded with other techniques.

With the data of the physical characteristics of the woman together with the blood group, the search for the sperm donor begins, which we will try to have the greatest physical and immunological similarity.

The principles that regulate the donation of gametes (in this case, semen) are contained in the law (LIRA) and the Royal Decree Law on the quality and safety of cell and tissue donations (RDLCYT), and are those of formality, confidentiality (the donation must be anonymous) and free.

The donor can be any man between 18 and 34 years old with good psychophysical health and who wants to help other people. A complete study is carried out to assess the state of physical and psychological health is ideal and that it does not suffer from genetic, hereditary or communicable infectious diseases. Many actions are previously carried out, from a detailed medical history both at a personal and family level, blood tests, including serologies; a test and a personal interview for psychological evaluation and genetic study.

Aina Borràs. Gynecologist specialized in assisted reproduction of FIVclínic.