The A-Z of fertility treatment
The topic of fertility treatment is very complex and extensive. Especially when you are dealing with it for the first time, you quickly feel overwhelmed by all the technical terms.
Our fertility lexicon from A-Z covers all the important topics and terms that you will come across again and again on your fertility journey. We have also created a section with the most frequently asked questions of our patients. However, we are always happy to provide you with help and advice and answer any questions you may have in a personal first consultation.
- Retrograde ejaculation
For an undisturbed ejaculation, an orderly interaction of nerve impulses and a normal condition of the male sexual organs is required. Disturbances or changes in one of these two parts can lead to a sexual climax (orgasm), but afterwards no seminal fluid comes out of the penis. In some cases, the seminal fluid empties into the bladder instead. This is called "retrograde ejaculation". Common reasons for this can be, for example, paraplegia or prostate surgery.
For these patients, it is still possible to obtain the sperm cells from the urinary bladder. To do this, the urine must first be made alkaline, otherwise the sperm cells will not survive in the acidic environment. There is a special medication regimen for this, which the patient must start a few days before ejaculation.
If you have retrograde ejaculation, talk to your urologist or to us, we will be happy to inform you about this procedure. We have developed a standardised procedure in our "Androzentrum an der Wien" that offers you the maximum chance of having a child despite the presence of retrograde ejaculation.
- RIF
Repeated Implantation Failure (RIF) means that at least 3 previous IVF attempts with embryo transfer and good embryo quality have failed to implant. This is extremely frustrating for both patients and their reproductive health care providers and is one of the biggest challenges of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Some causes are known (e.g. smoking, obesity, severely reduced quality of eggs and sperm, thrombophilia, other factors affecting the uterus and fallopian tubes), but very often the cause is unknown.
Recent meta-analyses (scientific publications that use statistical methods and compare different studies with the same question) by Busnelli et al (2021) and Yang et al (2019) have evaluated PBMC (Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell) administration as one of the most promising methods for RIF. The clinical pregnancy rate, embryo implantation rate and live birth rate were significantly higher in the proportion of individuals who received PBMC flushing a few days before the embryo was placed in the uterus. This positive effect could be demonstrated in the group that had 3 or more implantation failures in the past.