Joaquin Llacer from Instituto Bernabeu (Alicante) offered one of the most brilliant and awesome presentations at ESHRE Meeting held at Helsinki this month. It is admitted that embryo aneuploidy frequency increases with women’s age. According to data from Instituto Bernabeu as much as 40,6% of analyzed embryos showed some type of aneuploidy. Overall, this means that the fate of 4 out of 10 embryos will be either no implantation or a miscarriage. As expected, the aneuploidy rate increased with age. The rate was higher than 80% among women aged 42 and older. No news, here.
But the relevance of Joaquin Llacer`s presentation was the high and in someway surprising high rate of aneuploidies observed among women younger than 22. More than 40% of embryos from women included in this young range were faulty from a chromosomal point of view. This means that even in an egg donation program it is worthwhile to analyze the embryos to be transferred.
In summary, two lessons may be learned from this outstanding presentation. First, the transfer of embryos without a chromosomal analysis (i.e. without performing a genetic screening) will (should) be reduced in the future taking into account that as much as 4 out of 10 embryos may be defective (so, 6 out of 10 useless embryo transfers could be avoided). Second, and more surprisingly, even in the context of an egg donation program genetic screening may be suitable. Anyway, if an egg donation treatment is proposed, it is advisable to choose donors older than 21.
Desde la primera Ley de Reproducción Asistida que se publicó en España, en 1988, los ‘vientres de alquiler’ están prohibidos.
El llamado turismo reproductivo ha situado como destinos frecuentes a países como Estados Unidos, India o Ucrania. Hay países en los que la opción es viable, aunque con muchas restricciones, como es el caso de Reino Unido y Holanda.
Así, la gestación subrogada es posible para las mujeres sin útero, por enfermedades congénitas, como el síndrome de Rokytansky; afectadas por formas graves y no controladas de diabetes infarto-juvenil u otras patologías que desaconsejen la gestación y aquellas mujeres que, tras intentar y fracasar con las técnicas de reproducción asistida autorizadas actualmente (desde la inseminación artificial a la fecundación in vitro con donación de ovocitos) no tengan otra forma de ser madres.
El debate también está abierto en España y hay quien propone que, al menos en un primer momento, las madres que cedan su útero tendrían que ser familiares de las afectadas por infertilidad.
