Services

Surrogacy

• Surrogacy is one of the types of ART (Assisted Reproductive Technologies) in which the process of childbirth is assisted with such parts:

  • the egg and sperm of the biological parents
  • a donated egg fertilized with sperm from the biological father
  • an embryo made with donor egg and sperm

  The child is genetically unrelated to the surrogate mother. The legal conditions and social attitude towards surrogacy in Russia are extremely positive; moreover, the program is able to help couples from the countries where surrogacy is prohibited or it is extremely expensive to become parents. The child is genetically unrelated to the surrogate mother.

  To enter the surrogacy program patients will need following documents:

  • Legalized copies the Russian translations of passports and a marriage certificate.
  • Program eligibility
  • Surrogacy program is offered to officially married couples or single women who have medical contraindications to pregnancy or delivery, or have a record of multiple IVF failure.

  Our surrogate mothers

  Surrogate mothers undergo a thorough medical and psychological screening in accordance with the requirements of the Russian Ministry of Health. This includes: general medical examination, ultrasound scan, infectious disease screening for a variety of infections, drug test, approval by general practitioner, gynecologist, and psychiatrist.

  Surrogate mothers acceptance criteria:

  • age between 20-35 years old 
  • BMI 20-25
  • must have given birth to one or two healthy children
  • uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries
  • good and somatic health, benevolence, willingness to cooperate
  • non-smoker
  • stable, responsible lifestyle
  • written agreement to undergo the program in compliance with all its conditions

  Program details

  AltraVita IVF clinic can rightly be called "The Surrogate Motherhood Center" since we provide a full range of services: matching the intended parents with the surrogate, her extensive screening, IVF treatment, antenatal care, arranging of childbirth in Moscow maternity hospitals.

  The clinic acts as a Guarantee of the mutual obligations of the intended parents and the surrogate mother. We provide a full social and medical monitoring of surrogate mothers throughout the program. The intended parents will be getting monthly medical reports from the treating physician during the surrogate’s pregnancy. No decision about pregnancy will be made without intended parents’ involvement.

  The intended parents will have to come to Moscow at least 14 days before delivery. After delivery, our lawyer assists with issuing the birth certificate. Our clinic has been practicing surrogacy for the past 16 years and has a good statistics of successful surrogacy for Russian and overseas patients. Altravita IVF clinic will be happy to help you to become parents through this unique method of assisted reproductive technologies.

Embryo donation

• Thus, the program can be recommended if:

  • there is a high risk of having a child with a genetic pathology;
  • a combined factor of infertility was diagnosed, when it is not possible to get the gametes of the spouses;
  • cannot use a single patient's own eggs during the IVF program;
  • IVF attempts have repeatedly failed, and the embryos after IVF were of poor quality, and pregnancy after their transfer to the uterus did not occur.

  The embryo donation program: stages

  Patients whose germ cells cannot be used for fertilization can choose either IVF with vitrified donor embryos, or IVF with donor oocytes and sperm. 

  IVF with vitrified donor embryos

  The program includes such stages as:

  • preparing the patient's endometrium for embryo implantation;
  • defrosting of the donor embryo and its transfer to the patient's uterine cavity; 
  • hormonal support for the luteal phase of the cycle.

  IVF with oocytes (fresh or vitrified) and vitrified donor sperm

  If the program is performed using fresh donor oocytes, it includes the following steps:

  • selection of egg and sperm donors from the AltraVita Clinic database based on important parameters for patients (blood type and RH factor, body type, weight, appearance, education, profession, etc.). An oocyte Donor can also be a relative or friend of the patient who meets the requirements contained in the order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 107n;
  • synchronization of the menstrual cycles of the patient and the egg donor;
  • stimulation of ovulation of the donor with the help of hormonal drugs;
  • puncture of follicles;
  • embryological stage (fertilization of donor oocytes with prepared donor sperm and cultivation of the resulting embryos in an incubator for several days);
  • transfer of 1 or 2 embryos to the patient's uterine cavity

  If the program is performed using vitrified donor oocytes, there is no need to prepare the donor and synchronize menstrual cycles.

  Thus, the program includes: 

  • preparation of the patient's endometrium;
  • defrosting of donor germ cells; 
  • embryological stage (fertilization of donor oocytes with prepared donor sperm and cultivation of the resulting embryos in an incubator for several days); 
  • transfer of 1 or 2 embryos to the patient's uterine cavity; 
  • support for the post-transfer period.

  Effectiveness of IVF programs with embryo donation

  Pregnancy as a result of IVF with donor embryos occurs on average in 45% of cases. The chances of success of IVF with donor oocytes and sperm are always higher than when using patients ' own gametes, due to the excellent quality of the donor genetic material.

  How much does the embryo donation IVF program cost?

  The cost will depend on which program the patients choose. If patients decide to enter the IVF program with oocytes and vitrified sperm from donors, the costs will increase. In this case, it matters whether vitrified or fresh eggs are used for fertilization. In the first case, IVF will cost less. Thus, the cost of the program depends on its complexity. The more stages the procedure involves, the higher the financial costs will be.

  Facts about IVF with embryo donation

  The IVF program with embryo donation is sometimes called «embryo adoption»/ Embryos do not lose their original properties after defrosting, since the use of modern vitrification method eliminates the possibility of damage to cell structures.

Assisted Reproduction

• These complex procedures may be an option for people who have already gone through various infertility treatment options but who still have not achieved pregnancy. Those interested in ART should discuss the options with their health care provider and may need to consult a fertility specialist.

  Assisted reproduction is the name given to treatments that can help you get pregnant without you having sexual intercourse. There are varieties of treatments, and what is suitable for you will depend on your own circumstances. The options include:

  • intrauterine insemination (IUI)
  • in vitro fertilisation (IVF)
  • IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
  • the use of donor sperm (donor insemination) or eggs (egg donation).

  Other methods of assisted reproduction called gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) or zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) are not recommended.

  Certain forms of assisted reproduction (IUI, IVF, ICSI, donor insemination and egg donation) are regulated by law and their use is controlled by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA; www.hfea.gov.uk).

Egg Donation

• Whom is IVF suitable for with egg donation?

  Donor egg IVF is generally with significantly diminished egg quantity and quality (poor ovarian reserve). This includes women with:

  • Premature ovarian failure (early menopause)
  • Very poor egg quality
  • Poor response to ovarian stimulation
  • Very low antral follicle counts on ultrasound
  • Advanced female age, such as over age 40

  Donor egg IVF is recommended to the women who are known to be affected or be the carrier of a genetic disease in order to avoid the risk of passing on genetic disorders to her child.

  Our donors

  Altravita IVF clinic has a well-developed egg donation program corresponding to the highest standards and criteria set by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). We only accept egg cells from young (18-32), good-looking, healthy donors.

  We have a large database of active egg donors who underwent a thorough medical and psychological screening. Besides providing a detailed medical history about herself and close blood relatives, the donor undergoes the following examinations:

  • general medical examination (including blood tests, ultrasound scan)
  • ovarian reserve testing  
  • infectious disease screening for a variety of infections
  • genetic screening and karyotyping
  • drug test
  • medical examination by gynecologist, geneticist and psychiatrist.

  Fresh and frozen egg donation programs  

  Both programs are offered at Altravita.

  Fresh egg donation IVF cycles is the way the majority of egg donation is done around the world:

  • The donors are chosen by a recipient couple and stimulated to produce multiple eggs.
  • The eggs are retrieved and fertilized by patient’s partner sperm (or donor sperm) with the resulting fresh embryos transferred to the patient.
  • Remaining embryos would be frozen for future frozen embryo transfer procedures (if needed).

  All the eggs from the donor are available to you for fertilization. This cycle maximizes the pregnancy rates and typically results in additional embryos for cryopreservation.

  Egg freezing has improved significantly over the past several years due to fine-tuning of freezing and thawing protocols. Thawed egg survival and viability is much better than it was previously. A new technology of ultrafast freezing (vitrification) of oocytes was invented. The embryologists at our clinic were early leaders in the field of egg and embryo vitrification. Altravita has a record of successful IVF programs with frozen donor eggs.

  Frozen egg donation does not require synchronization of the cycle between the donor and the patient. Treatment cycles are quicker and treatment cost is lower compared to fresh egg donation.

  Legal aspects of egg donation program

  According to the legislation of the Russian Federation a woman, who gave birth to a child, is considered the mother (except for surrogacy cases). The donor has no legal relations to the child conceived from her egg.
  The law does not set the age limit for this treatment program.

  IVF with egg donation treatment steps

  • Consultation with reproductive endocrinologist; selection of the individual stimulation protocol: preparing the uterine lining for embryo transfer and synchronization of the donor and patient cycles in case of fresh egg donation.
  • Monitoring of the hormonal stimulation under ultrasound.
  • Collection of donor eggs under general anesthesia/thawing of vitrified donor eggs.
  • Sperm collection, analysis and preparation. Semen is prepared for fertilization by removing inactive cells and seminal fluid by so-called sperm washing.
  • Fertilization using ICSI or IMSI methods.
  • Cultivation of embryos. The produced embryos are being cultivated in special incubators for 5-6 days. Their development is closely monitored by experienced embryologists. If necessary, PGS or PGD can be performed to select the embryos free from genetic diseases.  
  • Embryo transfer is a painless transfer of the best embryo into the woman’s uterus. Spare embryos will be cryopreserved by vitrification method.

Cryopreservation

IVF

• Whom is IVF treatment suitable?

  • Women who have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility
  • Women with fallopian tubes obstruction
  • When other techniques such as fertility medication or intrauterine insemination (IUI) have not been successful
  • When a limited number of oocytes are available
  • Male partner has serious fertility problems
  • Couples are using donated eggs or their own frozen eggs in their treatment
  • Couples are using preimplantation genetic screening to avoid passing on a genetic condition to the child

  IVF Treatment steps

  • Consultation with reproductive endocrinologist; selection of the individual stimulation protocol.
  • Ovulation induction according to the protocol chosen in order to ensure a higher number of eggs.
  • Monitoring of the hormonal stimulation under ultrasound. The number of matured eggs and quality of uterine lining will be checked.
  • Egg retrieval is performed by gynecologist under general anesthesia. The whole procedure takes 10-20 minutes.
  • Sperm collection, analysis and preparation. Semen is prepared for fertilisation by removing inactive cells and seminal fluid in a process called sperm washing.
  • Fertilisation using ICSI or IMSI methods.
  • Cultivation of embryos. The produced embryos are being cultivated in special incubators for 5-6 days. Their development is closely monitored by experienced embryologists. If necessary, PGS or PGD can be performed to select embryos free from genetic diseases. 
  • Embryo transfer is a painless transfer of the best embryo into the woman’s uterus. Spare embryos will be cryopreserved by vitrification.

  Frozen embryo transfer is one of ART techniques. Many couples choose to try frozen embryo transfer program after a successful IVF attempt to have a second baby.

Natural Cycle IVF

• What is IVF in natural cycle? IVF in natural cycle uses ultrasound monitoring of growth of the dominant follicle in the ovary of the patients with preserved ovulation.

  With a follicle size of 18 mm, either under the control of an ovulation test, or after the intramuscular injection of an ovulation trigger, a follicle is punctured to obtain an egg. The rest of the IVF program process remains the same.

  To increase the effectiveness of IVF, the program includes the study of egg’s spindle apparatus.

  IVF in the natural cycle: pros and cons

  The reason for the low demand for IVF in the natural menstrual cycle is that it is characterized by a fairly low efficiency. The pregnancy rate is lower than with insemination in the natural cycle, it is about 7% in terms of each started cycle.
  This is due to the fact that not every mature follicle is an egg carrier. In addition, because of the puncture, only one egg is extracted, which may not be able to fertilize. Also, when using this method, there is a risk of canceling the oocyte collection procedure due to premature ovulation.

  The advantage of this method is to minimize the risk of complications such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

  The undoubted advantages of the IVF method in the natural cycle include the possibility of carrying out the procedure for several menstrual cycles in a row. However, note that a single puncture of stimulated ovaries will do less harm than multiple.

  Another advantage of IVF in natural cycle is that comapered to other programs its cost is usually lower than in programs where superovulation stimulation is performed.

  Also, unlike in other programs, no special preparation for IVF in the natural cycle is not required.

  The package includes (depending on the Doctor’s prescription)

  • Prescribing natural cycle treatment plan;
  • Consultation with Infertility doctor (up to 3 times);
  • Follicle ultrasound (up to 3 times);
  • Hormone level tests for monitoring ovarian stimulation (LH, estradiol, progesterone express-tests – up to 3 times)
  • One of the following medications:
  • Diphereline (0.1)
  • Chorionic gonadotropin (up to 10.000)
  • Ovarian puncture in natural cycle
  • Staying in a hospital ward for 3 hours for monitoring purposes
  • Embryological stage:
  • Oocyte identification and assessment; 
  • 2 sperm specimen preparation for fertilization;
  • In vitro fertilization: ICSI;
  • Embryo culture;
  • Oocyte spindle apparatus assessment.

  The package does not include

  • Medications that are not listed in the program description;
  • Medical assistance in case of emergency conditions;
  • IMSI;
  • Assisted hatching;
  • Embryo biopsy;
  • All kinds of preimplantation genetic diagnosis;
  • Embryo storage;
  • All consultations with related specialists;
  • The use of donor material and its defrosting.

  IVM procedure

  IVM means in vitro egg maturation (in vitro) followed by IVF. The specialists of AltraVita clinic have sufficient capabilities and knowledge to conduct this process with high efficiency, as evidenced by reviews of IVF in natural cycle.

  The combination of IVM and IVF methods makes it possible to simultaneously obtain a mature egg from a dominant follicle and a number of immature eggs from small (antral) follicles. Egg maturation takes place “in vitro”, and a mature egg undergoes fertilization in the standard way. High-quality embryos obtained by both methods are transferred into the uterus.

  Indications for IVF in the natural cycle in conjunction with IVM

  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
  • Significant risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
  • A history of benign hormone-dependent tumors
  • Contraindications to the induction of superovulation
  • Factors Affecting IVM Choice
  • The ability to avoid the risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
  • Lack of hormonal stimulation
  • Affordable cost of the procedure, which is caused by a small amount of hormonal drugs used

Assessment of the spindle of egg division

• Thanks to the development of optical and computational technologies, it has become possible to observe the spindle of division in real time in a live egg.

  A device called Poloscope allows you to use optical distortion of light waves passing through an egg placed under a microscope, send this data to a PC that analyzes the information received and determines the position of the spindle.

  With the information regarding the absence or presence the spindle of division in the oocyte, its localization and clarity, it is possible to make predictions about the quality of the egg. Visualization of the spindle minimizes the likelihood of damage to ICSI / IMSI, and thereby increases the efficiency of fertilization and the quality of embryos.

  Also, the information obtained through this procedure can answer a number of questions concerning the causes of poor fertilization and the low quality of embryos in previous programs.

Accommodation for foreign patients

Genetics

• The following genetic tests are available in our clinic:

  • HorizonTM – a non-invasive testing technique with the capability to detect 274 chromosomal disorders. It can be done either when you are planning for pregnancy, or on its early stages.
  • Panorama - a non-invasive testing technique with the capability to detect the fetus’s chromosomal disorders and microdeletions. It is performed in the 9th week of pregnancy.
  • Vistara – allows accurate diagnosis of all abnormalities caused by monogenic mutations in 30 genes, that are impossible to detect by any other examinations.
  • Anora – a diagnostic technique that allows to thoroughly examine the fetal tissue after a miscarriage in order to correctly determine its cause. It detects missing or duplicated chromosomes, deleted fragments of chromosomes and disomies, as well as estimates the risk of a molar pregnancy.