Assisted fertilization: what are the protocols to avoid errors in the identification of embryos, according to experts

Rewrite this content“There are different moments in the use of assisted reproductive techniques. At all times, the teams of professionals must ensure the data on the ovules, spermatozoa or embryos that are inside an assisted fertility center”, Pasqualini explained.The infertility It may be the result of a problem with one of the members or a combination of factors that prevent the pregnancy. Fortunately, there are several therapies effective that significantly improve the chances of achieving a pregnancy.through different techniques can be obtained embryos, which can be implanted in the woman’s uterus or can be frozen for later use. In the different modalities, the centers dedicated to assisted reproduction must verify that both the ovalos sperm and the embryos correspond to the pair that belongs to it.Recently, in San Isidro, In the northern area of ​​the Buenos Aires suburbs, in Argentina, a couple had their third child. When the woman was discharged, the baby’s father noted that the blood type did not correspond to his and his wife’s. When a DNA study was carried out, they found that the baby was not genetically compatible with the couple.During the processes in which assisted fertilization or ICSI is carried out until the moment the embryos are thawed, traceability protocols must be followedIt was an embryo that belonged to another couple, who had not donated it but had it stored. It is the first case of this type that is known in Argentina. There was a desire to have a child in both couples who had used the same fertility clinic.When people consult for assistance in reproduction, they can access different techniques, from lesser to more complex. One of the highly complex assisted reproductive techniques is in vitro fertilization, by which the union of the ovum and the spermatozoon is achieved in a laboratory. Another technique is ICSI, consisting of intracytoplasmic sperm injection.“There are different moments in the use of assisted reproductive techniques. At all times, the teams of professionals must ensure the data on the ovules, spermatozoa or embryos that are inside an assisted fertility center, ”he explained to infobae Director of Halitus Medical Institute, Sergio Pasqualini.One of the first moments is when the woman’s eggs are aspirated. These eggs are received by biologists, who already label them with codes to identify who they belong to, Pasqualini said. They also receive the couple’s sperm sample and it is labeled.The embryos obtained by fertility techniques can be implanted when people decide or be frozen.Once the embryos are obtained by any of the available techniques, they must also be put a code. In the operating room, before implanting the embryos, it is verified at various times whether the embryos correspond to the woman who wants to receive them.“There may be the possibility that same-day patients have similar names. Therefore, a verification of clinical history data and embryo data must be carried out so that there is no confusion, ”he specified. Each embryo must be registered with a code that corresponds to the data of the couple.“Each professional team must ensure the entire process that goes from egg aspiration to embryo implantation is verified with the corresponding couple. It is a protocol that must be followed to the letter. Artificial intelligence programs are emerging that will provide even more security, but today patients can rest assured that the protocols are met”, according to Pasqualini.Cryopreservation is the embryo freezing procedure that is performed when it has been possible to obtain a greater number of embryos than the one that is desired to be transferred“Human error can occur at any stage of the procedure. In the case of the San Isidro couple, an error would have occurred at the time the embryo was taken and transferred. The couple who carried on the pregnancy of another couple’s embryo. But their own embryos did not evolve and they were not transferred either”, commented the specialist.After applying any of the fertility techniques, the egg may turn out to be fertilized. It then divides and becomes an embryo. Laboratory personnel should regularly monitor the resulting embryo to ensure that it is growing properly. In about 5 days, the embryo has several cells that are actively dividing.When implantation is decided, the embryos are placed inside the woman’s uterus 3 to 5 days after the egg is removed and fertilized. The procedure is done in the doctor’s office while the woman is awake. The doctor inserts a catheter containing the embryos into the vagina through the cervix and into the uterus. If an embryo implants in the lining of the uterus and grows there, pregnancy occurs.consulted by infobae, Stella Lancubafrom the Center for Research in Reproductive Medicine (CIMER), said that “when people are cared for in search of a child, they apply rigorous standards and protocols of traceability. There is the possibility of identifying risk points and preventing them. The processes can be followed by traceability and are part of patient safety”.”It is a protocol that must be followed to the letter. Artificial intelligence programs are emerging that will provide even more security, but today patients can have peace of mind that the protocols are being followed”Before the couple of the procedures, people sign an informed consent for the entire process, even specifying whether to accept their own or donated gametes, specified Lancuba.“In the case of cryopreservation in a liquid nitrogen tank —explained Lancuba— the embryo is placed inside a specific device. This device has the patient data, including data from the clinical history. It is a process that relates the embryos with the couple to which it corresponds. Everything is coded to ensure traceability. If the thawing is done and the person enters the operating room to receive the implantation, the identity is verified and traceability is made with the embryo that was stored. The process also involves taking into account whether the embryo was donated. There is a process of execution, control and registration”.Although the case that occurred in San Isidro is the first in Argentina, there are other precedents of similar situations in the world. In July 2019, a couple of California sued a fertility clinic over what was described as a terrible IVF mistake that led to another woman giving birth to her baby. Anni and Ashot Manukyan, residents of Glendale, a Los Angeles suburb, accused the CHA Fertility Center in court of mishandling their embryos. The chaos led to a New York woman giving birth to her son in March, after two embryos – that of the Manukyans and that of another unidentified couple – were mistakenly implanted in her womb.The event is the first in Argentina, but it has happened on other occasions in various countries around the worldThe New York woman, who is of Korean descent, was hoping to have twin girls, but ended up with two boys, the first indicator that something was wrong. Subsequently, she gave birth by caesarean section to two boys who did not have Asian features, despite the fact that the parents are. The Manukyans told reporters they did not know they had a child until the clinic contacted them to request a DNA sample to determine if the New York-born child was theirs. The tests confirmed that neither the man nor the woman “were genetically related to the babies” and that not even “the two babies were genetically related to each other,” according to the 28-page letter.In 2017, a 31-year-old woman and her 41-year-old partner underwent an in vitro fertilization process at the Canary Islands Infertility Institute (ICI). According to the Provincial Court of Las Palmas, whose ruling was confirmed by the Supreme Court, the medical team used a wrong sample and the woman became pregnant with twins from another donor. In 2019, also in the United States, a couple underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) with Doctor Melvin Thornton. According to the parents, the minor is not genetically related to them, so they started a lawsuit against the doctor. They intuited the above, after the baby born did not have the same pigmentation as the father, the genetic mother and her first child, who apparently have a much lighter complexion.Secontinue reading:Why specialists recommend early prevention of fertility in womenHuman fertility in danger: “It is possible that most couples will have to use assisted reproduction by 2045″Ovarian rejuvenation: how platelet-rich plasma can improve fertilityHow COVID-19 affects male fertility and and more content about Assisted fertilization: what are the protocols to avoid errors…