Assisted reproductive treatment

Ovumia is a high class fertility clinic chain in Finland, Northern Europe. Our four clinics are situated in Helsinki, Tampere, Jyväskylä and Kuopio, Finland. We also have a sister clinic, Nova Vita, in Tallin, Estonia. Together we provide high quality fertility treatments with the latest reproductive technology and most passionate and highly experienced team of professionals. Our mission is to bring the joy of having a child to as many people as possible. Let us help you!

Contact our international patient coordinator for making an appointment with one of our assisted reproduction specialists:

International patient coordinator
Nina Pohjanaho
nina.pohjanaho@ovumia.fi
+358 40 623 4443
  

What are assisted reproductive technologies?

What is assisted reproductive technology? Assisted reproductive technology offers different kinds of treatment methods that can help when a couple has difficulties conceiving naturally. People often wonder how does assisted reproductive technology work. We have great news: it works well. Actually more than 80 % of patients can be helped with our current infertility treatment options. The decision of what treatment is best suited to your situation is always done after thorough examination and discussion with the doctor. Our skilled professionals always have your best interest in mind. This means also admitting fairly when there is nothing more to be done and the chances of having a baby are very slim. Honesty is the best policy in every matter, no matter how delicate.

In Ovumia clinics we offer a wide range of infertility treatment options. For example hormone therapy (ovulation induction) is effective if infertility is caused by disorders of oocyte (egg) maturation and ovulation. In many cases intrauterine insemination (IUI) is the first option to treat milder male infertility.

If IUI does not give positive outcome and there are more serious reasons why fertilization does not happen naturally, it is recommended to proceed with in vitro fertilization (IVF) where eggs are fertilized with sperm in a test tube in laboratory conditions. Severe male infertility may be treated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) where a single sperm cell is injected into the egg. ICSI procedure enables also to use sperm cells obtained from epididymis or testicle instead of using donor sperm. This is a huge advantage and has decreased the number of donor sperm treatments with hetero sexual couples significantly.

There is also a possibility to freeze the embryos to be used later in frozen embryo transfers (FET). This  increases the cumulative pregnancy rate after failed fresh cycle. Our clinics are all specialized in donor egg and donor sperm treatments. With over 25 years of experience in egg donation treatments we have perfected our egg donation process to be as smooth and convenient as possible to you as a customer. You can read more about our donor egg IVF treatments here.

Some examples of assisted reproductive technologies

Ovulation induction

Ovulation induction refers to ovulation or the ripening and release of the egg induced by means of hormonal treatment. Hormones can be administered in the form of tablets or subcutaneous injections. The progress of the treatment is monitored in ultrasound examinations every few days and by means of hormone blood tests if necessary. The goal is to ripen 1-2 good follicles. This type of treatment is needed if the woman’s menstrual cycle is abnormal or absent. If the woman’s menstrual cycle is ovulatory, hormonal treatment can be used to support the development of the follicle and the release of the egg. You can read more about ovulation induction here.

Insemination (IUI)

Insemination (Intra Uterine Insemination, IUI) is a procedure in which the best motile sperm separated from the semen sample are placed in the woman’s uterine cavity using special catheter at the time of ovulation. Insemination is prescribed in case of mild male infertility (problems with the number, motility or shape of sperm cells or the presence of anti-sperm antibodies), infertility due to cervical factor and in the treatment of patients with unclear infertility. Insemination can be carried out according to the woman’s natural menstrual cycle or hormone-timed ovulation. In case of natural menstrual cycle the IUI procedure is timed with an ovulation test that enables to determine the moment of ovulation at home on the basis of urine sample. IUI is carried out 24-36 hours after the positive ovulation test. Insemination is often the first fertility treatment used in the event of infertility due to the male or infertility due to unknown origin. You can read more about out insemination treatments here.

Artificial insemination can also be used when donor sperm is needed (in most cases with single women and female couples). We have our own sperm bank with registered, non-anonymous sperm donors, but we also offer you the possibility to order sperm from European Sperm Bank or Cryos. You can read more about treatments with donor sperm here.

In vitro fertilisation (IVF)

IVF was developed in the 1970s as a treatment for infertility due to the tubal factor, but it has proven an efficient treatment for patients suffering from endometriosis, infertility caused by poor sperm quality and infertility of unknown origin. In IVF, the woman receives hormonal treatment that helps more than one follicle to grow and the eggs contained in them to become ripe for fertilisation. The progress of the treatment is monitored in ultrasound examinations.

Eggs are collected from the follicles of the ovary. IVF treatment is carried out in a scrupulously clean laboratory by placing the eggs harvested from the woman and the sperm separated from the man’s sperm sample onto the same common culture dish. Fertilisation and the development of embryos are monitored during each phase. Usually some 70% of the eggs become fertilised in the cultivation dish. Some 30–50% of the fertilised eggs develop into good-quality embryos. The best of these is selected for fresh embryo transfer, during which the embryo is placed in the uterus 2–5 days after fertilisation. The remaining good-quality embryos are frozen for later frozen embryo transfers. You can read more about IVF treatment here.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, ICSI, is used as a treatment for infertility due to the man if the sperm count of the sperm sample is very low or if the motility of the sperm is particularly poor. This treatment is also used when normal IVF has not led to fertilisation. Before the ICSI treatment, the woman receives hormonal treatment and eggs are collected just as for IVF. Motile sperm are separated from the man’s sperm sample for intracytoplasmic injection.

In ICSI, fertilisation is aided by introducing one sperm into a ripe egg by means of a thin glass needle. The fertilisation of the eggs and development of the embryos are monitored just like in normal IVF. The treatment results of ICSI are comparable to those of IVF. You can read more about ICSI treatments here.

Donor egg IVF/ICSI

Ovumia clinics are all specialized in donor egg IVF treatments. We have been doing these treatments successfully for over 25 years, so we really know what we are talking about when it comes to egg donation. In Finland donating eggs is non-anonymous. This means that all the donors (both egg and sperm donors) are registered and that the child who is born with a help of donor egg treatment, has the right to know the donor’s identity after turning 18 years of age. This has proven to be really important to our customers. You can read more about treatments with donor eggs here.

What would be the best fertility treatment for you?

Book an appointment or ask for more information about our broad selection of assisted reproductive treatments:

International patient coordinator
Nina Pohjanaho
nina.pohjanaho@ovumia.fi
+358 40 623 4443