The current delay of motherhood implies that many women find themselves with a diminished ovarian reserve that limits the possibilities of achieving a pregnancy with their own oocytes. When the ovarian age is over 43 years old or when the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is very low, few eggs are obtained when the ovarian puncture...
Topics to reflect on Archive
Treating Recurrent Miscarriages: Science or Shamanism?
When a patient has suffered two or more miscarriages, if the problem has not been diagnosed and treated, the chances of recurrence are high and increase in direct proportion to the number of previous miscarriages. Some of us know, and others can imagine, the excitement of a positive pregnancy test. But now, I ask...
In the List of the most Influential Women in the Health and Medical Sector: Women’s Leadership, my Personal Experience
This week one of the best-known business magazines in the United States included me in their list of the ten most influential women in the health and medicine sector. I am honoured that they have chosen my interview to be featured on the cover of their magazine. Here is a summary of this and...
Sperm and Egg Donation: Would you like your Child to resemble you?
“Will I feel it as mine? Will she/he resemble me?” These are two of the most frequent questions at the consulting room when we tell a patient that she is going to need and egg or sperm donor to have a child. This is a very natural reaction; I call it “genetic mourning”. Faced...
Taking care of the environment is everyone’s business (part 2)
In this second part of the post I am going to detail which are the main harming pollutants I have previously mentioned. 1. Toxic chemicals: Endocrine disruptors are chemicals commonly used in industry, agriculture and at home. These substances are very resistant to biodegradation and are present in our diet and in the environment,...
Taking care of the environment is everyone’s business (part 1)
At the end of last year I followed the Climate Action Summit that was held in Madrid. One of the scientists attending the event claimed that he had never seen such a great disconnection between science, what citizens ask for and negotiators. I don’t see it that way, on the contrary, I think we’ve...
Sexuality and sterility
We have started organising workshops about sexuality and eroticism for couples who want to become parents. When the pregnancy does not arrive, the couple’s sexual desire and intercourse frequency tend to decrease, what is counterproductive. When you decide that you want to get pregnant, it is important that you do not neglect your couple’s...
Egg donation: risks of false advertising
In recent months we have been seeing many patients who have not become pregnant after cycles of treatment with egg donation in clinics where they were “ensured” a high number of eggs or even a certain number of blastocysts. Offering or ensuring many eggs or blastocysts leads to worse pregnancy rates, because in order...
Anti-Müllerian hormone: What is my ovarian age?
The age stated on the ID does not always meet the age of the ovaries. When we talk about the pregnancy chances per cycle, we doctors refer to the ovarian age, and it is important that you are aware of it because it marks the level of your reserve of good eggs. To know...
Motherhood is a right, not a duty
The International Women’s Day was established in favour of equality, justice, peace and the development of women. Our laboratories have gone purple in order to claim for one of the main achievements of feminism: “Being a mother is a right, not a duty”. Years ago, a woman might have wanted to be a mother...