Effectiveness of IVF and endometrial autotransplantation: what is the connection?
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is an advanced method of infertility treatment, but in some cases does not produce results.
Couples, for which IVF is recommended, shall understand that the success of this program depends on two components: the quality of embryos transferred to the woman’s uterus and receptivity (that is, susceptibility) of the endometrium, the inner mucosa of the uterus. It is the quality of the upper layer of the endometrium, which is regenerated monthly as a result of menstruation (menstrual bleeding is nothing more than a flaking endometrial layer), that determines the ability of a woman to conceive and bear a child.
Why women with menstrual disorders can’t get pregnant?
In women with menstrual disorders, one of which is Asherman syndrome, menstruation either stops completely (amenorrhea) or is pathologically short and manifests as scanty short-term discharge. These symptoms indicate non-functionality of the basal membrane, one of the layers of the endometrium, and a decrease in the receptivity of the endometrial tissue. If a woman has this pathology, then even the highest-quality embryo grown in vitro and placed in the uterus will not take and IVF will be unsuccessful.
Therefore, it is important to initially determine the receptivity of the endometrium, for this purpose a special laboratory diagnostics is carried out. And, when a smooth basal membrane is detected, the patient is recommended endometrial transplantation.
Recommendations for endometrial autotransplantation
Among patients with unsuccessful IVF experience there are many such women who underwent gynecological operations, abortions (especially in the later periods), that is, curettage, damaging the endometrial layer. In some cases, long-term untreated inflammatory processes in the uterus lead to non-functionality of the basal membrane. Thus, the main indications for endometrial autotransplantation are:
- amenorrhea and menstrual disorders
- abortions, miscarriages
- surgical treatment of uterus.
How is autotransplantation carried out and when is it best to do the procedure?
The patient’s endometrial patch is sampled, if the amount of such tissue is minimal, it is sampled using an endoscope inserted into the uterine cavity. Sometimes tissue samples can be taken even from menstrual blood, but in any case, the procedure is painless and does not take much time. Then the cells are placed in a special incubator and grow there. The peculiarity of endometrial tissue is that cells quickly divide, forming a liquid tissue culture: this fluid with cells of a full-fledged endometrium is introduced into the uterus, where it sticks to the basal membrane and grows further. You can compare this whole process with a seed (a woman’s endometrial tissue) which is first placed in a greenhouse (incubator), then the resulting “seedlings” are transferred t
o the “soil” (uterus of the patient), which must be regularly “fertilized”. And it is precisely on the fertility of the soil, that is, on the full-fledged endometrium that has grown up in the uterus of a woman, the success of embryo transfer during IVF depends. Therefore, it is recommended to perform endometrial autotransplantation, which is used in infertility treatment at the Biotexcom reproductive clinic, as part of the IVF program: you can clearly calculate the date of endometrial growth and the date of embryo transfer with the highest chance of success. The procedure for endometrial transplantation sometimes needs to be repeated several times until a full endometrial layer is formed.
Thanks to endometrial autotransplantation and IVF patients with Asherman syndrome managed to achieve long-awaited pregnancy, which ended in a successful birth, and the menstrual cycle was also restored. As a result, in seemingly hopeless cases of infertility, there is no need for surrogacy. Now, many childless couples can become happy parents!
