FAQS

Frequently asked questions

TREATMENTS

Yes. Our international patient care team and our medical staff speak Spanish, English, German, French, Dutch, Italian and Russian.

For a detailed answer to your question, read the “Step-by-step” section.

Our patient care team will help you arrange your visits to Alicante. We’ll organise private transport service from the airport or hotel to the centre. We also have agreements with hotels and apartments close to the clinic. In any case, our assistants will ask for your travel details to better manage your treatment.

No. We will ask you to let us know on which dates you are available. We are almost certain to be able to accommodate your needs.

All patients and their partners must have blood tests for HIV, Hepatitis B and C and syphilis performed by a certified Spanish laboratory. The test must be no longer than three months old on the date of the embryo transfer.

As well as these mandatory tests, your doctor will most likely order more tests based on your medical history. All this can be done locally before you come to IVF-Life, or when you arrive at the clinic.

Each individual case is different and should be discussed with a doctor. However, at IVF-Life we recommend a BMI equal to or lower than 30.

Anti-Müllerian hormone or AMH is produced naturally by women in the ovarian follicles. It is an important indicator of your ovarian reserve.

No. In Spain, gamete donation is anonymous by law. This applies to both semen and oocytes. If you require donor semen, you can fill in a form specifying the donor’s phenotype (physical features) and send us a photograph. Our embryologists is able to find suitable donors for all patients.

Yes. IVF-Life adapts treatments to individual patients’ needs. In fact we usually schedule you for your first appointment to enable you to return during your treatment window so that the doctor can coordinate your stimulation or the donor stimulation to fit in with your plans.

There is no hard and fast limit. Success with in vitro fertilisation (IVF) depends largely on hormone levels and the results of the ultrasound scan, among other factors. That’s why the initial appointment is so crucial.

On the day of the transfer, a nurse or assistant will give you the written medical instructions applicable to your case.

However, as a general rule, you can lead a normal life, taking the following precautions.

– Do not have sexual relations until you have had a pregnancy test.
– Avoid physical exertion.
– Do not have very hot baths, do not have saunas and do not snorkel or scuba dive to possible infection.

It is important to remember that vitrification (ultra rapid cryopreservation) is mandatory when surplus embryos are produced. Once vitrified, they are stored at the clinic until you give express consent to the contrary.

Yes, flying or travel by car or train after an embryo transfer is fine. Travelling does not have an adverse effect on the embryo transfer or future pregnancy.

The clinic follows up patients until the twelfth week of pregnancy, giving instructions regarding medication according to the results of the blood tests and ultrasound scans. We are also available to answer any questions you may have during this time. That said, we are always delighted when we receive news about our patients and their new arrivals beyond the first trimester.

If the test is negative, you should contact your assistant immediately for instructions regarding medication. Each case is then analysed at the weekly meetings of our medical committee, before deciding on treatment options based on existing protocols. You will be notified of their decision and we will help you to move into the next stage.

OOCYTE DONATION

No, there’s no waiting list for donor treatments. Alicante is an extremely cosmopolitan city, with two large universities and more than 40,000 alumni in Spain and abroad, ERASMUS students, medical students, etc. This means we have donors with a wide range of physical characteristics, which makes it easy for us to find a donor for each patient.

Oocyte donation is anonymous in Spain. The medical committee at the clinic is responsible for selecting ideal candidates. IVF-Life has a donor bank with more than 500 donors. Generally speaking, between three and five donors may meet your specific requirements.

In compliance with the law, all donors undergo a battery of tests (blood tests, drug tests…) and physical, gynaecological and psychological examinations. In addition, IVF-Life performs genetic tests on all donors to check whether they are carriers of genetic disorders or mutations.

Remember that gamete donation is anonymous and legally protected in Spain. IVF-Life can only tell you the donor’s blood group and age. That’s all. You will be told the donor’s age during the 12th week of pregnancy and the blood group will be revealed after the birth.

In Spain, donors are aged between 18 and 35 years. However, most of the donors we use at IVF-Life are under 30 years of age. This ensures oocytes of the best quality.

It usually takes between six and eight weeks from the initial visit to the embryo transfer. However, numerous factors can affect the total length of the treatment. Examples of these are patients wanting to have the transfer on specific dates or women who need an endometrial biopsy or Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) that includes an additional treatment cycle, etc.

No. Unlike other assisted reproduction clinics, IVF-Life guarantees embryos from days 3 to 5 (blastocytes) depending on the chosen treatment. In other words, we guarantee our patients an embryo transfer. Guaranteeing oocytes, however many there might be, does not guarantee fertilisation. This is very important when starting a fertility treatment.

Yes, the age threshold for the receiving mother is 49 years. However, the final decision is taken by the medical team at IVF-Life.