ΙVF units in Greece
See Hum Repro (15) 10, 2241-2246 Services and good practices of an IVF unit.
If you ask a member of an IVF unit how do you judge the success of a unit you will get different answers depending on who you ask.
If you ask a nurse she may say that there is time to speak and care for the couple entering the program, staying close to them throughout the treatment and creating a friendly bond between the couple and the health care worker.
If you ask an embryologist he/she may say nice embryos and a good implantation rate.
And if you ask a gynaecologist he may say something different altogether!
In Greece today, are approximately 40 + IVF units. To stay competitive it is imperative to not only have good results but be seen to be both professional and ethically correct to create a trusting environment.
Units have only to gain by being efficient and “patient Friendly”.
It has been politically correct and above all diplomatic to say a success IVF attempt is 50% attributed to the embryologist and 50% to the fertility special doctor. Although I disagree- a greater importance I place on the fertility expert. Embryologist are nowadays highly trained and motivated, and with the correct funding the laboratory is state of the art.
The most important factor is the management of the infertile couple, to assess the infertility problem, to lead the couple through the correct coarse of treatment before IVF, to excel in the stimulation phase, egg collection and most importantly embryo transfer and to monitor the precious pregnancy frequently a multiple pregnancy to its happy end.
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Services offer by a fertility specialist and his co-workers
Hormonal tests-FSH, E2, LH, bHCG etc
Genetic Screening-Karyotype, B-thalassaemia screening, CF screening for Azospermic patients,
Ultrasound
In vitro fertilization
ICSI
Blastocyst Stage transfer
Assisted hatching
Frozen/thaw embryo storage and transfer
Semen analysis
IUI
Frozen sperm bank
Prenatal diagnosis
Deliveries
Service
Organisation
Patient information
Trust
Optional
Additional services may include emotional concelling, genetic concelling, PGD-disease control/ aneuploidy screening and sex selection for sex linked diseases
Ethics
Trust for patient
Responsible Oocyte donation & Embryo donation program
Research
For improvement in success rate
New Techniques
Oocyte maturation
Oocyte freezing
Cytoplasm transplantation
Laboratory conditions
Sufficient number of incubators
Air quality-laminar flow hoods, Hepa filters
Temperature
Cleanliness
Embryo micro environment
Strict conditions-pH, temperature
Use of non embryo toxic materials and gasses.
Quality control-continuation of strict conditions, documentation and trouble shooting
