The clinical laboratory professional is essential in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of the couple with fertility problems.

-15% of Spanish couples are infertile, and only half of them go to assisted reproduction techniques to try to conceive a child

-thanks to these techniques, couples with communicable infectious diseases have seen fulfilled their desire to be parents

– are among the most common techniques in artificial insemination, with a conception rate per cycle of 10% and 40% after 4 inseminations, the in vitro fertilisation and intracytoplasmic microinjection of sperm, with a rate of 40% per cycle pregnancy

-for pregnancy tests play a fundamental role in the confirmation of viable pregnanciespathological, ectopic or unknown location, after the use of assisted reproduction techniques

Madrid, April of 2013- at present, 15% of Spanish couples are sterile and of these, half goes to assisted reproduction techniques (art) to try to conceive a child. The most common include artificial insemination (AI), with a conception rate per cycle of 10% and 40% after 4 insemination, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the intracytoplasmic sperm microinjection (ICSI), with a rate of pregnancy per cycle of 40%.

The clinical laboratory professional has a fundamental role in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of the couple with fertility problems. It develops his work both at analytical level, and reproductive advice, both fundamental to determine the technique to perform.

In order to review the latest developments in this field, the Spanish society of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology (SEQC) celebrates the course the clinical laboratory before, during and after the assisted reproduction techniques ”, organized by Dr. Cristina Sánchez-well, in order to give attendees the knowledge and clinical skills sufficient to develop diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic tests throughout the reproductive process.

According to Dr. José Antonio Castilla, Member of the Commission of Seminologia and the SEQC assisted reproduction techniques, there are several areas in which the role of the clinical laboratory is key, as Andrology, Endocrinology, serology, molecular biology, embryology, etc. In addition, for this expert clinical analysis professional is the perfect hinge between the doctor and the infertile couples due to his training both as clinical laboratory ”.

Clinical analysis to detect problems of reproduction

Through the clinical analysis, it is possible to detect different problems of reproduction, which will largely mark guidelines to be followed in each case.

In this way, problems can be determined biochemists (diseases directly related to reproduction, such as polycystic ovary syndrome or coagulation), or problems seminal (the basic semen analysis are a cornerstone in the study of the male factor, since the severe alterations will force to perform more complex techniques such as the microinyeccion intracytoplasmic sperm).

And finally, they also detect infectious disorders, that determine the need for seminal washes to eliminate the risk of contagion to the couple.

Precisely Dr. Castilla be addressed within the framework of this course theme ‘ viral infections and assisted reproduction ’. Assisted reproduction techniques have made it possible for 15 years that couples with communicable infectious diseases see fulfilled their desire to be parents without having risk for the couple or the offspring ”, said this specialist.

Dr Castilla.

Currently, – continues expert – knowledge and advances have allowed that assisted reproduction is not the only possible way to achieve a healthy child at home; There are many experts who recommend a reproductive advice suitable to these couples, where natural reproduction, sexual intercourse programmed with or without preventive treatment or assisted reproduction are shuffled ”.

Another issue to be addressed in the course will be for pregnancy tests (currently, more sensitive and more specificity thanks to the latest immunological techniques) that play a key role after performing an assisted reproduction technique to confirm viable and pathological pregnancies, Ectopic pregnancies or unknown location. In this sense, says Dr. Castilla when it comes to properly interpret the results of the test of pregnancy in these cases, it is essential to assess the number of embryos transferred, given the high rate of multiple pregnancies after these techniques ”.

Embryonic culture

One of the keys to success of the TRA is to ensure a proper embryonic viability, which depends on intrinsic (such as the quality of gametes), or extrinsic factors (chemical, physical, or biological). Physical factors include temperature, since this can alter the cell structure of the human embryo. For his part, biological factors are currently the most unknown, although culture media with specific growth factors of the human embryo is already available.

, Assisted reproduction techniques are currently in revision due primarily to two advances ”, says Dr Castilla. Firstly the vitrification of oocytes and embryos (after cryopreservation oocyte and embryo survival rate has increased significantly and therefore the rate of pregnancy in cryotransfer programs, which has given place to consider that it will change everything thinking more transfers of embryos Cryopreserved and less transfers fresh). And secondly, advances in embryo selection, the morfocinetica, the embryonic culture and the Microfluidic ”, concludes.

The SEQC

The Spanish society of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology (SEQC) – founded in 1976 – currently includes around 2,000 professionals and aims to bring together all scientists interested in the field of clinical laboratory, promoting the dissemination of scientific and technical publicationsorganize meetings, courses and national and international congresses and cooperate with other scientific societies. Also, the society wants to contribute to study and recommend standardised methods and establish guidelines and recommendations for training in the field of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology.