Ovarian rejuvenation is the add-on that is currently proving to be most effective for patients with low ovarian reserve
Dr. Manuel Muñoz
We cannot predict the date when we will stop using donor oocytes as a solution for people who cannot reproduce with their own eggs. Fertility research scientists are well aware that this is one of the most urgent needs of our time, but it is still a long way off.
What we do know is that patients with a low ovarian reserve on the threshold of fertility can save their reproductive project. This is made possible through ovarian activation techniques provided by regenerative medicine.
In 2021, IVI Alicante became the Centre of Excellence in Ovarian Rejuvenation. As such, it is committed to taking research and learning a step further with regard to stem cell and platelet-rich plasma treatments. These techniques are capable of regenerating ovaries that either work at a lower level than expected or whose response is lower than expected in young, healthy patients.
In recent years, we have learned from regenerative medicine that there are methods of treating patients with difficulties in achieving pregnancy with their own eggs. Such treatments would allow these patients to avoid egg donation and fulfil their reproductive project in a simpler and more satisfactory way.
Logically, over time, we are able to refine the techniques. If we then adapt them to the obtained results, we will be able to determine which patient profiles can best benefit from each technique. Ideally, we would like to identify predicting factors that would allow us to anticípate the results. This would then help us to individualise the techniques we use and adapt them to the specific characteristics of each patient.
Now that we are discussing complementary techniques and their effectiveness in order to reach a scientific consensus on their use, it is time to emphasise the value of this technique as an essential add-on for cases that are almost perfectly described. The set of techniques that we currently use in the Ovarian Rejuvenation Unit is one of the most effective add-ons when it comes to improving ovarian performance in difficult situations of poor ovarian reserve and ovarian failure.
As for the patient group of ovarian rejuvenation candidates, it continues to be the one we projected at the beginning of this scientific adventure. However, science is already showing us that patients with poor ovarian reserve can benefit from the simpler technique of intraovarian injection of plasma rich in growth factors, while patients with ovarian failure have an improved response when we perform ASCOT.