Innovative method of fertility treatment – In Vitro Activation (IVA). This is a procedure that gives women diagnosed with primary ovarian insufficiency a chance to have their own baby.
We are the first medical centre in Europe that joined an international group of clinics developing this method of treatment. The pioneers of this method are Dr. Kazuhiro Kawamura, director at the Centre for Reproduction and Fertility, St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Japan, and Prof. Aaron Hsueh from Stanford University, United States.
The treatment is dedicated to women diagnosed with Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI). The ovaries of such patients still contain immature follicles with oocytes. With the IVA procedure it is possible to unblock “dormant” residual follicles, activate their growth and obtain mature eggs, thus giving the patient the chance to have her own baby – dr n. med. Jakub Wyroba
Before the procedure the patient has to have consultations and medical examinations to rule out, for example, contraindications for laparoscopic surgery. During treatment, a small fragment of inactive ovary is collected laparoscopically from the patient. In the next step inactive follicles are identified in the ovary, and activated by means of biochemical and mechanical methods. Then another laparoscopy is performed, in which activated fragments of the ovarian cortex are re-implanted.
In December 2013, the first child was born thanks to the IVA procedure, and more children were born in 2014-2015. So far, IVA is dedicated to patients with POI. The first studies regarding IVA have demonstrated that about 50% women with POI have residual follicles, and in 60% of them these follicles can be activated for the future procedure of in vitro fertilization. The chances of pregnancy also depend on the patient’s age, because in older women natural chances for successful treatment are lower.
Current knowledge and standard procedures enable women with primary ovarian insufficiency to have a baby only if they use eggs donated by another woman (egg donor) or through adoption. With the IVA procedure a woman can get pregnant and give birth to a child using her own eggs.
Conditions for participation in the Ovary Activation programme (IVA)
- Age under 40 years*
- FSH >35
- No menstruation for at least 4 months
- Presence of ovarian tissue identified in TV-US examination
- Normal karyotype
* the procedure can also be done in older patients, but this requires individual assessment made by the doctor
- IVA – In Vitro Activation– two-stage procedure with biochemical reagents
- IVA – In Vitro Activation– one-stage procedure
- Activation of ovarian tissue with platelet-rich plasma (PRP)