Clothing Method

| The ROPA method is a variant of in vitro fertilization for female partners, which allows both of them to participate actively.

Now couples of women have several options to be mothers. The most frequent are the one with donor sperm or the one with sperm donation. Less frequent are in vitro fertilization with donation of eggs and semen or with adoption of embryos. The ROPA method is a variant of in vitro fertilization for female partners that allows both of them to participate actively.

What is the ROPA method?

The ROPA method allows both women to participate actively in what is known as dual motherhood. CLOTHING is the abbreviation for “Couple's Oocyte Reception”. One of the women undergoes and, therefore, will be the genetic mother of the baby and the other will be the recipient of the embryo, will gestate it and give birth, so it will be the pregnant mother.

The requirements for each mother are:

The decision of what role each mother will play is up to the couple, but there are some recommendations according to each medical history. Normally it is recommended that the youngest be the one that provides the eggs since their quality decreases with age. To assess the suitability of the egg donor, several tests are requested:

• blood tests are a hormonal study to assess the ovarian reserve and a serology study to rule out communicable infectious diseases.
• for evaluation of the internal genitalia, uterus and ovaries.
• Karyotype (chromosomal study) for assessment of transmissible chromosomal or genetic diseases.

The woman who receives the embryo must have a normal uterine cavity, without significant malformations or fibroids that could make pregnancy difficult and also should not have any autoimmune that also make pregnancy difficult. Nor is it recommended that pregnant women be hypertensive or diabetic. For your evaluation, the following is requested:

• Gynecological ultrasound for evaluation of the uterus.
• Analysis with serologies to rule out communicable diseases.

Treatment phases of the ROPA method

The process to be carried out is the same as for in vitro fertilization or egg donation.

• Ovarian stimulation: the woman who will provide the eggs must undergo a process of stimulation of the ovaries with hormonal medication so that they produce follicles and thus achieve the maximum number of oocytes. During this treatment, the woman must periodically attend the consultation for ultrasound and analytical monitoring of the process.
• Follicular puncture: when the follicles are of adequate size and there are a sufficient number, a hormone is administered that produces the maturation of the oocytes. Then the follicular puncture is scheduled, which is a small intervention under sedation in which the eggs are extracted.
• Fertilization of the ovules: the ovules obtained in the puncture are fertilized in the laboratory with sperm from an anonymous donor compatible with the woman who is going to gestate. This fertilization can be conventional or by ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection).
• Embryo culture: once the ovules have been fertilized, the embryos obtained are left in culture for between three and six days until their transfer.
• Endometrial preparation: the pregnant woman receives a different hormonal treatment. estrogens and progesterone are administered to achieve adequate endometrial thickness for embryo implantation.
• Embryo transfer: once the endometrium of the pregnant mother is prepared, the embryo is transferred into the uterus in a painless and fast process. Usually a single embryo is transferred since the success rate is very high, but in some specific cases it is possible to transfer two embryos.
• Freezing of leftover embryos: viable embryos that are not transferred can be cryopreserved for future treatments in case the cycle does not work or in case of wanting to have more offspring. Other options are donation to other couples, for research or they are destroyed following the established requirements.
• Pregnancy test: approximately fifteen days after the puncture, a blood test is performed to determine the betaHCG or pregnancy hormone that will confirm whether the treatment has been successful.

The ROPA method is made possible by a legal exception that allows non-anonymous egg donation in marriages of homosexual women.

Specialist in gynecology and obstetrics Advance Medical collaborating physician