Heterologous fertilization, Pellicer (IVI): “Today the same efficacy in Italy and Spain”

The president and founder of the Valencian Institute of Infertility (IVI), one of the world’s leading experts in reproduction, talks about the results achieved with egg donation, the progress made and the development prospects

Antonio Pellicer is one of the world’s leading experts in reproduction. He was the first in Europe to perform heterologous fertilization, today he leads a group, IVI, with 74 clinics distributed in 9 countries, with a strong presence in Italy. He answers Adnkronos’ questions in his study, talking about the results achieved with egg donation, the progress made and the development prospects. Starting from encouraging numbers. According to data collected by the National Registry of Medically Assisted Procreation, at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in 20 years the treatments and pregnancy rates have doubled, over 217,000 children have in fact been born thanks to medically assisted procreation (PMA).

Egg donation boasts record success rates: in particular, there is a 77% chance of pregnancy on the first attempt (even 83% in centers of excellence such as IVI), a percentage that rises to 99% on the third attempt. However, there is an issue to address, that of fertility education. At a European level, Italy holds the record for the country with the highest age of patients who decide to access assisted fertilization treatments for the first time. In the last ten years, in particular, there has been a boom in the over 40s, who have increased by almost 15%.