[The physician's role in various clinical contexts. Physician counseling on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)]

The German IVF Register as an Instrument to Document Assisted Reproductive Technologies

The German IVF Register (Deutsches IVF-Register [D.I.R]) has been collecting and publishing data on the use of IVF and related methods in Germany since 1982. It is the only institution which provides information for all of Germany on procedures and their success rates. For this reason it plays an important role in the provision of information to the public, to patients, political decision-makers and the scientific community. However, the register does not have the data of all centers offering treatment in Germany nor does it have complete datasets on all reported treatments. The register accepts retrospective data entries, it does not publish the success rates of individual centers and up until 2015 it did not provide a summary of information which was suitable for non-specialists. The D.I.R has been the focus of criticism in the past. Even today, the information it provides to the scientific community, the public, political decision-makers and potential patients on the outcomes of assisted reproduction is insufficient. The documentation of reproductive medicine procedures in other countries is much more meaningful.

Uninformed Decisions? The Online Presentation of Success and Failure of IVF and Related Methods on German IVF Centre Websites

Background: Patients increasingly use the internet as a source of medical information before initial contact with doctors and during treatment. This applies to reproductive medicine too, where the internet could offer patients the chance to inform themselves in advance about specific procedures and the treatment centres that offer them. In this way it could potentially contribute to informed patient decision-making. This article analyses the web presence of German fertility treatment centres with respect to the provision of information on success rates, risks and side effects of treatment. Methods: Analysis of published success rates and information on the risks and adverse effects of IVF and related methods on German IVF centre websites. Results: Over half of the 129 centres (62.02 %) state a general success rate or their own institution's success rate. Less than a quarter (24.03 %) states their own institution's pregnancy rate and only 7.75 % their own birth rate. The published success rates are mostly pregnancy rates (pregnancy per embryo transfer), which by definition are higher than baby take-home-rates creating unrealistic expectations. Only 61 centres (47.29 %) mention risks and side effects of the procedures offered, and that in varying detail. Only 7 centres (5.43 %) provide information on the risk of psychological stress associated with unsuccessful fertility treatment. Conclusion: There is insufficient opportunity for women and their partners to inform themselves adequately on the internet in advance of treatment about available treatment methods, their success rates and associated risks/side effects; this applies both to specific facilities as well as to the procedures in general. In contrast to other countries, in Germany there is a lack of discussion on content requirements for fertility treatment facility websites.

[In vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection: current medical aspects]

Since the delivery of the first baby conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978, IVF has become a standard procedure in sterility treatment. In Germany, 78,000 IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles are performed annually with a delivery rate per embryo transfer of about 20 %. The cumulative delivery rate after three trials is more than 50 %. The main medical problems are the high rates of multiple pregnancies of more than 20 %, which carry an increased risk for mothers (preeclampsia) and children (preterm delivery, lung immaturity, brain problems). Also singleton babies after IVF are more often too small (small for gestational age, SGA) and delivered preterm. As a result, proper counselling is necessary. New laboratory methods have increased the success rate. Cryopreservation techniques such as vitrification are standard for freezing oocytes, pronuclear-stage oocytes and embryos if they are not needed during the current treatment cycle. Continuous observation of embryos by time-lapse imaging helps to identify the best embryos for transfer. The current legislation in the German embryo protection act (Embryonenschutzgesetz) is the main problem. It is unclear how many fertilized oocytes can be cultured to achieve a transfer of one to three embryos. The prohibition of oocyte donation and surrogacy are not comprehensible from a medical, psychological, and ethical point of view. Reimbursement of publicly insured patients is restricted in comparison with other European countries. Married couples receive half of the payment for three IVF/ICSI cycles; non-married couples receive no payment at all.