Fertility preservation at the Clínic

The Hospital Clínic is a reference centre for fertility preservation at both the regional and state level. Every year more than 70 initial visits are made by patients who need an assessment to preserve fertility quickly and effectively and to start treatment if necessary.  

More than 45 semen preservation treatments, over 40 oocyte cryopreservation treatments and more than 200 visits related to stimulation control and oocyte preservation post-treatment are performed annually. Also - and this is to a lesser extent - between 3 and 5 cryopreservations of the ovarian cortex and subsequent follow-up of the patients are performed.  Since the Fertility Preservation Programme began at the Hospital Clínic in 2006, more than 900 cryopreservations have been performed, including 520 semen preservations, 260 oocyte vitrifications and 110 ovarian tissue preservation treatments.

The Clínic has a multidisciplinary team that works together to provide individualised care for complex clinical cases. There is continuous, close contact with the reference doctor and his team, which is highly specialised in performing any fertility preservation technique with subsequent follow-up of the patient. Ovarian reserve is assessed after gonadotoxic treatment and the intention of subsequent pregnancy, either spontaneously or through assisted reproduction techniques.

In addition, within the framework of BCNatal (foetal medicine research centre), there is close collaboration with the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (HSJD) for cases where both oocyte cryopreservation and semen cryopreservation are performed in adolescents and young adults.

In addition, team members have participated in preparing documentation from both the Generalitat’s Department of Health and the Spanish Fertility Society; thus recognising the Hospital Clínic as a reference centre in Fertility Preservation treatments:  

- Recommendations on the preservation of Fertility in haematological diseases, Spanish Fertility Society (SEF), 2018

- Special cases of assisted reproduction and SARS-CoV-2: Gamete donors and Fertility preservation. SEF 2020

- Fertility preservation recommendations in breast cancer. SEF, 2022 (Internet version)