It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of couples in Serbia have problems conceiving. In order for those who want to be able to have offspring, the help and support of a multidisciplinary health team is necessary. The First Congress of the Serbian Association for Gynecological and Reproductive Endocrinology is being held in Belgrade, with international participation.
It happens more and more often that it is not possible to have a baby without the support of gynecologists, endocrinologists, embryologists, hematologists and various other specialists. The reasons for problems with reproduction are various – from risk factors, through delaying parenthood, hereditary factors and numerous diseases, cardiovascular and malignant, which plague the younger and younger population, those people who are in the reproductive period.
Why this is so and how to preserve or restore reproductive health is discussed today in Belgrade at the First Congress of the Serbian Association for Gynecological and Reproductive Endocrinology, with international participation.
Head of the Oncofertility Center at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic in Višegradska, prof. Dr. Katarina Jeremić Stefanović points out that the focus of the symposium is not only the preservation of reproduction, but also the preservation of the entire psychosomatic health of women, as well as men.
“One of the main topics is the preservation of reproduction, not only from the aspect of sparing and preserving reproductive organs from malignant diseases, but also from all those progressive diseases that can impair reproductive function earlier or later in life. So, not only malignancies, but various benign conditions such as endometriosis, benign tumors of the uterine body, metabolic diseases, hereditary diseases”, said professor Jeremić Stefanović.
According to her, in addition to metabolic diseases and hereditary cancer syndromes, hereditary mutations can lead not only to malignancy of the breast, ovaries and uterus – organs that are necessary for reproduction, but also to premature aging of the ovaries, i.e., a woman’s reproductive capacity and her hormonal milieu .
The department for in vitro fertilization has existed for 33 years and the first baby conceived with the help of IVF was born in 1991.
“The first in vitro fertilization was performed at the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Clinical Center of Serbia, which is also the host of this large gathering. What is unique is that in the Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, where all these endocrine tests, metabolic tests, differential diagnoses are done. It is connected with the Department for Fertility Preservation and Oncofertility, and there is also the Department for In Vitro Fertilization, so the whole story is complete,” explained Prof. Jeremic Stefanovic.
Freezing of egg cells, spermatozoa and embryos was made possible at the expense of the state in all those couples who are treating malignant diseases. The Clinic in Višegradska also has a Reproductive Cell Bank, and in vitro fertilization, for all those up to the age of 45, is possible with an unlimited number of attempts, and as an additional benefit to all those who want to be parents, the possibility of importing donated cells has been introduced.
Taken over from website rts.rs
Stay up to date with all the news related to the fight to improve fertility in Serbia.
