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ROPA Method

Shared Motherhood

“ROPA” is an acronym formed from the procedure of “Reception of Oocytes from the Couple”. This method is also known as “Shared Motherhood” as it is an In Vitro Fertilisation in which both partners participate: one of the women undergoes ovarian stimulation to provide the oocytes and her partner will carry the pregnancy and give birth.

A sperm donor is required for this treatment.

For whom?

It is indicated for lesbian couples who wish to have a child. Thanks to the Ropa Method, both women will be their biological mothers: the first one as the donor mother and the second one as the recipient-gestational mother.

Success Rate

Pregnancy rate per cycle refers to pregnancies achieved with embryos generated in the same oocyte retrieval or pick-up. This includes the transfer of fresh embryos and possible frozen embryos. In the case of the ROPA technique, our pregnancy rate is 85%, although this will always depend on the quality of the oocytes of the donor mother.

These excellent results have been achieved by transferring a single embryo in 90% of the treatments. In this way, we have demonstrated that the transfer of a single blastocyst (embryo on its fifth day of development) improves success rates.

0%
Pregnancy Rate
by ROPA cycle

How does it work?

The process of the Ropa Method is developed in four phases.

  • Ovarian stimulation and ultrasound check-ups.
  • Recovery of the oocytes (ovarian pick-up) of the woman who provides the eggs.
  • In Vitro Fertilisation with donor sperm in the laboratory and embryo culture.
  • Transfer of the embryos to the uterus of the recipient woman.

Legal requirements

The Assisted Reproduction Act 14/2006 had to be amended to specifically recognise that in the case of the ROPA Technique for lesbian couples, a woman can receive eggs from her partner and that both mothers are progenitors of the baby, whether they have undergone the treatment for medical reasons or by choice. In this way, it exceptionally becomes a non-anonymous egg donation. Unlike the rest of Assisted Reproduction procedures, in the case of the Ropa Method the mothers must be married.

Our Sperm Donors

In Barcelona, and as a project of Institut Marquès, we have our own sperm bank with more than 2,000 premium donors. They are anonymous donors, as the Spanish law 14/2006 of May 14 on assisted human reproduction techniques establishes that donation must be anonymous, voluntary, informed and unpaid.

As we have our own sperm bank, we know the donors and select only the best. They are young people who decide to donate to help other people to build a family and who must go through exhaustive medical and psychological tests. We also have all the phenotypes to find the most suitable for each case. It is the doctor himself who will be in charge of choosing the most suitable sperm donor for you, taking into account your physical features and the hereditary traits of your personality. We look for the perfect match.

If you prefer to personally choose your donor (non-anonymous donor) or undergo treatment with the sperm of a family member or friend (known donor) we can help you, we collaborate with the best clinics.

Add-on Techniques

Increase your pregnancy chances even more with our add-on techniques.