Department of Reproductive Medicine - PAN Clinic Cologne

About the Department of Reproductive Medicine at PAN Clinic Cologne

The Department of Reproductive Medicine at the PAN Clinic Cologne offers the full range of high quality medical services in the area of its competence. The department's specialists provide highly effective infertility treatment using the very latest medical advances. The department employs an experienced multidisciplinary team of doctors consisting of reproductive specialists, endocrinologists, gynecologists, andrologists, geneticists, biologists, nutritionists and psychologists. With over 30 years of clinical experience, the department's medical team cures infertility even in cases which are considered hopeless in many medical centers around the world. The department is distinguished by its exceptional competence in the field of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The department's doctors pay special attention to the psychological aspect, since infertility often causes depression and apathy in women. Therefore, the department's competent psychologists work with patients. In addition, the department's doctors are always ready for personal communication with their patients, which favorably affect treatment outcomes. The main task of the doctors of the medical facility is to help women to сonceive a child and give her the joy of motherhood.The Chief Physician of the department is Dr. med. Stefan Palm.

As of today, the most effective and widespread method of infertility treatment is in vitro fertilization. The department's doctors have been performing IVF procedures for many years, demonstrating high treatment success rates. In vitro fertilization takes place in several stages. The main ones include superovulation stimulation, follicular puncture, direct artificial insemination (in the laboratory), embryo transfer into the uterine cavity and a pregnancy test. Obviously, prior to in vitro fertilization, the department's specialists carry out comprehensive diagnostics of both partners in order to detect the causes of infertility. After the diagnostics, the specialists assess the effectiveness of possible treatment options and, in particular, of the IVF procedure. Unfortunately, not all women get pregnant after the very first IVF procedure, so they need a second one. It should be noted that a woman's age also plays a key role in the success of in vitro fertilization for fertility treatment. It has been proven that the chances of conceiving a child with IVF in women under the age of 40 are significantly higher than in women after 40.

The department's medical team often combines IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). This method involves the introduction of a sperm cell into the cytoplasm of a mature egg for its fertilization. The doctors of the medical facility believe that the use of IVF in combination with ICSI is most preferable in case of insufficient sperm count in a partner or its reduced mobility. Such a combination of assisted reproductive technologies is often used if a woman is unable to conceive a child using the classic IVF protocol. During the ICSI procedure, the selected sperm is injected into the egg cell using the finest pipette. This makes the fertilization process as easy as possible. The resulting embryos are cultured in the laboratory for 3-5 days, and then transferred into the uterine cavity of the expectant mother. The department also offers TESE (testicular sperm extraction) technique. It is used for azoospermia or anejaculation.

The department carries out preimplantation genetic diagnosis, which allows the doctors to detect chromosomal abnormalities in an embryo before transferring it into the uterine cavity. This diagnostic examination in IVF allows the doctors to prevent the transmission of certain hereditary diseases to the unborn child, as well as miscarriage. This type of diagnosis can also be necessary for the couples without infertility, but with genetic diseases or a history of recurrent miscarriage.

The department's diagnostic and therapeutic options include:

• Diagnostic procedures in women
  • Hormonal tests
  • Assessment of the fallopian tube condition
  • Diagnostic procedures to exclude endometriosis and benign neoplasms, which can prevent pregnancy
  • Diagnostic procedures to exclude malformations of the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries
  • Diagnostics of metabolic disorders in case of excess body weight and obesity
  • Diagnostic procedures to detect genetic disorders, which can prevent pregnancy (such as aneuploidy)
• Diagnostic procedures in men
  • Diagnostic procedures to assess sperm quality
  • Diagnostic procedures to exclude ejaculatory duct obstruction
  • Diagnostic procedures to exclude bladder dysfunction causing retrograde ejaculation
  • Diagnostic procedures to exclude immunological infertility
• Preimplantation genetic diagnosis
• Diagnostics and counseling for women with recurrent miscarriage
• Therapeutic procedures for fertility treatment 
  • Assisted reproductive technologies
    • Ovarian stimulation
    • Intrauterine insemination
    • In vitro fertilization
    • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
    • Testicular sperm extraction (TESE)
  • Cryopreservation of eggs and sperm, ovarian and testicular tissues
  • Surgical treatment of female infertility factors (for example, endometriosis, fallopian tube obstruction, etc.)
• Other medical services