Technology makes it possible to open doors that had not even been imagined before, and to achieve dreams that were considered impossible. This is the case of Estefanía, Azahara and their son Derek Eloy, who was conceived by their two mothers. Derek was born on Monday the 30th in the maternity ward of the Juaneda Miramar hospital in Palma, he weighed 3.3 kilos and was in perfect health. This is the first baby in Europe conceived by a couple made up of two women thanks to the INVOcell system, at Juaneda Fertility in the Balearic Islands.
The INVOcell is a device that works like a small incubator, but unlike those existing in the laboratory, it is placed under the cervix of one of the two women, which allows the development of the embryo during the first few days take place inside the body instead of the laboratory. Once the embryo has developed, the INVOcell is extracted, with the embryo inside, and transferred to the couple's uterus.
The INVOcell, as explained by the CEFER Institute of Assisted Reproduction on its website, is a device that incorporates eggs and semen. It is then inserted into the woman's vagina. In this way, fertilization and the first stages of development take place inside the patient's body. In other words, the patient's vagina replaces the incubators in the laboratory.
Azahara, 27, and Estefanía, 30, contacted the clinic in March 2023, nine months ago, and chose this system that has made them the first women in Europe to they have simultaneously conceived their child. The spokespeople of the clinic assure that this procedure brings great emotional value, due to the fact that both women have shared the gestation of the embryo.
"When they offered me to have him in my cervix for five days, it was as if I had him inside me too," assures Azaharaen in statements to IB3.
INVOcell or INVO is an intravaginal culture system that can be used in assisted reproduction treatments. The fact that fertilization and the beginning of embryonic development take place inside the woman's body means that it has some advantages, but also some disadvantages, such as the inability to assess whether fertilization has been correct. In any case, the truth is that the INVO method has not been incorporated into the routine practice of many assisted reproduction centers.
