Willem Ombelet

Last updated
Willem Ombelet

Born
Leuven, Belgium
NationalityBelgian
Known for
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Website thewalkingegg.com

Willem Ombelet is a Belgian gynecologist/infertility specialist. From 1990 until 2019, he was the head of the fertility center of the Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg hospital in Genk, Belgium. Ombelet is a pioneer of intrauterine insemination (IUI). [1] He is the founder and editor-in-chief the open-access journal Views & Vision in ObGyn. Ombelet co-founded The Walking Egg, a non-profit organization that tackles global infertility in a holistic, multidisciplinary, and integral way. [2]

Ombelet taught reproductive medicine at University of Limburg (now University of Hasselt) and is a consultant (Reproductive Medicine) at Hasselt University. [3]

Career

Scientific work and activities

From 2001 until 2004, Ombelet was the President of the Flemish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (VVOG). He has authored more than 170 internationally peer-reviewed articles and has received two international awards. One was "The Best of What's New Award" from Popular Science Magazine in 2014. [4] In addition, Ombelet is the co-editor of 18 books.

Ombelet published several studies on maternal and perinatal outcomes after using assisted reproductive techniques. He stressed the importance of preventing complications due to aggressive ovarian stimulation protocols such as Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a life-threatening disease. He also promoted using single embryo transfer to prevent multiple pregnancies, the leading cause of maternal and perinatal complications.

Ombelet is the founder of the Genk Institute for Fertility Technology (GIFT) [5] and was chairman of seven international "Andrology in the Nineties" meetings.

Ombelet is the founder and editor-in-chief of "Facts, Views & Vision in ObGyn", an international PubMed-cited peer-reviewed journal for obstetricians, gynecologists, reproductive physicians, ethicists, basic scientists, and others who treat and research women’s health issues. In 2019, Facts, Views & Vision became the official journal of the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy the ESGE (European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy). Ombelet remains the editor-in-chief of this PubMed-cited scientific Journal. It is published four times a year. [6]

IUI

Since 1986, Ombelet has promoted intrauterine insemination (IUI) as a cost-effective and safe method of assisted reproduction in selected cases of moderate male and unexplained infertility. He wrote many scientific papers on this subject; the most important one was published in 2018. [7] Furthermore, with Ben Cohlen (Zwolle, the Netherlands), head of the Fertility Center Isala, he edited a book on IUI [8] and worked on the WHO guidelines for IUI. 

IVF

In 2009, a new innovative simplified IVF system was developed by Professor Jonathan Van Blerkom from the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA. [9] The simplified IVF system was tested and validated for human application in Genk resulting in 5 scientific publications showing the effectiveness and safety of the system.

In 2015, a collaborative project was started in Ghana with the support of the Pentecost Church [10] [11] and in close partnership with Nana Yaw Osei, Fertility Counselor & CEO of the Association of Childless Couples Of Ghana (ACCOG Ghana]). [12] Kwadwo, the first African TWE baby, was born in Accra on August 7, 2017. [13]

Related Research Articles

Obstetrics and gynaecology is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics and gynaecology. The specialization is an important part of care for women's health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In vitro fertilisation</span> Assisted reproductive technology procedure

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro. The process involves monitoring and stimulating a patient's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova from their ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a culture medium in a laboratory. After the fertilised egg (zygote) undergoes embryo culture for 2–6 days, it is transferred by catheter into the uterus, with the intention of establishing a successful pregnancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artificial insemination</span> Pregnancy through in vivo fertilization

Artificial insemination is the deliberate introduction of sperm into a female's cervix or uterine cavity for the purpose of achieving a pregnancy through in vivo fertilization by means other than sexual intercourse. It is a fertility treatment for humans, and is a common practice in animal breeding, including dairy cattle and pigs.

Insemination is the introduction of sperm into a female's reproductive system for the purpose of impregnating, also called fertilizing, the female for sexual reproduction. The sperm is introduced into the uterus of a mammal or the oviduct of an oviparous (egg-laying) animal. In mammals, insemination normally occurs during sexual intercourse or copulation, but insemination can take place in other ways, such as by artificial insemination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Wood</span>

Edwin Carlyle "Carl" Wood,, FRANZCOG was a prominent Australian gynaecologist, best known for his pioneering work developing and commercialising the technique of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). He gained considerable international and national attention for his wide-ranging contributions in the field of women's health over a period of almost 50 years, although not all of it was positive given the controversial nature of many of his endeavours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fertility clinic</span>

Fertility clinics are medical clinics that assist couples, and sometimes individuals, who want to become parents but for medical reasons have been unable to achieve this goal via the natural course. Clinics apply a number of diagnosis tests and sometimes very advanced medical treatments to achieve conceptions and pregnancies.

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Carlos Sueldo is a physician and professor of obstetrics and gynaecology (OB/GYN) for the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Sueldo is also the founder (1984) and present Director of the in vitro fertilization IVF Fertility Center. Dr. Sueldo concurrently serves as the Scientific Director at the Center for Gynecology and Reproduction (CEGYR) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is a founding board member of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation.

Pregnancy rate is the success rate for getting pregnant. It is the percentage of all attempts that leads to pregnancy, with attempts generally referring to menstrual cycles where insemination or any artificial equivalent is used, which may be simple artificial insemination (AI) or AI with additional in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Religious response to assisted reproductive technology deals with the new challenges for traditional social and religious communities raised by modern assisted reproductive technology. Because many religious communities have strong opinions and religious legislation regarding marriage, sex and reproduction, modern fertility technology has forced religions to respond.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to obstetrics:

Unexplained infertility is infertility that is idiopathic in the sense that its cause remains unknown even after an infertility work-up, usually including semen analysis in the man and assessment of ovulation and fallopian tubes in the woman. It is usually an exercise in excluding all possible causes before making a diagnosis, however the age of the female partner as well as the duration of infertility are often the most scrutinized characteristics of any infertility case.

Geeta Nargund is a professor and medical doctor in the field of natural and mild IVF and Advanced Technology in Reproductive Medicine.

Alan H. DeCherney is an Obstetrician and Gynecologist who specializes in reproductive endocrinology & infertility. He is experienced in reproductive and endocrinology, infertility, and reproductive genetics.

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Dr. Abayomi Ajayi is a Nigerian obstetrician/gynecologist.

Antisperm antibodies (ASA) are antibodies produced against sperm antigens.

Norbert Gleicher is an American obstetrician-gynecologist active in obstetrical practice, in vitro fertilization, reproductive endocrinology, and reproductive immunology. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and currently serves as president, medical director and chief scientist of the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) in New York City, a clinical fertility center that he founded in 1981. Simultaneously, he is President of the Foundation for Reproductive Medicine, a not-for-profit research foundation. Gleicher maintains additional academic appointments at Rockefeller University, and Medical University of Vienna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaideep Malhotra</span> Indian gynecologist

Jaideep Malhotra is an India-based gynecologist, infertility specialist and an ace sonologist. She is the founder of the Infertility Centre of Rainbow IVF and also serves as the director of the hospital. Malhotra received award from Prime minister of Nepal for first 100 IVF babies of Nepal and her clinic, Rainbow IVF was first in Uttar Pradesh for successful IVF, ICSI, TESA, twins and triplets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duru Shah</span> Indian gynecologist and academic

Duru Shah is a Mumbai-based gynaecologist academic and women activist. She is the Founder President of the PCOS Society, India and a promoter of adolescent girls and women's health and infertility in India. Shah is also the promoter of Metropolis Healthcare Ltd. She is also a Consultant ObGyn.: Breach Candy Hospital, Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT reproduction</span> Theoretical biological reproduction by LGBT people

LGBT reproduction refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people having biological children by means of assisted reproductive technology. It is distinct from LGBT parenting, which is a broader cultural phenomenon including LGBT adoption. In recent decades, developmental biologists have been researching and developing techniques to facilitate same-sex reproduction.

References

  1. ↑ "Nieuwe ivf-techniek kost nog geen 200 euro". De Morgen.
  2. ↑ "'Shoebox IVF' hope for infertile couples". BBC News. 21 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Three simple ways to lower the costs of fertility care". Quartz. 15 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Ziekenhuis Oost- Limburg wint award". Het Laatste Nieuws.
  5. ↑ "IVF as cheap as £170, doctors claim". BBC News. 8 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Ombelet, W. (2019). "10 years of Facts Views & Vision in Obgyn: Chief editor's report". Facts, Views & Vision in Obgyn. National Library of Medicine. 10 (4): 169–172. PMC   6658206 . PMID   31367288.
  7. ↑ Ben, Cohlen. "IUI: review and systematic assessment of the evidence that supports global recommendations". Human Reproduction Update . 24 (3).
  8. ↑ "Intra-Uterine Insemination: Evidence Based Guidelines for Daily Practice".
  9. ↑ Roudman, Sam (10 June 2014). "A low-tech breakthrough promises test-tube babies on the cheap". The Verge.
  10. ↑ Bollen, Grete (2017). "Eerste Walking Egg IVF-baby geboren in Ghana". Zolarium. p. 36.
  11. ↑ Quilter, Jenni (13 December 2022). "The Quest to Bring IVF to Africa". Slate.
  12. ↑ "Association launches affordable IVF fertility programme". Daily Graphic.
  13. ↑ Esson, Theresah (August 8, 2017). "Ghana adopts 'Walking Egg' technology to produce baby". Graphic Online.
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