von Tempelhoff Fertility Practice
We support women who have experienced one or more miscarriages, unsuccessful IVF or ICSI cycles, or pre-eclampsia. We look for causes on three levels: the immune system, the supply to your baby through the uterus and placenta, and blood clotting.
Who we help
Two or more miscarriages are not simply bad luck you have to accept. There are often causes that can be investigated and treated.
After several unsuccessful transfers, a second look is worthwhile. We work closely with your fertility clinic.
If you have had pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome or a preterm birth, planning the next pregnancy is worrying. We prepare for it together with you.
We also advise on thrombosis and hormone therapy, for example before taking the pill, before fertility treatment or during menopause.
Background
What the guidelines recommend, and where we look further.
Most single miscarriages are caused by a random chromosomal error in the embryo. After recurrent miscarriage, German and European guidelines recommend targeted tests: antiphospholipid syndrome, thyroid function, the shape of the uterus and, in certain cases, the chromosomes of both parents.
They do not recommend testing for inherited thrombophilia, nor heparin treatment without antiphospholipid syndrome. In about half of couples, standard testing finds no cause.
“No cause found” does not mean “no cause exists”. We also examine how your immune system responds to pregnancy and how well the supply via uterus and placenta works.
Recurrent implantation failure means that no pregnancy occurs after several transfers of good-quality embryos. Recommended steps are mainly examining the uterus, assessing the embryos and testing for antiphospholipid syndrome.
For many immunological tests and treatments, the guidelines currently see insufficient evidence.
For an embryo to implant, the lining of the uterus has to accept and nourish it. These are exactly the two sides we examine: the immune system and blood flow. We agree the treatment plan with your fertility clinic.
After pre-eclampsia or HELLP syndrome, the risk of it happening again in the next pregnancy is higher. For women at high risk, the guidelines recommend low-dose aspirin started before week 16 of pregnancy, and close monitoring.
We start earlier, before the next pregnancy. We assess immunological and blood-supply causes and plan prevention before the placenta forms.
Sources: AWMF guideline on recurrent miscarriage, ESHRE guideline “Recurrent Pregnancy Loss”, AWMF guideline on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.
Placenta-related disorders
In the first weeks of pregnancy, the developing placenta remodels the blood vessels of the uterus so that your baby will be well supplied later. If this is only partly successful, the pregnancy may end early. Or it continues, and the consequences only show months later as pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, growth restriction or preterm birth.
Research groups these conditions together as disorders of deep placentation (Brosens et al., 2011). Studies show that women who have had miscarriages develop pre-eclampsia more often in later pregnancies. For us this means: understanding the early phase helps protect the later one.
Our approach
A baby can only grow as well as it is supplied. For a placenta to develop, the immune system has to accept the pregnancy and blood flow has to be good. That is why we take three steps with every patient.
We have been studying these connections for more than three decades, both with patients and in research. We have published our results in medical journals; you will find them further down.
Does your body accept the pregnancy? We check whether there is an immunological cause and whether treatment is an option for you.
How well are the uterus and placenta supplied with blood? We examine how well your blood flows.
German and international guidelines do not recommend coagulation testing, with one exception: antiphospholipid antibodies (antiphospholipid syndrome, APS). We test for these specifically. We also check whether there is an increased risk of bleeding in pregnancy, and with IVF and ICSI also during embryo transfer. Such a bleeding tendency often goes unnoticed in everyday life. Especially in early pregnancy, it can lead to haematomas around the gestational sac and the placenta.
Treatment
If the assessment shows that your immune system does not sufficiently accept the pregnancy, immunotherapy can counteract rejection reactions. It usually starts before or at the beginning of pregnancy.
If the blood is too viscous, we improve its flow properties and with them the blood supply to the uterus and placenta. This is not anticoagulation: we do not use aspirin or heparin for it.
Neither treatment is among the standard recommendations of the national guidelines. They are based on our more than 30 years of experience. We discuss with you whether they make sense for you, what their limits are and what they cost. You will find our publications on this under “Research”.
How it works
Fill in our online form and attach any test results you already have.
In a detailed consultation with you, ideally together with your partner, and taking your previous test results into account, we carry out our diagnostic investigations.
You receive an easy-to-understand report of the findings with treatment recommendations tailored to you.
We support you alongside your own gynaecologist, who remains responsible for your care. We adapt our treatment to your circumstances as they develop.
About us
“Many women come to us after being told it was simply bad luck. We take the time to look more closely.”
Prof. Dr. Georg-Friedrich von Tempelhoff is a gynaecologist specialising in obstetrics and perinatal medicine and in gynaecological oncology, with an additional qualification in haemostaseology (blood clotting). He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis (ICATH). In 1991 he founded the assessment clinic in Rüsselsheim together with Prof. Lothar Heilmann. Since May 2015 he has continued it in his own practice in Obertshausen-Hausen. From 2015 to 2023 he was also head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St. Vinzenz Hospital in Hanau.
Research
Our work on clotting, blood flow and pregnancy. Titles are shown in their original language.
Frequently asked questions
We are a private practice and do not bill the German statutory health insurance funds. Patients with private insurance or Beihilfe receive an invoice under the German medical fee schedule (GOÄ), which they can submit to their insurer. Patients with statutory insurance are equally welcome and pay for their treatment themselves.
No. Letters and test results from your gynaecologist or fertility centre do help us a great deal to prepare your first consultation.
Reports on previous pregnancies and miscarriages, histology (tissue examination) and surgical reports, earlier laboratory results, especially blood clotting and thyroid tests, genetic counselling reports, reports on IVF or ICSI treatments, discharge letters after pre-eclampsia or HELLP syndrome, and your maternity record (Mutterpass). You can upload them in the form or bring them to your appointment.
No. We do not repeat tests unnecessarily. If results are already available, they are usually sufficient. We only repeat a test if an update makes medical sense, and we discuss this with you beforehand.
Ideally before your next pregnancy or your next embryo transfer, so that there is enough time for assessment and planning. If you are already pregnant, please contact us as soon as possible and mention it in the form.
Yes, ideally. As part of the immunological assessment we also look at how well your immune system and your partner’s are compatible. It therefore helps if your partner comes to the first appointment. It is not essential, however. And it is easier to discuss the next steps together.
We usually reply by email within a few working days. If you have not heard from us after a week, please check your spam folder or call us during our telephone hours.
Yes. Your care stays in their hands. We coordinate our recommendations with your doctors and, if you wish, send them our report.
Yes. Your details are encrypted in your own browser and can only be read in our practice. Nothing is stored on the website.
Registration
Your answers help us prepare well for the first consultation. If you are unsure about something, just leave it blank. We will go through it together.
Please note: we are a private practice and do not bill the German statutory health insurance funds (GKV). Patients with statutory insurance are welcome and pay for their treatment themselves.
Directions
KiWu vT · Kinderwunschpraxis von Tempelhoff
Freiherr-vom-Stein-Straße 29
63179 Obertshausen (Hausen)
We are happy to answer questions about directions by email.
Emergency number for patients in our care: 01522 1554988
In a life-threatening emergency, always call 112.
