Fenomatch
Latest techniques to find the egg or sperm donor who looks more like you.
Tambre Fertility Clinic was the first centre of assisted reproduction in Madrid to incorporate this state-of-the art face matching programme. We are convinced that Big Data is crucial for the advancement in Medicine and that it can offer great opportunities in Assisted Reproduction.
The donation of eggs or sperm is the reproductive solution for many couples who are struggeling to conceive. However, when going to an egg or sperm bank, most couples are having the same questions: How will my baby look like? What aspects of the donor will specialists consider, so that the baby looks more like me? And, above all, can you achieve a physical resemblance that goes beyond height, eye color or constitution?
This last question has been a great scientific challenge for many years. The biologists were able to classify the eggs or spermatozoa according to the existence of the greater phenotypic similarity (eye color, race, skin, height and constitution) and immunological factors (blood group and RH) between the donor and the recipient. But there was no technology that allowed them to enter physical facial details. Until now. Fenomatch is the first biometric facial analysis and matching programme that allows us to select the donor that looks more like you.
How does the biometric facial matching ‘Fenomatch’ work?
Fenomatch is a software that applies biometric facial techniques to compare genetic similarities. It uses advanced BigData algorithms that convert a facial image into a mathematical formula, that represents more than 100,000 nodal distances. The programme studies more than 100 facial points and the distances between them to determine the degree of resemblance between donor and recipient with a score from 1 to 100. At the same time, it puts donors from multiple data sources into an order; and discards donors that are too similar to avoid risks of inbreeding (100% similar). The result is an accurate impression of facial data that does not change with the individual’s age or with weight gain or loss.
Fenomatch helps biologists to identify the most optimal egg or sperm donor. That means that they can find the person from the egg or sperm bank, among those previously selected by blood group and physical characteristic, whose facial bone structure is the most similar to yours.
Can I select the donor that looks most similar to me?
The Spanish Law of Assisted Reproduction marks a series of requirements to guarantee the health of the baby. Among these criteria you can find the age of the donor in case of an egg donation. The quality of the eggs and consequently the success of the pregnancy in the recipient woman depends greatly on this parameter.
The law also establishes the criteria that the specialized doctor must follow when selecting the gametes for a recipient. This same law states the impossibility for the couple to choose the physical characteristics or sex of their future baby.
At Fertility Clinic Tambre we have always worked hand in hand with science. This is why we exclusively rely on scientific criteria when using the Fenomatch software. Therefore, in the process of selecting the donor, the biologist will be the only person authorized to establish the most appropriate option in each case. This professional will provide the patient with a code through which the authenticity of the sample is verified. Our priority will always be the birth of a healthy baby.
