Dr. Alicia Álvarez

I had a vocation for medicine since childhood. In our family there was a fatal accident when I was 11 years old. I spent more than 10 hours waiting in a room for the life or death surgery of a relative, from which he finally came out well, although with some difficulties. This fact made me think: “if the doctors have managed to keep him alive, I want to be able to do it too”. I already had a sense of this vocation, but this experience really confirmed it. 

Before deciding to go into gynaecology, I decided to spend a few years as an emergency physician, training in all fields (2024 marks 28 years of practicefor me). After a few years, I took the step towards what I always dreamed of. The miracle of life is something I marvel at. First, I dedicated a few years to obstetrics, I wanted to know everything related to pregnancy in depth. But my goal went beyond that, I wanted to be part of the beginning, I wanted to try to help patients who could not see their dream come true. My medical training took place in Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Norway. I learned from the best, in every field, and over the years, experience led me to make my own way. I started my first steps in reproductive medicine 17 years ago. So much progress since then!

I moved from one place to another, because I think that you can’t always stay in the place where you have been trained, you have to leave your comfort zone to really know where you can go. After passing through several clinics, I arrived at Tambre. It was a challenge, both professionally and personally (many things had happened in my life….) But it was also very rewarding because it has a fantastic team, led by competent, non-conformist women. A team where each and every one, in his or her different positions, works for the good of the patients.

You’ll never forget your first beta…. For me, it was a couple who had been undergoing fertility treatment for more than 15 years, without even a single positive pregnancy test. It was a complicated job, working as a team….today their children are already 10 years old. You never get used to it. We work with complicated cases, as I often say, easy cases do not exist, “they don’t come to fertility clinics”…. we start from a “I can’t”, and it is a long journey that you embark on with patients. You know when it starts, but not when or how it will end. We try to give patients the security and comfort that they have done everything possible to achieve their dream of starting a family, especially in cases where this unfortunately does not happen.

The most important challenge is to get them to trust us, to see us as part of their story and their unconditional support. When things don’t go well, you have to be there with them. Infertility patients carry bags of frustration on their backs, a lot of suffering. It is easier to understand when you have gone through similar situations. I have to admit that it was very complicated for me to form my family, I suffered miscarriages, disappointments, frustrations. I came to think of my role as “helping” others become parents without becoming a parent myself. Fortunately, I achieved my dream without having to do treatments, but it helped me understand how patients feel. Both men and women. We cannot neglect partners, male or female. They also suffer, and we must take care of them, because they are an essential part of the process.

I could not choose one in particular, there are many and very different from each other. Each baby carries a small part of you, of your effort, of your illusion. I confess that I am the godmother, so far, of 4 babies…in Europe, Africa and Oceania!

Obviously, to achieve their goal of starting a family.

Be there for them. Make them feel that, no matter how many cases you carry, each one is unique. Each one has its own role, and therefore each case is personalised.

I enjoy spending time with my family: my husband and my three children. I love every moment with them. I also take care of my parents, they have been a fundamental pillar in my life, and now it is my turn to be one for them. This doesn’t leave much time for myself. As the years go by, your priorities also change. Travelling, one of my passions, is no longer as easy as it once was. Reading and movies are other hobbies of mine, and maintaining my friendships is definitely a priority.