IVF is the most familiar name among couples or individuals fighting against infertility. In Vitro Fertilization, aka IVF, is a fertility treatment assisted by modern medical minimally-invasive techniques.
Infertility or reduced fertility can arise from many underlying reproductive issues in men and women. It is an inability to conceive a pregnancy, even after regular intercourse for more than a year. Pregnancy in humans is achieved when sperm (from male) inseminate an egg ( from female) inside the uterus. The fertilized egg grows as an embryo, which will implant on the uterine wall for further development. Any disruption in the following process can lead to infertility. Around 30% of women experience infertility or reduced fertility without any obvious reason.
Many couples struggle alone and wait too long before consulting a doctor for their infertility. Remember, your reproductive health declines with age; if you wait longer, the ‘reduced fertility’ may develop into ‘severe infertility.’
So, is IVF the only option? Can I avoid IVF treatment? What is IVF? Do I need IVF treatment for conception? – you might be thinking.
Hold your questions, and continue reading this post to get all your answers.
What is IVF Treatment for Infertility?
In IVF treatment, the egg is fertilized outside the uterus in a laboratory; when it develops into a multi-cellular embryo, it is put back inside the uterus for implantation. Basically, IVF assists with the process of fertilization, embryo development and implantation. It doesn’t necessarily treat the underlying infertility factor but helps patients overcome the infertility barrier and achieve pregnancy – eventually having a baby.
Why and When IVF is Needed?
Often, patients try to avoid IVF treatment for various reasons. While there do exist other fertility treatments like fertility drugs and IUI, these treatments aren’t always successful.
For instance, if a woman has a mild ovulatory disorder, fertility drugs might help her with ovulation, and she can conceive naturally. If her male partner has low sperm count and motility, then IUI treatment with fertility medications might bring them results. However, if a woman has damaged fallopian tubes or endometriosis or ovarian insufficiency, or maybe her partner has severe male infertility; in that case, low-complexity fertility treatment (e.g. IUI) cannot help them with complex Infertility issues.
So, definitely try first-line fertility treatment, such as fertility medication or IUI. Still, if unsuccessful, IVF may be your ultimate option, Because IVF can aid with a wide range of complex infertility issues. Moreover, other assisted reproductive techniques, namely ICSI, PGT/PGS, PESA/TESA, PICSI, vitrification, laser-assisted hatching, etc., can complement IVF treatment.
Yes, donor eggs or sperm are always an alternative choice. But, for Infertile couples who want to have their own kids, IVF may be the answer.
IVF is a potential choice in the following situations:
- Blocked or non-functional fallopian tubes
- Moderate and severe endometriosis and uterine fibroids
- Unexplained infertility
- If one or both parents have genetic disorders – the potential of the child inheriting genetic abnormalities from them
- Ovulation disorders or dysfunction causing irregular menstruation
- Poor or diminished ovarian reserve
- Severe male infertility; oligospermia, azoospermia, erectile dysfunction, idiopathic male infertility, varicocele, vasectomy, etc.
- Presence of anti-sperm Antibiotics
- Bilateral Tubal ligation
- Age-related infertility
- Past failed fertility treatments.
- Donor eggs, sperm or embryos.
How is IVF treatment performed?
IVF is a complex procedure involving various steps. The IVF process involves the following steps:
- Diagnosis: Before recommending IVF treatment, any fertility centre will run some diagnostic tests to find the underlying cause of infertility and get a hold of your reproductive and medical history. The diagnosis involves; blood tests, ultrasound, semen analysis, and urine tests. This will verify if IVF is a suitable option for you or not.
- Ovulation induction with ovarian stimulation: This step involves hormonal medication administration to stimulate ovaries for egg production. More than one egg is matured for fertilization using fertility drugs.
- Follicular Puncture and semen collection: The mature eggs are retrieved from the ovaries just before ovulation, and the semen sample is collected.
- Processing and Selection: The semen sample is processed or washed, and high-quality sperms are isolated for fertilization. Healthy mature eggs are collected from the follicular fluid.
- Fertilization in IVF lab: The eggs and sperm fluid are placed in a nutritive liquid for fertilization.
- Embryo development: The fertilized eggs are observed for multi-cellular development inside an incubator.
- Embryo Transfer: 3-5 days after fertilization, the embryo(s) is transferred to the uterus to initiate implantation.
- Pregnancy Test; 2 weeks after embryo transfer.
Advantages of IVF Treatment
There are numerous advantages of the IVF procedure over other low-complexity treatments.
- High Success Rate: IVF treatment shows an exceptionally high success rate in the face of many infertility factors. The pregnancy rates for IVF treatment are as high as 60-80%.
- IVF is a minimally-invasive and pain-free procedure.
- Individualized IVF treatment with complementary ART procedures to curb a wide range of infertility factors.
- It can be helpful for severe male factor infertility or impotence.
- Women with diminished ovarian and uterine reserve can take the help of IVF treatment for conception.
- Fertility preservation: People can opt for IVF treatment if they want to postpone pregnancy to a later age. Vitrification or cryopreservation allows us to freeze your embryos for future use.
- It may prevent children from inheriting genetic diseases from their parents through the PGD test.
- It may decrease the chance of miscarriage with the help of genetic profiling of embryos or gametes.
- IVF can be performed to achieve pregnancy with donor eggs, sperm or embryo.
- It allows the monitoring of embryo development so that the embryos can be evaluated for different quality factors before embryo transfer. It can also reduce the chances of failed implantation or early miscarriages with the help of PGS.
- IVF with surrogacy can help women who can’t bear children due to some complications.
Success Rate of IVF Treatment
Although higher than other fertility treatments, the success rate of IVF treatment is a varying factor. It differs from person to person depending on the;
- Age of female partner
- Duration and severity of infertility
- Infertility type and underlying cause
Complications and Drawbacks of IVF Treatment
IVF treatment has some rare complications and drawbacks, but an experienced IVF treatment expert can minimize the chances of complications by taking necessary precautions throughout the procedure.
- Multiple pregnancies
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Ovarian hyperstimulation disorder
- Require follicular puncture
- Early miscarriage or failed implantation
- It is expensive compared to other fertility treatments
- IVF can involve multiple rounds of procedure to achieve the results
- Potential congenital malfunction.
Consult with Risaa IVF to learn more about IVF and other fertility treatments
Risaa IVF is a renowned fertility centre specializing in overall fertility care, especially IVF treatment. We have been serving childless couples for 30+ years to achieve pregnancy with an IVF success rate of 50-58%. Our fertility doctor ensures patients’ personal care and quality control of the treatments at every stage.
We have a team of fertility doctors with considerable experience performing IVF treatment. They focus on finding the root cause of infertility to suggest the best effective treatment for our patients and minimize the complication of IVF procedures. We provide a reasonable pricing system for all fertility treatments.
If you and your partner are finding it hard to conceive naturally, then don’t wait for too long and consult our fertility experts ASAP.
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