All About IVF
Every year many couples struggle to get pregnant worldwide. The reasons for infertility could be plenty, but the most common treatment practiced is IVF (In-vitro Fertilization). IVF is considered to be the most effective synthetic reproductive method and is often suggested to women facing infertility above the age of 35.
What are the Risks Involved in IVF?
Pregnancy is one of the most natural events. But, whenever pregnancy does not occur naturally or happens with some kind of medical assistance, there are risks involved. IVF is no exception to this.
Multiple births:
One of the most common disadvantages of IVF is multiple births. When the IVF process is carried out, doctors retrieve multiple mature eggs from the woman and fertilize them in the lab. This is a complicated process and several factors hinder the success rate of this process. To ensure pregnancy, doctors create more than one embryo and replace them in the uterus. The chances of all the embryos surviving are low and usually, only one of the embryos grows to be a fetus.
But sometimes, more than one embryo survives, and multiple pregnancies occur. This is not only endangering the life of the mother but also the growing fetuses.
Miscarriage:
Multiple Births could be one of the prime reasons for miscarriage in women going through IVF. Otherwise, the rate of miscarriage in women with natural pregnancy is equal to women pregnant through IVF. However, this number increases with age. Doctors claim that 70% of embryos are lost before birth, IVF, or otherwise.
Miscarriage has more mental effects than physical. While losing a child is physically painful, it’s heartbreaking for couples to lose a child after going through IVF.
Ectopic pregnancy:
IVF is a critical process, and precision is extremely important. Sometimes the embryo is implanted outside the womb. It could be implanted in the fallopian tube or the vagina. In such cases, the embryo has very low chances of survival out of the uterus, and the IVF fails.
But in some rare cases, the embryo though implanted in the uterus finds its way to the fallopian tube and a pregnancy occurs.
This type of pregnancy is extremely risky for the mother and the child. In most cases, a child born through an ectopic pregnancy is a stillborn.
Egg-retrieval procedure complications:
The primary step in IVF is getting matured eggs out through an aspirating needle. This causes infection, bleeding, damage to the bladder, bowel, or blood vessel.
Other:
In-vitro fertilization may cause birth defects in the child, it may be a cause of ovarian cancer. Hence it is highly recommended to consult a specialist doctor to conduct the IVF treatment.
How to Prepare For IVF Treatment?
Before proceeding with IVF treatment, remember that this process requires sperm and eggs from the treated couple. It is a complicated and long process with a limited success rate and risks. The couple needs to be mentally and physically prepared for this treatment. Also, have detailed information about the cost of the entire process.
Here are the 6 most essential things a couple planning for an IVF pregnancy needs to do before initiating the actual process.
Ovarian reserve testing:
This test is usually conducted by the Gynecologist before IVF. It checks the levels of critical pregnancy hormones, like follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estrogen, and anti-mullerian hormone in your blood during the first few days of your menstrual cycle. It determines the susceptibility of ovaries to IVF.
Infectious disease screening:
All pregnant couples are screened for STDs before or during the initial months of pregnancy. In the case of IVF undergoing couples, both are tested before initiating the process.
Mock embryo transfer:
This is done for two reasons;
- To find the depth of the uterus.
- To determine which method of embryo transfer will best result in a successful pregnancy.
Semen analysis:
Usually, this is done in the initial stages of diagnosing infertility. But if not, the gynecologist will conduct a semen analysis before the IVF.
Uterine exam:
The success rate of IVF greatly depends on the uterus. The uterine examination is done before IVF to check the inner lining of the uterus, its size, etc. It is done in multiple ways.
Diet and Supplementary diet:
The woman going through IVR should maintain her diet before and during the IVF process. Eat healthy, avoid caffeine, alcohol, junk food as much as possible. Plus, regular intake of health supplements prescribed by the doctor is a must.
Lastly, taking care of your mental and physical health throughout the IVF process is of utmost importance. Do not subject yourself to any type of harsh treatment, which you and your partner are not comfortable with. Communicate with your doctor and stage your queries and concerns. Your health is your priority.
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