Everything You Need to Know About In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has given hope to many people whose fertility problems have left them struggling to conceive a child. If you are in this position and are trying to work out which treatment will optimize your chances of having a baby, it is vital to collect as much information as possible. IVF is a long, exhausting process that usually needs to be repeated multiple times before a successful pregnancy is established, with each cycle lasting around two months. However, it has helped many childless couples and some facts about your physiology may make you a particularly good candidate for its success. Read on to learn the things that everyone should know about IVF.

* What is IVF?

IVF involves removing an egg from the woman’s ovaries and then using a sperm sample to fertilize this egg in a lab environment. Once the egg is successfully fertilized, the resulting embryo is placed inside the woman’s womb in the hopes that it will grow into a healthy baby that will be carried until full term.

* Who is eligible for IVF?

Firstly, IVF is only considered suitable for people who have already conducted a full investigation into the matter of why they are having problems conceiving, as certain fertility problems rule out the possibility of IVF’s success. Such an investigative process can take many years, and can involve a lot of tiresome medical tests (including ultrasounds, sperm analyses, and blood tests). IVF is particularly suitable for women who have fallopian tube damage (or blockages), and for couples in which the male has a problematically low sperm count. Secondly, the optimal female age range for IVF is considered to be between the early twenties and late thirties, and women older than the age of forty are usually discouraged from attempting IVF due to the extremely low success late for this age group. In women over forty, the embryo often fails to implant correctly, and when it does implant successfully the risk of miscarriage is very high.

* What are the exact success rates?

The age of the woman undergoing IVF strongly influences her chances of having a successful pregnancy. Women under 35 have around a 33% success rate, but this lowers to about 27% for women between 35 and 37. Women who are over 37 and under 40 have a 19% success rate. As mentioned above, the success rates for women older than 40 are so low that the procedure is largely considered unadvisable. Specifically, women who are between 40 and 42 have a 13% success rate, and women older than 42 have a success rate as low as 3-5%.

* How does the IVF procedure begin?

At the very start of the IVF process, the woman will normally have to be injected with a drug that temporarily suspends her menstrual cycle. Following that, she will be injected with a fertility hormone to help her ovulate. This fertility hormone often causes side effects. Although most of these are considered to be moderate as opposed to severe, most women have to go through multiple cycles of IVF before they manage to conceive, and so these side effects can become extremely wearing. Most commonly, women experience mood swings, breathlessness, bloating, nausea, and hot flushes.

* Are there any severe side effects?

A small number of women taking the fertility drug in the early stages of the IVF procedure will experience something called ovarian hyperstimulation. When this happens, the woman’s body produces too many eggs and this results in abdominal swelling, breathlessness, and persistent nausea. In an even smaller number of cases, a more extreme version of this problem occurs. This is called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), and it can involve potentially fatal kidney problems or dangerous pressure on a main blood vessel.

* What happens during the surgical stages of IVF?

The woman’s eggs are collected during a minor surgical procedure that is performed without general anesthetic. Local anesthetic is used to make sure that the woman is pain-free, and a sedative is usually administered to keep her calm. The surgeon uses an ultrasound machine to guide a hollow needle up into the ovaries through the vagina, and collects the eggs through this needle. Once the eggs are fertilized, they will be inserted into the womb through a small tube that is pushed through the cervix.

* Are there any serious risks posed by the surgical stages of IVF?

Unfortunately, IVF can sometimes lead to an ectopic pregnancy. In an ectopic pregnancy, the embryo does not implant in the woman’s womb but instead implants in one of her fallopian tubes. As the embryo grows, this can pose a risk to the woman’s life, as the fallopian tube can rupture and cause life-threatening degrees of internal bleeding. Ectopic pregnancies cannot be sustained, and almost always result in abortion.

* Is there an increased likelihood of multiple births?

You may have heard that IVF is linked to a greater likelihood of having twins or triplets. This is true, because most IVF cycles involve implanting more than one embryo so as to maximize the chance of having at least one successful pregnancy. This increased chance of multiple births is linked to some significant health problems for the mother and the children. Women carrying more than one baby are more likely to develop high blood pressure, more likely to suffer from diabetes while pregnant, and more likely to give birth prematurely.

If you are having problems trying to have a baby and want to discuss IVF, approach your doctor to find out whether you are a suitable candidate. Once you start to go through IVF, you should also be aware that counseling might prove to be invaluable as you learn how to cope with the intense emotional and physical stress.