Do I Need IVF?
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a widely known advanced form of infertility treatment. It can treat the most known causes of infertility. As one of the commonest types of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART), the goal of IVF/ICSI is conception. Essentially, in IVF, the natural process of conception that happens in the bedroom is recreated in the laboratory. IVF primarily improves the process of fertilization, embryo development, and implantation.
IVF helps women who want to get pregnant or a couple challenged by infertility to get pregnant. Couples challenged with fertility problems such as blocked or damaged fallopian tubes can benefit from IVF. Fertility issues including unexplained infertility, gynecological and genetic conditions, and age-related infertility are included.
IVF is usually recommended as a primary treatment for infertile couples with a wide range of challenges. It can overcome some of the factors that hinder successful pregnancy, such as endometriosis, unexplained fertility, low sperm count and motility, ovulation problems, and damaged fallopian tubes among others.
IVF can overcome a wide range of fertility issues to give the best chance of having a baby. It can overcome many of the challenges that hinder couples from achieving conception. IVF works for women at an advanced age and those with blocked or damaged fallopian tubes or other medical challenges. IVF provides the best opportunity of having a child using your own eggs or donated eggs.
Through IVF, couples in which the man has a very low or even absent sperm count can conceive. The procedure works by utilizing a series of medications and surgical procedures to make fertilization occur.
The sperm is ‘helped’ or ‘assisted’ to fertilize the eggs through the IVF process. Then fertilized eggs known as embryos are then ‘assisted’ to be implanted in the uterus.
For challenges such as endometriosis, or other issues that affect the Fallopian tubes or ovaries, IVF is preferred. Couples often turn to IVF when other fertility treatments are unsuccessful.
However, not everyone can benefit. It is true that IVF increases the chances of pregnancy if there are problems, but it won’t work for everyone.
IVF has a detailed procedure of about five major steps. It starts with the woman. She is given special medications/injections that cause her to produce more than one mature egg during her typical cycle. The process is known as ‘superovulation’.
The eggs are retrieved or ‘harvested’ through a surgical process, and then carefully preserved. At about the same time, a sperm sample is collected from the male partner or donor. The sample is placed in a suitable container and also carefully preserved. Then the harvested eggs are placed in a specially prepared container where they are ‘mixed’ with the sperm. All this happens in the laboratory. The sperm cells can also be injected into the egg to increase the fertilization rate.
Afterward, the fertilized eggs begin to divide and after a few days, one or more of the fertilized eggs (embryos) are placed directly into the woman’s uterus. If everything goes as planned, pregnancy occurs if any of the embryos successfully implants in the lining of the uterus./
Multiple Cycles of IVF
A healthy couple usually has around a 20 percent chance of conceiving naturally in a month. The approach to IVF should not be that of a single-shot approach, rather, multiple cycles may be required. Chances may be increased if all aspects of the male and female system needed for conception are double-checked. A hysteroscopy may be required to look into the uterus before an embryo transfer to identify endometrial problems like adhesions and polyps that may not be visible on a routine ultrasound scan. These may need removal to increase the chances of conception at IVF/ICSI.
Age is also a crucial factor in the success of IVF treatment. The possibility of success reduces with age. Therefore, women over 40 years of age, who have been trying for years, may need to undergo more than one IVF/ICSI cycle.
Some couples do not succeed on the first try, and require more than one cycle of IVF to conceive and are reassessed before attempting another IVF/ICSI cycle. They may have to undergo as many as three full cycles to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy according to studies. Multiple IVF cycles may be cost-effective and clinically effective.
A full IVF cycle includes ovarian stimulation, egg recovery, insemination, and embryo replacement. Some couples conceive in the first cycle. For others, the process may not work after the first or second cycle. It may be necessary to try again.
There are no limits to the number of IVF cycles. But there is a limit to the number of embryo transfers. Averagely, most couples may need up to six embryo transfers to achieve pregnancy. No more than two embryos are recommended to be transferred per cycle. This is to prevent multiple births and complications that follow.
Multiple cycles are preferred because not all eggs will fertilize or develop normally after fertilization. The idea is to strike a balance between maximizing chances of success and minimizing the risk of multiple pregnancies.
