Enjoying a high success rate, IVF is the most sought-after fertility treatment amongst the couples who are trying to grow their family but get no success even after months of trying for pregnancy without the use of any contraceptives.
IVF or In Vitro Fertilization is a complex and multi-step procedure. The couples who plan to undergo IVF Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment are both excited and nervous at the same time. In this blog, we will share the most useful tips in the form of some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that will help you gain in-depth knowledge about the IVF cycle. So, stay with us until the end.
Question: Can IVF help you get pregnant?
Answer: IVF fertility procedure is highly recommended for women who have damaged fallopian tubes, endometriosis, or a poor ovarian reserve. IVF is also suggested for couples who are suffering from male infertility issues or unexplained infertility conditions where no medical cause for infertility has been diagnosed.
Question: What is the upper age limit for a woman to undergo IVF?
Answer: Pregnancy and childbirth are largely dependent on the age of the female partner, especially when she is using her eggs in the IVF cycle. The likelihood of a woman getting pregnant with an IVF cycle decreases with her growing age.
Most fertility hospitals have a pre-defined upper age limit up to which they perform the IVF cycle for a woman. It is usually between 42 to 45 years of age.
In IVF cycles with donor eggs, the age of the donor is of prime importance, and the age of the recipient has little effect on the chances of success.
In some rare cases, IVF has helped women aged between 58 to 60 years to also get pregnant.
Question: What is involved in IVF?
Answer: In the IVF process, the woman is injected with ovulation stimulation drugs that help retrieve a large number of eggs all at once. The eggs are combined with the sperms from the male partner in a laboratory (In Vitro). In 3 to 5 days, the embryo(s) is/are transferred to the uterus of the woman. Any additional embryos are frozen and preserved for future use.
Question: Whether to transfer one embryo or more than that?
Answer: Although the recent statistics confirm that the success rate of an IVF cycle with two embryo transfers is more than that with a single embryo transfer, there is also a high chance of it resulting in multiple pregnancies. Thus, it is entirely up to the couple who are free to decide whether they wish to have one embryo transferred or more in a single IVF cycle.
Usually, the number of embryos to be transferred must be decided based on the age of the couple, and the success rate with previous IVF cycles. Ideally, women who are under 35 years of age, and are undergoing IVF for the first time must get two embryos transferred for a higher chance of pregnancy.
Question: How can you improve the chances of success with IVF?
Answer: Lifestyle changes play a major role in enhancing fertility in both males and females, and increase the probability of success using IVF. The couple must adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes eating a nutritious diet, making a daily exercise routine, maintaining a healthy weight, and giving up on tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine. For a higher likelihood of success, IVF cycles must be attempted at an early age.
Question: When to go for a pregnancy test after an IVF cycle?
Answer: Pregnancy occurs when the transferred embryo successfully implants itself to the lining of the uterus. In roughly 13 to 15 days from when the embryo was transferred, the woman must get done a blood test to confirm pregnancy. If the blood test report is positive, ultrasound scans are conducted in another two weeks’ time. If, however, the blood test reports are negative, you must speak to your fertility expert about the next round of IVF.
Question: How long should one wait for the next IVF cycle after the failure of the previous one?
Answer: Although medically you can start the next IVF cycle soon after the first one, the fertility experts usually decide about the timing of the next cycle based on the physical as well as mental health of the couple.
Question: Does the woman undergoing IVF require hospitalization?
Answer: No, the woman undergoing IVF fertility treatment need not get admission to the hospital as all steps of the IVF cycle are quick and are performed as outpatient procedures. On the day of egg retrieval, the woman can go back home as soon as the effect of anesthesia fades away i.e. approximately 2 to 3 hours. Even after the embryo transfer process, which is half an hour procedure, the woman can go back home after resting for an hour or so. She may, however, be required to visit the fertility experts for regular monitoring purposes.
Question: Is IVF an expensive fertility treatment process?
Answer: The treatment cost for IVF largely depends upon the area where you live, the number of medications required by the couple, the number of IVF cycles performed, whether you opt for donor eggs or frozen embryos, and the amount that your insurance company will compensate. The IVF treatment cost can vary from couple to couple based on their medical history and lifestyle.
Question: What is the success rate of IVF?
Answer: The live birth rate for an IVF cycle is 30 to 35% for women under 35 years of age. It reduces to 25% for women between 35 to 37 years of age, 15 to 20% for women between 38 to 40 years of age, and drops down to only 6 to 10% for women who are over 40 years of age.
IVF fertility treatment procedure requires the couple to undergo ultrasound scans, blood tests, urine examination, semen analysis, and other medical tests. The IVF results vary from couple to couple as these are based on a large number of factors such as the age of the female partner, sperm quality, egg quality, etc.
IVF is a fairly successful fertility treatment as compared to the other assisted reproductive methods. Although it may require more than one IVF cycle, most couples who opt for IVF are able to get pregnant and deliver healthy babies. IVF is also popular with frozen embryos that were preserved from the previous IVF cycle of the couple or were saved from some other couple’s IVF cycle.
Planning for IVF? Want to get treated from the best-in-town fertility experts? You too can become the proud parents of a healthy baby. Just check out the latest search tool at Autus Care to look for the top-rated IVF experts in your area. Browse through the fertility hospitals in your vicinity, and read customer reviews of their services to make a final decision.
We hope that this blog has answered most of your queries regarding the IVF treatment process. If you have any other questions, please write to us in the comments section below, and our fertility experts will get back to you. Wishing you success in your journey to parenthood!
