WHAT IS IN VITRO FERTILIZATION(IVF)

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a procedure in which eggs (ova) from a woman’s ovary are removed. They are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory procedure and then the fertilized egg (embryo) is returned to the woman’s uterus.

The success of IVF is not guaranteed, and patients often have to undergo more than one cycle of treatment before they are successful. This naturally varies woman to woman, and a fertility specialist will be able to give a more accurate and personalised likelihood of success. It is important to be realistic but positive about the chances of success.

IVF comes with a chance of developing side effects, the most severe of these being severe ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS).

In IVF treatments, there is often more than one embryo put back into the uterus, and this leads to a higher likelihood of multiple pregnancy; around 20-30% of IVF pregnancies can result in multiple pregnancies. Multiple pregnancies do carry associated health risks to mother and baby, there is an increased chance of premature labour, miscarriage, need for caesarean, stillbirth and infant health problems with multiple pregnancies.

With IVF treatment, the risk of an ectopic pregnancy doubles, to 1-3%, particularly in women with damaged fallopian tubes.

There is growing evidence that giving high stimulation during IVF increases the chance that a baby is born prematurely and with low birth weight. This has been linked to long-term health problems for the child. It is theorised that high oestrogen levels can affect the intra-uterine environment. With drug-free and low drug approaches, it has been observed that babies born are more likely to be born at full term and with a higher birth weight than those born through high stimulation IVF associated with high oestrogen levels. This is one of the reasons why we are committed to Natural and Mild IVF, as we believe that the success of treatment is not just a live birth, but is a healthy full term live birth.

Going through IVF treatment can be a highly emotive and stressful experience. For patients undergoing treatment, it can be physically and emotionally demanding. For partners it can be difficult to watch a loved-one go through a stressful experience.

IVF treatment is not cheap, and after paying for medication and blood tests, the costs can quickly mount up.