IVF 101: 10 Things You Should Know

Infertility is no doubt one of the greatest challenges in life. In-vitro fertilization also known as IVF is one of the most common methods to overcome fertility issues. However it is important to know all the facts before starting this journey. So let’s get real about IVF procedure…

1. Infertility is frequent.
Infertility affects around one in every six couples. Infertility is caused by the woman 40% of the time and the man 40% of the time, with the remaining 20% caused by a mix of both. IVF is used by about 5% of infertile couples to help them conceive. There are fertile people who desire IVF for various reasons, such as same-sex couples, single women, those harbouring a hereditary ailment, and those trying to create a saviour sibling. This implies that IVF is currently used to deliver one in every fifty infants.

2. Traditional IVF might be time demanding.
IVF is a procedure in which eggs are extracted from a woman’s ovaries, fertilised outside the body, and then replaced within the womb. The treatment method might be time-consuming because the woman’s body is usually stimulated in order for eggs to be harvested. This may entail taking medication and visiting to the clinic for scans/check-ups for several weeks prior to egg harvest. Following the operation, which normally takes about an hour, patients must return to the clinic to have the embryo transplanted before returning for a pregnancy test. This indicates that the entire therapy process might take 4-5 weeks. There are, however, shorter ways of therapy, which are explained below.

3. There are several methods of IVF available.
Although traditional IVF is the most prevalent kind of IVF in the UK, it is neither the only option or the best appropriate therapy. There are other less drug-intensive therapy options. Natural IVF is the least invasive and does not employ any stimulating chemicals. Natural Modified IVF takes just 3-4 days of medicines, whereas Mild IVF (or tiny IVF) requires 5-9 days. Another advantage of these therapies is that they are performed inside the cycle, rather than interrupting and restarting it. If necessary, egg and sperm donation as well as surrogacy cycles are possible.

4. The price might be higher than the cycle cost.
People sometimes confuse the cycle cost with the total cost of therapy. Scans, egg harvest, embryology, and embryo transfer are all included in the cycle cost. Nevertheless, because therapy is often tailored to your specific needs, charges for blood tests, medicines, and extra procedures are not included in this pricing and will vary from patient to patient. The HFEA cost must also be paid, and most patients choose sedation. Before beginning treatment, make sure you have a complete cost breakdown from the facility and consider any extras you might desire.

5. Age is important
When it comes to fertility therapy, the earlier it is conducted, the higher the success percentage. The loss in fertility in women begins at the age of 35 and accelerates through the 30s and 40s. This implies that by the early 40s, it is considerably more difficult to conceive, and by 45, the chances of therapy working are substantially lower. This is because the amount and quality of eggs in the ovaries have decreased with time. Although men’s fertility stays more steady, it also falls over time, with lower testosterone levels producing fewer sperm. Men’s sperm, like women’s, develops mutations with time, resulting in a progressive drop in both quality and quantity. For older individuals, all is not lost; nevertheless, if you are considering commencing fertility therapy, it is best to do it sooner rather than later.

6. Success rates might be deceiving.
Success rates are not matched to your unique circumstances and therefore might present a false image about the odds of your success. Some clinics reject away patients with a poor prognosis, such as older women, those with a low egg reserve, or those with a specific gynaecological condition, thus high headline success rates may not be applicable for your unique circumstances. It is also critical to thoroughly examine what is being measured. Positive pregnancy tests are used by certain clinics to determine success, whereas clinical pregnancy and live deliveries are used by others. It is thus not regarded beneficial to compare the success rates of different clinics; this is supported by the HFEA, which advises patients not to compare success rates.

7. You may require more than one treatment cycle.
IVF success rates are approximately 35% on average, which means that most patients will need to go through several procedures before attaining a successful pregnancy. Success rates are always improving as new procedures are created and fine-tuned, but only by modest amounts. Before beginning fertility therapy, it is critical to remember that you are beginning a course of treatment, not simply individual treatment cycles. This permits you to psychologically prepare for the possibility that you will require many treatments. You should request that your doctor provide you with an individual estimate of success in both a single cycle and over the course of therapy. It should be mentioned that a recent study found that the likelihood of success increases with the number of IVF cycles used, with 65% of patients conceiving after 6 rounds of therapy.

8. Frozen is equally as good as fresh.
According to recent research, frozen eggs and embryos are just as viable as fresh ones. If feasible, freeze embryos rather than eggs since they are more stable and are more likely to survive thawing. It has been reported that a woman under the age of 35 who freezes 12 eggs has a 50% probability of conceiving a baby with these eggs through fertility therapy.

9. IVF increases your chances of having numerous pregnancies.
Fertility therapy is commonly known to increase the probability of multiple pregnancies. Quadruplets and higher-order multiples, while gaining a lot of attention, are rarely the product of IVF. Instead, they are typically caused by high-dose fertility medications mixed with intrauterine insemination (IUI). Twins and triplets, on the other hand, are more prevalent with IVF, with the likelihood of a multiple birth increasing from 3% with spontaneous conception to 33% with IVF. This is due to the fact that many embryos can be implanted in the womb to boost the odds of conception. Several facilities in the United Kingdom have a strict single embryo transfer’ policy in place in order to decrease the number of multiple births. Because there are several hazards connected with twin birth, it is critical not to return more than one embryo. Multiple-embryo transplants are thus generally advised for individuals with a poor prognosis. Identical and non-identical twins are more likely to arise, presumably as a result of IVF procedures such as ICSI, in which a sperm is injected into the sperm, and PGD, in which a cell is extracted for inspection.

10. There are several other ways accessible.
Many IVF patients/couples want to improve their chances of success in whatever way they can. Embryoscope, PGD, and PGS are three more methods that may increase success. An embryoscope is a form of incubator that includes a live camera feed. This implies that the embryos may be observed at all stages of development without being removed from their optimum environment. PGS, or pre-implantation genetic screening, is a sophisticated technique that checks an embryo for chromosomal abnormalities. Before healthy embryos are returned in the uterus, one cell of the embryo is extracted and checked to see if it has the right number of chromosomes. Some treatments may not have a proven benefit in your situation, so it is crucial to explore them with your doctor to see whether they are appropriate for you.