IVF procedure: important information for future parents

Science has come a long way in its noble quest to help those who have problems with fertility. The method of fertilization in vitro, better known as IVF, was developed in the mid-1970s. However, unsuccessful attempts and studies in this field were carried out for many decades. The first documented birth of a child conceived in a test tube occurred in England in 1978. Since then, with the help of in vitro fertilization, tens of thousands of infants have appeared every year.

And although the statistics look promising, not for all women IVF procedure can be compared with a light walk. On the way to the goal, couples who venture to conceive in vitro must overcome many obstacles. Experts warn that you need to be patient and never give up. Here are some important things that you need to know if you are considering the procedure of in vitro fertilization as a real chance to get pregnant.

How does IVF work?

Talk to the women who have already gone through this procedure and you will receive completely different reviews. Someone will tell you that this is a real miracle, and someone will warn that medicine does not give any guarantees. And before you draw your own conclusions, you need to know how this works. Specialists in in vitro fertilization after all the proper preparatory procedures and analyzes begin to take eggs from the female ovaries. This genetic material in the future should be fertilized by the male sperm outside the patient's body. There are two ways of fertilization. In the first, for each ovum, experts place semen, the second variant is more point-like and is produced by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. If the fertilization was successful, the embryos obtained as a result are under the control of physicians. The material is grown in the laboratory until a certain period. During this time, the quality of the embryos is evaluated. And only after that they are transferred to the uterus of the recipient.

To whom is the procedure shown?

There are a number of specific reasons why couples or single women need this procedure. According to statistics, in the United States alone, every eighth pair has problems with infertility. IVF is recommended for couples in which one partner suffers from hormonal imbalance, if a man has a low number of sperm in the semen, women have a low number of ovaries in the ovaries or obstruction of the fallopian tubes. This method is indicated for male infertility or due to other reproductive problems causing difficulty in conception. In addition, there is a group of people who need donor eggs. For example, it can be people who have been treated for cancer, or people suffering from lupus. Well, of course, the conception in a test tube and the services of fertilization of the donor egg are used by couples consisting of same-sex marriage.

Stage of preparation

According to Carolina Sueldo, a specialist in reproductive endocrinology and infertility in Miami, a full course of IVF treatment can take about two months. This time scale may vary depending on the tolerability of the various drugs. Before the embryos are inserted into your uterus, you must go through many stages of preparation for the procedure. The first step requires the suppression of the natural menstrual cycle. This means that you are expected daily injections of hormones. Hormonal control, as a rule, lasts several weeks. The next step is stimulation of the ovaries. For one natural cycle, women produce no more than two eggs (usually one). To obtain positive results of IVF this material will not be enough.

Stimulation of egg growth

Stimulation also involves the introduction of hormonal drugs, such as follicle-stimulating hormone of the pituitary gland. This process physicians carefully monitor to ensure that the eggs grow properly. And once the material is fully ripe, it will be extracted from the ovaries. This is done 34-36 hours after the injection of human chorionic gonadotropin. Specialists after fetching eggs immediately fertilize them, and then perform regular quality control. Once the best of the viable embryos are selected, they are planted in the woman's womb. According to doctors, this is a simple procedure that does not require the use of anesthesia. The embryos are placed in a soft catheter and transferred to the uterine cavity through the cervix.

Eco-efficiency

Probably, all these manipulations performed by physicians with a woman's body make you think about the high effectiveness of this method. However, the IVF procedure does not guarantee. Why is this happening? Unfortunately, there is little one knowledge of anatomy and physiology. At times the female organism is so capricious (especially if it concerns the presence of a foreign body in it) that filigree accuracy is required in the calculation between the stages of the procedure. The national level of success is approximately 30 percent. However, in most respected clinics, with high-quality specialists, the probability of a positive outcome is usually doubled.

With age, there is less chance of success

It should be noted that over the past few years, the rates of successful completion of in vitro fertilization have increased significantly. However, still physicians have to face a number of obstacles, where the age of a woman plays a big role. Based on preliminary estimates, for this and other reasons, experts make a verdict as to whether treatment should be continued or not.

How many procedures will be needed?

The success of IVF depends on many factors, so you will never find statistics on how many procedures a particular person will need. Some people make some unsuccessful attempts, but for some it may work the first time. There is stubborn statistics on the procedures that have already been completed, which practically puts an end to attempts to become pregnant in women over the age of 40. According to data obtained in 2014, the average number of cycles leading to pregnancy varied depending on the age of the mother.

Women under 35 had successful IVF attempts in 42.6 percent of cases. 44-year-old women had a meager chance of success - only 2.7 percent of the total number of people wishing. That's why doctors immediately warn their customers that they do not expect 100% efficiency. If you come to the reception, you will be warned that ECO is a trial and error method. Experts can not know in advance how your body will react to the introduction of a particular drug. Only then, when you start treatment, you can make the first predictions.

Risks

Like any other medical procedure, IVF contains many risks, side effects and complications. First of all, complications are possible with the extraction of ovaries from the ovaries. After implanting embryos, an ectopic pregnancy, an ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and premature birth are possible. Another most common problem in pregnant women are miscarriages. Therefore, it is so important to use fresh embryos, so that the body is sure that they have taken root in the uterus in a natural way. According to statistics, the incidence of miscarriages is much higher if frozen embryos were used for the fertilization procedure.

And, of course, the woman's age is a big danger when miscarriage occurs. If we talk about the side effects caused by taking medications, then there is "out of competition" hormone drug "Clomid", which causes the most adverse reactions.

Preparations based on progesterone also cause stress in the body. Therefore, if you have certain concerns about any part of the treatment, you should tell your doctor about it.