Know More About IVF Treatment, Its Risks and Complications

Pregnancy is a beautiful phase but what if a woman does not get pregnant? It is the nastiest thing that can happen in a woman's life. Thus, to cure fertility problems in women, In vitro fertilization (IVF) has appeared as one of the finest treatments.

So, if you are about to start a course of IVF, this article explores some of the essential things you need to know about the treatments.

What is IVF?

When a woman conceives naturally, sperm from the man and eggs from the woman are met in the woman's fallopian tubes. These tubes join the ovaries of the uterus (Womb). One sperm infiltrates the egg and fertilizes it.

In IVF, the entire process happens outside the woman's body. As part of the procedure, the woman's egg is surgically removed and fertilized in the laboratory using sample sperm that has been provided for the procedure.

The fertilized egg, commonly known as embryo is then inserted into the woman's womb using surgical process. Typically, one cycle of IVF takes between four and seven weeks and includes six steps to complete the process:

• Firstly your natural monthly cycle will be suppressed by giving daily injections or nasal sprays for about two weeks. Once your natural cycle is suppressed, you take a fertility hormone called FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) or gonadotrophins which will increase the number of eggs your ovaries produce, which means- the more the eggs will be collected, greater the choice of embryos used in your treatment.
• The doctors will watch your drug treatment through vaginal ultrasound scans to examine your ovaries. In some cases, blood tests are also being conducted on the patient to check on the process.
• It may take 34-38 hours for your eggs to be collected, and then you will have final hormone injection that helps your eggs to mature. The mature eggs are then collected and fertilized.
• The fertilized eggs (embryos) continue to grow in the laboratory for 1-5 days before being transferred into the womb. The one or two final embryos will be chosen for transfer.
• Patients need to discuss the number of embryos to be transferred before the treatment. As a rule, women's under the age of 37 in their first IVF cycle should have only single embryo transfer followed by single embryo transfer in the second cycle. Doctors should only consider using two embryos if quality embryos are available. In the third IVF cycle, no more than two embryos should be transferred.

IVF treatment- The Risks and Results

According to the latest study, only 20-25% of IVF treatments have so far addressed into pregnancy. Also it is said; the success rate younger women in more as compared to women's over 40 years of age.

With IVF, there is an increased chance of multiple pregnancies that may affect the health of both mother and child.

Source by Darren Tay