What is Ivf
What is IVF? IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilization and is a method of
artificial insemination that dramatically increases the chances of couples’ conceiving a
baby.
It is one of the
assisted reproductive technologies method used as fertility treatment across the world where other methods have had
drastic results.
In simpler terms, a man’s sperm is inserted in the woman’s egg in controlled
laboratory environment to proceed with fertilization. These embryos are then carefully put back into the mother’s
uterus after 4 to 5 days of fertilization in incubator in hopes that the embryo would grow in a full baby. The
embryo transfer process needs to be carefully done in order for successful fertilization in the mother’s
womb.
There are many reasons why IVF is
conducted:
1. Poor sperm quality – Males having poor
sperm quality are unable to achieve fertilization and increase the chances of conception with their female
partners. This is one of the male factor infertility due to which people move towards IVF.
2. Hindrance between the egg & the sperm – Many a times it happens that even
though sperm quality and quantity is sufficient enough, the hindrance in between the lining of uterus and male’s
sperms often reduce the chances of fertilization. This calls for the assisted reproductive technology method known
as IVF. In order to find out any possible hindrance, medical procedures like Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis are
conducted and female’s body is completely examined for any signs or evidence of possible damage. This is done so
that the embryologist can better understand the body and proceed with the medical process of
fertilization.
3. Fallopian tube problems – This is a female factor infertility problem in
which fallopian tubes either get blocked, or damaged making it complicated and stressful for the embryo to travel
to the uterus.
What to look for before proceeding with the IVF program?
There many factors that needs to be analyzed first, before moving on with the
procedure. Have a look at the SART statistics published each year and find out the number and likelihood of
multi-fetal conception. While it may seem really cute to have twins or triplets, it is better to proceed with
single, healthy pregnancy. Health risks exposed to mother increase when there is a chance of giving birth to more
than one baby.
Choose clinic wisely and carefully after thorough research amongst various clinics.
Do not hesitate to ask your peers or colleagues that you know who have been through IVF procedure and had
successful pregnancy. They are surely going to give you unbiased and genuine opinions based on their personal,
solid and unquestionable experiences. You should also take into account the cost of
IVF procedure. The success rates do not come cheap if proceeding with IVF. You need to have a good look at your
budget and get ready for a minimum of $8000 to $10000 in your pocket. IVF is perhaps the safest, yet most expensive
method used in fertility treatments.
When finally you have the budget and made up your mind, call up the clinic and ask
for any questions you might be having in your mind including clinic’s reputation, past records and appointment
team. Notice the way nurses or phone operators respond to your call. Are they friendly? Do they spend proper time
on phone assisting their customers? IF yes, then this is a green signal to proceed to the clinic.
When reached, have a look around the atmosphere and notice the courteousness of the staff. Is the staff
friendly? Is there an adequate level of hygiene maintained in the clinic? If you receive positive answers,
then you might find this a good place for fertilization. However keep in mind, to visit many different IVF clinics
and choose the best one. Remember, cost is very important. This process cannot be done se3veral times as it is very
expensive. Do not compromise on cost and go for quality if you really are willing to get blessed with
baby.
There is also an increased chance of birth defect if you made a wrong choice in
selecting the IVF clinic. The sperm collected from males is first washed in the laboratory where live healthy
sperms get separated from abnormal or dead sperms. A slight mistake of inserting abnormal sperm inside the egg
could lead to birth defect.
Advanced maternal age reduces the chances of getting pregnant even via IVF. So make
sure you make a quick decision and provide fertility drugs like Clomid to your partner to induce ovaries for
fertilization few days before IVF procedure.
The first successful IVF baby was born at 11:47 PM on 25th July, 1978 at Oldham
General Hospital, Oldham, England. Her name is Louise Brown and as of today she is a perfectly healthy, average
looking and average working lady at the age of 33. At birth, she weighed 2.68 KG which is considered to be in
normal birth weight range.
We hope this answers the question "what is IVF" for
you.
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