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Infertility can take a toll on the wellbeing of a couple. One of every 10 couples suffer from infertility. In Indian scenario, infertility is still considered as a stereotypical problem rather than a medical concern. In most cases, the woman is considered responsible for infertility. But, the truth always isn’t this. Infertility is not a women’s problem, it can occur to both men and women. Infertility can be due to health problems and complications in any one of the two.
But, with the advancements in medical science and healthcare technology, more and more success stories related to medically-assisted pregnancies are coming up. One such procedure of pregnancy is IVF or In-Vitro Fertilization.
What is IVF?
IVF is a lab-assisted procedure of conceiving a child. According to a report published in The Print, 10-14% of Indian population suffers from infertility and 27.5 million couples are trying to conceive a baby with the help of this advanced procedure.
In IVF, a healthy egg is fertilized with healthy sperm in a lab-assisted environment. After successful fertilisation, the early embryo is implanted in the uterus. What follows thereafter is just like a normal pregnancy. In the past few decades, IVF has emerged as a very reliable treatment for people from all fields. The miraculous results of the treatment have been trusted by many Bollywood stars and couples who faced a tough time conceiving in a natural way. IVF treatment has enabled millions of people embrace the beauty of parenthood, when they thought that nurturing a baby won’t be possible to them.
But, even when medical science has evolved for the better of human kind in amazing ways, there are several myths and misconceptions that pull down the good side of such treatments, and IVF treatment is no exception.
10 Myths and Facts about IVF Treatment
Let’s clear the myths and doubts in this blog and set the facts straight.
- IVF can treat all kinds of infertility issues.
Infertility can be due to several underlying problems in either the man or the woman. There are several kinds of infertility treatment and IVF is just one of them. IVF is not the go-to treatment for all infertility issues. Before beginning the treatment, the fertility specialist will thoroughly diagnose your health condition and then recommend to you the treatment that would suit your condition the best. Infertility treatment is tailored for every couple. For example, if the woman does not ovulate, then she would be medication for proper ovulation. If the couple is unable to conceive due to premature ejaculation, the man has to undergo treatment for that problem first. IVF is not ‘one size fits all’ treatment.
- You cannot carry your daily work for a long time after IVF treatment and you will need complete rest.
There is no such established fact. The woman need not pause her day to day work after if she undergoes IVF treatment. Patients are recommended to take rest for 24 hours or so just to allow a swift movement of the injected sperm. Apart from this, there is no such requirement that demands the woman to halt all her activities and go to bed rest for any more time than this. In fact, several studies show that being in bed and doing no physical activities can lower the chances of a healthy pregnancy.
- IVF treatment success rate is 100%
The major criteria that determines the success of IVF treatment is the age of the woman. The below-mentioned success rates are stated for cases where the woman uses her own eggs:
If she is using her own eggs:
If the woman is below 35 years of age, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 54.4%.
For a woman between 35 to 37 years of age, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 42%.
For a woman between 38 to 40 years of age, the rate of live births per egg retrieval is 26.6%.
For a woman aging between 41 to 42 years, the rate of live births per egg retrieval is 13.3%.
If the woman ages 43 or above, her chances of live births per egg retrieval goes to as low as 3.9%.
There is no such thing as 100% success in IVF. Success depends on several factors from age to number of cycles to lifestyle habits.
- IVF always leads to multiple pregnancies.
Although there are instances where the treatment has resulted in multiple pregnancies, that’s not the case always. The risk of multiple pregnancies can be cut down by reducing the number of embryos transferred.
- IVF babies are not healthy as normal babies.
It is a myth that IVF babies are not as healthy as normal babies or that IVF babies are born with malformations. The chances of a IVF baby born with any abnormalities is very rare. The later part of IVF pregnancy is just like a normal pregnancy. The difference lies in only one place. In the natural conception, the formed embryo travels to the uterus where it is naturally implanted for #pregnancy. On the other hand, in IVF, the lab-created embryo(s) are implanted in the uterus artificially.
- Donating eggs can deplete them.
A woman has around 400,000 throughout her menarche. Out of these many, only 400 eggs are used in the whole lifespan. Each month, almost 20 eggs mobilize, out of which 1-2 eggs are released during ovulation. The rest of the eggs die. There is no way donating eggs could mean there is a possibility of the eggs getting finished.
- IVF treatment can have side-effects on the health of the woman.
IVF is a safe and sound treatment. If weighed globally, IVF possesses only 2% threat or complications to the health of the woman. These complications might rage from ovarian hyperstimulation to falling ill for a long term. IVF is a safe treatment but it is a complex process. The treatment needs to be carried out meticulously under extreme precision. It is extremely important that you check with a reputed fertility specialist only for the treatment.
- IVF is only for young couples.
It is true that age plays a vital factor in deciding the success rate of a IVF treatment. But, the treatment can also be effective for couples where the woman is not very young. For couples belonging to a mature age group, donor eggs are used in the procedure instead of her own eggs.
- External factors have nor role to play in the success of IVF.
External factors have a major role to play in deciding the success of your IVF treatment. You can enhance the chances by maintaining a healthy weight. Optimizing the sperm health also has a lot of benefits to offer. The health of the sperm depends on diet, lifestyle habits, and even the undergarments you wear. If you are a smoker, quit the habit today. Do not let stress affect your calm.
- IVF treatment is very expensive.
The results of IVF cannot be guaranteed in one cycle. There’s uncertainty in every phase.The more the cycles, the higher is the price. Although on a little expensive side, the treatment can be afforded. There are many fertility clinics and hospitals who facilitate installment payments for the treatment. While there are others where IVF treatment is covered under insurance.
The myths, fears and apprehensions will continue to prevail until the facts are clearly stated. IVF treatment no less than a boon for couples desiring to live the joys of parenthood.
IVF treatment requires equal amounts of effort and dedication from both sides – the couple and the specialist team. You might be disheartened many times, there might be negative results repeatedly. Hold on, and keep patience. Medical outcomes can be unpredictable in such treatments, but with your patience and scientific help, you can go a long way.
