What Is IVF Treatment? Is It Safe to Do IVF?

Infertility is a common condition in recent times suffered by many couples. This can happen due to various reasons. Some of the common factors leading to infertility are stress, genetics, medications, unhealthy lifestyle, etc.

Sometimes the condition can be cured with medications and lifestyle changes, and sometimes the couple must start exploring other options to conceive. With the rising technology and advancement in science, there are a lot of ways one can conceive and deliver a healthy baby.

This has come as a boon to many couples who find it difficult to conceive naturally. One such popular infertility treatment is IVF.

What is IVF Treatment?

IVF, also known as the In- vitro fertilization is a technique in which a human egg is fertilized with sperm in a laboratory and then is implanted in the woman’s uterus. IVF has become popular among people these days and many clinics offer IVF procedures. The procedure of IVF might vary from clinic to clinic but usually will involve the following steps.

Suppression of menstrual cycle in woman

The natural menstrual cycle of a woman is suppressed by drugs which are taken as injections for about two weeks

Stimulating ovulation

Drugs containing fertility hormone follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are given to the woman. This makes the ovaries produce more eggs than usual. This process can be monitored by vaginal ultrasound scans.

Retrieving the eggs

With the help of a minor surgical procedure called the follicular aspiration the eggs are collected from the woman. The process is repeated for both the ovary.

Insemination and fertilization

The eggs that are collected are placed together with sperm. This is done in  an environmentally controlled chamber for a few hours. In these two hours the sperm should enter the egg. Sometimes the doctor opts in for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), in this procedure the sperm is directly injected into the egg.

For a couple to be pregnant, the fertilized egg divides and becomes an embryo and one or two of the best embryos are selected for transfer. The woman is then given to help the lining of the womb receive the embryo.

Embryo transfer

Progesterone or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is given to the woman to help the lining of the womb receive the embryo. To increase the chances of pregnancy more than one embryo is placed in the womb of the woman. Usually the doctor and the couple have a conversation about how many embryos have to be transferred and this varies from patient to patient.

In case no ideal embryo is available, the doctor transfers multiple embryos to increase the success rate. The procedure is considered successful if the embryo sticks to the uterus lining

Is it Safe to Do IVF?

IVF is one of the most invasive and expensive procedures and is generally very safe. People who undergo IVF experience almost no side effects. But this does not mean that IVF does not have any risks involved.

Some of the risks involved in the procedure are ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (a severe reaction to fertility drugs), multiple pregnancy or birth, ectopic pregnancy, etc.

If you are considering undergoing an IVF procedure or any infertility treatment, it is very important to sit with the doctor and know the vital details about the procedure. This also includes talking about the risks of IVF. This will help you identify the symptoms as early as possible in case of any mishappenings during the procedure.