Advantages of in vitro fertilization (IVF)

Not being able to conceive a child naturally is a problem that affects more couples than is commonly believed. Infertility in either partner can become an obstacle to having a biologically conceived baby. IVF is a blessing for millions of couples who have experienced its benefits.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproductive method that serves couples who have trouble conceiving a child without intervention. In this procedure, the woman receives a special medicine to stimulate the ovaries. This leads to the production of more eggs.

These eggs are surgically collected after they mature. The male partner’s sperm are then removed and combined with the eggs in the laboratory. The embryos grow in the laboratory for a period of three to five days. The most viable embryos are then implanted in the woman’s uterus.

A pregnancy test is done after about a week. A pregnancy can occur in the first cycle itself or, depending on the average success rate of 30%, it may take more than one cycle for IVF to result in a pregnancy.

Advantages of IVF:

• Infertility can be due to several reasons. For certain types of infertility, IVF actually increases the chances of pregnancy.

• Women with blocked fallopian tubes have a good chance with IVF treatment.

• Men who have a low sperm count greatly benefit from IVF.

• Weak sperm that cannot fertilize the egg naturally respond well to IVF.

• With embryos already created, the sperm bypasses the need to find its way into the female reproductive tract.

• IVF provides infertile couples the option of choosing donor eggs in cases where the female partner may have problems with her own eggs, including premature ovarian failure.

• Surrogate IVF uses donor eggs and sperm from the woman’s partner to create embryos in the laboratory.

• This type of assisted reproduction offers two options: one, the embryo can be implanted in the donor’s uterus or in the woman’s uterus.

• IVF has the advantage of checking the eggs or embryo for genetic abnormalities.

• Doctors can test the chromosomes in an embryo before continuing with the full IVF procedure.

IVF does not guarantee a pregnancy, but it does increase the chances of having it. For millions of people around the world, it has become a method of choice. The success stories have brought immense joy to the families. A good doctor can overcome many of the challenges in achieving successful treatment.

The chances of success decrease with age. It is better to choose IVF before the age of 35-40. But surprisingly there have even been reports of women on the verge of menopause becoming pregnant after IVF treatment! But that age is not what doctors recommend. The younger the woman, the greater the chances of success.

There are some ethical and moral debates surrounding IVF. These include the fate of additional embryos that are not returned to the woman’s uterus. Many consider frozen embryos to be equivalent to children. These embryos are often used to impregnate the woman if the first IVF attempts fail.