When The Desire Is Great-There Is An Answer
The desire and drive to have a baby is a huge one. Many women have no difficulty at all in producing children, while others suffer untold mental and emotional stress worrying and wondering why they cannot conceive. One method of infertility treatment that has proven effective over time is in vitro fertilization (IVF).
IVF involves stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple follicles, which contain eggs. The eggs are then taken out of the woman, and some are fertilized in a laboratory with her partner’s sperm. The fertilized eggs (embryos) are then placed back into the woman’s uterus. The best-case scenario means the birth of a baby. Sometimes, through IVF, a multiple birth takes place because more than one fertilized egg is placed into the womb, in the event that one does not develop.
An Effective Treatment For Infertility
IVF is an effective method of infertility treatment for all causes of infertility except situations of severe intrauterine adhesions and infertility caused by an anatomic problem. Generally, IVF is recommended for couples who have tried unsuccessfully for a year to conceive and have one of the following situations:
-Blocked fallopian tubes or pelvic adhesions with distorted pelvic anatomy. Women who have had a tubal ligation and are thinking about a reversal and men who are contemplating a vasectomy reversal might consider IVF.
-Male factor infertility, which includes low sperm count or low motility of sperm, may be candidates for ICSI, a type of IVF that is able to fertilize eggs in spite of the problems.
-Couples who have failed between two and four cycles of ovarian stimulation with IUI (intrauterine insemination).
-IVF is an option for women who are advanced in age and want to have a baby.
-Reduced egg quality or reduced ovarian reserve, which means lower quantity of eggs and low day 3 FSH levels are also good reasons to consider IVF.
-Endometriosis, PCOS, and unexplained infertility can be helped with IVF.
In A Nutshell…
In vitro fertilization increases the chances of conception because it helps to increase the efficiency of the human reproduction cycle. As a woman ages, the chances of her being able to conceive diminish. IVF takes multiple eggs from the ovaries and after three to five days of careful culture, those eggs are fertilized. The “prettiest” or best of these eggs are introduced into the uterus. The rest can be frozen for use later. The net effect is the compression of many months of “natural” attempts at conception into one menstrual cycle. The fertilized eggs are inserted directly into the uterus, so fertility is improved for couples who face sperm issues or problems with the ovaries or fallopian tubes.
A Word Of Wisdom
One word of advice. Before you choose an IVF clinic for your treatment, be sure to check their success rates. These rates are posted by the US government and are easily obtained. A clinic with a good success rate is a better choice than an obscure one with no record of accomplishment.
