A lot of couples have had problems with bearing a child. A lot of factors can cause infertility. Couples have heard about artificial insemination wherein placing the sperm inside the uterus where conception takes place.
Still, a lot are hesitant because of multiple failed attempts. Luckily, scientists have developed a new way of bringing a child outside the mother’s body, called In Vitro Fertilization.
In Vitro Fertilization is a procedure for infertility and was then called “test-tube babies.” The first test-tube baby was recorded in 1978 in England and was named Louise Brown. IVF is where both egg and sperm cells are combined outside the body and in a laboratory.
If doctors and scientists see that an embryo or embryos begin to form, they take their course inside the uterus. IVF is both expensive and complex, and only 5% of couples choose this procedure.
It usually takes about three weeks for an IVF to have its complete cycle. To know more about IVF and its implications, read along below.
Why Is It Done?
It serves as a treatment for those who have genetic problems or who are infertile. These are couples who have a hard time with childbirth. You can choose to have IVF treatment if you or your partner have a problem with the following:
- Damage or Blockage of the Fallopian Tube: Problems with the fallopian tube often can make fertilization hard. It can also hamper a fertilized embryo’s travel towards the uterus.
- Impaired sperm function or production: It makes it hard for an impaired sperm to fertilize an egg.
- Unexplained Infertility: No causes of infertility are present, even after an evaluation.
- Genetic Disorders (with regards to childbearing): Passing genetic disorders to an unborn child is at risk if not tested.
- Cancer or other health problems: In the process of chemotherapy, fertility might be affected, thus, making IVF an option.
Wanting a child is every couple’s dream, and a chance like this could mean something more if both you and your partner are having a problem with this. Infertile people tend to go beyond the norm and are willing to try something new.
If, by this time, you are thinking of getting an IVF, the best Perth IVF clinic, Fertility North, offers treatment that will suit you.
What Are the Risks?
There are various risks when it comes to this procedure. And these factors are to watch out for because they may not only affect you or your child, they may also affect your family. People who have done this can attest to these risks, and listed below are some:
- Multiple Births: It can cause higher risks of early labor and low birth weight than an average pregnancy does.
- Premature delivery: IVF can create high risks of having early delivery and could cause underweight to the child.
- Miscarriage: Women can also have miscarriages like those who have normal pregnancies. Risks increase in the maternal age (women aged 39 below).
- Birth Defects: Congenital disabilities rely on the age of the carrying mother. If older, it could cause complications,
- Cancer: Cancer could potentially grow after having IVF but does not increase the risk significantly.
How Do You Prepare?
Giving various tests to both couples before undergoing IVF treatment will happen. Before using you and your partner’s egg and sperm cell, both must undergo a lot of screenings that include:
- Uterine Exam: Examining the lining inside the uterus before undergoing IVF
- Ovarian Reserve Testing: Determining the quality and quantity of your eggs
- Infectious Disease Screening: Screening can take place to determine diseases like HIV, etc.
- Semen Analysis: Determining quantity and quality of sperms
- Mock Embryo Transfer: To know the technique and the depth of your uterus for a successful treatment.
What Can You Expect?
As complicated as it may sound, IVF treatment involves many steps like stimulation, Egg and Sperm Retrieval, Fertilization, etc. These steps can be present after one entire cycle of IVF, which roughly takes about two to three weeks.
For some couples, needing more than one cycle might happen, depending on the advice of your doctor.
What Could Be the Results?
After 12 days from your treatment and after egg retrieval, your doctor will get a sample of your blood and test it to determine if you are pregnant or not. If you are pregnant, that means the treatment was a success.
Your doctor will immediately work with an obstetrician. If you don’t become pregnant, that means the treatment was a failure.
Takeaway
Having a baby is every couple’s wish. To build a family of your own and to live with them throughout your years. However, some couples have trouble having a child. Luckily, science has brought people a new way of bearing a child: In Vitro Fertilization.
Many couples have had positive results with this treatment, and if you think it could be a great help to you and your family, why not take the shot?