Are you struggling with the infertility problem for a long time? Did the fertility medications fail in your case? Did IUI - isn't working for you? Wait...no problem at all, there isn't anything to panic and feel distressed about! With the coming of multiple advancements such as IVF- In Vitro fertilization, you can try getting pregnant.
As per the stats, - 'The global success rate of IVF - In Vitro fertilization is 40% for the women under the age of 35 and the women who are above 45 has the success rate of 11.5%.'
Multiple factors apart from age, matter while deciding the success and failure rate of an IVF treatment like diet, weight, etc.
With the help of this article, you will get to know about the myth people have in their minds and what are the actual realities in contrast to that.
What is an IVF - in vitro fertilization?
IVF is a procedure where the eggs are fertilized with the help of the sperm outside of the body instead of inside via the help of a laboratory.
Afterward, these fertilized eggs are put inside the uterus of a woman with the motive of getting implanted making the woman pregnant, and conceiving the baby naturally like other women after 8-10 months.
Statistics
- According to the researchers, 1978 was the first year to witness the birth of a baby having the IVF - In Vitro fertilization medium.
- In the United States, the IVF cycles performed every year are more than 270,000.
- The United States alone witnesses the birth of 74,000 babies annually using the IVF- In Vitro fertilization advancement.
- According to the statistics, more than 8 million children have taken birth from 1979 to date globally using the IVF - In Vitro fertilization medium and other technological advances.
What is the reason behind IVF failure?
The main reason behind the failure of IVF is the embryo implantation failure at the time of transferring an embryo. Various reasons are involved in the failure of an IVF. All of them are listed below -
- Bad Embryo Quality fails an IVF. Defectiveness in the embryo can lead to their incapability to implant after getting substituted to the uterus.
- The exact Age of Eggs matters! It is because the quality of eggs gets worse with the increasing age with or without IVF.
- Poor Lifestyle like smoking, drinking too much and unhealthy diet.
- Chromosomal Abnormalities.
Misconceptions regarding IVF
Various misconceptions have been generated by people lacking the proper knowledge on this subject. Understand the misconceptions and the contrary reality below -
MYTH - 1: IVF isn't the right option to lead to a safe pregnancy!
Reality - IVF is one of the safest alternatives to go-head with if the woman has been struggling for long enough to get pregnant.
According to one of the doctors named Kanika Kalyani working at a
Indira IVF & Test tube baby clinic, Mumbai, says that - 'Out of lakhs of successful treatments, the percentage of exceptional women who became unwell or got mild side effects are 2% only.
MYTH - 2: IVF leads to twins or triplets and more!
Reality - Among all other options available to get pregnant, IVF is the only solution that holds the highest capacity in controlling the number of embryo implantation.
Alternatives like medications along with intercourse on the other hand often have no control over the number of embryos. In this case, even, the scope of giving birth to multiple children is comparatively higher than that of IVF.
MYTH - 3: Ovarian Stimulation can lead to cancer!
Reality - Multiple types of research and studies in science have been done to prove this misconception as wrong. Cancer is a big word - It's misquoted here!
Instead of falsely labeling it as cancer, the truth is that the stimulation of the ovary might lead to minor tumors in the ovary which is perfectly diagnose and curable! These malignancies cause very little pain and relatively have the least effect on the pregnancy or no effect at all.
MYTH - 4: IVF treatment works only for young females!
Reality - It surely is a myth! Undeniably, age group is a major factor comprising the success rate of the IVF treatment. But, what happens is different from what people perceive it to be.
In women above 35 years of age, the donor eggs employed come from young women. The only fact is that whether IVF is taking place or not, the fertility rate decreases with the increase in age.
This way the IVF treatment is best in both the young women and the elder women who are in their post-menopausal group.
MYTH - 5: All IVF deliveries are done through C-section!
Reality - No, it's not the case at all! Even after having the IVF pregnancy, the deliveries can happen naturally via the vagina. It isn't necessarily demonstrating the birth through cesarean. It varies from case to case but most of them can take place naturally and healthily without the need for a C-section delivery.
MYTH - 6: IVF lower down the stock of menstrual ovaries
Reality - A woman's body hires new eggs each month. Out of this, only one egg stimulates and matures, and the rest of them die. Now, with the help of IVF, every egg recruited monthly by the body is enabled and gets the opportunity to mature. The stocked up eggs stored for the menstrual cycle remain safe as it is, nothing wrong happens to them.
MYTH - 7: IVF pregnancies result in abnormalities in the born baby.
Reality - We don't have any particular research done or studies made to favor this myth. The babies don't have the risk of birth defects or delays in development. They hold the capability to be born as healthy as any other child.
The risk of getting childbirth defects is only higher in the case of the couples where some eggs are not getting fertilized due to the issues from the male end and they are taking the help of ICSI for the eggs to get fertilized.
The Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is the best medium to avoid the risk of birth defects caused because of genetics. It does not fully eliminate the risk associated with genetics but surely minimizes having it.
How to increase the likelihood of a successful IVF?
Multiple considerations in your daily life can help you in increasing the likelihoods of a successful IVF -
- Intake of supplements beneficial for your diet
- Manage your anxiety and stress
- Sleep timely
- Keep calm by practicing yoga and meditation
- Increase the intake of vitamin D
- Neglect the intake of alcohol, Smoke, and Drugs
- Make sure to have a healthy and a balanced body weight
- Have patience and perseverance
- Enhance measures to take care of sperm
Final Words
Infertility treatment, today has become easier than ever before! With technological advancement and skilled doctors, we can easily get the natural embryos to make a woman pregnant, stop the occurrence of ovarian hyperstimulation, and minimize its multiplying rates. Gather the entire knowledge of the subject before coming down to the final decision. Once you know the success or failure rates of IVF, facts about IVF, and your existing alternatives availability, then you are at the right stage to make the right choice!
Reference
https://www.shadygrovefertility.com/blog/treatments-and-success/popular-misconceptions-about-ivf