When a couple has experienced repeated failures in conceiving a baby and have exhausted every other conceivable alternatives such as fertility drugs, surgery, and artificial insemination, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is likely to be their next and final option.
IVF – image Wikipedia
IVF is the process of fertilization by manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish. When the IVF procedure is successful, the process is combined with a procedure known as embryo transfer, which involves physically placing the embryo in the uterus.
Success Rates
IVF is a complex and expensive procedure with a relatively low success rates in all age groups especially in the first try or cycle. Many couples underwent repeated cycles of IVF before eventually succeeding to conceive.
Apart from being very expensive, IVF can be a very stressful and somewhat invasive process. And if it turns out that your attempt(s) is unsuccessful, accepting that fact can prove to be very difficult.
Below is the most current data available in the United States which reports the average national IVF success rates per age group:
| <35 | 35-37 | 38-40 | 41-42 | |
| Pregnancy Rate | 47.6 | 38.9 | 30.1 | 20.5 |
| Live Birth Rate | 41.4 | 31.7 | 22.3 | 12.6 |
It’s important to note that the success rate of IVF depends on a number of factors including patient characteristics, individual IVF clinics and treatment approaches. It is also important to understand that pregnancy rates are not the same as live birth rates. The success rates of individual clinics are published on the web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With a hefty price tag of $ 12,000 per cycle, IVF is never the first step in the treatment of infertility. Instead, it’s reserved for cases in which other methods have been proven to be unsuccessful.
IVF Risks?
As with most medical procedures, there are potential risks. Since IVF involves stimulating the ovaries, it carries the risk of hyperstimulation.
The following are some of the most common risks associated with ovary hyper stimulation:
• nausea
• vomiting
• lack of appetite
• a feeling of being bloated
More severe symptoms that occur in 1% of cases, include the following:
• Severe abdominal pain
• Severe nausea or vomiting
• Decreased urinary frequency
• Dark-colored urine
• Shortness of breath
• Ten pound weight gain within three to five days
The IVF process involves a significant physical, financial, and emotional commitment on the part of the couple. In the unfortunate event that IVF is unsuccessful, the psychological stress and emotional problems could very well be the most significant.
Causes of IVF Failures
Several factors may lead to IVF failure. While not all issues related to IVF failure can be corrected, some issues can be addressed in an effort to reduce the likelihood of another failed cycle. It’s important to understand what factors are involved in each individual situation.
Female Age
It’s common knowledge that the likelihood of a successful conception decreases over time. As a woman’s age increases, the number of eggs in the ovaries decrease, and the quality of the remaining eggs lessens. The decline begins in your 30s and increases rapidly after age 37. The chance of a live birth after IVF using fresh, non-donor eggs or embryos is approximately 38 percent for a 35-year-old woman, but only 20 percent for a 40-year-old woman.
Embryo Quality
Low embryo quality is another contributing factor to IVF failure. If the embryo has genetic defects or chromosomal abnormalities, there’s a good chance that the embryo won’t survive the IVF cycle. If the embryo doesn’t have the required amount of cells, they are less likely to be fertilizes and can eventually lead to IVF failure.
Ovarian Response
In general, the more eggs you produce in a given IVF cycle, the greater your chance that the IVF cycle will be successful.
The ovaries of some women, however, do not develop many follicles because they do not respond to the IVF medication used to encourage the ovaries produce multiple eggs. (One egg develops in each follicle.) You are likely to have poor response to IVF medication if you are older than 37, have elevated FSH levels, or have a reduced number of eggs remaining in your ovaries.
IVF is likely to fail if fewer than three mature follicles are produced.
Implantation Issues
A pregnancy loss or miscarriage after IVF may be due to problems related to the uterus, such as polyps or fibroids. Many fertility specialists, however, believe that most implantation failures are due to the arrest of the embryo; in other words, the embryo stops growing. This may be the result of a genetic defect that interferes with the embryo’s development.
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