Did you know?
A recent study revealed that approximately 48 million couples and 186 million individuals suffer from infertility globally.
But barely a few percent of them come forward for treatment because of lack of awareness, the societal stigma surrounding infertility, or the absence of treatment facilities in their region.
In this world of infertility, in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment is the ray of hope for childless couples. But, the treatment is seen as “the last stop”. However, for patients who battle infertility or for whom traditional conception and pregnancy aren’t an option, IVF must be the first resort for patients to turn their dreams into reality.
Read to understand the benefits of IVF and how it is a boon for childless couples.
What is IVF?
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) refers to the process of combining the male sperm and female eggs in a special laboratory environment to generate an embryo(s).
Patients have to undergo various IVF steps to complete one cycle of IVF, which include:
- Medications to facilitate the growth of multiple eggs
- Retrieval of egg(s) from the ovaries
- Insemination of eggs using the sperm
- Culture of the resultant embryos
- Transfer of single or multiple embryos in the uterus
- Usage of hormones to nourish the uterine lining to facilitate healthy pregnancy
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or IVF treatment involves four main stages that are:
- The first step of an IVF cycle is performed to stimulate the female partner’s ovaries using injections. The ovaries are responsible for producing follicles that contain the egg.
- Furthermore, the procedure of removing the eggs from the ovaries is performed under anesthesia, with the help of an ultrasound guidance.
- The next step in the IVF cycle involves fertilizing the stored egg and sperm in the laboratory under a controlled environment.
- Then the fertilized eggs, referred to as the embryos, are transferred into the woman’s uterus to induce pregnancy.
What are the causes behind reduced infertility among today’s couples?
Globally, more and more couples in the millennial generation are struggling to conceive. With multiple reports and speculations going around the causes of infertility, late marriages, delayed plans to have children, job stress, and an increase in abortions are the common causes of infertility.
Other than these, some other causes of infertility include:
- Alcohol: Alcohol can reduce infertility in both men and women. In men, heavy drinking may affect their sperm quality, and in women, it may cause damage to their ovaries.
- Smoking: Various studies have shown that women who smoke take longer to conceive. Toxic chemicals in cigarettes can damage the lining of fallopian tubes. Moreover, excess smoking can also affect the quality of sperm.
- Bodyweight: Being obese and underweight may make it difficult to conceive.
- Age: Fertility gradually declines with age. In men, it starts declining from the age of 40 and in females, it sharply declines once she turns 35.
What are the types of infertility issues IVF can treat?
- Fallopian tube damage or blockage: The blockage in fallopian tubes is known to be one of the leading causes of infertility in women. It creates difficulty in the fertilization of an egg by blocking the embryo’s way to the uterus. In such cases of blocked or damaged fallopian tubes when laparoscopy surgery also fails, IVF is the proven treatment that can result in a healthy pregnancy.
- Tubal disease: In cases where patients have infertility issues due to tubal ligation, blocked or cut fallopian tube, specialists often recommend IVF treatment as the most desirable method to conceive.
- Male factor: Another issue catered effectively by IVF is male infertility. Patients with issues like low sperm count, low-quality sperm are highly recommended to undergo IVF treatment.
- Endometriosis: Endometriosis is the disorder that causes growth in some parts of the womb lining outside the womb making the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes dysfunctional. Patients with this disorder often get relief from infertility through IVF.
- Uterine fibroids: Fibroids and ovarian cysts are highly prevalent causes of infertility in women of middle age. They refer to a kind of tumor present in the wall of the uterus that tends to obstruct the implantation process of the fertilized egg. When every other treatment fails, IVF is considered a highly effective method in treating these fibroids and resulting in a successful pregnancy.
- Ovulatory dysfunction: When ovulatory dysfunctions such as polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS), infrequent ovulation, or absent ovulation do not get treated, IVF is often considered the last resort for treatment. IVF has also been proven to do miracles for women with complaints of deficiency in the availability of eggs.
- Unexplained infertility: IVF is a highly fruitful infertility treatment among patients with no specific reason detected for their infertility.
Factors that determine the success of IVF
Studies reveal that the success rate of IVF treatment among women aged 35 and below is 55%. However, that number tends to show a downfall as the woman ages.
Also, there are several other factors that add up to the success rates, which include:
- Usage of donor eggs/embryos
- Ovulatory dysfunction
- Dual infertility factors
- History of previous pregnancies or recurrent miscarriage
- Age factor
- Type of infertility (Fertility problem)
- Duration of fertility issues
Vardaan Medical Center: For Best Infertility Treatment in Punjab
At Vardaan Medical Center, we have fertility specialists equipped with the latest technology who provide dedicated treatment for all types of female and male infertility problems.
We have a team of expert medical consultants and IVF specialists who have been geared up with enough medical knowledge and experience to help you cope up with the issues pertaining to infertility.
Schedule an appointment with the best IVF specialists in Jalandhar, and learn more about this procedure. We look ahead to help you grow your family with expert advice
Frequently Asked Question:
[sc_fs_multi_faq headline-0=”p” question-0=”How long does it take to get pregnant with IVF?” answer-0=”The results of one cycle of IVF take approximately two months. Women aged 35 and younger see successful results and have a baby with their first IVF egg retrieval about half the time.” image-0=”” headline-1=”p” question-1=”Are IVF babies normal?” answer-1=”The answer to this is simple; yes. Millions of babies enter this world through in vitro fertilization (IVF) who are perfectly healthy. There is no short-term or long-term health risk to the child born through the procedure. ” image-1=”” headline-2=”p” question-2=”How can I make my first IVF successful?” answer-2=”There are several ways to enhance the success rate of your first IVF cycle. It includes a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, optimizing sperm health, stress reduction, and ensuring to have adequate levels of vitamin D” image-2=”” count=”3″ html=”true” css_class=””]
