12_Aug_1

Who needs IVF treatment?

The number of couples struggling with infertility has grown immensely over some years now. Female infertility or male infertility can be due to a myriad of reasons. To name a few, alterations in lifestyle, environment, and, most importantly, goals for economic and academic success have deferred childbirth.

The good thing is infertility treatments like IVF can help you experience the feeling of becoming a parent. However, not every couple needs IVF, and IVF treatment is not just the only fertility treatment available. There are many.

Many people have in mind that if you are infertile, then IVF is your only go-to option. So, our discussion today is, who truly needs IVF treatment?

Before we get to that, let’s cover some basics.

What is Infertility?

The inability to conceive after 12 months of unprotected intercourse refers to infertility. In simple words, despite a year of trying, a couple who is still unable to conceive can be termed as infertile. 10% to 15% of couples have infertility. As a result, it is among the most prevalent illnesses in people between the ages of 20 and 45.

Moreover, it is typically regarded as infertility in women over the age of 35 if they are unable to conceive after six months. Further, a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant naturally decrease the longer she tries to get pregnant without succeeding.

A Majority couples with normal fertility will become pregnant after a year of trying. If a couple does not conceive in the initial month of their pregnancy, their likelihood of getting pregnant decreases.

Many a time, decreased fertility is often confused with infertility. Some women have patent but damaged fallopian tubes, which affect the journey of sperm, egg, and embryo to reach their destinations. In such situations, pregnancy may get delayed, but it is not impossible to get pregnant.

What is In-Virto Fertilization?

In vitro fertilization, also known as IVF, is one of the most popular assisted reproductive technologies that help you get pregnant. IVF treatment works with a series of procedures that help with fertilization, embryo development, and implantation in your uterus.

In IVF, mature eggs are pulled from ovaries and fertilized in a laboratory with sperm. The fertilized egg is transported to the uterus.  It takes roughly 3 weeks for IVF cycles to complete. When these processes divide into separate steps, the IVF procedure may take longer.

The process is possible with the use of the couple’s sperm and eggs. A donor’s eggs, sperm, or embryos may also be used during the IVF treatment. No doubt, IVF is one of the most successful ART procedures.

To explain to you in brief, the IVF procedure includes the following steps:

  • ovarian stimulation
  • egg retrieval
  • sperm retrieval
  • fertilization
  • embryo development
  • embryo transfer

If you wish to read about this procedure step-by-step in detail, click here.

Who Needs IVF Treatment?

IVF might be the best option for women whose first-line reproductive treatments have failed. IVF was created for women whose fallopian tubes were not functioning due to tubal factor infertility.

Here are some of the medical concerns where IVF is generally the only option:

Problems with Fallopian Tubes:

A woman with blocked fallopian tubes has only IVF as their option to bear a child. Fallopian tubes connect your ovaries to the uterus, so if an ovulated egg does not reach the uterus or the sperm does not get to the egg, you will not get pregnant. However, you can get fallopian tubes repaired surgically to avoid IVF, but that is not advisable.

High Risk of Genetic Disease:

If you or your spouse are at risk of passing a genetic disease to your child, IVF is your single alternative. For couples experiencing recurrent miscarriages due to genetic issues, then there is a need for IVF with PGD/PGS. In IVF with PGD, the embryo gets tested for any anomaly. In IVF with PGS, the embryo gets checked for chromosomal counts.

Extreme Male Infertility

The only way to have biological children in cases of severe male infertility is either through intrauterine insemination (IUI) with donor sperm or IVF with ICSI. Hopefully, one of the sperm cells will penetrate the egg at some point. If there are major problems with sperm motility or morphology, IVF-ICSI may be a requirement.

Tubal Ligation:

The fallopian tubes are cut or blocked during a procedure known as tubal ligation to end the pregnancy forever. IVF may be a better possibility than tubal ligation reversal surgery if you want to become pregnant after having your tubes tied.

Cryopreserved Eggs:

Presently, the only reason behind freezing the eggs is not cancer. Even though not widely accepted, many women prefer to freeze their eggs when young to reduce their chances of age-related infertility. For women who have frozen their eggs and wish to use them to get pregnant in the future, IVF is a must.

Gestational Carrier:

A woman will not be capable of conceiving or carrying a pregnancy if she was born without a uterus or if it was removed for medical reasons. She might be able to use a gestational carrier to conceive a child.

Who Does Not Need IVF Treatment?

While many can fulfill their dreams of starting a family with IVF, some cannot go for it. You cannot go for an IVF if you:

  • Have untreated reproductive system infections
  • Suffer from other health problems
  • Have damaged endometrial linings
  • Untreated acute infectious diseases

IVF is not merely a method of treating infertility and is not for everyone. So, before you come up with a decision, make sure you consult your doctor. If you or your partner are facing trouble getting pregnant, get your basic workup done at Banker IVF, the best IVF centre in Ahmedabad.

At Banker IVF, you will get the best treatment and guidance under the expert team of Dr. Manish Banker, the most renowned and trusted IVF specialist in India.

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