Inside IVF: Everything you need to know

On July 25, 1978, Louise Brown was the first test-tube baby born through the IVF technique. Since then, the day has been marked as World IVF Day. Dr. Rita Bakshi, senior gynaecologist, IVF expert and founder of RISAA IVF gives a glimpse into what IVF treatment entails.

Monday July 25, 2022 , 4 min Read

In vitro fertilization (IVF), a type of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), entails the fertilization of sperm and eggs outside of the human body. To fertilize the eggs, IVF involves manually mixing sperm and eggs in a lab after removing the eggs from the ovaries. A few days after fertilization, the fertilized egg—now referred to as an embryo—is placed into a uterus.

IVF is a protracted process that takes several months to complete. Many women need more than one round of IVF to get pregnant, even if treatment occasionally works on the first try. There is no guarantee that IVF will increase your chances of becoming pregnant if you have fertility problems because every person's body is different, and IVF doesn't always work.

Although there are numerous therapies available in the medical field for infertility, it is still taboo in India. Infertility can afflict both men and women for a variety of causes. Infertility can be influenced by a variety of factors including age, family history, internal sickness, lifestyle, and many others. Such child-wanting couples could have some hope with IVF.

Why is IVF done?

Issues with infertility for which IVF may be required include:

● Reduction in fertility in women over 40

● Damaged or obstructed fallopian tubes

● Endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and diminished ovarian function

● Male infertility, such as unexplained infertility or low sperm count or sperm quality abnormalities

Risks involved

● Every medical procedure carries some risk. Common risk factors include difficulty in breathing, feeling queasy or sick, peeing less frequently, feeling faint, excruciating stomach pain, gaining about 5 kg in 3 to 5 days, and bloating.

● There are certain other dangers that can exist. Sometimes the egg retrieval procedure has a risk of bleeding, infection, and harm to the intestines or bladder.

● IVF also increases the probability of multiple pregnancies or pregnancies with two or more fetuses. Premature birth and low birth weight are risks that can arise with several pregnancies.

● The miscarriage rate is the same as it is during a healthy pregnancy. However, the hazards rise.

● There is a 2 % to 5 % chance of having an ectopic pregnancy, which is when the fetus develops somewhere other than the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube.

Tests required

IVF tests fall under several categories:

● Ovarian reserve testing

● Semen analysis

● Infectious disease screening

● Practice (mock) embryo transfer

● Uterine receptivity examination

Steps involved

There are mainly five steps to IVF once the patient's health is cleared and the procedure begins:

● Daily injections of fertility medications encourage the woman's eggs to develop and expand.

● A simple surgical technique known as a follicular aspiration is used to remove the eggs.

● Sperm will be taken from your partner or donor.

● The sperm inseminates the eggs in a laboratory setting.

● The embryo will be implanted into the uterus three to five days following fertilization, and any extra, unusable embryos will be preserved for later transfer. Since studies have demonstrated higher success in these patients with frozen thaw embryo transfer, all embryos are frozen in patients who are responding well.

ALSO READ

Across India, women are struggling to deal with the growing infertility problem

Self-care advice for post-IVF procedure

The nine-month wait to take your IVF baby home can be made easier by adhering to a few straightforward do’s and don'ts.

● Timely intake of medication

● Exercise regularly

● Avoid stress

● Eat a balanced diet and abstain from alcohol, caffeine, and drugs

Expected outcome

Preterm birth, low birth weight, and various obstetric issues are substantially more likely to occur following in-vitro fertilization (IVF) than they are with spontaneous pregnancies. Premature delivery, which increases by twofold in IVF singletons and by 40% in twins, shows a greater degree of variation for singletons than for twins. Because unmeasured variables like smoking status and fetal reduction cannot be controlled for, it is challenging to collect precise outcome information. Additionally, it is unclear whether factor—patient infertility or IVF technologies—contributes most to unfavourable results. Numerous comprehensive reviews have revealed an increase in birth abnormalities, and imprinting syndromes have drawn particular attention. Epigenetic changes may influence IVF outcomes more than is commonly practised.