When do you need to begin your IVF treatment?

The first step towards starting a family is to start planning for a child. While most aspiring parents prefer to follow the natural course of action to get pregnant, some face hard luck in being able to conceive naturally. But in this journey towards parenthood, it is extremely necessary to not give up and try everything in your power to start your happy family. That’s where IVF comes in. It is the helpful alternative that gives you the medical support you need to take care of your infertility issues and helps you to start a family of your own. But before that, it is necessary to know in detail all about IVF and under what circumstances a couple must seek the treatment in order to have a baby.

Why IVF?

IVF is an assisted reproductive technology with the highest success rate. To conduct the procedure, a couple’s own eggs or sperm, or the eggs, sperm, or embryos of a known or anonymous donor is retrieved and used. During the process, mature eggs are removed from ovaries and fertilized in a laboratory, with sperm. The fertilized egg (or eggs) is then transported to the uterus. IVF takes roughly three weeks to complete one full cycle.

Benefits of IVF

• It increases the likelihood of having a healthy baby.
• It enhances the likelihood of conception.
• Where other infertility treatments fail, IVF succeeds.
• Anyone can benefit from it.
• You can utilize donated sperm and/or eggs.
• Timing is under your control.
• It reduces the likelihood of a miscarriage.

When should you opt for IVF?

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is responsible for treating infertility or genetic issues. It is opted when a couple below the age of 35 has been trying to conceive for 12 months but have failed to do so.  IVF is occasionally recommended as the first line of treatment for infertility in women over the age of 40. IVF is also an option for people with certain medical conditions such as:

1. Fallopian tube blockage or damage: It is challenging for an egg to become fertilized or for an embryo to move to the uterus when the fallopian tube is damaged or blocked.
2. Ovulation issues: Fewer eggs are accessible for fertilization if ovulation is infrequent or non-existent.
3. Endometriosis: Endometriosis develops when tissue resembling the uterine lining implants and spreads outside of the uterus, frequently impairing the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes’ functionality.
4. Uterine fibroids: In the uterus, fibroids are benign tumors. In women in their 30s and 40s, they are frequent. Fibroids may prevent the fertilized egg from implanting properly.
5. Prior tubal ligation or removal: The fallopian tubes are cut or blocked during a procedure known as tubal ligation to permanently end pregnancy. IVF may be a better option than tubal ligation reversal surgery if you want to become pregnant after having your tubes tied.
6. Impaired sperm function: Sperm may have trouble fertilizing an egg if they have low concentration, poor mobility, or abnormalities in size and form. A consultation to an infertility specialist may be required if abnormalities in the semen are discovered in order to determine whether there are any treatable issues or underlying medical problems.
7. Unexplained infertility: Despite testing for typical causes, unexplained infertility means no cause has been identified.
8. Fertility preservation for cancer or other medical conditions:  IVF for fertility preservation may be an option if you are about to begin cancer treatment with radiation or chemotherapy that could affect your fertility. Women’s ovaries can be harvested for their eggs, which can then be frozen unfertilized for future use. Alternatively, the eggs could be fertilized and preserved as embryos for later use.

Types of treatments under IVF

1. IVF: Natural IVF increases your chances of getting pregnant by artificially obtaining more eggs and producing more embryos. It is marketed as “natural” since it encourages your body to choose your best egg rather than using any simulated medicines. The beneficiaries of natural IVF cannot select from more than one embryo.
   • Who is it for:  Women who do not respond well to fertility medications, those with weak ovarian reserves, and young women who have tubal failures can choose this alternative.
2. Frozen embryo transfer (FET): In a frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle, one or more embryos that were frozen during an earlier treatment cycle are thawed and transferred to the uterus.
   • Who is it for:  FET appears to be a viable choice for women who want to put off getting pregnant until their late 30s or early 40s. However, depending on the woman’s age, the pregnancy rate varies.
3. IVF with Donor Eggs: When using donor eggs for IVF, the recipient’s fallopian tube is inserted with the embryos of a young, viable donor. If they decide to use donor eggs for IVF, women under 35 have a 41–43% probability of becoming pregnant. The child conceived with donor eggs will have no genetic ties to the mother, but only to the father.
   • Who is it for: This is a technique that may be an option for women who have Premature Ovarian Failure or who have a genetic condition that they may pass on to their genetic offspring. In order to have children, it can also help homosexual male couples who are carrying a pregnancy.
4. IVF with Donor Sperm: Sperm donated for In vitro fertilization (IVF) involves injecting the donor sperm into the recipient’s uterus around the time of ovulation. Using IUI or an IVF procedure, the sperm can be utilized to fertilize the woman’s eggs or to inseminate her. Within two weeks of the sperm being implanted, the recipient can check for pregnancy.
   • Who is it for: When there is no chance of collecting the sperm naturally or surgically, couples are provided donated sperm.
5. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): ICSI is a procedure that is mostly used to treat severe male infertility issues. In the procedure, a single sperm is injected directly into the cytoplasm of a mature egg.
   • Who is it for: Men with low sperm counts or deformed sperm shapes should use this approach. 

Your IVF treatment’s overall cost will vary depending on a variety of variables, including your location and the quality of your eggs. But as a rough estimate, the price ranges from INR 1 lakh to INR 3 lakhs.

How to select the best fertility clinic for IVF Treatment?

A couple must invest their time, money, and effort in order to have IVF. They must pick a reputable fertility clinic that not only pays attention to their concerns and offers appropriate therapies, but also provides them with the necessary psychological support to endure the procedure. Progenesis, one of the best IVF clinics in India with top success rates, accomplishes this. The IVF center is renowned for giving patients the greatest consultations and services by thoroughly outlining the treatment process and how it might help them with their concerns. You can follow these steps to select a fertility clinic that’s best for you:

• Research and evaluate the reputation and success rate of the clinic.
• Understand the expertise and experience of the specialists of the clinic.
• Find out about the treatments offered at the particular fertility center of your choice.
• Go through the reviews and testimonials shared by previous patients. 
• Focus on the convenience factors such as location of the clinic, the cost of the treatments available there, the clinic hours, the waiting list and any other special services offered by the center.

For in details visit: How to Select the Best Fertility Center?