Why is ivf used

Infertility issues for which IVF may be necessary include: reduced fertility in women over the age of 40 blocked or damaged fallopian tubes reduced ovarian function endometriosis uterine fibroids male infertility, such as low sperm count or abnormalities in sperm shape unexplained infertility Parents may also choose IVF if they run the risk of passing a genetic disorder on to their offspring.

What will you do with any unused embryos? How many embryos do you wish to transfer? The more embryos transferred, the higher the risk of a multiple pregnancy. How do you feel about the possibility of having twins, triplets, or a higher order multiple pregnancy? What about the legal and emotional issues associated with using donated eggs, sperm, and embryos or a surrogate? What are the financial, physical, and emotional stresses associated with IVF? There are five steps involved in IVF: stimulation egg retrieval insemination embryo culture transfer Stimulation A woman normally produces one egg during each menstrual cycle.

Egg Retrieval Egg retrieval is known as follicular aspiration. Insemination The male partner will now need to give a semen sample. Transfer When the embryos are big enough, they can be implanted. Complications include: multiple pregnancies, which increases the risk of low birth weight and premature birth miscarriage pregnancy loss ectopic pregnancy when the eggs implant outside the uterus ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome OHSS , a rare condition involving an excess of fluid in the abdomen and chest bleeding, infection, or damage to the bowels or bladder rare.

What Is the Long-Term Outlook? Parenthood Infertility. Read this next. Baby Born from Year-Old Embryo: What This Means for the Future Experts say babies from embryos frozen for decades will be more common in the future as scientific technologies continue to advance. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.

Medically reviewed by Amanda Kallen, MD. Medically reviewed by Fernando Mariz, MD. Most doctors follow specific guidelines to prevent a higher order multiple pregnancy, such as triplets or more.

In some countries, legislation limits the number of embryos that can be transferred. Make sure you and your doctor agree on the number of embryos that will be transferred before the transfer procedure. What will you do with any extra embryos? Extra embryos can be frozen and stored for future use for several years. Not all embryos will survive the freezing and thawing process, although most will.

Having frozen embryos can make future cycles of IVF less expensive and less invasive. Or, you might be able to donate unused frozen embryos to another couple or a research facility.

You might also choose to discard unused embryos. IVF involves several steps — ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, sperm retrieval, fertilization and embryo transfer. One cycle of IVF can take about two to three weeks. More than one cycle may be needed. The start of an IVF cycle begins by using synthetic hormones to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs — rather than the single egg that typically develops each month. Multiple eggs are needed because some eggs won't fertilize or develop normally after fertilization.

Typically, you'll need one to two weeks of ovarian stimulation before your eggs are ready for retrieval. To determine when the eggs are ready for collection, you may have:. Sometimes IVF cycles need to be canceled before egg retrieval for one of these reasons:. If your cycle is canceled, your doctor might recommend changing medications or their doses to promote a better response during future IVF cycles.

Or you may be advised that you need an egg donor. Egg retrieval can be done in your doctor's office or a clinic 34 to 36 hours after the final injection and before ovulation. If you're using your partner's sperm, a semen sample needs to be provided at your doctor's office or clinic the morning of egg retrieval.

Typically, the semen sample is collected through masturbation. Other methods, such as testicular aspiration — the use of a needle or surgical procedure to extract sperm directly from the testicle — are sometimes required. Donor sperm also can be used.

Sperm are separated from the semen fluid in the lab. Typically, transvaginal ultrasound aspiration is used to retrieve eggs. During this procedure, an ultrasound probe is inserted into your vagina to identify follicles, and a needle is guided through the vagina and into the follicles.

The eggs are removed from the follicles through the needle, which is connected to a suction device. In intracytoplasmic sperm injection ICSI , a single healthy sperm is injected directly into each mature egg. ICSI is often used when semen quality or number is a problem or if fertilization attempts during prior in vitro fertilization cycles failed. Three days after fertilization, a normally developing embryo will contain about six to 10 cells. By the fifth or sixth day, the fertilized egg is known as a blastocyst — a rapidly dividing ball of cells.

The inner group of cells will become the embryo. The outer group will become the cells that nourish and protect it. IVF can also help with spacing children in a way that works best for your family. Increase your chances of having a healthy baby. Genetic screening is a powerful technology that helps to ensure your baby is born healthy. By utilizing genetic screening — called preimplantation genetic testing PGT — you can ensure the fetuses used during IVF are free of known genetic markers.

IVF is a safe procedure and medical complications are rare. But as with all medical procedures, there are some possible health effects for women and men undergoing treatment and for children born as a result of treatment. Read more about the possible health effects of IVF here. Most importantly, you need to consider your own personal circumstances and medical history when you estimate your chance of having a baby with IVF. You can read more about interpreting success rates here.

Research using the Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database calculated the chance of a woman having a baby from her first cycle of IVF according to her age.

The results below apply to women who used their own eggs, and it includes the use of frozen embryos produced by one cycle of IVF: Under 44 per cent chance of a live birth 31 per cent chance of a live birth 11 per cent chance of a live birth 44 and above: one per cent chance of a live birth. These costs vary, depending on the treatment, the fertility clinic and whether a patient has reached the Medicare Safety Net threshold. You can read more about costs here.

Because it requires technically advanced equipment, there are additional costs for ICSI. For couples with male factor infertility, ICSI is needed to fertilise the eggs and give them a chance of having a baby. There are a number of fertility treatments that are available to both and your partner if you are struggling to fall pregnant.

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