Is IVF right for me?
Is IVF right for me?
Trying to conceive can be daunting and disheartening when a couple has been trying unsuccessfully to start a family for several months, in some cases years. IVF offers an opportunity for couples struggling to get pregnant to conceive a child. Though, IVF may not be right for everyone and necessitates serious thought and conversation with your physician. IVF is an intense medical process, and, as such, it’s not right for every patient. It also comes with its own costs, risks, and possibility of failure.
IVF is suitable for people suffering from many types of infertility:
TUBAL FACTOR INFERTILITY
Women who have damaged, scarred, blocked or missing fallopian tubes may choose IVF as a good option because the process of implantation bypasses the fallopian tubes completely. It can be more effective than surgical solutions.
LOW OVARIAN RESERVE
If a woman has a low number of eggs in her ovaries, the IVF process can be used to stimulate healthy eggs to develop, allowing the reproductive endocrinologist to collect mature eggs directly from the ovaries.
POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS)
PCOS is a hormonal disorder which can cause prolonged or infrequent periods and sometimes an excessively high male hormone level. Because the ovaries develop numerous follicles, they fail to release eggs regularly. IVF is a very successful fertility treatment for PCOS.
ENDOMETRIOSIS
Endometriosis is a painful condition which causes the lining of the uterus to grow outside of the uterus. With this condition the endometrial tissue (the tissue lining the inside of the uterus) grows outside of the uterus. The endometrial tissue can attach to other organs in the abdominal cavity, such as the ovaries and the Fallopian tubes. The uterus will respond to this tissue the same way it responds to menstrual cycle hormones – it will swell and thicken and ultimately, shed. Women who have inflammation or scarring in the pelvis from endometriosis may benefit from IVF treatment.
MALE FACTOR INFERTILITY
Between 40%-50% of all infertility cases are due to this condition. Male factor infertility includes low to no sperm count, decreased sperm motility, and abnormal sperm morphology. With IVF treatment, an advanced method of fertilization known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) can be performed in the lab. With ICSI, only one healthy sperm is needed for each egg.
RECURRENT MISCARRIAGE
Recurrent miscarriage, also called recurrent pregnancy loss, is defined as two or more consecutive clinical pregnancy losses before 20 weeks gestation.
GENETIC TESTING
Some couples, such as those who are at risk for certain hereditary conditions, may wish to use Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). PGT-M, testing for specific gene mutations, allows doctors to screen IVF embryos for abnormalities and only transfer unaffected embryos.
LGBTQ+; SINGLE ♀; ADVANCED AGE
Single women and LGBTQ+ couples who wish to become pregnant can choose IVF to have a baby. IVF allows them to become pregnant on their own terms and their own timescale. IVF also enables women to safeguard their fertility by means of egg freezing.
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Last update 2/14/24
