What Is IVF Treatment?
What is IVF treatment? What will happen to you if you have it? Will it be successful, and is it safe?
These are some of the most common questions that we hear from people who are considering fertility treatment to help them have a baby.
What Is IVF Treatment?
- IVF stands for in vitro fertilization.
- Vitro means glass.
- So it is fertilization that happens in a glass test tube or similar apparatus in a laboratory, instead of in a woman’s womb (that would be called intrauterine insemination or IUI).
It requires a woman to donate an egg and the man to donate sperm. After successful fertilization in the laboratory, the fertilized egg is implanted into the woman’s womb. It does not necessarily have to be the same woman who donated the egg.
Some people use the term IVF when they mean any kind of assisted conception. This is not strictly accurate. If a woman takes drugs to stimulate ovulation and then conceives during sex in the usual way, that is not IVF treatment but another form of assisted conception.
What Happens When You Have IVF Treatment?
The course of IVF treatment can be different according to the patient’s situation. Here we will consider a typical case, but yours may be very different.
First the woman will be prescribed some drugs which will control her monthly cycle. In most cases, she will first take drugs to prevent ovulation, and then when the signs are right, she will have an injection that will stimulate the production of several eggs.
A few days later, she will visit the hospital to have the eggs removed from her womb. Meanwhile the man will give a sperm sample, unless donor sperm is being used. Then medical staff will fertilize the eggs with the sperm in the laboratory.
A couple of days after that, the woman will return to the hospital to have the fertilized eggs inserted into the womb. Usually, more than one egg is inserted. This gives a better chance of success. Sometimes more than one egg will develop, so there could be twins, triplets or even more.
Around two weeks later, the woman will take a regular pregnancy test to find out whether one or more of the eggs has successfully embedded in the lining of the womb. If the test is positive, there is a good chance of the pregnancy proceeding normally to birth. If it is negative, then the IVF treatment has not been successful this time. Most people try again a few months later.
What Is The Success Rate Of IVF Treatment?
When you look at the success rate of IVF treatment, it is important to remember that the success rate is going to depend on the suitability of the patients. So for example if doctors only give IVF to patients who are ideally suited to it, the success rate will be higher than if they give it to everybody who asks, no matter what their age, medical history, etc. For this reason, the success rate for IVF treatment can vary widely between different states and countries.
The only way to know how likely it is that IVF will be successful for you, is to ask a medical professional who knows your case.
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If you would like to know any more about the implications of IVF treatment in your individual case, or if you still have questions like what is IVF treatment, you should discuss this with your doctor or fertility clinic.
What Are The Signs Of Ovulation?
It can be useful to know what the signs of ovulation are when you are trying to get pregnant.
Of course, if you want to be very accurate with your predictions, you will need to begin taking your temperature and keeping records to have an accurate idea of exactly when you ovulate.
However, most couples do not need to go to a lot of trouble in order to conceive a baby.
When couples with no fertility problems are having unprotected sex more than once a week around the middle of the woman’s cycle, around 25% of them will get pregnant.
This means that around 80% of couples who don’t have fertility issues will conceive a baby within one year. Continue reading “What Are The Signs Of Ovulation?” »
Signs Of Infertility In Women And Men
Are there signs of infertility that can help you know if you might be infertile without taking any tests at the doctor’s office?
Keep in mind that the chances of getting pregnant in a particular month for a normal, fertile couple who are having unprotected sex is only 25%. This means that on average, fertile couples will conceive after 4 months.
But that’s statistics – it does not mean that every couple with no fertility problems will conceive after 4 months. Some women get pregnant the first time they have sex. Others, statistically, will not conceive for many months. It does not necessarily mean that they have fertility problems. Continue reading “Signs Of Infertility In Women And Men” »
Having A Successful Pregnancy After Miscarriage
How long should you wait before trying for another pregnancy after miscarriage?
What are the chances of carrying the next baby to full term, and what can you do to make it more likely that you will have a successful pregnancy next time around?
These are questions that doctors hear all of the time. Let’s look at some of the answers.
How Long To Wait Before The Next Successful Pregnancy After Miscarriage?
Most doctors will tell you that it is better to wait through one complete cycle after your loss, before getting pregnant again.
If you get pregnant before that, there is a slightly increased risk of another miscarriage. This means using protection for at least one month. Continue reading “Having A Successful Pregnancy After Miscarriage” »
How To Use An Ovulation Calendar To Help You Get Pregnant
An ovulation calendar can be a big help if you are trying to get pregnant. Using an ovulation calendar, you can figure out when you are most likely to conceive. Then you can try for a baby at that time.
Many websites offer a free online ovulation calendar but you can also create your own. You can either make a chart on squared paper or use an Excel spreadsheet.
Some of the most basic ovulation calendars will just give a prediction of your most fertile days based on the date of your last period. In the average cycle, ovulation happens 14 days after the first day of the last period. If you are just beginning to try to get pregnant you can figure this out for yourself very easily. Of course, you will need to remember to make a note of the date that your period starts every time. Continue reading “How To Use An Ovulation Calendar To Help You Get Pregnant” »
When Does Ovulation Occur?
When does ovulation occur? This is a very important question if you are trying to get pregnant.
Ovulation is the moment when an egg is released from a woman’s ovary to make its way down the fallopian tubes to the uterus or womb, where it may be fertilized by sperm from a man.
Usually, only one egg is released in each monthly cycle. Some women may release more than one egg at the same time. This is known as hyperovulation and it can lead to a pregnancy with fraternal (non-identical) twins. This is more likely to happen if there is a history of fraternal twins in the woman’s family. Continue reading “When Does Ovulation Occur?” »
Early Pregnancy Symptoms: How To Know If You Are Pregnant
What are the early pregnancy symptoms and can they tell you if you are pregnant without a test? Some women say they “know right away” when they are pregnant. How do they do this? In some cases, maybe they are aware of certain hormonal changes that are among the early symptoms of pregnancy.
But more often, it is probably just that they look back with hindsight after they have tested positive and think that they remember certain signs. They forget about many other times when they might have had those same signs and not been pregnant.
So can you rely on early pregnancy symptoms? Continue reading “Early Pregnancy Symptoms: How To Know If You Are Pregnant” »
Reasons For Infertility: What Causes Infertility?
There can be many reasons for infertility. In this article we will look at some of the most common causes of infertility. We will focus on reasons for infertility in women first, but if you suspect that you and your partner have a fertility problem, you should both be tested because infertility is equally likely in men and women. Continue reading “Reasons For Infertility: What Causes Infertility?” »
Acupuncture And Fertility: An Alternative Treatment For Infertility?
Many people are getting interested in the relationship between acupuncture and fertility.
In fact, acupuncture is now the most popular infertility treatment in the alternative health market.
But what is acupuncture, what can you expect from it as a treatment for infertility and does it actually work?
These are questions that deserve some consideration before you go looking for an acupuncturist to treat you. Continue reading “Acupuncture And Fertility: An Alternative Treatment For Infertility?” »
Yoga For Fertility: Benefits And Best Poses
If you are thinking of taking up yoga for fertility, or wondering how best to adapt your yoga practice to increase your chances of conceiving, then there are certain things that you should know.
Most people these days spend years – sometimes even decades – taking steps to avoid pregnancy. It can then be a big surprise when they stop using contraception and do not immediately get pregnant. But in fact, this is not unusual. Continue reading “Yoga For Fertility: Benefits And Best Poses” »