If you’re looking for a way to have children but are unable to do so in the traditional way, IVF is one of the better options available in many parts of the world. First carried out in 1978 in the UK, IVF is an alternative method carried out for those who cannot have children due to unforeseen complications or other forms of infertility.
These can include lowered sperm counts, blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, problems with ovulation among others. For the most part, in-vitro fertilisation offers a means to move past these problems.
A medical process
The convenient method involves the fertilising of eggs outside the womb; both eggs and sperm are removed from their respective parts and artificially joined to form an embryo; this embryo is then placed inside a woman’s uterus where it grows as it normally would into a human baby. It is then up to the mother to carefully nurture it to full size, ready for birth after nine months.
IVF typically comprises six main steps:
- Suppressing a woman’s menstruation cycle with medication
- Boosting a woman’s egg supplies to use for fertilisation: This involves a form of stimulation using specific hormones, offering a better chance of pregnancy using IVF.
- Carefully monitoring and growing the eggs while they are still in the ovaries using an ultrasound scan.
- Collecting the eggs with a needle inserted into the ovaries: Any pain is suppressed by an injection to make you sleep.
- Fertilising the eggs when outside the womb using the chosen sperm
- Transferring the fertilised eggs back into the womb for embryo growth (Usually one or two). The drug progesterone is used to attach the embryo to the umbilical cord.
After completion of the process, a pregnancy test is carried out two weeks later to check if the operation was successful.
As far as recommendations go, women under 43 are usually the best suited to IVF treatment; most often request the treatment after two years of attempting pregnancy with unprotected sex. The use of IVF has broadened depending on age. Women under 37 years old can receive three separate cycles of IVF, given one embryo while for women aged 41-42, two embryos may be given over one single cycle. Discussing this is important.
Consideration should be a high priority
In-vitro fertilisation, an alternative means of pregnancy through the sophistication of science is available at most major health clinics, who have plenty of information for any aspiring parents to look over and consider. However, despite the ability of modern hospitals to deliver the operation, the safety and effectiveness of IVF treatment can vary depending on where you choose to do the operation; you should always check how your personal information will be used as well as the overall success rates of overseas in-vitro fertilisation procedures. If you’re able to look past its drawbacks and background research, IVF can offer conducive means for parents to push past their difficulties and become parents.
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Sources
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/IVF/Pages/Availability.aspx
http://www.hfea.gov.uk/fertility-clinics-treatment-abroad.html
http://www.hfea.gov.uk/fertility-clinics-treatment-abroad.html#standards
http://americanpregnancy.org/infertility/in-vitro-fertilization/
http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide/in-vitro-fertilization#1
