Trying and failing to have a child naturally is a tragic event for any couple. Fortunately, there’s a way to use medical science to your advantage when starting a family.
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) describes any processes involving the handling of a woman’s eggs or embryos. Data of 2015 shows that ART assisted with more than 73,000 successful pregnancies in the United States.
In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the most common form of ART. With IVF, a clinic harvests a woman’s eggs, creating embryos outside the body for transplantation into the womb. The process is different for every candidate that commits to the therapy. There is no guarantee on the outcome of IVF therapy.
Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the IVF treatment.
IVF Is More Common Than You Think
According to research, around one in every eight couples experience some difficulty with falling pregnant. Women that are trying to fall pregnant over the age of 36 are at higher risk of not being able to conceive naturally. They also have a higher chance of miscarriage.
IVF offers the best solution for women over the age of 35 that are having trouble falling pregnant. Speak to your doctor for more information and have them recommend a specialist clinic.
Treatments Can Take Time to Yield Results
An IVF cycle can be far longer than a woman’s typical 28-day menstrual cycle. The entire treatment period can take several months, and results don’t come quickly. There are several steps to IVF, including the following.
- The initial checkup and consultation
- Boosting your hormone production
- Harvesting eggs
- Fertilization
- Selection
- Transplantation
- Testing
These steps can add up to months, and that’s challenging for eager parents to handle. There’s also a chance that the procedure doesn’t work. As a result, you might need multiple therapies, or it might never work for you.
Women May Need IVF for Their Second Child
Most people assume that because they had one child already, they won’t have any issues falling pregnant again. However, that’s not always the case. Many women experience “secondary infertility,” where they are unable to fall pregnant a second time.
The causes of the condition could be genetic, due to age, or changes in your health status since your previous pregnancy. IVF can assist with helping you have a second child, speak to your doctor for advice.
You’ll Feel Like a Teenager Again
During the hormone therapy involved with the first stage of the IVF process, you’ll find yourself feeling like a million bucks. Every morning when you wake up, you’ll feel vital and full of energy, ready to take on the world.
This hormone therapy effect shows us just how much hormones play a role in our quality of life and how production declines with age.
However, the hormone rollercoaster will also have its moments that leave you feeling bloated, anxious, and irritable. On other occasions, you may feel turned on. The hormone therapy with IVF is a wild ride, so hold on!
Consider IVF Before You Have Kids
The quality of your eggs steadily declines with time, and by the time you get to 36, there’s a chance that you will have issues with falling pregnant naturally. As egg quality declines, it makes it challenging to conceive, and then carry that child to the full term of the pregnancy.
Your doctor can assist you with genetic testing to determine if you can fall pregnant after the age of 35. However, you always have the option of freezing your eggs before you turn 30. IVF success rates under 35 are good, due to high egg quality.
