Faq’s

IVF means In Vitro (glass) Fertilization which is basically the process wherein the woman’s eggs are removed by a surgical procedure under sonographic guidance and the man’s sperms are injected inside the eggs in the laboratory which results in the formation of the embryo which is then transferred in the uterus .Thousands of IVF babies have been born since the first in 1978.

The difference between the two is the mode of fertilisation. In IVF the gametes i.e.  the eggs and the sperms are mixed in petridishes and the sperm will fertilise the egg naturally, while in ICSI the best looking sperm is selected and injected in the egg under a specialised microscope by the embryologist. ICSI gives a better percentage of fertilisation than IVF .

Many couples need to opt for IVF due to increasing problems of ovulation as in PCOD, low sperm counts  and sperm motility ,tubal damages due to severe pelvic infections , endometriosis and some cases of unexplained infertility where no obvious cause of infertility can be found. As the women are delaying childbearing due to career  goals we are seeing a lot of women over 35 opting for IVF .There has also been a rise in the number of women with falling ovarian reserves which means there are lesser number of eggs at younger ages.

Having a baby of your own is a natural instinct and every woman desires to become a mother. As the IVF success rates are improving over time due to better  knowledge and technological advances,more and more couples are fulfilling their dreams of having a child. The technique of ICSI revolutionised the management of severe male factor and brought joy  in the lives of men with very few sperms or even no sperms.  IVF with Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis has proved to be a boon for couples with inherited disorders as only the chromosomically normal embryos are selected for transfer. A new field of oocyte freezing can be a boon to women suffering from cancer , as we can preserve their eggs before the toxic effects of anticancer drugs destroy their ovaries. These eggs can later give them their own biological child after they recover from cancer.

As it is an expensive treatment and the success rates are around 55%, dealing with failure can be disheartening. Treatment can be very stressful mentally and emotionally Previously an over response to the fertility injections would cause a condition called OHSS, which was sometimes also life threatening. But with milder protocols and embryo freezing  techniques by vitrification , we are hardly seeing any cases now. Twins and Triplets can be another consequence of IVF , if there are more number of embryos transferred. With Multiple pregnancy, risks ofpremature delivery, more incidence of LSCS remain . As more and more older women are becoming pregnant the additional risks of Diabetes during pregnancy, raised blood pressure problems also are seen. A slight increase in the incidence of abortions and miscarriages are there and increased age of patients is always contributory.