Ivf Success: In Vitro Fertilization and The Questions You Should be Asking

Couples who are infertile yet long to start a family are increasingly opting for laboratory and medical procedures to help them conceive. More than 20 years old, the option of in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been a dream come true for the families that have been successful. If you are considering IVF you may have many questions about the process, the reliability and the safety of the procedures. If your insurance does not cover these services, you will be spending tens of thousands of dollars and you should be asking many questions of the doctors in regard to the lab, the medicines and the likely outcomes you can expect.

Much research has been conducted on the outcomes and the difference lab procedures used in IVF. One recent study at Cornell University in New York was reported in June 2009 on redorbit.com where the scientists evaluated the success rate of using frozen embryos that had been fertilized in the lab naturally (IVF) or with assistance (puncturing the egg and injecting a sperm, called ICSI). The results showed little difference in the survival rate (slightly better for those using ICSI) and again little difference in the pregnancy rate (slightly better for IVF).

ICSI was pioneered by the scientists at Cornell and the research cited in redorbit.com article refers to the offspring created through ICSI as a new sub-population. One of the suggestions for future research, she states, is that since these children are just now reaching puberty, it’s important to continue to monitor them to evaluate their fertility status. Are these medical advances in helping couples build families merely producing an infertile sub-population? We still do not know. These are questions that need to be asked and considered when choosing IVF. Ask your doctor these questions and get their opinion.

Another study published on redorbit.com evaluated the increased likelihood that mothers who conceived through IVF were more prone to “baby blues” than mothers who conceived without assistance. However, some of the questions raised that should be considered are increased maternal age of those who use IVF, the different types of delivery (natural v. c-section) and the possibility of multiple births contributing to the mood disorder.

On the upside, a new method of examining embryos for chromosomal abnormality that lead to failed pregnancies has been developed by a team of researchers at the University of Oxford in the UK and seems to show promise for women who have had several failed IVF cycles and suffered several spontaneous miscarriages. Another advance, the successful transplantation of a woman’s ovary and birth of a baby has recently been reported in France. Techniques that were not available just one year ago are now seeing success. Couples have more options today than at any time in history for building a family after a diagnosis of infertility.

However, all of these advances do come with a high cost both financially an emotion. Ask questions and be proactive in determining what you will and will not accept. Speak to several doctors, do your research on their labs and the successes they’ve had. You’ll feel better about your decision and your odds of conception will increase.

For more information on IVF:

IVF Success: How to Increase Your Odds of Getting Pregnant