Having A Baby Through IVF

Considering IVF as a fertility treatment can be a life-changing step! Here are a few of the questions you may have about IVF and what's involved:

What's involved in IVF ? Does  it  hurt?

IVF treatment cycles consist of a number of steps over 4-6 weeks. An IVF cycle starts when a woman begins taking drugs to stimulate her ovaries to produce eggs. It involves collecting eggs, collecting sperm, fertilizing the eggs together in a culture dish or test-tube, and then transferring any resulting embryos into the woman's womb.

Progress is monitored through ultrasound scans and blood tests, and of course, a pregnancy test.

The only procedure that could be considered minor surgery in the IVF process is the retrieval of the eggs from the ovary.  A light anesthetic is administered intravenously prior to retrieving your eggs. The procedure is relatively quick (approx 20-30 minutes). After the procedure, the patient may feel some minor cramping in the ovaries that can also be treated with very safe medications.

Each patient at every egg retrieval procedure is closely monitored by a fully board-certified  anaesthetist. This allows us to safely provide as much anaesthetic as may be necessary to provide complete pain relief for the procedure.

In pain or discomfort terms, an embryo transfer is often compared to a PAP smear. It is a rapid procedure of around 5 minutes.

Are the injections painful?

With the advent of newer fertility medications (Puregon and Gonal F), many injections that were given intramuscularly can now be replaced by medications that are given as a little injection under the skin. This method is similar to insulin injections for diabetic patients. One medication, which has been given as a subcutaneous injection (Lucrin), can be replaced by a medication administered as a nasal spray (Synarel). Both medications are equally effective.

Once the egg retrieval is done, progesterone supplementation is used to prepare the lining of the uterus for the transfer of embryos. For most of our treatment cycles, we recommend using progesterone gel or pessaries. Sometimes Dr Davidson may recommend low dose injections during the second half of your IVF cycle.

Will my baby suffer birth defects?

After 30-plus years following Louise Brown's birth (the first IVF baby), we now have ample data that children conceived through IVF have no increase in rates of birth defects. Further follow-up on older children indicates that IVF children have done as well or better than their peers in academic achievement (probably a social bias),and have no higher rates of behavioural or psychological difficulties.

Will the hormones cause long-term health risks?

At this time, we can say that there is no direct evidence that fertility drugs play a causal role in increasing a woman's risk of invasive ovarian, breast or uterine cancer.

An ongoing National Institutes of Health funded study is underway to address the question of whether fertility medications themselves may play a causal role in ovarian, breast or uterine cancer. While the study is still under way and needs another 5-10 years of follow-up to be conclusive, preliminary results suggest no association between fertility medications and risks for invasive cancers.

IVF Success Rates: What Can I Expect?

In IVF, ageing has a number of effects on the success of treatment. The older a woman is, the more likely it is that she may have issues such as impaired egg quality and quantity, lower numbers of follicles when stimulated with fertility hormones for IVF, lower numbers of eggs retrieved with IVF, lower rates of fertilisation with IVF, and increased rates of miscarriage.

For this reason, the earlier you have IVF treatment in terms of age, the more likely you are to have a healthy baby.

The effect age has on fertility can be seen here on our fertility chart which shows the average fertility rate at different ages.

The best way to find out whether IVF is an option that might be suitable for you is for Dr Davidson to review your history, and get a fertility test and assessment.  Based on the results from this and your medical history, Dr Davidson will help outline and guide you to the treatment and procedures that's best for you and your own personal situation.

You can come and see Dr Davidson for a confidential chat to see if IVF is right for you.

If you have questions about IVF, would like our free IVF information pack, or to find out whether it might be the right option for you, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'd love to help you have your baby!