To determine whether IVF is right for you, both physical and emotional aspects should be considered.
On the physical side, IVF isn’t necessarily the best treatment for every infertility problem. If, for example, the problem is related to implantation of the embryo in the womb, IVF will generally not be successful. Basically, all IVF does is to allow egg and sperm to meet outside of the woman’s body and to eliminate the need for the egg and sperm to travel through the fallopian tube. Therefore, IVF is the treatment of choice for obstructed fallopian tubes.
IVF can also be helpful if poor sperm quality is the culprit. By eliminating the need for the sperm to travel all the way from the vagina to the fallopian tubes, sperm with a low rate of motility or shorter life duration will stand an increased chance. IVF can also be helpful if egg quality is marginal. The use of fertility drugs will usually result in a larger number of eggs released (typically at least ten) which can then be fertilized in one cycle. Even with lower average egg quality, chances are that one or two of those eggs are still usable.
However, in order to decide whether IVF is something you should go for, there are additional considerations. First of all, IVF is not cheap. NHS rules for covering IVF are fairly restrictive and a majority of couples end up paying for the treatment themselves. Often several cycles are needed and this can put a severe strain on your pocketbook.
The use of hormones (usually gonadotropins to stimulate the ovaries and progesterone to prepare the uterus lining for implantation) is also not something to be taken lightly. Some women experience severe side-effects from these drugs. The injection of the fertility drugs (usually over a period of around ten days) is at least unpleasant. Many couples also suffer from the indignity and stress of turning something that is usually a natural process into a medical procedure. And of course the mix of hope and fear, the waiting and – quite often – the final disappointment are an emotional roller coaster that puts a severe strain on everyone involved.
Your doctor can help you decide whether your infertility problem is one that lends itself to IVF-treatment. However, only you and your partner can decide whether the chance of maybe having your own bundle of joy is worth the cost – financial, physical and emotional – that the IVF-process entails.
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