Surprising Facts About In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

January 30, 2023

In vitro fertilization, most commonly referred to as IVF, is a fertility treatment where a doctor will collect a woman’s eggs and fertilize them with sperm from the woman’s partner (or a donor) in the lab. It is perhaps the most well-known fertility treatments out there, and even individuals who have not done much research concerning options for infertility have heard the term IVF before. However,if you are aware of the basics, there are still quite a few surprising facts you might not know about IVF. Want to reveal all the details? Start reading now.

One Cycle Can Range From Three To Six Weeks

The timeline for one cycle of IVF is between three to six weeks, depending on what the doctor recommends for the woman undergoing treatment, as well as the woman’s wishes. As most IVF treatments include medication, the average span is between four to six weeks. However, some women will not undergo the first treatment stage of hormone injections, often due to another medical condition, which means one cycle of IVF can be as little as three weeks. Provided the woman chooses to take the medication, a cycle of IVF starts once the woman begins taking the prescribed medication and ends when the doctor implants the selected number of fertilized embryos into her womb.

How successful is IVF? The answer might be surprising.

IVF Is Not A Guarantee

Many individuals might think IVF is a great way to guarantee a successful pregnancy if they or others have experienced infertility. However, this is not the case, as in vitro fertilization is not a guarantee. The success rate of IVF depends on quite a few different factors, including the age of the woman whose eggs are used, lifestyle, the cause of infertility, other medical conditions involved, reproductive history, and even the number of IVF treatments. This makes an exact percentage hard to pin down, though some indicate it is roughly forty percent for women under thirty-five, though doctors will agree IVF makes pregnancy much likelier for those who have experienced infertility than without it.

Speaking of the number of treatments, continue for information on how this impacts the rate of success for live births.

Chances Of A Live Birth Increase With Multiple Rounds

Sometimes, all a woman needs is one round of IVF to get pregnant and give birth to a child. However, as stated, this is not a sure thing. The good news for those considering IVF, however, is that multiple rounds increase the chances of a live birth compared to one round. Though the success rate will vary between individuals, sources indicate those under forty who undergo two or more rounds of IVF have between a fifty and sixty-five percent chance of a live birth, on average. After forty, the chances do drop significantly, although many at this point choose to use donor eggs from a younger woman to increase the chances of success.

Continue reading for more facts about IVF.

Multiple Births Are More Common

The number of fertilized eggs the doctor implants in the woman does vary and is normally based on a combination of the doctor’s recommendation as well as the wishes of the parents-to-be. With this in mind, most doctors will recommend an average of two to three quality fertilized eggs to increase the chances of conception. Since multiple eggs are often implanted, the chances of multiple births (e.g., twins or triplets) rise when undergoing IVF. This even applies to a single egg transfer in IVF, as there is recent evidence indicating identical twins are more common under this procedure, although the reason why is still under investigation.

Keep reading for more intriguing facts about in vitro fertilization.

Risk Of Miscarriage Is Similar

Unfortunately, the risk of miscarriage after women become pregnant due to IVF does not change too much compared to the average for women who conceive naturally, which, according to multiple sources, is between fifteen and twenty-five percent. With this in mind, women and their partners can do more to support the pregnancy even before implantation in IVF, which can reduce the risk of miscarriage if this is part of the reason they decided to try IVF in the first place. Consulting with the doctor who will perform the IVF treatment is the best course of action here.

Curious about the history of in vitro fertilization? Continue reading for the next surprising fact.

First IVF Baby Was Born In 1978

July 25th, 1978 is a grand day in history for infertility and treating it. This is the birthday of Louise Joy Brown, who holds the honor of being the first baby born from IVF. This successful birth follows almost ten years of struggling with infertility for her mother, Lesley Brown, who reportedly suffered from blocked fallopian tubes. There was, of course, a lot of attention surrounding Louise’s birth, including hundreds of journalists around the family’s home in Bristol, England, multiple news headlines, and even a reported bomb threat according to some. Despite all of this, however, Louise’s parents were simply happy to have their daughter. There was a lot of controversy surrounding Louise’s birth as well, but thankfully this has dropped significantly in the years following to present day.

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