Infertility can give you and your partner sleepless nights when you are eager to start a family. The despair and helplessness has been somewhat alleviated with the prospects IVF technology has brought forth. With the tremendous progress in medical science, it is now possible for childless couples to successfully become parents through this scientific technique.
While the numbers of people resorting to in-vitro fertilization has gone up considerably in the last few years, the numbers are still not impressive. The biggest drawback is that most people are unaware of the procedure, and its benefits and risks. They also believe it is exorbitant in terms of cost.
It is better to visit an infertility specialist to know more about IVF, the costs and risks. Here are some myths about the procedure and the real facts that one should know to take the right decision:
- It is believed that IVF is the answer to all fertility problems and it is always successful. However, the truth is that the success rate is only about 40% for couples below 35 years of age, and this too depends on factors like cause for infertility, age, and hormonal and physiological conditions. Alternatively, there are assisted reproductive techniques like IUI or Intra Uterine Insemination and OI or Ovulation Induction for couples keen to have children but unable to conceive.
- It is also held that IVF is not a safe procedure and the babies thus born will have congenital defects. The truth is that this procedure is completely safe and only 2% patients may suffer due to the hyper-stimulation syndrome. Risks of delivering babies with defects are low, and almost the same as in any regular pregnancy.
- People are hesitant to adopt IVF since they feel it demands hospital admission followed by bed rest when the procedure is being conducted and even afterward. However, this is more of an outpatient treatment procedure; you need to stay in the hospital only for egg collection. You can do all regular activities once the embryo has been transferred.
- It has been argued that to go through IVF, you will have to make changes to your lifestyle and diet. You should ideally work out, quit smoking or drinking and lead a stress-free life to improve your chances. However, this is true even when you are trying to conceive a baby naturally. It was earlier believed that infertility issues are almost always because of deficiencies in the woman’s reproductive system. The truth, however, is that women’s reproductive issues account for only 35% of total infertility cases.
- The success rate of IVF is uncertain, according to critics. But results in an IVF cycle can be influenced by many factors. There are definite steps you can take to boost your chances of conception.
- It is also believed that this procedure is very costly and can be afforded only by the affluent sections of society. This is not entirely true; while the overall expenses may be steep, the rates have not gone up in comparison to other medical procedures.
