When Do I Need IVF and How Many Cycles?

04:28 20th May 2017 | IVF Treatment Cycle

IVF Treatment Cycles Family Planning Services IVF Specialists Artificial Inseminations Sperm or Egg Donor Mother-to-be Surrogate Chromosomal Disorders PGD/PGS Success Rate IUI IMSI ICSI

Questions that are being asked more frequently by couples who are trying to fall pregnant are, “When do I need IVF?” and “How many cycles of IVF do I need to fall pregnant?”

Some of us might consider IVF as one of those vital family planning services, when in fact it’s not being recommended by IVF specialists as often as we may think. In fact, only a small percentage of patients require it, or can possibly benefit from it.

One of the important things to know about IVF is that most couples require several treatment cycles to be successful. IVF is usually only considered after medications and artificial insemination (AI) fail, if patients are over 40, or if they suffer from conditions that make pregnancy without IVF unlikely.

Benefits of IVF include:

IVF can work when other treatments fail.

Donated eggs and/or sperm can be used.

IVF can be used by the mother-to-be or by a surrogate.

With IVF, couples have more control in terms of timing and planning.

When PGT is incorporated, you can test for genetic and/or chromosomal disorders.

IVF with PGD/PGS has been said to increase the chances of conception.

With PGD the chances of miscarriage can be reduced.

What are the Success Rates?

Success varies and depends on many factors. One IVF cycle results in about 33% live births. Three IVF cycles get a success rate of 90%. There are however many factors involved and each facility or clinic will have different success rates.

Bridge Clinic has a 50% success rate (live births from infertility treatments) in women under the age of 34 and are seeing an increase in successful treatments of women over the age of 35.

What About Other Treatments?

Besides IVF, other treatments to consider are medication, AI (Artificial Insemination), IUI (Intrauterine Insemination), IMSI (Intracytoplasmic Morphological Sperm Injection), and ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection).

What is IUI?

A number of washed sperm is placed directly into the uterus by using a catheter. This relatively "low-tech" assisted reproductive technology (ART) increases the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes which increases the chances of fertilization. A woman does not necessarily have to receive medication to improve or increase egg production, but it is often encouraged to stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs for fertilization and ultimately pregnancy.

What is IMSI?

This real-time laboratory technique is used in IVF treatments to select sperm before microinjection takes place. Basically, an inverted microscope, with significant magnifying power, is used to see the internal morphology of sperm, so that those with abnormalities can be discarded. This technique is believed to increase the chances of successful implantation and decrease the chances of miscarriage.

What is ICSI?

The treatment of male infertility has been revolutionized by this procedure. Essentially, a single sperm is injected directly into the female’s egg. This means that men who have had a vasectomy (and even those who’ve had a failed reversal) or those who are unable to transport sperm in their own bodies (due to congenital absence of the vas deferens or CAVD) now have a high chance of fatherhood, without having to turn to a sperm donor. This procedure has helped to almost eliminate the idea of untreatable male infertility mostly caused by low count, low mobility, and poor quality sperm. It’s also an option if IVF fails.

Get in touch to find out more about IVF and other fertility treatments.

Email enquiries@thebridgeclinic.com or call 01 631 0092 Alternatively, book an appointment to see a fertility specialist.