What is in vitro fertilization? IVF treatments, short for In Vitro Fertilisation, is an assisted reproductive technology. It is done by extracting eggs from women and retrieving sperm from a man and helping them combine in the way they would naturally with the help of science, namely a laboratory dish.
Once that has happened, they are placed inside the woman, where pregnancy can then go ahead as normal. IVF starts with the use of medications that slows the production of eggs, making them easier to extract, before a man is then required to supply a sperm sample. The embryo, provided they have attached, is then placed inside the woman three to five days after egg extraction.
Couples who undertake IVF treatments are only going to do so as a last resort. If people want to have children, they are warned that it can take time.
A lot has to happen for conception to be successful; not only does the woman have to be going through ovulation, a natural part of their monthly cycle that sees an egg fertilized and ready to attach to sperm, but men also have to have fresh sperm, which also refreshes over the month as well.
So there is an element of luck involved in getting pregnant, but more often than not it just takes a few months to happen. People often go to the doctors or ask for advice rather quicker than they should, because it is recommended that time will tell in the end. Healthy couples will eventually conceive if they keep trying.
If conception is proving difficult, depending on the reason, IVF could be the next step. Some people don’t want to use sperm donors, usually the way forward if the issue is a low count in the man or some other similar issue, while adoption isn’t for everyone either.
People want their babies to be theirs biologically. IVF is the way forward for women who have damaged Fallopian tubes, while some have had them removed. Making the choice is tough, though, because it can be psychologically tough to accept after the heartbreak of realizing you can’t have children naturally.
In vitro fertilization is also known to be very expensive, and regular salary-earning families cannot afford to undergo the procedure regularly. Your insurance should cover it but that isn’t always the case, if it doesn’t, you can always consider a medical loan.
In vitro fertilization works like any other kind of loan; a company or bank will forward you the money in order to help you get the treatment, but this can completely depend on your ability to pay the loan back. Some countries, notably Canada and the United Kingdom, may also offer it as part of their universally free healthcare, but again this depends entirely on the circumstances.
There are some physical issues that come from undergoing IVF, too; these include cramping, passing blood-tinged liquid, constipation, breast tenderness, and bloating. These are common side effects when women go through early pregnancy and their premenstrual cycle because their hormones are affected.
There are also a number of health risks that are involved, but these are becoming much less prominent as they used to be. These include nausea and vomiting, delayed urinary frequency, and ten-pound weight gain in three to five days.
The improvement in technology means that the chances of success is greater than it ever has been before. That means that failing to conceive naturally isn’t the end of the world. People with conditions such as polycystic ovaries can still have happy and safe pregnancies. It is a completely safe and easy procedure and if you can afford it, with IVF financing an issue, it is a good way to make sure you can succeed in having children.