In vitro fertilisation, commonly known as IVF, is the process of fertilising single or multiple eggs outside the body. This treatment can be performed by either using your own egg and sperm or using donated egg or sperm or sometimes both. The resulting sperms and eggs are evaluated for quality and then one or more of them are positioned properly in the uterus through the cervix. IVF is regarded as one of the most commonly opted treatment plans, and it accounts for more than 99% of assisted reproductive technology processes.

Who are suitable for IVF?
IVF can be helpful for you in case you have some issues with the egg quality or ovulation, fallopian tubes that are blocked in some way or endometriosis. It can also help you to get pregnant if your partner has problems with mortality and sperm count and when you have opted for donor eggs. About 1.5% of babies in the United States are conceived through the IVF process.

How does IVF work?
There are several steps through which IVF process works and the timeline follows the following steps:

    Stimulation for ovary: You will have to take a special kind of fertility drug for 8 to 14 days near the start of your menstruation cycle. This drug aids in the stimulation of your ovaries for developing multiple mature eggs to fertilise instead of a single one. You may also need to take an artificial hormone-like cetrofelix and leuprolide for keeping your body from releasing eggs very early.
    Development of follicle: When you are under all these medications, you will have to visit your doctor s office often for checking the hormone levels as well as ultrasound measurements for the ovaries.
    Getting the trigger shot: Once the follicles are ready, you are likely to receive a trigger shot, which is an injection causing the eggs for maturing fully and becoming capable of being fertilised. Your eggs are ready for being retrieved after about 36 hours of receiving this shot.
    Gathering the eggs: At this stage, you are likely to receive an aesthetic or ultrasound probe that is inserted through the vagina for checking the ovaries and identifying the follicles. Normally, about 8 to 15 eggs are retrieved through the insertion of a thin needle.
    Fertlisation: This is the most vital step, where an embryologist is going to examine the eggs before they are combined with the sperm and incubated overnight. Fertilisation happens at this particular time, but abnormal eggs are not fertilised.

Then the embryos slowly develop and are planted on the basis of your age and clinical condition. When the treatment is working, an embryo is implanted in the uterine walls and starts developing. 

IVF - How Does it Work?

There is nothing more stressful to a patient and a caring gynaecologist than to face repeated IVF failure or recurrent pregnancy loss following IVF. So to advice couples who have failed one or more attempts, to keep on trying over and over and over; is not an easy job. Here, one can find solution in Ayurvedic treatment. Ayurveda, through its medicines, diet & lifestyle modifications and panchakarma raises a new hope after IVF failure. Ayurvedic treatment enhances success rate of Artificial Reproductive Techniques (IUI, IVF, ICSI-ET) or increases chance of natural conception as per cause of infertility.

What is Infertility?

Infertility is Inability to conceive even after one year of unprotected coitus or inability to carry pregnancy till full term. There are many causes of infertility; such as tubal block, PID, Endometriosis, PCOD in women and low sperm count, low sperm motility in men. When there is severe tubal disease, severe egg factors, failed IUI treatments, severe male factors, unexplained infertility, grade III & IV endometriosis; Test tube baby is suggested.

What is test tube baby? IVF (In-Vitro-Fertilization)?

It is a laboratory procedure in which processed sperm are either placed with oocyte (IVF) or injected into oocyte (ICSI) in a petridish to achieve fertilization. The resultant embryos are transferred into woman's uterus for implantation.

What are causes of IVF failure?

To work out on IVF failures, we should focus on causes of failure.
One of the most common causes of IVF failure is Abnormal Embryo. Abnormal embryo can be formed due to abnormal egg (oocyte) or abnormal sperm or if both are abnormal.
Another common cause is Implantation failure. Endometrium preparation and its receptivity are more important for implantation of an embryo. Endometrium should be 6 mm or more in thickness preferably 8-10 mm. To know details about endometrium preparation, Color Doppler should be done. It has also been observed that when pregnancy is achieved in absence of endometrial and sub-endometrial flow on the day of embryo transfer (ET), more than half of pregnancy will finish as spontaneous miscarriage. 
IVF cycle can be cancelled even before Ovum Pick Up due to Poor Ovarian Response, in which very few or no follicle growth is seen even after fertility injections.
Most neglected but important cause is Pre-treatment STRESS.
HOPE IN AYURVEDA:

According to Ayurveda, four factors are essential for conception; namely seed (oocyte and sperm), soil (reproductive track), season (fertile period) and water (nutrition).
Ayurvedic fertility treatments regularize metabolism of body, purify reproductive organs, maintain hormonal equilibrium, improve endometrium lining & receptivity, increase egg and sperm quality and relieve stress.
Womb preparation treatment of Ayurveda enhances success rate of IUI, IVF, ICSI-ET.

Womb Preparation Treatments:

Ayurvedic medicines
Ayurvedic herbs and medicinal preparations act as natural tonic to male and female reproductive organs. They maintain biological clock of menstruation; hence hormonal imbalance is corrected. They also help in making most potent and healthy sperm & ovum and eventually a healthy pregnancy.

Panchakarma (Detoxification)
Ayurveda can treat infertility by Panchakarma procedures like Basti, Uttarbasti, Vaman, Virechan, Nasya using different Ayurvedic formulations as per cause of infertility & failure of IVF and according to body constitution of patient.

Basti acts on vata predominantly. It increases strength of reproductive organs 
Uttarbasti is an intrauterine instillation of sterile medicated oil or ghee. It acts on endometrial receptors
Vamana and Virechana detox the whole body and improves digestive fire for proper nourishment of reproductive hormones and organs
Yoniprakshalana (Irrigation of vulva and vagina with warm decoction) and Pichudharan (Insertion of a sterile tampoon soaked in medicated ghee or oil in posterior fornix of vagina) are also helpful in infertility
According to Ayurveda; A Cheerful mind forms the basis of pregnancy; so relaxing panchakarma procedures like massage, steam, head massage, Shirodhara are done to reduce stress and its impact on infertility treatments.

Diet:
Like other fertility treatments, Ayurvedic treatment does not depend only on medicines. In fact, it ensures that patient follows a strict diet rules as per Ayurveda and avoids spicy and salty food. The proper food can help to provide proper nutrition to reproductive organs.

Lifestyle modification:
Nowadays infertility has become a part of lifestyle diseases. Ayurvedic Doctor can guide you to modify lifestyle according to your body constitution (Dinacharya) and seasonal variations (Rutucharya). It is always better to avoid cigarette smoking, tobacco and alcohol as they reduce fertility. Exercise is an inevitable part of lifestyle. One should learn exercise, yogasana (e.g. Surya Namaskara, Gomukhasan, Sarvangasan, Pavanmuktasan, Ardhamatsyandrasan, Naukasan, Dhanurasan, Shalabhasan etc.) and Pranayam from an experienced teacher.  

IVF Failure: Hope In Ayurveda!

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) are two commonly used methods of fertility treatment, which increase a couple s chance of becoming pregnant.

The Procedure

IUI- IUI is a procedure during which processed and concentrated motile sperm are inserted directly into a woman s uterus. This procedure is timed according to a woman s ovulation, and may be performed one to two times in the days immediately following the detection of ovulation. After ovulation a woman s egg is picked up by the fallopian tube and waits there for the sperm. Since the IUI procedure deposits higher concentrations of good quality sperm close to where the egg is waiting, the chances that the egg and sperm will find one another are increased.

IVF- IVF is the most successful method of fertility treatment utilized today to help couples to conceive. The basic components of the IVF process include stimulation of the ovaries to produce multiple eggs at a time, removal of the eggs from the ovary (egg retrieval), fertilization of the eggs in the laboratory, and subsequent placement of the resulting embryos into the uterus (embryo transfer). The chance of pregnancy from IVF depends primarily on the age of the woman, the cause of infertility, and factors related to the quality of the IVF laboratory.

Success Rates

IUI Treatment: There is a marked difference between IVF and IUI pregnancy rates. IUI has a success rate between 5% and 20%, but it can even be as low as 1-2 %, depending on the woman s age and fertility levels. The chances of conceiving through IUI is higher if fertility drugs are administered along with the treatment.

IVF Treatment: IVF has a high success rate   between 20% and 35% and it can even go as high as 40%. This may not seem like a lot, but it is very high, considering that an average young and fertile couple has only a 15-20% chance to conceive in a month. It is important to understand what IVF and IUI success rates mean and the factors that affect it before deciding on a fertility treatment. You can also use any reliable online IUI vs IVF comparison tool to determine your approximate success rates with each of these treatments, depending on your age, lifestyle, and medical history.

You should use online sources of information to understand more about fertility problems, how age affects fertility levels, and whether freezing your eggs is a good option for you. However, discuss all these issues with your doctor to ensure that you have the right information and that you have understood it correctly. Fertility specialists provide you with personalized fertility plans based on your health which is why you should always talk to them before you make any decision.

IVF or IUI - Which One Should You Opt for?

As we all know that IVF stands for In vitro fertilisation. It is a method of stimulating the ovaries in a female body, to release an ovum (egg), which is taken out of the body and fertilised artificially in the laboratory with the help of a sperm. After this, the embryo is transferred back to the uterus where it grows and develops naturally.

Understanding the Procedure

The doctor attempts to have complete control over your menstrual and ovulation cycles, so as to know the correct time of the month when you ovulate. This includes, charting basal body temperatures, hormonal therapy drugs etc.
Frequent blood tests, ultrasound will be required to map the progress of ovulation.
Injections, drugs will be prescribed in required dosage to stimulate the ovaries.
During this time, the doctors will monitor the growth of oocytes (eggs).
After a suitable growth of the oocytes follicles, the eggs are retrieved for artificial insemination. (Fertilisation with the use of sperm cells in the laboratory).
After the successful fertilisation, the embryo is transferred back to the uterus.
Can IVF have side effects?

As a side effect it has a major chance of multiple pregnancies. People intending to have just one child, may not be mentally or economically prepared to take the responsibility of more than one child.
The drugs and medicines used throughout the IVF procedure may create hormonal complications in the long run. It bears a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, if the mother has to go through the cycle multiple times.
But it offers a number of benefits too...

IVF increases the chance of pregnancy by a large percentage. It is one of the most successful methods of boosting fertility and pregnancy.
Couples, who have repeatedly failed to bear children naturally, can opt for this treatment to produce their own offspring.
In case the couples are completely infertile, donor eggs or sperms may be used in the process. However, in that case, the offspring will not bear the DNA of both parents.
IVF can greatly reduce the chance of surgery on the fallopian tubes.
IVF also provides an opportunity to choose the healthiest embryos before implanting it back in the uterus. A procedure, known as the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, determines the presence of any abnormal genes or other chromosomal absurdity.
The procedure of IVF has a very high success rate and with technological advancements in the field of medicine, it has also become much safer.
IVF allows women, who go into premature menopause, to be able to bear a child. This treatment is mostly for women who decide to experience motherhood at a slightly older age.
IVF allows same sex partners and single women to bear an offspring.
It is extremely helpful for women who have their fallopian tubes damaged, blocked or surgically removed.

IVF - 9 Benefits You Must Know!

Every one is aware that exercise offers several health benefits, both physically and mentally. A few are aware that exercise is indeed the key to a better, energetic and active sex life. There have been several studies that assert that regular exercise can have a positive impact on your sex life. Read on to get a deeper insight on how exercise can improve the quality of your sex life.

Exercise ensures genital arousal: It is a proven fact that exercise boosts blood flow. And sexual responses, especially in men, have a lot to do with the blood flow. When the sexual desire of a person gets turned on, the erectile tissues become filled with blood, resulting in arousal of the genitals. In order to experience complete genital arousal, for example preventing erectile dysfunction, a good blood circulation becomes necessary which can be achieved by exercise.

It naturally boosts the libido: Various studies have shown the perfect combination of the two sex hormones, estrogen, and testosterone, to be responsible for sexual desire. Yes, it is also the hormones that that regulates the majority of behavioural and physiological activities. As exercise helps in maintaining a perfect balance between the hormones, it naturally boosts the sex drive or the libido.

Exercise also improves performance: Studies have shown that those who exercise on a regular basis enjoy a better sex life than those who don't practice any physical activities at all. There's no denying of this scientifically proven fact that regular exercising improves the stamina or endurance of a person, increasing the heart and lung capacity. Exercise also allows the muscles in the body to function for longer periods of time which ensures longer and more satisfying sexual experience.

Exercise also helps to relax: Anxiety and stress often take a serious toll on a person s sex life, making it difficult to achieve an orgasm or set the mood right, resulting in complications of sexual arousal. Depression, anxiety, and stress also lead to sleep deprivation which also hampers the sex life, making one feel agitated and stressed all the time. However, exercise can be an effective solution to all these as it simply relaxes the mind and ensures a good night s sleep which boosts the sex life.

In case, you are experiencing any difficulty or issues regarding your sex life, make it a point to consult with a sexologist right away. Remember, the very purpose of exercising is not only to boost your sex life but also for improving your physical qualities. Therefore, without consulting a doctor, don t opt for any strenuous physical activity as it can deteriorate your overall health condition, resulting in decreased quality of your sex life.

Reasons Regular Exercise Is Necessary For Better Sex!

It is as important for the man as it is for the woman to undergo certain tests before the IVF cycle is started. Fertility is not only an issue for a woman, but it also might be for the man in question. There are certain tests that need to be conducted on men before they can gear up for IVF:

1. Semen Analysis: One of the most important tests for male infertility is semen analysis. Sometimes, a man may be completely healthy, but his sperm production could be of poor quality. Semen analysis is done to provide an accurate evaluation of sperm number, the ability to move (motility), size and shape (morphology), as well as the consistency and volume of the sample collected.

2. Binding Test: Sometimes agglutination occurs where the sperms might stick to each other by their heads or tails. Sperm antibodies might cause this problem. The IVF treatment's success might be compromised if this happens. A simple binding test is done to determine this.

3. Trial Wash: This is also known as sperm wash. It is mostly done to remove chemicals from the sperm. Not doing a sperm wash might end up affecting the later stages of the IVF treatment. In this process, the misshapen and immotile sperm is separated so a clean sample of motile and healthy sperm can be collected.

4. TUNEL Assay: Since sperms build up about half of a child's genetic makeup, a TUNEL Assay or 'sperm DNA test' is required. This test is done to measure the sperm population that have fragmented DNA. Negative impacts on genetics can hamper the success of the fertility treatment.

TUNEL Assay is usually recommended to men with:
a) Leukocytes detected by the sperm analysis
b) Age approaching 50
c) A history of diabetes II type or prostatitis
d) Exposure to chemicals or prolonged heat at workplaces

5. Screening for Infectious Diseases: This test is done for both the partners to check for diseases like AIDS, Hepatitis C, and so on.

Tests Suggested for Men Before IVF

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