When we talk about infertility attention usually falls on treatment for women. However, infertility can affect men as well. The condition of infertility, can be described as the inability to become pregnant for a period of 1 year despite having unprotected, well-timed sexual intercourse. A low sperm count is one of the primary reasons for infertility in men.

Typically there should be fifteen million sperm per milliliter of semen. Low sperm count refers to the ejaculation of less than a normal amount of sperm in semen. This can also be termed as oligospermia. A complete absence of sperm in semen is known as azoospermia. Low sperm count does not mean that you cannot impregnate your partner but it reduces the chance of a successful conception. Thus, one of the most common ways to treat infertility caused by low sperm count is IVF.

IVF involves harvesting eggs from the woman s uterus and sperm from the male partner and combining them in a laboratory to form a zygote. When IVF is used to treat male infertility, a semen analysis is the first step. This helps determine the patient s sperm count, sperm motility, volume, pH levels, white blood cell levels etc.
The ejaculated semen is then processed so as to separate the sperm cells from the plasma. In this process sperm cells with higher motility are identified and segregated. These cells have a higher chance of fertilizing the egg.
Sperm cells are then injected into the harvested egg. Some techniques may require the injection of 50,000 or more sperm cells while others such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) can be effective with a single sperm cell. Once the egg is fertilized, it is allowed to develop for a few days in the laboratory. 
Two or three embryos are then selected to be reintroduced into the woman s uterus with the help of a catheter. The remaining fertilized embryos are preserved in an embryo bank in case the pregnancy is not successful. If these need to be used later, the woman does not have to go through the initial stages of IVF treatment to stimulate the follicles and harvest eggs from the ovaries.
When it comes to IVF, the success rates are very high. However, one of the most common side effects is the birth of twins or triplets. This is because multiple embryos are inserted into the uterus. The number of babies born then depends on the number of embryos that are implanted successfully.

Declining Sperm Count - How IVF Can Help Deal With It?

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process of fertilization in which eggs (ova) from a woman's ovary are removed. They are combined with sperm outside the body in a laboratory procedure, and then the fertilized egg (zygote) is transferred to the same or another woman s uterus for a successful pregnancy.

IVF is one of the several assisted reproductive techniques (ART) used to help infertile couples to conceive a child.

Causes of Infertility

Blocked fallopian tubes
Hormonal imbalance
Endometriosis
Women with ovulation disorder
Uterine fibroids
In the man, low sperm count or poor quality sperm
Genetic disorder
Procedures
Two procedures are done to gain access to ovaries

It involves inserting the needle through the vagina (transvaginally). With the help of an ultrasound machine, the physician guides the needle to the location of the ovaries
In the other procedure, called laparoscopy, a small thin tube with a viewing lens is inserted through an incision in the navel. This lets physician to see inside the patient, and locate the ovaries.
Method
Without additional techniques, the chances of pregnancy would be extremely small. The additional techniques used in IVF include-

Ovarian hyperstimulation- Stimulation to induce development of multiple follicles of the ovaries.
Final maturation induction- Induction of final oocyte maturation is performed, generally by an injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), when the ovarian follicles have reached a certain degree of development. This is known as the "trigger shot  
Egg and sperm preparation- Semen is prepared for fertilization by removing inactive cells and seminal fluid in a process called sperm washing. An oocyte selection may be performed prior to fertilization to select eggs with optimal chances of successful pregnancy. 
Co-incubation- Eggs are removed from the woman and placed in one of the fallopian tubes, along with the man's sperm. This allows fertilization to take place inside the woman's body. Therefore, this variation is actually an in vivo fertilization, not in vitro.
Embryo culture- The main durations of embryo culture are until cleavage stage (day two to four after co-incubation) or the blastocyst stage (day five or six after co-incubation)
Embryo transfer- The number to be transferred depends on the number available, the age of the woman and other health and diagnostic factors. Embryos are transferred to the patient's uterus through a thin, plastic catheter, which goes through her vagina and cervix.
Aftercare
After the IVF procedure is performed the woman can resume normal activities. A pregnancy test can be done approximately 12-14 days later to determine if the procedure was successful.

Risks

Multiple pregnancies
Ectopic pregnancy
Ovarian rupture, bleeding
Infections
Complications of anesthesia

In Vitro Fertilization - Quick Facts!

When a childless couple is not able to conceive, there are myriad paths that the couple may follow to obtain a solution. If IVF does not help the couple, then they can go in for surrogacy. In this method, another lady conceives, carries and gives birth to the baby created by the sperm and eggs of the intended parents. Let us find out more about surrogacy today.

Who can use it?
Surrogacy can be availed by couples who are not able to conceive due to many conclusive reasons including the absence of a womb or the malfunctioning of the same. Also, recurrent miscarriages can be one of the reasons. Further, a couple who has been through IVF or In Vitro Fertilisation implantation failure a number of times can opt for surrogacy.

How does it Work?
Full surrogacy, as it is known, is a process of implanting an embryo in a host body. This embryo is usually created using the egg and the sperm of the parents, or even a fertilised egg that has been donated by a donor, which is then fertilised using the sperm from the intended father. Also, this embryo may be created by using donor eggs and donor sperms. Partial surrogacy is also a method that may be used. When artificial insemination or intrauterine insemination (IUI) is used to create an embryo with the sperm from the intended father and the egg from the surrogate mother, then the process is known as partial surrogacy.

Chance of having a baby with surrogacy
The chance of having a baby with surrogacy depend on various factors. It depends on the ability of the surrogate to get pregnant, as well as her overall health. Before choosing a surrogate, it is important to put her through all the necessary tests to ascertain a good state of health. Further, the age of the egg donor is also a factor in such cases. The success of related procedures like IVF or IUI will also determine the chances of conception through this method. Furthermore, the quality of the elements used by the couple or the intended parents will also make a difference to the process and its efficacy. Yet, the most important factor includes the age of the woman whose egg is being used.

Difference between IVF and Surrogacy
In IVF, the eggs are gathered from the woman and the sperm is taken from her partner before an embryo is created and affixed in the uterus of the intended mother. In surrogacy, it is actually another woman who carries this lab-created embryo through methods like artificial insemination. The sperm may come from the father and the egg may be donated by someone else, in many cases involving full or partial surrogacy.

What is Surrogacy and how it is different from IVF

Factors that determine the success of your IVF procedure

IVF or In Vitro Fertilization is a process wherein an egg is fertilized by a sperm in a laboratory dish to form the embryo (baby's first cell) which after growth in artificial medium in the lab is transferred into the uterus of women, In general, a blood sample is collected to determine whether you're pregnant or not about 10-14 days after the eggs are retrieved.

Coming to the success of the procedure, a number of factors are at play and these are:

The age at which you get pregnant

A factor that plays a role in influencing your chances of experiencing success in your IVF procedure is the age at which you opt for this procedure. The lower your age, the chances that you may get pregnant and deliver a healthy child using your own eggs witness an increase. On the other hand, if you're aged 41 and above, or your egg reserve is very low donor eggs are the most preferred option as they help to increase your prospects of meeting a success.

Lifestyle habits

Certain lifestyle factors can significantly affect your prospects of getting pregnant through this route. Smoking can reduce your prospect of success using this procedure by about 50%. It can cause you to have lesser number of eggs retrieved during the procedure while increasing instances of miscarriages. Likewise, obesity, alcohol use, consumption of excessive caffeine and drugs can adversely affect your chances of getting pregnant using IVF.

Cause of Infertility

If your supply of eggs is normal, success rate using IVF is high. Women who suffer from the problem of endometriosis experience lesser chances of getting pregnant than women who have unexplained fertility.

Reproductive history

IVF success rate chances are higher if you've delivered a baby previously using IVF.

Embryo status

Embryos that are better developed with good grade stand a higher chance of experiencing success than less developed embryos. More importantly, not every embryo is able to survive the development process.



What are the factors that determine the success of your IVF procedure?

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a medical procedure followed for those women or couples suffering from infertility or for certain specific genetic problem. In the normal course, women or couples experience positive results within a few IVF cycles. However, in spite of reasonable pregnancy rates, some women may require few more cycles to achieve pregnancy. In such cases, in order to ensure a healthy pregnancy, the gynecologist may suggest the women undergo Endometrial Scratching before IVF. 

Endometrium explained in brief: 

The uterus is located in the pelvic region and it is in the size and shape of a pear. The inner cavity of the womb or uterus is protected by the tissue lining called endometrium, also called endometrial. The endometrium plays a significant role in supporting the pregnancy. 

The enhanced success of achieving pregnancy: 

The endometrial scratching procedure is a very simple one, which is resorted, so as to improve the results of IVF procedure. In this procedure, the gynecologist uses a very fine catheter and makes a small scratch on the endometrial lining. In fact, the scratch causes a kind of inflammatory reaction in the uterus. This inflammatory reaction induces the endometrium to be highly receptive to embryos during the successive menstrual cycle. This added receptivity enhances the success of pregnancy during the next menstrual cycle. 

Considering the higher level of success in achieving pregnancy, the endometrial scratching procedure has gained popularity in the IVF procedure. However, some of the other issues related to endometrial scratching may be as follows: 

Endometrial scratching optimises the uterine lining and thereby, makes it easier to continue the embryo implanting procedure. Normally, before the endometrial scratching procedure, the gynecologist may suggest endometrial biopsy. 
The endometrial procedure is usually suggested for those women who had two or more unsuccessful IVF procedures, despite having good quality embryos. However, in some cases, depending on the health of the patient and various other factors, the gynecologist may suggest this endometrial scratching at the very first IVF procedure. This procedure can be availed either for fresh embryos of the couple or frozen embryos or for the donor egg. 
Although this is a part of a surgical procedure; endometrial scratching is very simple and painless and it is done without administering anesthesia. The procedure does not require any hospitalisation. In fact, the patient can go home soon after the procedure. Except for a few pain killers, this procedure does not require any extensive medication. 
This is a safe and easy procedure. Neither does it lead to any side effects, nor is the procedure burdensome for your wallet. Many couples have been benefited by this endometrial scratching procedure.

Endometrial Scratching and IVF - Can it Help You Get Pregnant?

IVF is a useful process for people who want to become parents but have exhausted all other means of being so. However, the in-vitro fertilization method is definitely not suitable for everyone. Here are some facts you need to know about the procedure and they will help you determine whether you are suited for the program or not.

1. IVF Takes Time
Even though most clinics may not tell you this, but the IVF procedure takes a bit of time to deliver the desired results. On an average, the treatment can take anywhere between four weeks to a couple of months to produce results, depending on the patient s ability to respond to the medicines used. The procedure involves artificially stopping the menstrual cycle of the woman. Next, the ovulation process is stimulated so that the healthy egg can be extracted from the womb. The eggs chosen are then fertilized and left to undergo embryo culture for another six days. After this, the eggs are implanted back into the mother s body.

2. The process Can Be Stressful
IVF treatment and pregnancy can be quite a stressful period of time for the parents in question. The mother needs to be constantly monitored to check for any abnormal response to the pregnancy. Regular checkups by the doctor along with blood tests may also be suggested. However, this stress has very little chance of affecting the quality of the pregnancy. So, do not worry that overstressing yourself will lead to complications for the embryo.

3. More Than One Cycle Needed For Pregnancy
IVF treatment occurs in cycles. Each cycle involves transplanting a fertilized egg into the womb. However, pregnancy, right after completion of the first cycle, is quite rare. In fact, almost all patients need to undergo several similar cycles in order to get pregnant. So, do not be disheartened if you do not get pregnant after undergoing the very first cycle of IVF treatment.

4. IVF Is Costly
Not everyone is able to afford the high cost of IVF. Others may be able to afford the cost of undergoing a couple of cycles of the same, after which the high costs can become a burden. Only a select few can bear to carry on with the treatment until the pregnancy arises. So, consider your financial condition prior to signing on for such a treatment option.

At any rate, consult with an expert to get an even better idea about the IVF procedure and the consequent pregnancy. 

All You Need To Know About The IVF Procedure!

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