Dr. Richa Seth Singh

One of the major milestones in a woman’s life is the entry into motherhood. For most women, when this does not happen in the natural logical sequence of things, there is anxiety and lot of pressure from family and friends.

However, with advancements now, there are options like intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilisation (IUI and IVF) available, which can help increase the chances of conception and pregnancy. IVF is where the egg is retrieved from the woman’s womb, fertilised externally and then transplanted back into the uterus where it grows to full term. However, there are always unanswered questions like how long to wait before going for IVF, is it the right procedure for me, etc.

Read on to know to find answers to some of these.

1. Maternal age: As a woman reaches 35 and a man reaches 40, the fertility rates drop significantly. The chances that a woman at 35 will conceive is about 20%, which goes down to 5% if the woman is 40. However, this rate can be significantly increased by using IVF. The quality of the egg would gradually deteriorate, and so if a woman is nearing 40, it is better to consider IVF as the ovarian reserve would be optimal with IVF.
2. Failed intrauterine insemination: In couples who have problems with the sperm reaching the uterus, intrauterine insemination (IUI) is first attempted. However, if 3 or more attempts of fail, it is time to consider IVF.
3. Duration of inability to conceive: While some couples conceive quite promptly in a month or two, most take about 6 to 8 months of unprotected sex to conceive. Therefore, IVF can be an option if you are failing to conceive even after a year. Less than a year, don’t fret. Take it easy and it might just do the trick.
4. Medical health: Both the partner’s medical health should be taken into account. Lifestyle changes like smoking, alcohol abuse, drug abuse should be considered, which can account for poor sexual performance and therefore lead to an inability to conceive. Health conditions like diabetes and heart disease can also lead to infertility. Hypothyroidism in women is another thing that must be ruled out, as it often leads to an inability to conceive.
5. Sexual problems with the partner: One of the first things to do before going for IVF is to check that the male does not have any issues. Be it erection issues or ejaculation issues or sperm issues, they need to be ruled out. Sperm quality, quantity, and motility have to be analysed, and if they are optimal, IVF can be considered.

Have you got your first ivf cycle failed? you must be anxious and worrying as what to do next.

Dont panic as ivf is a process of creating an embryo and implanting into the womens uterus and its sucess depends on many factors like 

1) your quality of embryo formed 
2) your endometrial lining and its receptivity 
3) whether day3 or day 5 blastocyst transfer
4) technique of embryo placement 

Many patients get disheartened when their first cycle fails and blame the centres for causing it a failure but its not so. Your chances of pregnancy depends on several factors and most importantly it depends on how the women body responds to it. As many times eggs that are collected seems good but when they are fertilised given grade c embryos i. E. Poor quality embryos which when placed find difficulty in implantation and growth and lead to negative results.

Similary when a best quality embryo is placed in a well lined endometrium but its implantation depends upon various factors such as vascularity and other immunological factors to be able to give a positive result.

So whenever your cycle fails dont just curse yourself! take appoinment with an expert infertility consultant and consult with all your reports to find out the cause of your failure and she would be the best person to guide you for your next cycle which can lead to a successful pregnancy as per your problem!

Infertility can be for both men and women and our body shows us the signs-you have to recognise them and consult an infertility expert to identify and get yourslef treated on time and achieve your dream of parenthood!

Signs Of Inferility In Women-irregular menstrtural cycles,weight gain along with devepment of facial hair ,intermenstural spotting ,pelvic pain after intercourse or during mennstural cycles ,no menstural cycle or decreased flow during menses,repeated miscarriages,persistent white vaginal discharge are all symptoms of diseases which can lead to infertility and decrease your chances of conception.

Signs Of Inferility In Man -having a problem in sperm counts which are less than 15 million sperm /ml ,no sperm in the semen ,swelling in the genital areas,ejaculation problems or small volume of ejaculates or erectile dysfunction could be the symptoms which can lead to infertility in men.