IVF Procedure - How Can You Avert The Risks Involved?

As with any medical procedure, IVF also brings along its own set of risks and complications. Some of these include multiple pregnancies which can increase the risk of low birth weight of the newborn, loss of pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy along with bleeding, and infection. In case your first round of IVF has been unsuccessful, you should reconsider your options in order to take the best decision.

It has been estimated that the leading cause of pregnancy loss in the IVF treatment, is having an abnormal number of chromosomes, a condition referred to as chromosomal aneuploidy. It is therefore important to detect any aneuploidy of the embryo before implanting it so that the IVF process can be successful. A newly developed technique known as the time-lapse imaging can aid in selecting the most suitable embryo for carrying out the process successfully.

In case there is a transfer of more than one embryo to the womb, it increases the risk of having triplets or even more babies. This poses a direct risk for both the mother and the baby. It may lead to low birth weight along with a considerable risk of increasing the mother s blood pressure and diabetes. In such instances, the doctor may recommend a single transfer of the embryo to reduce such risks.

In Vitro Fertilization is a form of assisted reproductive technology which involves retrieval of eggs from a woman s ovaries and fertilization of these eggs with the sperm. The embryo can be transferred to a woman s uterus or it can be frozen and kept for storage. The IVF expert may also implant the embryos within the uterus of a gestational or surrogate carrier. It is important to mention here that the success of IVF varies, and it is crucial to reduce the risks involved in the process from the very start. You should ask your doctor about the do s and don ts of the IVF process.