IVF treatment: The hope for couples struggling with infertility

In the next few weeks, your partner and you will be undergoing extensive medical tests to determine if you can undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF is a process in which egg and sperm are removed from the woman and put into an incubator. 

The embryos are then inserted into the uterus of the woman where they develop for a period of time. As a fertility specialist, I've seen how important it is to have accurate information on IVF. Here are some cold hard facts and figures that you should know before starting your journey to parenthood.

What is infertility?

Infertility is a condition where a couple has been unable to conceive a child after at least one year of unprotected sexual relations. It is estimated that 1 in 6 couples in the United States suffer from infertility, meaning they have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying to term.

The causes of infertility are many and varied, and can be both physical and/or genetic. In cases where the cause is unknown, it is called unexplained infertility. While there are many possible causes for infertility, some medical conditions may be easy to diagnose and treat before you try to get pregnant. Other medical conditions may require more time to identify the cause and develop effective treatment options.

It can be caused by a variety of medical conditions, but most often it's caused by low sperm count or poor sperm movement.

Who needs IVF treatment?

IVF is the only treatment available to most women who have a serious fertility problem or whose own eggs are not sufficient for creating a pregnancy. The typical woman who needs IVF treatment in Pakistan is between the ages of 35 and 45, has had one or more miscarriages, and has not been able to get pregnant using her own eggs.

The success rates for IVF vary according to the number of embryos transferred and how many are transferred. The number of embryos transferred depends on how many eggs are retrieved and how many mature, but it's usually not possible to transfer more than 10 embryos at any one time.

This group includes women who have had repeated miscarriages, and women whose partners have had fertility problems. If you are over 35 and have had three or more consecutive unexplained miscarriages, or if you and your partner are under 35 and your family history shows no obvious fertility problems, IVF may be a good option for you.

How does IVF work?

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment that uses sperm and eggs from one or more persons to create an embryo. IVF is often used when fertility problems prevent a woman's body from accepting the embryo produced by her partner's sperm.

IVF can also be used to treat women who have had their reproductive system destroyed by cancer treatment, radiation therapy to the ovaries, or surgery for other conditions.

The process of IVF starts with identifying a woman's egg reserve — the number of eggs she has left — and then retrieving them from her ovaries. The retrieved eggs are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory and then frozen until they are ready to implant into the uterus of a woman who is not pregnant.

What is the success rate of IVF?

It's 100% when you're able to freeze embryos prior to the second stage of this process. The success rate for the best  IVF center in Pakistan is 99.5% with frozen embryos and 97% with thawed eggs and can decrease by 8% due to the age of the woman and the health of the egg. 

On average, one in three women who go through ovulation induction will become pregnant with IVF but this percentage varies dramatically depending on age (the older a woman is, the lower her chance of success) and ovarian reserve (the capacity of a woman's remaining eggs to produce a pregnancy).