Infertility has become a grave concern today. One in every five women over the age of thirty has infertility issues. There are treatments to correct infertility and specialists to help young couples conceive a child of one’s own. Learn about In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) treatments to correct infertility issues.
When should you consider IUI and IVF treatment?
- After one year of unprotected marital sex, the woman is still not getting pregnant after age thirty.
- If the woman’s age is 35 years, then infertility treatment should be started similarly soon after six months.
- PCOD cases with irregular cycles planning for pregnancy may suffer from the problem of egg formation every cycle and should seek fertility specialist advice.
- Immediate treatment should be started if the woman has uterine abnormalities or endometriosis.
The bottom line is that as age advances, a woman’s quality and number of ova decreases. Chances of chromosomal abnormalities for the child and complications like pre-eclampsia and hypertension are prevalent in aged mothers. So, the risk factors increase with the advancement of age. Hence it is wise to start infertility treatment at the earliest. If IUI and IVF treatments are done at the earliest with the mother’s age under consideration, then the possibility of having a healthy baby is very high.
IUI procedures enhance conception:
By the IUI method, infertility in men with low sperm count and weakly motile sperm can be overtaken by concentration technique and surpassing the cervix so that conception is easy. The cycles of the woman are monitored and continuously scanned. After the right time arrives in a woman’s cycle, In the IUI treatment, concentrated sperm is successfully injected past the cervix, and thus, conception occurs naturally. Mildly infertile men and women succeed with the IUI treatment. 5 cycles of IUI are tried for conception, and the chances of conception are higher when the partners are very cooperative and understanding with each other. However, IVF is taken up by the couple when infertility is higher.
Advanced ART Technology: For a Healthy Baby
When treating female infertility like blocked fallopian tubes, or recurrent miscarriages due to various reasons, then the couple has to decide on IVF only as the probability of pregnancy is much higher here. IVF is considered ideal compared to IUI in many situations like the above.
The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) gives us statistics that 31% is the success rate of women who are under 30 years who undergo ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology). The success rate reduces as the age advances to 28% for 30 to 35 years, 24% for more than 35 years, and 8% for 40 years.
What is IVF treatment?
Infertility in men is less spoken of in comparison to women. Male infertility reduces the chances of conception and will contribute to reproductive problems. Genetic mutations of sperm may result in complications listed below:
- Miscarriage within 20 weeks of conception
- Birth defects of the child’s heart and head.
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Occurrence of Leukaemia
Male infertility is an issue that requires awareness, and the responsibility should be equally shared between both partners when trying for a baby, and it is pertinent that none plays the blame game. Moreover, a family support system where the couple supports each other’s efforts is essential.
In the IVF treatment, all the risk factors associated with the child’s well-being can be overcome by performing (PSG) Pre-implantation Genetic Screening in which Embryo Biopsy is done. After analyzing the Embryo, only the healthy Embryo is implanted in a woman’s uterus. In IVF, the conception occurs outside the human body in a laboratory set up through Ova and Sperm selection, followed by the implantation of the resulting Embryo in the uterus for a healthy baby.
“Just keep trying; miracles do happen!” says Dr. Ila Gupta, Director & Sr. Consultant at Ferticity Fertility Clinics, Delhi. Patience and belief are the key factors when attempting to have a child, and infertility can be corrected with current-day advanced reproductive technology.
A child is born after efforts by the parents, Gynaecologist, and all the support health staff involved in the process. Following medical instructions, managing a healthy lifestyle, and keeping anxiety out of the equation will help the couple speed up the process of having a healthy baby. So, starting IUI or IVF treatments as early as possible is always wise as age plays a major role in a successful pregnancy, ensuring a healthy baby. The earlier, the better.
If one can pay attention to reverse an unhealthy lifestyle – addictive habits like smoking and excessive stress, travel and work it can indeed reverse the infertility situation too.