In today’s post I am going to address some questions I get asked very often by my patients undergoing fertility treatments, including IVF. I am sure there are many people with similar queries and they will all benefit from this post.
Q 1. Will there be an increased risk of birth defects in my baby if I conceive with IVF?
A. No, there is no merit in such an argument. The risk of birth defects in babies conceived by IVF is the same as for babies conceived naturally. From a scientific perspective, birth defects or congenital anomalies mostly result from alterations in the genetic material (known as mutations) and the process of IVF doesn’t cause any mutations. In fact, the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome and Turner’s syndrome with fertility treatment is also same as for general population.
Q 2. Can fertility treatment including the IVF procedure damage ovaries?
A. There is no real evidence to suggest that either pre-IVF diagnostic laparoscopy or ultrasound guided ovum pickup through vagina causes any major/ permanent physical trauma to the ovaries. These are well established procedures now and carry only as much risk as any other medical intervention/ procedure.
What is more important is the expertise and experience of the treating doctor and quality of equipment and support functions at the treatment facility. So, I encourage my patients to do proper research and due diligence to find out whats the best and most convenient place to seek such treatment.
Q 3. Since IVF can lead to twin pregnancy, should I get only one embryo transferred?
A. It is true that transfer of more than one embryos carries a real risk of twin pregnancy. In fact, as per the collective evidence, the chance of twin pregnancy with IVF is 1 in every 4-5 pregnancies, whereas it is 1 in 80 in naturally conceived pregnancies. The chances of conceiving triplets and quadruplets is also much higher with IVF than naturally. It is also a well known fact that the chance of multiple pregnancy in an IVF cycle goes up as the number of embryos transferred increases.
IVF being a very costly treatment, we need to weigh the risk of multiple pregnancies with the chance of success in a cycle. So, the real questions to ask are how many embryos should be transferred in an IVF cycle and if it is justified to transfer only one embryo during an IVF cycle? While there is no single definite answer to this question, I generally recommend transferring 2-3 embryos – of course, the final count depends upon the quality of the embryos, age of the woman and affordability of the couple seeking IVF.
If the woman treated with IVF actually gets twin pregnancies, I generally advice her to carry on with the same and accept that as God’s gift. However, in case of triplets and quadruplets I suggest the woman should try selective reduction of implanted embryos in order to increase the chances of successful pregnancy.
Q 4. What precautions should we take after the embryo transfer?
A. As such there are no special precautions to be taken after embryo transfer. The woman can continue with routine diet and regular activities. However, the woman should avoid excessive physical exertion after the transfer. There is also no additional advantage of bed rest after the transfer. I am also often asked if the couple can have intercourse after embryo transfer. While there is no rule regarding this, I advise couples to abstain for two weeks after the transfer just to give some rest to the uterus.
Q 5. Can we also attempt naturally while going for IVF?
A. Yes, you can because you never know when your prayers get answered! As such there is no medical reason to avoid intercourse while undergoing fertility treatment However, in order to maximize the chances of success with IVF, I recommend that the couple avoids intercourse for 48 hours preceding collection of semen sample to ensure that the semen sample collected for ART is of optimal quality. For the same reason, the male partner should also abstain from masturbating for at least 48 hours preceding sample collection/ egg retrieval.
There are some more frequently asked questions, which I will take up in my subsequent posts.
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