Is IVF Painful?

is ivf Painful

IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is a process that involves some steps to treat fertility or genetic problems and leads to conceive a child. During IVF, mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. Then the fertilized egg or eggs are implanted in uterus of female.

As this process consists of many medical examinations, techniques through surgical instruments; it may be considered a painful treatment. But experience of each women going through this process is different. On one hand, some women may feel cramps and stomachache during the process; while some do not face such issues.

For more details on IVF, contact to fertility specialists ‘Dr. Shivani Sachdev Gour’ in SCI International Hospital, Greater Kailash Part 1, Kailash Colony, Noida Sector 63, Delhi.

Generally, anaesthesia is given during operation, so pain in avoided. But one can feel some discomfort during the following process. 

Injecting Medications

Before starting the IVF treatment, IVF specialist recommends various fertility medications. Some medicines are taken through injection near the area of stomach. But this process only involves nominal and bearable pain. Some IVF medicines may also cause some adverse effects such as stomach ache, tiredness, or various skin problems that various person to person.

Egg Retrieval

This is a difficult process for infertility expert as well as for patients. Patients are worried about this process because of eggs are extracted from woman’s ovary that requires to induce some surgical instruments in body. These instruments contain needle and inserted from vagina to stimulate egg follicles. Because of the intensity of procedure, doctors keep patients in half-conscious state to make process less uneasiness. A very less amount of anaesthesia is given in this process. But some women may feel stomach ache and awkwardness after the affect of anaesthesia is over.

Transferof Embryo

In this process a developed embryo is inserted into the uterus. This process has less intensity as compare to the Egg Retrieval process. Doctors use the transfer catheter and ultrasound screen to insert the embryo. This process involves minor pain, but doctor advice to take some sedative pills before the transfer process. These sedative pills allow the woman’s body to be calm and sooth.

How to Tackle Uneasiness during the IVF Process?

IVF process contains various steps, instruments, medications, and restricted time routines that may cause an uneasiness in body. To tackle this situation, generally anesthesia and sedative pills are given by doctors. But patients also can take some measures before and after each step of procedure. Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour suggested some points to avoid discomfort and nervousness during this process.

  • Follow healthy diet as suggested by doctors. Healthy diet provides you energy during the whole process and escape from side-effects.
  • Try to get relax before and after any step of IVF procedure.
  • The best way to relax yourself is to perform some light yoga or breathing exercise.
  • Don’t get nervous by seeing any instruments; these are only to help you, not to scare.
  • Little uneasiness is normal; follow doctors’ instructions to tackle this uneasiness.

 

Fertility Preservation

fertility preservation
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Fertility preservation is a greatest option for those people who are diagnosed with cancer or other health issues. Family planning has fundamentally changed as compared to generation ago.

Progressively, women are postponing childbearing for non-medical reasons. For example, pursuing a career, unstable relationship, and financial deliberations. As a result, over the past 40 years, the age of a woman’s first pregnancy has been gradually rising.

When a woman should freeze her eggs?

If woman who is not ready to have a child now but wants to conceive later by her preserved eggs, should keep in her mind about right time of freezing her eggs. The best time for a woman to freeze her eggs is under the age of 30. The number of mature eggs frozen allows for the best prediction of ultimate pregnancy. For example, with ten frozen eggs the chances of a live-birth is twice as high for women under age 35 and under than for those over the age of 35.

When a man should freeze his sperms?

Various studies have now revealed that a man’s sperm production and quality declines with age and male fertility appears to wane after the age of 40 – 45. Due to their ability of continuously producing sperms throughout their lives, there are less apparent guidelines for men on non-cancer/non-medical fertility preservation, but under the age of 40 is a reasonable time.

How to Make a Decision of Preserving Fertility?

This is an extremely difficult question and one that requires consultation with an infertility specialist as well as a reproductive health counselor such as Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour. The pursuit of fertility is a physical, emotional, and financial investment with all three of these factors carrying equal weight and importance. People should decide very carefully before the preservation. Dr. Shivani discusses some issues that people must keep in mind before fertility preservation:

  • Financial Constraint: Fertility Preservation is an expensive process as it requires some medical tests and sperm/egg preserving labs. People have to pay for the time duration they need to keep their sperms preserved in these labs. Thus, they must be sure about preservation of fertility and make decision according to their financial condition.
  • Health Issue: Some people who want to become parents but they are cancer patients or surviving from any other disease where they cannot conceive, must think and decide very carefully about preservation of fertility. Anxiety is common in risky condition of health therefore a great patience is necessary during decision making by the suffering people.
  • Emotional Issue: People keep them emotionally strong for preservation of fertility.Because some of the people worry a lot about success rate of procedure. They keep thinking about future that whether they able to conceive using preserved egg/sperm in future or not. This is also an issue which can affect their decision of fertility preservation.
  • Unstable Relationship: Some couples have not stable relationship. It is very big issue for them to decide whether preserve their fertility or not. They should be ready for the future preservation about fertility after a deep discussion between both of the partners.

While advances in technology today allow for immediate and effective fertility preservation for men and women, in spite of that it is necessary never to pursue a pregnancy until peoples are physically, emotionally, financially prepared, and in a stable relationship, if applicable.

How to Select Surrogate Mother?

Doctors usually suggest surrogacy as last resort to multiple IUI and IVF failures or in cases of extreme medical conditions like Cancer or extreme cases of PCOS and PCOD. It can also be opted by single parents or same sex couples or by those females who have uterus abnormalities or cases of unexplained infertility.

Treating PCOS with IVF

Surrogate Mother: One who carries the child of a couple for nine-month term under a legal contract is known as surrogate mother. It is always important to make sure that the surrogate mother knows all the regulations and laws under which she has agreed to bear the child in her womb. Surrogate mother is compensated for their entire pregnancy duration by the intended parents.There is always a risk involved when directly dealing with the surrogate. So, it is required to go for surrogacy from either surrogacy clinic or agency. This will help you save your time as well as cost. Surrogacy clinics are the best choice as these are reliable and compliance legally during the entire procedure of surrogacy.

Surrogacy might not be the pathway that has been decided, but it is the road chosen when there is no option left after trying multiple fertility treatments to conceive a baby. Surrogate mother parts the most important role during surrogacy because she is the one who carries a baby for the entire nine-month duration. Surrogacy clinics or agencies are the ways to find an eligible surrogate mother.

What Should Be the Qualities of A Surrogate Mother Before Her Selection For Surrogacy Procedure?

A woman must eligible to be a surrogate mother if she fulfills the below-mentioned parameters. Always check these parameters before finalizing a surrogate mother.

  • Female who is a non-smoker and non-alcoholic proves to be the best surrogate mother.
  • Female between 21-35 years of age is best suited for the role of surrogate mother.
  • Female with the regular menstrual cycle.
  • Female with a valid identity.
  • Female with accurate BMI.
  • No other medical history.
  • Must have given birth to a child in the past.
  • A responsible female with a normal lifestyle.
  • No older history of criminal offense.
  • There are various surrogacy clinics, which provide surrogate mother through mutual and monetary consent in a legal manner.

What Questions to ask from surrogate before signing the contract?

Before signing the legal contract with the surrogate, you can ask her a few questions to make sure that you have chosen the best surrogate mother who can fulfill all your requirements. Go through the list of the common questions that are asked by the intended parents to the surrogate occasionally.

  • What is the reason behind becoming a surrogate?
  • How many successful pregnancies without complications she has been through?
  • Does she enjoy pregnancy time?
  • Is there strong support to help during pregnancy?
  • Is she agree to become surrogate for you?
  • Does she have any problem, with you and your partner?

The questions and interrogation will help you in communicating your concerns and needs directly to the surrogate mother. Plan appropriately and go for the best selections of a surrogate mother.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) Treatment and Procedure

Many couples are unable to gain their own child due to infertility, which can be in men or women. To conceive their own baby, they can opt different techniques such as IUI, IVF, Surrogacy, and so on. These techniques are performed under supervision of specialists in various hospitals.

Intra-uterine insemination is the name given to a procedure where sperms are placed into the female reproductive system by a means other than intercourse. IUI is the most common form of artificial insemination, used and involves placing sperm into the female’s uterus through an assisted medical process. As it is a relatively low-tech solution to infertility problems, IUI is usually one of the first techniques used to assist a couple who is having difficulty becoming pregnant.

Limitations of IUI

There are following limitations when IUI is not effective:

  • A blocked or damaged fallopian tube.
  • Ovarian failure (menopause)
  • Severe male factor infertility such as no sperm, very low sperm count, poor sperm motility (movement) and sperm defects. In all these cases donor sperm may be an option.
  • Severe endometriosis
  • A female partner over the age of 40.

Procedure

First, warmed and ‘washed’ (treated) sperms are introduced into the woman’s uterus through a tube. Sperm can be provided by the woman’s husband/partner (artificial insemination by husband – AIH) or sperm provided by a known or anonymous sperm donor (artificial insemination by donor – AID or DI). The procedure is done around the time of ovulation to give the best chance of conception. Hormonal (fertility) medications might be used in conjunction with the treatment to enhance conditions for a pregnancy.

Reasons of Selecting IUI

IUI is mainly used when timed intercourse or hormonal medications alone have not worked. It is also used if ‘mild’ sperm abnormalities such as poor motility are found. It is also used in conjunction with donor sperm by same sex female couples or by women who don’t have a partner. Some additional conditions are there that leads to select IUI as an option for infertility treatment.

  • Nominal Endometriosis: Endometriosis is a condition where the tissue grows inside the uterus wall, ovaries and fallopian tubes. IUI is helpful to eliminate this situation.
  • Open Fallopian Tube: IUI is used if fallopian tube is found open.
  • Ovulation Problems: Ovulation is a process in which women releases eggs on monthly basis. But if some irregularity in ovulation or totally on ovulation occurs that may cause infertility. IUI is helpful to conceive in this situation.
  • Backward Ejaculation: This condition occurs when semen goes backward into the bladder instead of coming out of the penis.
  • Unexplained Infertility: If a woman is not able to conceive, even after trying for 1 year considering that menstruation cycle and semen is normal. This condition can not be explained as there is no particular reason for that.
  • Mucus Hostility: May arise as a result of a vaginal infection or the presence of anti-sperm antibodies in the mucus.
  • Ejaculation Problems: Due to psychological problems such as impotence or anatomic problems of the penis, such as paraplegia.