IVF: Hope for the infertile

About 1 in 6 couples struggle with infertility. It is the inability to get pregnant after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse. Infertility may be due to problems in the reproductive system of the female, the male or sometimes a combination of both.
For most people who are struggling to conceive, IVF is not the first course of treatment; it can, in fact, be the - last best option for having a child. When it comes to infertility, In vitro fertilization (IVF) can be an option in the if you or your partner have been diagnosed with:

•Low sperm counts
•Problems with the uterus or fallopian tubes
•Problems with ovulation
•Endometriosis
•Antibody problems that harm the sperm and eggs
•The inability of sperm to penetrate or survive in the cervical mucus
•An unexplained fertility problem

Couples usually resort to IVF with the burden of disappointment and grief from infertility, angry, tired and anxious. Although emotionally drained, couples are attracted by the technology and hope of being able to have a child. The opportunities that IVF brings comes with a lot of significant challenges. Women have rated stress of undergoing IVF as more stressful than divorce or death of a family member. The experience for infertility patients will be unique. Each patient will experience stress differently based upon his or her life experiences and personality.

IVF Program is made up of four steps:
1.Use of fertility medications to develop oocytes or "eggs".
2.A collection of the oocytes (eggs).
3.In Vitro Fertilization of the egg and growth of the embryo.
4.Replacement of the embryo back into the uterus.

Risks of IVF

• Drug reaction- hot flushes, feeling down & irritable, headaches, restlessness, nausea, and vomiting, shortage of breath, abdominal bloating due to the accumulation of fluid & ovarian hyperstimulation.
• Multiple births- Increased blood pressure, the twin babies are likely to develop diabetes during pregnancy if you are carrying more than one baby. Around half of all twins and 90% of triplets are born prematurely or with a low birth weight. The risk of your baby dying in the first week of life is five times higher for twins than for a single baby. For triplets, the risk is nine times higher.
•Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome- The ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome is a rare complication of IVF. It occurs in women who are very sensitive to the fertility of drugs that are taken to increase egg production. Too many eggs develop in the ovaries, which become very large and painful.
•Ectopic pregnancy-If you have IVF, you have a slightly higher risk of ectopic pregnancy where fertilized egg implants in the fallopian tubes rather than in the womb. This can cause vaginal bleeding or bleed into the abdomen. If you have a positive pregnancy test, you will have a series of hormone tests and a scan at six weeks to make that the embryo is growing properly.