A great many couples have been using assisted reproductive technologies in recent years. Each patient has her own indications for carrying out certain procedures. One in ten women experiencing problems with conception needs IVF. This article will tell you about this manipulation. You will find out what the consequences of IVF can be, and you can also get acquainted with the stages of its implementation.
In vitro fertilization
What is this procedure? In vitro fertilization is a manipulation that involves conception outside the female body. Moreover, the probability of pregnancy is about 60 percent. Not all couples get a positive result on the first try. Some families have to resort to in vitro fertilization several times.
The procedure is carried out in various ways. The patient's condition and her individual characteristics are always taken into account. The procedure has almost no effect on the man. But if the quality of his sperm leaves much to be desired, then separate manipulations are applied. In vitro fertilization is prescribed to couples who are not able to conceive a child in a natural way. The list of main indications includes: lack of fallopian tubes or ovaries, poor quality of partner sperm, not amenable to correction. The protocols carried out during IVF can be long and short, with minimal hormonal correction, ultrashort or hyperdlin. But most often the first two are used. You will learn more about them and what consequences of IVF can occur later. Do not forget that the body of each patient is individual.
Immediate and remote negative effects of IVF
It would seem that bad things can happen during the in vitro fertilization protocol ?! But even if during the stimulation and after it you did not have any difficulties, they may occur in the future. All the consequences of IVF can be divided into immediate and remote.
The former include sudden negative situations or complications that arise during stimulation or immediately after cell transfer. The most common circumstance is considered OHSS - ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Also, during this period, complications such as allergies, intolerance to one or another drug, adverse reactions, and the inflammatory process can occur. Often the immediate consequences of IVF are abdominal pain, fluid formation in the adjacent space, stool disturbance, nausea and vomiting, liver dysfunction caused by the use of a large number of drugs. During a puncture, a woman may experience bleeding, which is also not a very pleasant circumstance.
Doctors still have heated debates about the long-term consequences. It is known that the IVF procedure is quite new, it is shrouded in many myths. It is believed that this manipulation causes an intensive growth of tumor neoplasms. It is especially dangerous if their origin is malignant. Manipulation may cause headaches in women in the future; the procedure reduces ovarian reserve. Any modern IVF center pre-examines a woman, studies the risk of unpleasant situations.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome - a frequent complication
What may be the consequences after IVF, you already know. It is worth highlighting OHSS - ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. How dangerous is it and does it always appear?
OHSS is a condition caused by hormonal interference with the patient’s body. At one stage of IVF, a woman is forced to take medicines that stimulate follicular growth. Doctors need to take more than one or two eggs - more is needed for success. Often, doctors get 10-20 follicles from a woman’s ovaries. In this case, the glands in the natural cycle are not able to produce so much. Against the background of drugs, the ovaries increase in size, overgrow with many follicular cysts. Symptoms of this condition are usually the following: pain in the lower abdomen, an increase in the size of the sex glands, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, and blood clotting. Therapy is necessary for all patients with such a problem.
The scale of the negative consequences can be very different. More often, doctors resort to outpatient treatment, but the possibility of hospitalization is not excluded. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is dangerous because the resulting cysts may twist, burst. This is fraught with acute pain and internal bleeding, requiring surgical intervention. The consequences of OHSS, which doctors fear, may be as follows: thromboembolism, respiratory, cardiac or renal failure, ovarian apoplexy. Treatment involves a certain diet, rest, the consumption of a large amount of fluid, the use of drugs to thin the blood.
Short or long protocol: selectable
What are the consequences of an IVF procedure for a woman, you already know. Despite this, many representatives of the weaker sex decide on this manipulation. In most cases, a long or short protocol of the procedure is selected. What is the difference? Does the patient have a choice?
If you contact a good IVF center, then it will probably not be possible to make a decision on your own about choosing a protocol. After collecting an anamnesis, the doctor decides which technique is right for you. A long protocol is used for women with good ovarian reserve. If your egg supply is small, then count on a short protocol. It will begin on the 3rd or 5th day of your natural cycle, stimulation lasts an average of 10-14 days. The patient is given medications to prevent premature ovulation. A long protocol, respectively, takes longer - on average 3-5 weeks. Before conducting superstimulation, the doctor prescribes to the patient drugs that block the production of LH. Upon reaching its minimum values, activation of the ovaries with appropriate medicines begins. It is generally accepted that a positive outcome of the entire operation depends on the hormone-blocking procedure before IVF. Indeed, the percentage of pregnancy with a long protocol is higher.
Inspection and preparation is an important step
In order for the IVF effects for the woman to be only positive, all the recommendations of the doctor must be considered. The first and very important examination is to determine the stock of eggs. Installing it is not as difficult as it seems. It is enough to donate blood to hormones: AMH, FSH and LH. Based on the obtained values, the doctor determines the duration of the protocol. Both partners need to be screened for infections, and the woman still needs to be tested for rubella antibodies. Be sure to examine the internal cavity of the uterus. If it contains polyps, synechiae, or cysts, then they are removed before the protocol begins. A man gives a spermogram to establish his fertility.
Before stimulation, the couple is recommended to lead a healthy lifestyle: refrain from alcohol and smoking, exclude heavy sports. Food consumed by prospective parents should be rich in protein. If you have chronic diseases, be sure to tell your doctor about them.
The use of hormonal drugs: stimulation
The stages of IVF are divided into three main: preparation and administration of drugs, puncture and fertilization, embryo transfer and support. The medications necessary for stimulation are prescribed by a doctor. In order to increase the number of follicles, FSH-based preparations are used, for example, Puregon. Boosting this hormone leads to the maturation of 5-30 eggs at a time. Note that not all of them can be complete and suitable for further processing.
To prevent the production of their own hormones, compounds that block the pituitary gland are used. These include "Orgalutran." Immediately before the puncture, a woman is administered medications containing chorionic gonadotropin (pregnancy hormone).
Follicular puncture and ovum fertilization
Follicle collection and processing are the next steps. Eco involves the collection of material using general anesthesia. The manipulation is quite painful, so it is not carried out "profit." During the puncture, the direction of the needle is controlled using an ultrasound scanner. The doctor chooses the closest and least traumatic way. The procedure lasts an average of half an hour. But due to the use of anesthesia, the patient needs medical supervision for another 2-3 hours.
After the puncture, the follicles are processed by the partner's sperm, then potential children are placed in a favorable environment. IVF involves embryo transfer on the third or fifth day (depending on individual characteristics).
Embryo transfer and transfer
Recently, Russian law has decided to ban the transfer of a large number of embryos. Now clinics are limited to two (in extreme cases, three) fertilized cells. Be prepared for the fact that not all of them will take root. Embryo implantation does not require anesthesia. Using a thin catheter, the fetal egg is delivered directly to the uterine cavity, the process of passing through the fallopian tubes is excluded. Manipulation lasts no more than 10-15 minutes. During the procedure, a woman may experience mild discomfort and pulling pains.
After the procedure
What are the consequences of IVF? The reviews of women who went through this procedure indicate that for some time after the transfer they had to remain within the walls of a medical institution. During this period, doctors recommend rest. Therefore, you still will not succeed in returning to your usual affairs. After the transfer, doctors observe the woman, excluding possible complications. If there is no bleeding, acute pain, the temperature after IVF is normal, then the patient can go home. The woman is prescribed further support involving the use of progesterone-based drugs. They must be used necessarily, because due to the intervention, the corpus luteum cannot support pregnancy on its own, which can turn out to be multiple.
Positive result: pregnancy
You can evaluate the result of the manipulation after 10-14 days. A pregnancy test is often uninformative. It shows a positive result due to the presence of the introduced hCG hormone. Therefore, it is better to go for an ultrasound to your doctor. Two weeks after the transfer, a good apparatus will show the presence or absence of a fetal egg in the uterine cavity. A reliable answer to the question of interest will also be given by a comparative blood test for hCG. The most favorable consequence of IVF is pregnancy.
Births after IVF
How are babies born? IVF does not require a cesarean section. But, as practice and reviews show, it is appointed quite often. The main cause can be a woman’s chronic diseases, a history of gynecological pathologies, and multiple pregnancy. Natural birth after IVF is no different from conventional. But it’s worth mentioning right away that with such a pregnancy, complications more often arise in the form of placenta previa, premature exfoliation, and weak labor.
Psychological side
Often, women experience the consequences of IVF from the psychological side. Often this happens when using donor materials: sperm or an egg. The held parents constantly try to find features in the born child that do not coincide with their features. Doctors advise such parents to consult a psychologist, as the situation can get out of control.
Failure in IVF is also very difficult for women. Many patients immediately want to enter the following protocol. But the body needs time to recover. Gather your strength, next time the chances of a positive outcome will be higher.
Summarize
From the article you were able to find out what are the consequences of IVF. This procedure inflicts a serious blow on the female body. Therefore, you need to prepare for it in advance. The more thorough the preparation and the more responsible approach, the higher the probability of a positive result. Good luck and patience!