IVF-FAQs - How long should I wait in between IVF cycles ?
How long should I wait between IVF cycles ?
It depends on your physical, financial and emotional comfort. Some women find it difficult to do back-to-back IVF cycles while some women do not want to wait in between IVF cycles. Sometimes, due to ovarian hyperstimulation you might end up with cysts in your ovaries. In such cases your doctor will want you to wait until the cysts regress before starting another IVF cycle. If you have frozen embryos, you can do the cycle back to back, if you so desire. Whether you do your IVF cycles back-to-back or whether you wait , is a very personal decision. It will not affect the outcome of ...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - April 6, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Health In vitro fertilisation Reproductive Health Miscarriage Pregnancy Menstrual cycle Infertility Ovarian hyperstimulation Source Type: blogs
IVF-FAQs - After the embryo transfer - Do’s and don’ts during 2ww
Do’s
• Take your medicines properly.
• Continue with your everyday normal activity.
• Surround yourself with people who will make you feel relaxed and happy.
• Do not do anything which you are not comfortable with. This will help to avoid self-blame if the IVF cycle did not succeed.
Dont’s
• Do not use sauna, hot tubs ( you can have showers !) or do any vigorous activity (like strenuous exercise) which could raise your body temperature.
• Don’t change your diet drastically.
• &...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - April 5, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: In vitro fertilisation Uterus ivf Pregnancy Embryo transfer Embryo donation Menstrual cycle Source Type: blogs
IVF - FAQs - What should I know before I start my first IVF cycle ?
Look before you leap – select a good IVF clinic
Knowledge is strength – learn a lot about the IVF process- this will help you to get the best treatment possible. Ignorance is not bliss – and it’s not true that a little knowledge is dangerous.
Do not count your chicken before they hatch – do not raise your hopes too high – please have realistic expectations.
Do not give up too soon – IVF needs a few attempts before you are successful, so please be patient. 70 % of women find success within 3 IVF cycles.
Give and take respect – Trust and respect the IVF doctor and the clinic staff you have select...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - April 4, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: In vitro fertilisation Poor ovarian reserve Reproductive Health ivf Clinics and Services Infertility Source Type: blogs
How much easier is it doing a second IVF cycle after you have had one IVF baby ?
This is a guest post from an expert patient whom I respect.
I asked her - How much easier is it doing a second IVF cycle after you have had one IVF baby ?
This is her reply.
Before I answer that question, I feel like I need to tell you about my infertility story. I went through many infertility test and procedures, including 3 IUI and 6 IVF cycles, before accepting that most likely my eggs would never be of good enough quality to result in a healthy baby. Coming to this conclusion was a process of elimination. I always responded well to the medication, and produced a good number of eggs and embryos fo...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - April 3, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Health In vitro fertilisation India Reproductive Health Pregnancy Embryo Mumbai Infertility Source Type: blogs
IVF- FAQs - Can I see my embryos before the ET ?
Yes, good IVF clinic routinely show you your embryos before they are
transferred to your uterus. It is the duty of every IVF clinic to show
you the embryos they created for you in their lab. We take pride in
displaying our clinic’s competency in creating good embryos.http://blog.drmalpani.com/2012/08/the-importance-of-seeing-photos-of-your.html
What do my embryos look like ?
Your embryos are very minute; it is impossible to see these tiny balls of cells using your naked eye. You need a microscope to view them. Your embryo divides at regular intervals after fertilization and will have a different appearance unde...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - April 2, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: In vitro fertilisation Uterus patient Pregnancy Embryo transfer Menstrual cycle Infertility Source Type: blogs
IVF-FAQs - Why are my embryos of such poor quality ?
Your embryos are graded according to their microscopic appearance and are given a rank (like grade A, grade B, grade C and so on). A day 3 embryo which gets the topmost grade will have 8 cells which are equal in size, with all cells having single nucleus , without any fragments. If you have 10 embryos, not all of them will be of top grade on day 3. Some will have a fewer number of cells, some might have uneven cells, while others may have lots of fragments. The doctor will select the best embryos from amongst these (the top grade embryos) , and transfer these to the uterus . The remaining embryos can be frozen, if th...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - April 1, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Endometrium In vitro fertilisation Uterus Business Pregnancy Embryology Infertility Source Type: blogs
IVF-FAQs - When should I test for pregnancy after the transfer?
The two week wait ( 2ww) is one of the most exciting as well as one of the most emotionally draining phases of an IVF cycle. You are eagerly waiting to know what has happened to your embryos – did they implant or not ? The doctor’s done his best – now it’s all upto you ! How well will your body perform ?
Most IVF clinics want you to wait 14 days after the egg collection before doing a pregnancy test (a test which detects the HCG hormone produced by the cells of the developing embryo !) But you can do a pregnancy test much earlier too. A blood test might tell you whether your embryo implante...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - March 30, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: HCG In vitro fertilisation Miscarriage Pregnancy Embryo Pregnancy test Blood test Human chorionic gonadotropin Source Type: blogs
IVF-FAQs - Why did my eggs fail to fertilize ?
This is a heart-breaking situation which some couples face when they go through IVF. You are very anxious to know the day after egg collection as to how many of your eggs have fertilized and how many embryos you have ! But there are some rare instances where none of your eggs fertilises and you are left with no embryos to transfer. The reasons for complete fertilization failure include :• Lab error - technical problems in the embryology lab , such as infection in the culture medium or an incubator malfunction can cause this• Sperm problems – Sometimes even n...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - March 29, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Sperm donation In vitro fertilisation Embryology Transvaginal oocyte retrieval Infertility Intracytoplasmic sperm injection Source Type: blogs
IVF-FAQs - If I have repeated implantation failure, does this mean my uterus is defective ? Should I opt for surrogacy ?
When women go through a couple of failed IVF cycles, the first doubt that comes to their mind is – is my uterus defective ? Is it rejecting my beautiful embryos ? They start believing that implantation is not occurring because their uterus is defective . Their doubt appears very logical , because they can see that their embryos are growing well and are of Grade A quality . When the doctor says - Your embryos look beautiful and you have a very good chance of getting pregnant ( something most IVF doctor will say at the time of transfer, when they create good quality embryos in the lab), they start thinkin...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - March 28, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Endometrium In vitro fertilisation Uterus Poor ovarian reserve Pregnancy Embryo Implantation (human embryo) Advanced maternal age Source Type: blogs
IVF FAQs - If my embryos do not implant , what happens to them ?
The embryo(s) which are transferred to your uterus are just microscopic ball of cells. You cannot see your embryo with your naked eye; you need a microscope , which would enlarge it several hundred times , before you can view it. When your embryos fail to implant and give rise to a pregnancy, they die and disintegrate. Cells die in the human body all the time, and these dead cells are removed by your body’s scavenging machinery. When you get periods after a failed cycle, only the endometrium which is formed during that particular IVF cycle is sloughed off. Since you took lots of hormones , your endometrial lining m...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - March 27, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Endometrium Health In vitro fertilisation Uterus Pregnancy Embryo Embryo donation Menstrual cycle Source Type: blogs
Why medical care is so poor in India
Every once in a while , I get cynical and skeptical. Newspapers are full of scams and crooks , and the world seems to be a dark and depressing place . However, I then come across genuinely good people, who renew my hope and optimism in humanity , and I start believing that there is some good in this world after all. The Aravind Eye Care story is a great example of what I mean.
I was invited to give a presentation on how putting patients first helps to improve treatment outcomes at the Prism 2013 conference on health management , which Aravind Eyecare organized. While I had heard a lot of great things about Aravind E...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - March 25, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Health In vitro fertilisation India Reproductive Health Pregnancy Harvard University Fortis Healthcare in India Source Type: blogs
IVF - FAQs - Part 2. Poor ovarian reserve and IVF
This is part 2 of our IVF-FAQs and talks about a major hurdle for women doing IVF - poor ovarian reserve.
When a clinic advertises that they have a 40-50% success rate per IVF cycle, it doesn’t mean this applies for every woman who undergoes IVF in that particular clinic. Even though it is hard to predict whether a woman will conceive in a particular IVF cycle or not, it is possible to calculate her chances of success , using certain parameters.
To a large extent, the chances of achieving success depend on your ovarian reserve. If you have a decent number of usable eggs left in your ovary, you are more like...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - March 23, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: In vitro fertilisation Poor ovarian reserve Follicle-stimulating hormone Antral follicle Pregnancy Menstrual cycle Anti-Müllerian hormone Source Type: blogs
IVF- FAQs - How does age affect IVF success rates ?
This is part 1 of our IVF-FAQ series.
The woman’s age is the most important prognostic factor which determines IVF success. In sharp contrast, the age of the man doesn’t have a significant impact on the outcome of an IVF cycle. Pregnancy and live birth rate after IVF decline with increasing maternal age because the success of an IVF cycle depends on the number of eggs that can be harvested from the ovaries and their genetic quality. As a woman ages, her ovaries age too and old ovaries have poor ovarian reserve. Ovarian reserve is defined by the number of usable eggs left in the ovaries. Aging cause t...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - March 22, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Ovary In vitro fertilisation Poor ovarian reserve Pregnancy rate Egg donation Infertility Source Type: blogs
The second IVF baby
Most infertile couples are so desperate to have a child that when their IVF cycle finally succeeds and they have a baby, they are on top of the world . They believe that their family is now complete ; and that their infertility struggle is finally over. The thought of having a second baby is something which never crosses their mind. Most infertile couples believe that one is more than enough to fill their life with happiness and that they will never want anymore, now that god has fulfilled their much longed for desire.
They will often come back after maybe five or six years, and say quite sheepishly - Doctor , we’...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - March 19, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Health United States In vitro fertilisation Reproductive Health patient Clinics and Services Infertility Source Type: blogs
Why donor egg IVF is a better option than surrogacy
Women are much more attached to their embryos than to their uterus. This makes perfect sense. After all , the high point of an IVF cycle is you get a chance to see your embryos. There is no question that embryos are beautiful , and because they represent potential future babies, many women refer to them fondly as their embies ! The uterus , on the other hand , is not very glamorous. Most women think of it as just a passive container - and one which has often caused them considerable grief during their menstrual periods !This is why when the IVF cycle fails , women are much more likely to blame the uterus rather than ...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - March 18, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Health In vitro fertilisation Uterus ivf Pregnancy Embryo Surrogacy Menstrual cycle Source Type: blogs
