What is IVF Treatment?

In vitro fertilization is defined as IVF in medical language. In vitro fertilization is a treatment method applied to families who want to have children to support fertility or to prevent problems that cause fertility due to genetic reasons. Having a child using the IVF method depends on age and the cause of infertility. For couples who want to have children but cannot, IVF treatment is the most effective treatment method among assisted reproductive technologies. This method is also used for surrogacy in some cases. IVF treatment is a time-consuming and expensive treatment method. IVF treatment has different processes. This process is divided into different steps and the treatment time may be longer.

How is IVF Treatment Performed?

IVF treatment is time-consuming and expensive. In addition, in vitro fertilization is the most effective method to assist reproduction. IVF treatment is carried out with the person's own egg and the person's own sperm. People can undergo IVF treatment for different reasons. Sperm of different people can also be used in IVF treatment, which is preferred in different situations. IVF treatment is carried out as follows;

Ovarian reserve test is done. With this test, the amount of eggs and the health status of the eggs are analyzed.

· The most mature eggs are collected from the ovaries of the woman and the healthiest sperm are collected from the man.

The collected egg and sperm are fertilized in the laboratory environment.

The fertilized egg, that is the embryo, or the eggs, that is, the embryos, are transferred to the uterus.

In other words, in vitro fertilization treatment is performed after 5 procedures;

- Ovarian reserve test

- Semen analysis

- Infectious disease screening

- Practice (fake) embryo transfer

- Uterine examination

This process can take about 3 weeks. If more than one embryo is transferred to the uterus, more than one pregnancy may occur.

Why is IVF Treatment applied?

IVF treatment can be applied for many reasons. These reasons can be listed as follows.

It is used to increase fertility in women over 40 years of age.

In vitro fertilization treatment is preferred in cases where the fallopian tube is damaged or the fallopian tube is blocked.

Pregnancy does not occur due to ovulation irregularities and IVF treatment is preferred.

Endometriosis occurs when the uterine tissue settles and grows outside of the uterus. In this case, it affects the function of the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes. For this reason, in order to realize the blocked pregnancy process, in vitro fertilization method is preferred.

· Uterine fibroids are benign tumors in the wall of the uterus and are common in women in their 30s and 40s. Fibroids can prevent the implantation of the fertilized egg.

In vitro fertilization is preferred because of impaired sperm production or function. Below-average sperm concentration, poor sperm motility (poor motility), or abnormalities in sperm size and shape can make it difficult for sperm to fertilize an egg.

Pregnancy may not occur due to infertility of unknown cause. This method is preferred to avoid this situation.

IVF may be preferred to prevent genetic problems that are not suitable for transmission to children due to a genetic disorder.

IVF may be preferred for fertility preservation for cancer or other health conditions. When it comes to cancer treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy that can harm fertility, IVF for fertility preservation may be an option.

What Are the Risks of IVF?

In vitro fertilization has many advantages as well as risks. IVF risks can be listed as follows.

· Multiple births; If more than one embryo is transferred to the uterus, it increases the risk of multiple births. A pregnancy with more than one fetus carries a higher risk of preterm birth or miscarriage than a pregnancy with a single fetus.

· Risk of premature birth and miscarriage; Research shows that IVF slightly increases the risk of a baby being born prematurely or with a low birth weight.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome; Using injectable fertility drugs to increase ovulation can cause swelling of the ovaries and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. These symptoms typically last a week and include mild abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Complications of the egg retrieval procedure; Using an aspiration needle to collect eggs may cause possible bleeding, infection, or damage to the bowel, bladder, or blood vessel.

Ectopic pregnancy; About 2% to 5% of women using IVF experience an ectopic pregnancy when the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube.

· Birth defects; Maternal age is the primary risk factor for the development of birth defects. More research is needed to determine whether babies born using IVF are at increased risk for certain birth defects.