IVF Alternatives

IVF or In Vitro Fertilisation is a medical treatment for infertility.  IVF is extremely costly, and does not always result in pregnancy, so, many couples are desperate to find IVF alternatives to help them resolve their infertility issues conceive and have children.

IVF Alternatives – What is IVF?

IVF is used as an alternative fertilization method for couples diagnosed with infertility.  Women are injected with a long course of hormones to stimulate egg production in the ovaries.  When mature (ready to be fertilised) eggs are available, they are removed from the ovaries.  Eggs are placed in a laboratory culture dish with sperm, to allow fertilisation to occur in a controlled environment.  2-3 days later, several embryos (up to 5) are transferred to the woman’s uterus.  Two weeks later, if embryo implantation has occurred successfully, pregnancy can be confirmed by blood test, and later by ultrasound.

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IVF Alternatives – Understanding How IVF Works

IVF is a complicated course of treatment, so it is important to understand exactly how IVF affects you and your body.

  1. First, you menstrual and fertility cycle is suppressed with hormone treatment, using a long acting, once a month injection, or a daily nasal spray.  By suppressing your reproductive cycle, your doctor will have more control throughout the IVF process.
  2. Hormones, called gonadotrophins, are then injected to stimulate egg production in the ovaries.  Gonadotrophins are injected into the muscle, or under the skin.  Most women learn to administer these injections to them selves.
  3. The level of egg production in the ovaries is checked by ultrasound, and the hormone levels are checked with blood testing.  The ultrasound is conducted with a probe that is inserted into the vagina, allowing the doctor to see each ovary and their developing eggs.  These tests are usually required between 2 and 4 times each over about 2 weeks.
  4. When the eggs have reached maturity (after about 10 -12 days), a further injection is administered which finalises the maturation of the eggs.  This injection has to be given 36 hours before the eggs are to be collected, therefore the timing of it is crucial.
  5. When the eggs have reached maturity, several are collected for fertilisation.  The woman is injected with either a sedative or general anaesthetic.  The eggs are then collected with a needle, which enters through the vagina and goes into the ovary.  The needle is guided to the ovary using ultrasound, and then the eggs are sucked down the needle and taken to the laboratory.
  6. After the eggs have been collected, the woman is given progesterone tablets, or vaginal suppositories to stimulate the lining of the womb in preparation for the implantation of the embryo
  7. In the laboratory, the collected eggs are mixed with the sperm (from the partner, or donor) in a laboratory dish.
  8. After 20 hours, the eggs are checked to see if fertilisation has occurred, the eggs that have been fertilised are left  for a further 24 to 48 hours to allow the embryos to form
  9. After the embryos have gone through their fertilisation period, they are implanted into the woman’s womb.  To implant the eggs, a tube is passed through the cervix into the womb and the embryos are injected through the tube and into the uterus.

IVF Alternatives – Why look for an alternative to IVF?

Some of the reasons that people decide to look for IVF alternatives include:

  • Side Effects of IVF
    – The hormones that the doctors use to suppress your fertility cycle cause symptoms that are similar to those that you would experience when going through menopause, these side effects include hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, headaches and changes in the size of your breasts.
    – Gonadotrophin hormones can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which occurs when the ovaries react too rapidly to the hormonal stimulation.  Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome causes fluid retention and a risk of blood clots.
  • The Cost of IVF – IVF is an expensive fertility treatment, a single cycle of IVF will cost upwards of $14000US in America, £6000 in the UK, $5000AUS in Australia, and between $10,000 and $15,000NZ in New Zealand.  In some countries, the cost per cycle does not include the fertility drugs, in the United States for example, fertility drugs will cost an extra $1,500 per cycle.  Many couples require several cycles of IVF to successfully conceive and carry their IVF baby to term, which means that IVF quickly becomes an extremely expensive infertility treatment.
  • IVF Success Rate – global figures indicate that the success rate per cycle of IVF treatment is around 30% for women under 35.  The success rate of IVF treatment is significantly reduced by factors such as the age of the woman (e.g. success rate drops to around 18% for women over the age of 38, and 10% for women over 40), and also whether fresh or frozen embryos are used.  Fresh embryos have a higher success rate than frozen embryos (success rate for frozen embryos in a woman under 35 drops from 30% to 18%).

This is the end of page one of our IVF Alternatives article, for page 2, check out: IVF Alternative Treatment (page 2)

Are You Looking For An Alternative Fertility Therapy To IVF?

If you answered yes to the above question, then I strongly recommend that you check out Pregnancy Miracle.

Pregnancy Miracle is a unique, easy to follow 5-step plan for beating infertility using holistic techniques.  Lisa Olson, Pregnancy Miracle Author, has written this guide with particular reference as a guide to IVF alternatives and getting pregnant successfully.  Based with its roots in Chinese Medicine, this holistic fertility program is an excellent IVF alternative treatment guide.  Learn to improve your diet, lifestyle and exercise regeime to improve your fertility.  L
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