Number of couples taking up assisted reproductive therapy to conceive on the rise in Kolkata

KOLKATA: Debarati (name changed) an

executive professional

, married for seven years had suffered three miscarriages, leaving her emotionally and

physically vulnerable

. But the 36-year-old did not give up her hope of becoming a mother. She decided to go for IVF and is now mother of a healthy baby after the second cycle of IVF.

Late marriage, stress and an altered lifestyle taking a toll on the

reproductive health

an increasing number of couple are seeking

assisted reproductive technology

(ART) to conceive.

"If a couple is unable to conceive after a year of trying (6 months if age of the woman is over 38), the best thing to do is talk to the doctor immediately. A fertility specialist can help couples sort through all the information to get a better understanding of the diagnosis and the treatment that best suits them.” said Dr. Arindam Rath, Fertility Consultant at Nova IVI Fertility, Kolkata.

IVF or in-vitro fertilisation involves fertilising the egg with the sperm in the laboratory and then transferring the embryo into the uterus. In recent years, the success rates of IVF have greatly improved due to advances in ART.

"Although IVF has several success stories, there are still many myths related to this procedure,” said Dr Rath.

Dispelling myths about IVF

Myth: Women can conceive at any age through IVF

Age can reduce the chance of a couple giving birth to a health child but is no barrier. The truth is, the quality and quantity of eggs start declining from the age of 38 in most women, thereby causing difficulties in conceiving. Other complications also rise, thereby leading to a high risk pregnancy even if successfully conceived.

Myth: IVF guarantees 100% success; there’s no hope after the first IVF failure

Studies have reported that the global average success rate of one cycle of IVF is about 35%. For a majority of the cases, IVF often is successful over two or three cycles based on the learning from the previous failures.

Myth: IVF involves donor gametes only

IVF is usually done with the wife's eggs and the husband's sperm unless indicated otherwise. There are chances that even women with a low ovarian reserve or men with absence of viable sperms in the testes may conceive with their own gametes. Donor gametes are advised only in selective situations.

Myth: Frozen embryos are not as effective as fresh embryos

Patients who use frozen embryos have equal chances of success as those who use fresh embryos.

Myth: Stick to bed rest after IVF

An

IVF pregnancy

has to be treated like a normal pregnancy. IVF is nothing but an assisted process in the genetic composition of the man and the woman to form a baby. Women can go back to their routine and the usual pregnancy care should be taken.

Myth: IVF always results in twins and triplets

While it is true that multiple pregnancies are more common in those undergoing IVF treatment than in those having a natural pregnancy, advancements in ART techniques allow for effective single embryo transfers these days.

Myth: Babies end up with genetic abnormalities when conceived through IVF

On the contrary, advanced ART techniques allow accurate detection of chromosome errors in the embryo before transfer, increasing the chances of a healthy and genetically normal baby.