FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About In Vitro Fertilization

1. What will be the cost of IVF? The cost of IVF will be Rs 50,000/- (Indian Rupees ) + medication charges. Medication charges can change. 2. Why IVF is so expensive ? The medicines and media used for the procedure are imported and has heavy taxation. So it is so expensive. 3. Are the medications safe ? Any S.E.? The medications are generally safe and do not have much side effects. 4. Are the injection painful ? The injections can be taken as self, and they are not painful. 5. Do I have to be admitted in hospital ? No. You may have to spent 1 day during the Egg pick up. 6. How frequently I need to come to hospital ? The patient needs USS or alternate days or less frequently for follicular study. 7. Do I need rest during up ? Can I work ? There is no need of rest except for the day after egg collection. You can continue to work. 8. Can I have to female Dr. ? Yes. If you are particular that you want female Dr. every visit, please inform. 9. Do you give information Leaflets ? Information Leaflets are provided for all medical conditions related to your disease. 10. Will the procedure of Donor sperm/ egg be confidential ? Yes. The procedure of donor egg/ sperm is fully confidential. 11. Do you provide separate room/privacy for semen collection ? Yes. separate room/privacy will be provided for semen collection. 12. Is there need for my husband to be there for every checkup , does he have to take leave from work? No. Once the investigations are completed for the male partner, only the wife needs to come for regular seens. 13. Will you give us the reports of sesth of lab tests ? All the reports will be kept as a file Infertility Record, which will be given to you. 14. Can I still conceive if am menopausal ? Yes. You will need to have donor egg. 15. Can we have sterilizations be reversed-- ? Yes. You can have surgery either laparoscopically or as laparotony for leversal of sterilization. 16. Will I be seen by same Dr. each visit ? Infertility treatment is done by a team and you will be seeing the same team every visit. 17. Can I do my own injections? Yes. You will be taught, to take self injections. 18. What is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) In IVF, eggs are removed from the woman's ovaries and mixed with the man's sperm in a dish in a laboratory. Once the egg have been fertilized with the sperm, they are implanted in the women’s uterus 19. Do I have to take drugs? One may choose not to elect the drugs, but that will significantly decrease the odds of developing additional eggs. You will be closely monitored while you are on these drugs as women respond to them in different ways. Some women may complain of flushing and headaches. 20. When are the eggs retrieved? You will be closely monitored by following your temperature and the status of your hormones. An ultrasound will be done 3-6 days prior to ovulation to ensure that your eggs are ready to be retrieved. 21. How much time does the entire procedure require? Each cycle of IVF takes four to six weeks to complete. The process of IVF requires that both you and your partner can expect to spend about half a day at the clinic for the egg retrieval and fertilization procedures. The female partner has to return in a few days for the embryos to be transferred to the uterus. 22. How are the eggs retrieved? Egg retrieval requires an anesthetic. An ultrasound is done and the eggs are identified. With a fine needle, the eggs are retrieved under ultrasound guidance. The entire procedure takes about 15-30 minutes and there is minimal pain afterwards. 23. What happens to the eggs? Your partner's sperm is combined with your eggs in a dish containing a special nutrient medium, which is then cultured in an incubator to fertilize. After about 48 hours, the embryo (fertilized eggs) is then transferred to the uterus for implantation. 24. When is the embryo transferred to the uterus? The embryos are carefully transferred to the uterus under sterile conditions. The embryos are placed in the uterus with a fine tube. To avoid the risk of multiple pregnancy physicians never implant more than 2-3 embryos. Any extra embryos are frozen for future use in case the present attempt at conceiving is not successful. 25. Is there an age limit to IVF? There are no strict age limits but the protocol is best for women around the ages of 35-45. The older a woman is, the less chance there is of conceiving . 26. When does one know if the IVF is successful? If the implantation is successful and the embryo implants in the uterine wall, then within 10-14 days, the pregnancy test will be positive. If the pregnancy test is negative 2 weeks after implantation, the procedure has failed. 27. What is risk of multiple births? The risks of multiple births is always a concern and can also affect the health of the babies which have conceived. Data suggest that about 10-25% of females, who have a successful IVF pregnancy, will have twins. The risks of multiple births are increased with the number of embryos implanted. In the general population the chance of having twins is about 1 in 90. 28. What is the success rate? Unfortunately, despite all the hype and glamour of IVF, the procedure is still a “HIT and MISS” situation. No one can predict if pregnancy will occur. The outcomes are dependent on numerous factors. All data indicate that the younger the female, the greater the chance of success. Unbiased data indicate that the chance of success is about 10-20% and in most cases less. 29. What are side effects or complications of IVF? IVF treatments increase a woman's risk of ectopic pregnancy- in this case the embryo implants not in the uterus but in the fallopian tubes. 30. Is IVF associated with birth defects? All the data available indicate that IVF is safe and not associated with birth defects. However, long-term effects of IVF remain to be determined. 31. What is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) In IVF, eggs are removed from the woman's ovaries and mixed with the man's sperm in a dish in a laboratory. Once the egg have been fertilized with the sperm, they are implanted in the women’s uterus. 32. Do I have to take drugs? One may choose not to elect the drugs, but that will significantly decrease the odds of developing additional eggs. You will be closely monitored while you are on these drugs as women respond to them in different ways. Some women may complain of flushing and headaches. 33. When are the eggs retrieved? You will be closely monitored by following your temperature and the status of your hormones. An ultrasound will be done 3-6 days prior to ovulation to ensure that your eggs are ready to be retrieved. 34. How much time does the entire procedure require? Each cycle of IVF takes four to six weeks to complete. The process of IVF requires that both you and your partner can expect to spend about half a day at the clinic for the egg retrieval and fertilization procedures. The female partner has to return in a few days for the embryos to be transferred to the uterus. 35. How are the eggs retrieved? Egg retrieval requires an anesthetic. An ultrasound is done and the eggs are identified. With a fine needle, the eggs are retrieved under ultrasound guidance. The entire procedure takes about 15-30 minutes and there is minimal pain afterwards. 36. What happens to the eggs? Your partner's sperm is combined with your eggs in a dish containing a special nutrient medium, which is then cultured in an incubator to fertilize. After about 48 hours, the embryo (fertilized eggs) is then transferred to the uterus for implantation. 37. When is the embryo transferred to the uterus? The embryos are carefully transferred to the uterus under sterile conditions. The embryos are placed in the uterus with a fine tube. To avoid the risk of multiple pregnancy physicians never implant more than 2-3 embryos. Any extra embryos are frozen for future use in case the present attempt at conceiving is not successful. 38. Is there an age limit to IVF? There are no strict age limits but the protocol is best for women around the ages of 35-45. The older a woman is, the less chance there is of conceiving 39. When does one know if the IVF is successful? If the implantation is successful and the embryo implants in the uterine wall, then within 10-14 days, the pregnancy test will be positive. If the pregnancy test is negative 2 weeks after implantation, the procedure has failed. 40. What is risk of multiple births? The risks of multiple births is always a concern and can also affect the health of the babies which have conceived. Data suggest that about 10-25% of females, who have a successful IVF pregnancy, will have twins. The risks of multiple births are increased with the number of embryos implanted. In the general population the chance of having twins is about 1 in 90. 41. What is the success rate? Unfortunately, despite all the hype and glamour of IVF, the procedure is still a “HIT and MISS” situation. No one can predict if pregnancy will occur. The outcomes are dependent on numerous factors. All data indicate that the younger the female, the greater the chance of success. Unbiased data indicate that the chance of success is about 10-20% and in most cases less. 42. What are side effects or complications of IVF? IVF treatments increase a woman's risk of ectopic pregnancy- in this case the embryo implants not in the uterus but in the fallopian tubes. 43. Is IVF associated with birth defects? All the data available indicate that IVF is safe and not associated with birth defects. However, long-term effects of IVF remain to be determined.