IVF / ICSI

IVF/ICSI

For couples facing fertility challenges, IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)/ ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) are the reproductive treatments that offer hope for parenthood. This is the treatment aimed at increasing the fertility chances by fertilizing the matured eggs with your partner’s sperm outside the womb in the laboratory.

What is IVF/ ICSI and its procedure?

IVF is a fertility treatment where a female egg and the male sperm are combined outside the body to form an embryo. At this stage, ovaries are stimulated to produce multiple eggs so that mature eggs can be retrieved and fertilized with the sperms to form an embryo. After the embryo is formed, it is transferred to the female uterus to form a baby in the womb.

ICSI is the advanced form of IVF fertility treatment where a single sperm is fertilized with an egg to form an embryo. This is the enhanced method opted for when the male has less sperm count or the sperm quality may be poor. In this procedure, the sperm is directly inserted into an egg and then the embryo is formed. And once the embryo is formed, it is again implanted inside the womb.

Who should opt for the IVF/ICSI procedure?

Choosing IVF/ICSI depends on individual circumstances and fertility center protocols. This procedure must be under expert guidance by consulting an experienced specialist who can share all the potential risks and benefits after the complete checkup.

Women with:

Blocked fallopian tubes
Ovulation problems
Unexplained infertility issues
Endometriosis
Uterine fibroids
Multiple pregnancies or birth defects

Men with:

Couples With:

For ICSI Couple with:

What is the IVF/ICSI treatment procedure?

IVF/ICSI treatment is a procedure to conceive a child by fertilizing the egg with the sperm through the below given steps:

1. Consultation: To start the IVF/ICSI treatment, consult a fertility specialist so that they can understand the situation and plan the process as per your health status report.
2. Medications & Stimulation: The fertility specialist will then suggest hormonal stimulation-based medications and schedule a routine as per the condition to produce mature eggs by stimulating the egg production in ovaries for further procedure.
3. Egg Retrieval & Sperm Collection: After the eggs reach maturity, they are retrieved from the ovaries with a small invasive procedure without any scars or stitches using the thin needle and the semen is collected from male partner for sperm collection.
4. Fertilization & Embryo Development: At further process, both the partners matured eggs & sperm are fertilized to form an embryo. This embryo is stored in the lab with complete monitoring for 3-5 days.
5. Embryo Transfer: After the embryo is successfully formed, it is carefully implanted in the women’s womb through uterus and there will be regular consultation to check on the embryo to develop into fetus to result in a successful pregnancy.

What are the success rates for IVF/ICSI procedures?

Success rates vary due to individual factors such as age, health, or unidentified infertility of the couples. After the egg retrieval and the embryo transfer, forming a fetus decides the success rate of each procedure. The success rate of the IVF procedure differs for every couple where the rate ranges between 30%-40% but with ICSI there is a higher chance of success rate than IVF that ranges between 50%-80%.

What are the benefits of the IVF/ICSI procedure?

1. Increased Fertility Chances: IVF/ICSI treatment increases fertility chances significantly compared to old traditional methods especially, in ICSI. Inserting sperm directly into an egg eradicates all the fertility issues, offering the couple hope to conceive the child.
2. Identifying Male Infertility: With this treatment, the specialist addresses the male factor infertility which includes low sperm count, poor sperm motility, or abnormal sperm structure. This process not only addresses the issue but provides ultimate solutions for male infertility concerns to help couples attain parenthood.
3. Screening and Diagnosis: Screening procedures are undertaken before initiating the IVF cycle such as Ovarian reserve testing, Semen Analysis, Infectious disease screening, Ultrasound scan of Pelvis. Screening and Diagnosis helps to detect fertility issues in time and patients can start treatment early and reduce complications.
4. Higher maternal age: If your age is high and you want to conceive a child, the IVF/ICSI procedure is a golden gem to improve your pregnancy rates, as the pregnancy risk is high for the age group from 36 to 42. This method can help you conceive a child overcoming all challenges with the best IVF doctor with broad experience in fertility service.

What are the potential risks of opting for the IVF/ICSI procedure?

1. Embryo damage: Sometimes when you fertilize the egg there are higher chances of the egg getting damaged during the process due to certain complications. This is the reason most couples preserve the extra embryo and freeze it for future use.
2. Birth defects: There is a 1%-3% risk of birth defects such as sex chromosome abnormalities, hypospadias, genetic transfer, and other if any fertility issue that arises during the process. Mostly these cases can be addressed in ICSI treatment because of which fertility doctors always suggest going for IVF first and then if fertility is getting failed for multiple times, then they suggest ICSI.
3. Risk of multiple pregnancies: In IVF/ICSI services there are high chances that the embryo can divide into two because of which the parent can conceive 2 or 3 babies in her womb. In another case, if more than 1 embryo is replaced in the womb during the treatment, there’s a possibility of producing twins or triplets. Due to which, it significantly increases risk of complications such as miscarriage, preterm labor, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-related high blood pressure, c-section, for mothers and for babies there is risk of low birth weight, premature birth, life-threatening problems like newborn respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and Cerebral Palsy.