What To Expect In An IVF Consultation

Author – Dr Richa Sharma(Senior IVF Consultant Mumbai)

IVF(Invitrofertilization) is   considered as most successful ART.But as patients its important that you should know that it has limitations even in the best circumstances and is guarded by certain confounding factors ranging from your age to clinical skills  with proper training of your treating doctor to the lab parameters. If you are claimed 100 or 200% results then that must be God’s Promise as its beyond limitation of a human at least.So don’t get carried away by the Google ads and other advertisement and brand names and age only –do your proper homework before you get treated.What is more important and expected is not just to start you on injectable medicines but the right guidance with cafeteria choice with definitely paying due respect to what you decide as a couple with open mind.Availability of different tests and glamourous equipments with fancy medicines doesn’t mean you need all
Here are few things you should learn before stepping into any clinic to have a smooth journey of parenthood

1)      Your clinical profile-

Success of an IVF revolves around as what is the age of female partner because as the age advances(more than 35 years) quality and quantity of eggs(ovarian reserve) will decline so further compromising the success rate.Chances range between 30 to 45%  with own eggs and sperms and 50 to 60% in Surrogacy and donor gametes

2)      Get basic check up done-

You should get at least ovarian reserve and semen test done before you reach Doctor

3)      Preconceptional advise- (Prevention is better than cure)

Start Folic acid(Prenatal Vitamins) before you plan pregnancy at least one month prior .It will help save your baby against brain and spinal disorders because at the end we want you to have healthy baby

4)      Medical clearance-

If you are more than 40 years age or if you have any history of medical ailments associated so get yourself treated prior hand only .Purpose is to see that you are medically fit to carry the pregnancy or you don’t carry any disease which can impact your baby.No hurry is more precious than being safe first.

5)       Know Your Problem First-

Term Infertility or labeling someone as Infertile looks very harsh.Its important you should know the difference.If you had any pregnancy or abortion earlier then you are subfertile-it means you have decreased fertility but still you have much better chances of having baby than the couple who never had any pregnancy

6)      Donor not always an answer to nil sperms-

 Even if your husband has zero sperms(azoopsermia), it doesn’t mean that you have to opt only for donor sperms.Still healthy sperms can be obtained from his testes by a minor surgery called SSR(Surgical sperm retrieval) like TESA,PEAS,MESA,TESE,MICROTESE.

*These are facts are based on clinical experience and observation of author