Is it true that I can do IVF if I want to?
No. The treatment of infertility should follow the principles of diagnosis before treatment, simple before complex, and cheap before high cost. There are principles for treatment, but not the more expensive, the better, but the right treatment. Any treatment has its positive and negative sides, advantages and disadvantages. In general, it is always general guidance, then medication, specialized surgical treatment, and then assisted reproductive treatment. Simple cases can be achieved with simple treatment, and exceptional cases are those where IVF may not be effective. Our emphasis is on symptomatic treatment, simple when it should be simple, costly when it needs to be complicated, and abandonment when it should be abandoned in special cases. It is important to treat moderately and not over-treat or ineffectively.
Is there an age limit for IVF treatment
Theoretically there is no age limit, but in practice we do not advocate IVF treatment for patients of advanced age; the success rate is already very low for patients over 40 years old, and even more rare for those over 45. On the contrary, these patients have the problems of high treatment risks and high treatment costs, and even if they succeed, there are still family and social problems, and the huge age difference will affect the growth, development, psychology and retirement of the child.
Is IVF treatment safe?
There are risks associated with IVF treatment, including medication side effects, surgical risks and pregnancy risks. Common side effects include allergic reactions, ovarian hyperstimulation, weight gain, fatigue, etc. In the long term, it may also lead to early menopause, and hormonal stimulation may be associated with the development of tumors, while surgical risks include infection, bleeding, internal organ damage, etc. Pregnancy risks include miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, multiple births, etc.
It is generally believed that babies born after conventional IVF treatment do not differ from those born normally, but their long-term condition remains to be further observed.
It is theoretically possible for ICSI to pass on to the next generation some abnormal chromosomes, mutated genes or other genetic defects that affect male fertility, and the operation itself may result in some unknown changes in that embryo.
Therefore, there should be clear medical indications for IVF treatment, and unnecessary IVF treatment should not be performed.
IVF treatment costs
The cost of a complete IVF treatment cycle is around $30,000, which varies with the individual examination and treatment. Special treatments such as ICSI, embryo freezing, blastocyst culture, assisted hatching, etc. are also subject to additional costs.
Does IVF treatment hurt?
Generally speaking, egg retrieval is painful, but the doctor will use appropriate amount of sedative pain medication, so it is completely tolerable and patients do not need to feel afraid. A small number of patients with ovarian hyperstimulation may experience abdominal distention and pain, which can be relieved in a short period of time with proper treatment. Of course injections can be painful, so if you are particularly afraid of them, it’s something to consider.
Can you choose the gender of your IVF treatment?
Many patients will have this idea and want to have a boy or a girl. It is very unfortunate that this is not currently allowed by our policy and is technically difficult to do. We don’t want to break the law, and you should not ask us for this, okay?
What is the second generation IVF and is it more advanced than the first generation IVF
The so-called first generation second generation is just a colloquial and informal term. During conventional IVF treatment, we take the eggs and sperm obtained after certain treatment and put them in a specific environment, after a certain period of time the sperm and eggs will naturally unite together to become a fertilized egg, a process we commonly refer to as first generation IVF. However, if the quality or quantity of sperm is abnormal, after a certain period of time, the sperm and the egg will not unite together to form a fertilized egg, and then we need to use a special method to fertilize the egg, which is called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), also known as second generation IVF technology, where we use a capillary injection syringe to suck a sperm under a microscope to forcibly inject it into the egg to fertilize it.
The so-called generations here are not a change of technology, like computer technology, where one generation is better than the other, and the second generation of IVF is not more advanced than the first generation. In fact, the first generation is the result of natural selection, which ensures that the strongest sperm is selected to fertilize the egg, reflecting the natural principle of survival of the fittest, while the second generation does not reflect this principle. The cost is also much higher. Therefore, we say that it is better to do the first generation, but if the quality or quantity of sperm is abnormal, or if the previous first generation treatment is not fertilized or the fertilization is poor, then the second generation IVF treatment should be chosen in order to avoid the situation of non-fertilization. This is the second best option.
Can IVF treatment result in twins?
It is entirely possible, but not guaranteed. The rate of twins in natural pregnancies is a little over 1%, while the rate of twins after IVF treatment can be 20% or even higher, and the rate of triplets can be 1-3%. But doctors can’t “customize” it, you have to get pregnant first, otherwise …… is good enough to have one, don’t you think?