Many couples struggling with infertility choose IVF to attain their dream of having children. When a woman decides to undergo IVF treatment to help her get pregnant, she has to take fertility hormones in the form of IVF injections to stimulate her ovaries to produce more healthy eggs. Are these IVF injections safe? Can injecting hormones cause side effects in the woman and the baby she conceives? Read on to find out.
IVF – In Vitro Fertilisation is a fertility treatment to help couples get pregnant. A couple can suffer from infertility due to various reasons. When the sperm quality is normal and clears all the tests, a fertility doctor can suggest IVF.
In IVF, the doctor administers hormone injections to the woman to stimulate her egg production. Next, they will collect these eggs and infuse the sperm in them for fertilisation. Once the fertilisation is successful, the embryo forms. The doctor will transfer this embryo into the woman’s uterus. If it successfully attaches to the uterine wall, implantation takes place, leading to a successful conception.
A woman’s body generally releases just one mature egg every menstrual cycle during ovulation. When she opts for IVF treatment, the doctor will want more than just one mature egg to increase the chances of pregnancy. So, they will start her on a set of hormone injections. The drug, its frequency and dosage will vary from woman to woman, and the fertility specialist will decide this depending on multiple factors.
It can be about 6 weeks between the time your hormone injections start and your pregnancy test after embryo transfer. During this time, the doctor will perform multiple ultrasounds to closely monitor your ovaries and their response to the hormone injections. We can broadly classify the process into four main steps –
This is the period between your first hormone injection and the final trigger shot before the egg retrieval. It can last anywhere between 8 to 14 days. The fertility specialist will observe how your ovaries are reacting to the hormone injections.
During this time, regular ultrasounds (daily or alternate days) will help the doctor measure the size of your ovarian follicles. Ovarian follicles are the small sacs in which the eggs develop. If the sac is more than 14mm in size, then the egg inside is mature enough for ovulation or extraction. If the follicle is less than 14mm, then the egg is still not ready.
Once the ovarian follicles are ready, the doctor will move on to the next step – the trigger shot.
You have to take this trigger shot exactly 36 hours before the egg retrieval. Once the follicles are big enough, indicating mature eggs are ready for ovulation, the doctor will fix your egg retrieval date. They will ask you to take the trigger shot exactly 36 hours before the time for retrieval.
36 hours after your trigger shot, when your ovaries are ready to release the mature eggs, the fertility specialist will start the retrieval process. They will guide a thin needle into each of your ovaries and retrieve the eggs from the mature ovarian follicles. An ultrasound will help them guide the needle, with a suction device, to the right follicles.
After retrieving the eggs, it is time to fertilise them using the sperm from the partner. Once the embryos form, the doctor will transfer two or more embryos back into the uterus and freeze the remaining in storage. Now, before this transfer, your doctor will administer another injection to prepare your uterus for implantation.
This hormone injection will prepare your uterus for implantation by making the walls thicker. In most cases, you will be on oral medications for about 14-21 days (2-3 weeks) before they give you injections for the next six days.
A blood test and an ultrasound will tell the doctor if your uterus is thick enough for implantation and if your body has enough hormones to support the same.
Different fertility drugs can have different side effects. The intensity will also vary from person to person depending on how their body reacts to the medicine and the dosage they take.
IVF is a good option for couples struggling with infertility. Just like any medical or scientific procedure, IVF has its own set of side effects. Remember, not everyone suffers the side effects; most are manageable with timely intervention. Finding a good fertility specialist and clinic can reduce your risks and increase your chances of a successful pregnancy.
If IVF is done by a well-trained specialist in a good facility, after properly analysing the patient, the risks are very minimal.
Yes, with the advancement of science and technology, IVF treatments are very safe, and most issues arising out of the treatment are easily treatable.
No clinical procedure is 100% safe or successful. There are chances of risks, side effects and the treatment not working. It depends on the patient, the reason for infertility, the fertility specialist and the clinic’s success rate.
Ensure your fertility specialist gives you a personalised treatment plan and medicine dosages based on your test results. Follow the doctor’s orders and keep a close watch for reactions and symptoms. Addressing issues, if any, as soon as possible is advisable.
