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In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment option for couples struggling to conceive. IVF pregnancies require special care in the early stages, but can be treated conventionally after the first trimester. Success rates vary by age, and multiple pregnancies have higher risks. Other assisted reproductive technologies, such as egg donation and surrogacy, are available but raise legal and ethical issues.
An in vitro fertilization (IVF) pregnancy is a pregnancy created with the aid of assisted reproductive technologies. Couples who have been struggling to successfully conceive on their own for more than a year may consider IVF as an infertility treatment option. In the early stages, an IVF pregnancy requires some special care, but usually the patient can be transferred to a regular midwife towards the end of the first trimester, at which point she will be treated as a conventionally pregnant woman. Success rates for pregnancy with IVF vary by age. Younger women are more likely to have a live birth than older women.
In vitro fertilization is a procedure in which eggs are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory setting. The fertilized eggs are encouraged to develop and once they are dividing and multiplying well, usually after three or four days, they can be transferred to the patient. Follow-up tests will be used to see if the eggs have been successfully implanted, an important step in an IVF pregnancy.
First trimester miscarriage is a common problem in conventional pregnancy and the same is true for IVF pregnancy. For this reason, patients are closely monitored for any signs of complications in the early weeks of pregnancy. Their hormone levels will be checked and they may be given progesterone if their bodies don’t make enough of this hormone. Patients may also be advised to use special caution to avoid some risks of miscarriage.
Once an IVF pregnancy has passed the eighth week, the patient can be provided with the same care that women with conventional pregnancies receive. This includes prenatal tests and appointments to check on the mother’s health and pregnancy status. If multiple eggs have been transferred and implanted, a woman may be offered the option of shortening the pregnancy and carrying it to term. Multiple pregnancies have higher risks, and women who choose not to reduce will need to see an obstetrician experienced in managing multiples.
There are other assisted reproductive technologies available to women and men who have difficulty conceiving. If a woman’s eggs are not viable, she has the potential to become pregnant by IVF with an egg from one donor and sperm from her partner or sperm from another donor. Similarly, IVF pregnancy can be used with surrogates, women who carry pregnancies for women who are unable to carry a pregnancy to term successfully. The legal and ethical issues surrounding reproductive technology can be complicated, and people considering the use of donors and surrogates may wish to discuss the matter with attorneys, spiritual counselors, ethicists, or all three.
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