Frequently Asked Questions (Infertility)
Having a healthy child can be considered the greatest blessing in the world. Although most couples can achieve a happy ending without much effort when they wish, this situation is not easy for everyone. Infertility, defined as the inability to conceive despite one year of unprotected intercourse (infertility) causes 15% of couples to apply to in vitro fertilization centers.
Is IVF the only treatment option for infertile couples?
IVF treatment is not the only option for infertile couples. Sometimes, just following ovulation and ensuring regular intercourse can make pregnancy easier. In order to decide on this, a complete diagnosis of the patient's problem must be made and the appropriate treatment option must be presented to the patient. Treatment options may include stimulating ovulation and ensuring regular intercourse, adding insemination treatment, IVF treatment or sometimes simply eliminating the existing problem with a surgical operation.
What is the method of ovulation stimulation?
Ovulation, which begins at the beginning of the menstrual period in women and is usually in the middle of two menstrual periods, is usually the release of one egg. The administration of external medication to ensure the development of the egg in patients receiving treatment and to increase the number of eggs in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization is called ovum stimulation.
What is the vaccination method?
The insemination method is the process of taking the semen sample from the man and passing it through special processes and administering the part with high movement and vitality rate into the uterus of the expectant mother with the help of a catheter. It is generally applied to patients who have undergone egg stimulation and have achieved single egg development by imitating normal physiology.
What are the chances of success in vaccination?
The chance of success varies depending on the characteristics of the couple and the drug treatment applied, but is generally between 15-20%.
Are there any tests that need to be done before vaccination?
The couple who will undergo insemination should first be evaluated together. After the gynecological examination of the woman, the urological examination of the man and the semen analysis, a hysterosalpingogram showing the condition of the tubes and uterus should be requested from the expectant mother. Hormonal tests performed on the second or third day of menstruation are added to these.
How many times should vaccination be attempted?
Theoretically, such a limitation may be meaningless. However, if pregnancy does not occur despite 3 inseminations, it would be appropriate to switch to in vitro fertilization treatment.
What is the difference between in vitro fertilization and microinjection?
Classical in vitro fertilization is the comparison of eggs taken from women with sperm in a laboratory environment and the sperm fertilizes the egg with its own effort. The microinjection method is the placement of sperm into the eggs one by one with the help of a microscope.
Who can apply for in vitro fertilization?
For young and newly married couples, there is a 90% pregnancy expectancy after two years of unprotected intercourse. If pregnancy is not achieved despite two years of unprotected intercourse, it is necessary to seek support from assisted reproductive techniques. If the woman is over thirty-five, treatment planning is done regardless of the duration of her marriage.
In cases where the male patient's sperm count is below 5 million, in cases where the female patient's fallopian tubes are not functioning or the number of eggs has decreased, and in cases where pregnancy is not achieved despite 2 or 3 insemination attempts, the choice will be to try in vitro fertilization.
What kind of tests are performed on couples who come to the IVF center?
Before IVF treatment, semen analysis is mandatory for male patients. In the event of 'absence of sperm: azoospermia' that may be detected as a result of this test, the patient may be informed that sperm can be found with surgery (microtece) or that there may be problems with fertilization in the event of serious deformities detected as a result of this test. For female patients, ovarian dysfunctions are revealed with hormonal tests performed on the 2nd or 3rd day of menstruation (early menopause, ovarian inertia, thyroid gland diseases, high milk hormone levels). In addition, in female patients, in some suspicious cases, the uterus and tubes can be evaluated with HSG, while in some cases, it will be sufficient to evaluate the uterine structure with hysteroscopy.
How long does the treatment take?
When choosing treatment protocols, the patient's age, ovarian reserve, body mass index and previous treatments are taken into consideration. Treatments lasting 15 or 40 days can be performed in line with the protocol you prefer.
Are there any side effects of the medications used?
Gastrointestinal side effects, bloating, dizziness are the most common side effects. Apart from these, groin pain may be felt due to the growth of the eggs during the treatment. The effectiveness of the drugs used in IVF treatment is limited to 24 hours.
When are the eggs collected?
If you have been able to produce at least three eggs measuring 17 mm or more during the ultrasound checks, the eggs are mature enough to be collected.
When does the transfer take place?
The transfer day is determined by the embryo quality. While third day transfers are common in Turkey, if the egg quality deteriorates under external environmental conditions (laboratory), second day transfers are planned, and if it can withstand external environmental conditions and maintain its quality, fifth day transfers are also planned. We mostly perform fifth day transfers in our clinic.
What is the most important stage of IVF application?
The protocol you choose for the patient, the dose you apply at the beginning of the treatment, the duration of drug application and laboratory conditions are the determinants of your quality and success.
Do the drugs used in IVF treatment have an effect on pregnancy?
Although the drugs used in in vitro fertilization treatment have no known side effects on the developing baby, it is known that high-dose drug applications can impair egg quality (aneuploidy) and cause chromosomal abnormalities, preventing pregnancy success.
What is the cost of IVF?
The cost of IVF may vary from clinic to clinic and patient to patient. The difference between clinics may vary depending on the equipment you choose to increase embryo quality during treatment. The difference between patients increases or decreases depending on the patient's age, weight, and ovarian reserve and the medication dose you use.
Is there a special follow-up for pregnancies achieved through in vitro fertilization?
Multiple pregnancies can be monitored in IVF pregnancies. It is appropriate to monitor these types of pregnancies at frequent intervals due to the risk of premature birth. Other than this, no special monitoring or bed rest is required for singleton pregnancies.
Can sperm and eggs be mixed with someone else's sperm and eggs in a laboratory environment?
Patient safety is of utmost importance. Therefore, the patient and spouse's identity information is verified at every stage of the treatment. The day of egg collection and the day of microinjection are definitely verified once again. The patient is questioned about information regarding their treatment and the egg collection and fertilization procedures are performed at the appropriate time. Such confusion is not possible due to these meticulous controls.
Do IVF pregnancies have a higher risk of miscarriage?
As a result of the studies, it has been reported that no more chromosomal abnormalities are observed in IVF pregnancies than normal. Based on this, miscarriages due to genetic anomalies are observed at the same rate. However, since the frequency of multiple pregnancies has increased with IVF, the rate of miscarriages and premature births due to multiple pregnancies has increased. In our country, in 2010, in accordance with the new regulation published by our Ministry of Health, single embryo transfer was made mandatory for patients under the age of 35. For this reason, multiple pregnancy rates have decreased compared to the past. Therefore, premature birth and complication rates have also decreased.
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