FAQ - answers about IVF

Does weight affect fertility?

Yes, of course it does. It is desirable that there is neither deficiency nor excess body weight. Since the reproductive function of a woman also depends on this.

Should IVF be postponed in a hostile environment?

Conditions are never perfect. If the couple has made up their minds and is ready, and the circumstances around are not so critical, then it is worth joining the program.

How long after a viral infection is it possible to enter the IVF program?

After one to three months, depending on the duration and severity of the viral infection.

How do you know how many healthy eggs are left?

In fact, it is very difficult to answer this question unambiguously. In principle, we cannot assess the "health" of a woman's eggs, but we can assess the ovarian reserve, that is, their "reserve". To do this, it is necessary to conduct a hormonal study (FSH and anti-Müllerian hormone), ultrasound of the pelvic organs on a certain day of the cycle with the count of antral follicles.

Thanks to this, we can, for example, predict how many oocytes (eggs) we can receive during the IVF program. And only at this stage, during fertilization of oocytes, it is possible to assess their "quality".

If the reserve is good, then the prospects for successful conception are higher.

It is known that a woman is born with a limited number of eggs. Naturally, with age, there are fewer of them, is it possible to keep the stock?

Yes, of course you can!

The only way to preserve the supply of eggs is to cryopreserve them. That is, go through the so-called "genetic material preservation program".

Cryopreservation of oocytes is relevant in different situations. For example, if the pregnancy is postponed for a long time, the woman will have to undergo serious treatment (chemotherapy or surgery on the pelvic organs) or there is a genetic predisposition to premature ovarian depletion.

Can there be the same egg supply at 40 and 20?

Yes, it happens that patients of 35-40 years old come, whose hormone parameters and ultrasound results are as good as those of 20 year old healthy girls. But there is one important point that needs to be mentioned. There may indeed be a lot of oocytes in patients over 35 years old, but their quality and development potential decrease over the years. Therefore, a good ovarian reserve does not guarantee that it will be possible to become pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby in the first IVF cycle.

Why do some people succeed on the first IVF attempt, while others need to go through several cycles to get pregnant?

The success of IVF depends on the joint work of the fertility doctor and future parents.

If from the very first attempt a good embryo was obtained, all the necessary studies were carried out, then the probability is quite high. If at the same time genetic testing of the embryo was also done - PGT (optional, but recommended research), then the probability reaches 70%. But there is still 30% left. Therefore, the success of IVF cannot be predicted, but with each cycle the probability of pregnancy increases.

Why do genetic testing of the embryo?

This is a study that allows to increase the efficiency of IVF and to exclude the transfer of embryos with genetic abnormalities of the fetus. Thanks to this, the patient suffers less psychologically from unsuccessful attempts and becomes more confident that the baby will be born healthy.

What can be done with unclaimed embryos?

Embryos can be cryopreserved and stored until the moment when you want to give birth to another child.

A woman may ask to dispose of embryos or donate to other couples who cannot conceive a child with their own germ cells.

Thank you for the detailed answers to the candidate of medical sciences, reproductologist Tabolova V.K.