Infertility in the modern world is a fairly common phenomenon faced by young couples who want to have a baby. Over the past few years, many have heard “IVF,” with which they are trying to cure infertility. At this stage in the development of medicine, there are no clinics that would give a 100% guarantee for pregnancy after the procedure. Let us turn to IVF statistics, factors that increase the effectiveness of the operation and clinics that can help infertile couples conceive a child.
What is IVF?
In vitro fertilization, which is briefly called IVF, is one of the most common and reliable methods of treating infertility. If you translate this definition from the Latin language, then literally it will mean fertilization outside the body, that is, the body begins to nucleate in a test tube, and only then it is transferred to the mother's body. Doctors recommend using this method to couples who have not been able to conceive a child for a year, living a sex life without protection. If the egg and sperm could not for some reason merge in vivo, doctors create them ideal in the laboratory. Briefly consider the stages of this type of fertilization.
The first stage of IVF
In time, the process lasts for one full menstrual cycle of a woman. It highlights several important steps that make it possible to get pregnant.
Prevention and stimulation of the egg maturation processes in a woman’s body. At this stage, the reproductive doctor analyzes the woman’s health, on the basis of which certain hormonal drugs are prescribed, the dosage is determined individually. These drugs contribute to an increase in the number of eggs produced, instead of one, several are formed. Preparations artificially prepare a woman for pregnancy. It is important at this stage to do ultrasound regularly to monitor the process of egg maturation.
Egg retrieval
All mature cells of a woman are extracted from her body with a thin needle, while ultrasound is constantly monitored. In time, this procedure takes only a few minutes, after a short rest (about 2 hours) you can go home.
Fertilization process
In parallel with the previous stage in a woman, a man gives in seminal fluid. After both female and male cells are in the clinic, embryologists enter the work. The cells of a woman and a man are placed in a test tube, artificial conditions are created for fertilization. Conception occurs, after which the test tube is sent to the incubator, embryos will develop in it for 2 days. Embryologists continue their work and monitor the development of cells.
Embryo implantation in women
This happens with a thin catheter. At a time, a woman should not tolerate more than 2 cells, because in this case a multiple pregnancy may occur. 2 cells - the best option. In this case, the strongest eggs are selected, which are more likely to survive. If there are other embryos left, they can be frozen “just in case” so that you can later plant them in your mother’s body if this IVF is unsuccessful. This stage does not take much time, it does not bring discomfort, but after the expectant mother you need to relax. This ends the IVF process, a woman is prescribed hormone therapy, which will allow the embryo to develop favorably. After 2 weeks, an hCG test is prescribed, due to which it is determined whether the woman is pregnant or not.
The process and scheme for the implementation of artificial insemination is called the IVF protocol. Depending on individual indicators, the sequence may vary.
How effective is IVF?
When deciding on in vitro fertilization, many prospective parents worry about what IVF statistics are. According to established practice, the data are such that the first time the chances are 50 to 50. That is, exactly half of the couples still find a child, and the second half temporarily loses this opportunity. The good news is that on the second attempt, the probability increases to 90%. Of course, predicting the result is quite difficult, because it all depends on individual characteristics and indicators. Next, we will analyze the factors that both negatively and positively affect the successful conduct of artificial insemination.
Factors influencing IVF outcome
Despite the IVF statistics given above, each couple who plans to resort to using this method should know what affects the result:
- Clinic. Of course, it is very important to carry out the procedure in a good clinic, which has its status in this area, new equipment, highly qualified specialists.
- The reason a woman cannot get pregnant. If the reason is the low sperm activity of a man, the probability of successful IVF is high, and if there is a woman’s obstruction in the tubes, the chances are reduced.
- How much a woman cannot get pregnant. The longer the couple is unable to conceive a child, the lower the chances of a positive result.
- The presence of a tumor, even if it is benign, reduces the likelihood of pregnancy.
- Wrong way of life.
- Age. If a woman is 35 years old or more, the effectiveness of the procedure is low, more than 2 embryos can be planted under the same IVF protocol, because the likelihood that they will take root is small.
- Donor eggs or sperm cells have a beneficial effect on the outcome of in vitro fertilization.
Better odds
IVF statistics can be influenced independently, increasing your chances of becoming parents. The main thing is to remember that everything is in your hands. It is necessary to strictly observe all the recommendations that the doctor gives the couple. In this case, not only a woman, but a man should follow the rules. In order to increase your chances of conceiving a child, it is necessary to conduct several protocols. This is the case when the more you try, the higher the chance. As we said earlier, the repeated procedure increases the possibility to 90%, the probability of a failed IVF is only 10%.
You must choose a good clinic, we will give a rating of the best in Russia below. The better the organization, the better the services it provides, remember this!
Statistical data
In Russia, the Association of Human Reproduction operates, which conducts comparisons and studies, displaying statistics on pregnancy after IVF. According to the data that it presents annually, about 40,000 IVF cycles are carried out in Russia. Of these, pregnancy occurs in 1 out of 4 cases. The average pregnancy rate using artificial insemination is 39%. Most of the clinics are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The bulk of patients older than 30 years, although the likelihood of becoming pregnant is significantly reduced. Clinics cope with the most diverse and difficult causes of infertility, for example, endometriosis, endocrine infertility.
Clinics rating in Moscow
We mentioned earlier that it is extremely important to choose a good hospital, now we will determine the list of the best IVF clinics. The selection was based on the effectiveness of the procedures that led to pregnancy and childbirth. We suggest you familiarize yourself with the rating of the best clinics in Russia:
- First of all, we indicate the IVF clinic in Moscow - the Center for Reproductive and Prenatal Medicine, which is briefly called EMC. It employs doctors with experience in the best centers of Europe. The employees of this organization take on the most difficult cases in which the couple already has no hope of giving birth to a child. Thanks to the active work of the clinic, more than 3,000 children were born. The cost of a full program of artificial insemination is 3,100. e., paid in rubles at the exchange rate.
- IVF clinic in Moscow "For Birth", which, like the previous one, helps in the treatment of infertility. On the basis of the clinic there is a service that helps couples who have arrived from other cities and regions with resettlement. The full cost of the IVF program is 223,000 rubles. If donor cells are used, then the cost is reduced to 170,000 rubles.
- IVF Center in Moscow will assist not only in the procedure, but also in the diagnosis of infertility, treatment and the use of other methods of reproduction. Official data show that the organization’s performance is 1.5 times higher than the average for Russia, that is, pregnancy is high here. One protocol costs 194,000 rubles, but there are also free programs for mandatory medical insurance.
- IVF clinic in Moscow "Mother and Child" is a whole network that operates not only in the capital, but also in other regions of the country. Only in Moscow there are 6 centers of this network. In the reviews, women indicate the benevolence of the doctors, the cozy atmosphere, which are so important during pregnancy and childbirth. The price of the full program is 200,000 rubles, and the organization also accepts patients for mandatory medical insurance.
- In conclusion, we indicate the health center "SM - Clinic", which is located in Moscow. The difference of this clinic from others is that among the equipment there are multi-gas incubators in which the embryo develops at natural temperature, the environment is constantly disinfected. The cost of the procedure is 150,000 rubles.
The best clinics in Russia located in other cities
- The IVF Center, located in Volgograd, is a large organization that treats infertility, with a 49% success rate. The price of the procedure is 130,000 rubles, and free participation in the mandatory medical insurance program is also possible.
- The international center in St. Petersburg specializes in reproductive medicine and has been operating since 1993, with each year the percentage of positive outcomes constantly increasing. The clinic has a compulsory medical insurance program; paid IVF services cost 95,000 rubles, which is considered quite inexpensive compared to other clinics.
- The IVF center, which is located in Smolensk, shows protocol performance of 49.7%, which is a fairly high indicator. In addition, you can not only try IVF, but also try to cure infertility. The cost of the full program, including all drugs and therapy, is 130,000 rubles. An additional advantage will be that in the clinic you can queue for IVF under the policy of compulsory insurance and carry out the procedure for free.
We have brought to your attention a number of the best IVF clinics that operate in different parts of our country. We draw attention to the fact that in the selection we were based on patient feedback and percentage of effectiveness. The prices indicated by us are approximate, they are current at the beginning of 2018.
IVF with donor egg
There are cases when the cause of couple infertility lies in violations of the egg maturation processes in a woman. In this case, the use of a donor female germ cell is popular. This type of artificial insemination differs in some features. There are three stages of the procedure:
- The choice of the donor, in some cases, the donor may be relatives or friends. As a general rule, a couple does not know information about their donor, if they are not familiar (relatives), only information about the phenotype — the properties and characteristics of an individual person — is provided. Donation is both free and for a fee. The age of the donor should not be more than 35 years, and it is also necessary to have at least one healthy child.
- The ratio of menstrual cycles. At this point, it is analyzed when a woman’s body matures in order to be ready to receive an egg and attach an embryo. In order to provoke maturation, hormone therapy is used, thanks to which the body prepares for future pregnancy.
- IVF procedure, which is carried out according to the scheme outlined above in general form.
The statistics of IVF with a donor egg shows that in 57% of cases the result is positive. Some clinics that specialize in this detail achieve 70% success, which is an excellent result.
IVF with donor sperm
The opposite situation, when the problem of infertility is contained in male germ cells, is solved by IVF with donor sperm. Also, this method is used when a woman does not have a husband, but she wants a child. The process is almost identical to the previous one.
- Semen donor search. As a rule, couples or a single woman go to a sperm bank, which almost every clinic has, select the necessary candidate there. A single vial of sperm is enough to fertilize all the eggs of a woman. A vial is a container that holds the candidate’s seminal fluid.
- In vitro fertilization of the egg in the same way as described above. Intrauterine insemination is also possible, which involves the introduction of sperm into the uterus of a woman. This method is not effective, pregnancy occurs in only 20% of cases.
The main thing is a positive attitude, faith in the result and support of a loved one will help to conceive a child, bear and give birth to him!