The process of preparing for in vitro fertilization is distinguished by its length. While the doctor conducts all the important diagnostic procedures and collects tests, the woman has enough time to prepare her body well for the procedure. The success of IVF will depend more on the quality of female eggs . How to improve egg quality before IVF? It is important to remember that this issue should concern not only women planning to conceive using reproductive technology, but also those who are going to become pregnant naturally.
What negatively affects the ovum?
Throughout life, the number and quality of eggs in a woman’s body changes greatly. If it is difficult to change their number, and the older the woman’s age, the faster the number of such cells decreases, then various negative factors can affect the quality. The most common causes of poor egg quality include:
- bad habits: smoking and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol;
- improperly prepared diet, lack of vitamins and nutrients obtained from food;
- poor rest, inadequate sleep;
- onset of menopause;
- excess weight.
The age of a woman is considered an important factor that affects the number of eggs and their quality. After 40 years, healthy eggs in the body of a woman make up only 15-20 percent. With this condition, the risk of a child with an abnormal number of chromosomes is significantly increased. It is important to remember that with age, the ability to conceive a baby by the natural method is significantly reduced, since after 35 years the number of eggs begins to fall rapidly. It is important to determine how to improve egg quality before IVF.
Oocyte Life Cycle
A woman's eggs are unique cells. They are considered the largest in the body. They begin to actively develop and be produced in the ovaries of the girl. Egg progenitor cells develop during the formation of the fetus in the womb. At birth, a girl in the ovaries can already count from 400 to 500 first-order oocytes - this is her life stock of eggs.
During the onset of puberty, the girl actively forms primary oocytes that were laid at the time of birth, and with each subsequent month one of the follicles bursts to release an egg ready for fertilization into the fallopian tube. This process is controlled by hormones that prevent the release of too many eggs so that the ovarian reserve does not run out ahead of time.
It is on this principle that menstrual cycles pass. With each of them, a woman loses one (in some cases, even two) eggs. Ovarian reserve decreases throughout life, and the quality of the remaining female cells becomes much worse with age. Part of the oocytes in the ovaries is negatively affected, the rest leaves the body during menstruation along with blood.
It will not be possible to stop the process of deterioration of the quality and destruction of the structure of the egg cells with age - such a process is considered natural.
But it should be remembered that the quality of such cells can be greatly worsened by the environmental situation in the place of residence, the amount of vitamins and nutrients obtained regularly from food, the presence of bad habits, as well as various chronic diseases and cases of acute respiratory viral infections and flu.
Negative factors affecting the state of oocytes can be much greater if a woman is constantly experiencing emotional upheaval, is in a nervous state, works at night, does not sleep well, leads an irregular sex life, or if she was recently operated on under general anesthesia.
Aging process
What determines the quality of the eggs? Problems with the state of female cells manifest themselves after the age of 34 years. This applies not only to women who smoke and drink too much alcohol. Even women with no bad habits and leading a healthy lifestyle are prone to this condition - the process of egg aging. The thing in this case will be hormones. Regular effects on suppressing the activity of dominant follicles over time significantly worsen their activity.
Aging also occurs on the X chromosome. It is for this reason that with age, a woman only increases the risk of having a baby with some deviations in genetics. This risk increases in proportion to age. He becomes highest when a woman is already 40 years old.
Fully healthy eggs are present only in the body of a recently born girl. By the age of ten years, only 70 percent of first-order oocytes remain in her body, which, under favorable circumstances, can turn into healthy full-fledged eggs. For a girl over the age of 20, only 37 percent of the eggs in the initial quantity are in stock. In women aged 30 years, no more than 12 percent. At 35 years old, doctors identify only 7 percent of completely healthy eggs. At 45, they are no more than 1-2 percent.
Preparation for IVF
How to improve egg quality before IVF? At any stage of IVF, egg quality is considered very important. At the initial stage of the procedure, the woman’s ovaries are stimulated with special hormonal drugs. They are important for obtaining a large number of eggs: the more the embryologist will have eggs, the higher the chance that the artificial insemination procedure will be successful and that after replanting into the uterine cavity, the embryo will quickly take root and begin its active development.
When taking drugs that improve egg quality, the ovaries should give a normal reaction: several follicles should grow correctly and at an accelerated rate. They are monitored by ultrasound, and a blood test for luteinizing hormone is also performed. It is important not only that a large number of dominant follicles are produced in a woman’s body, but also each oocyte maturing inside it has sufficient weight.
Immediately after three or more follicles grow to the desired size (from 16 to 22 millimeters), an hCG agent is introduced, which helps to achieve accelerated maturation of oocytes. If such a drug is administered too early, it can lead to the production of insufficiently mature eggs, which may not fertilize or cause serious diseases and genetic abnormalities in the introduced embryo. After the injection of the hCG drug, it takes about 36 hours before the follicle puncture.
The treating specialists carry out the procedure under anesthesia. The follicle is punctured with a thin hollow needle tool and, together with oocytes, the fluid is pulled from it by aspiration. Often, especially in older women, the ovum is absent in large and in appearance of fully ripened follicles, the follicle itself under the influence of a hormonal drug changes to the shape of a cyst.
What tests are being tested?
What tests are done before IVF? Such as:
- hormone tests;
- infection tests;
- examination by a therapist;
- examination by a mammologist and breast ultrasound;
- hysteroscopy;
- cytological examination of the smear taken.
Oocyte quality assurance
How to check the quality of eggs? Embryologists carefully evaluate the oocytes obtained from follicles. They place the obtained cells in a nutrient medium for a couple of hours, after which they determine the thickness of the membranes, the shape of the egg and the quality of the intracellular structures. Good oocytes help to produce high-quality nuclei.
If the shells are too dense and differ from normal values, then a specialist can prescribe the ICSI method. With it, individual spouse's sperm are inserted with micro-tools using the manipulator into the egg shell itself.
A full-fledged egg, of normal structure and quality, will be a good basis for a healthy embryo, which after several days of cultivation will be transferred to the uterine cavity. After the procedure, the woman only needs to wait until the embryo reaches the endometrium of the uterus, consolidates and takes root in it. It is after this that a full pregnancy will come.
Donor egg
If the embryologists consider the quality of the extracted oocytes from the egg of a woman to be poor and unsuitable for conception, then the use of a donor egg is proposed. In this case, only completely healthy young women who have passed all diagnostic tests (including tests for the presence of problems with genetics) can become a donor of oocytes. The issue of using a donor egg for many women is quite difficult both morally and emotionally; not everyone decides to apply such a technique.
In preparation for the protocol, you can not lose a single minute. Despite the age-related processes, a woman must do everything in her power to improve the state of her sex cells and their functioning before IVF.
Methods for improving the condition of a woman’s biomaterial
How to improve the quality of the egg for pregnancy? There is no universal drug or doctor’s recommendation in this case. The procedure for improving the quality of a woman’s biological material is a long and gradual process that takes place in several stages. He needs a serious attitude and an integrated approach.
What to do before IVF? Only a doctor can give individual advice to a woman, taking into account her age and the reasons for the development of infertility. But there are some general rules that every woman must observe in preparing for IVF.
Lifestyle change
How to improve egg quality before IVF? It is important to remember that nicotine and spirits lead to deformation of the structures of organelles of female germ cells. If a woman smoked before IVF, then to completely cleanse the body and normalize the state of oocytes, a woman will have to completely abandon nicotine. In most cases, 3-4 months is enough for most systems in the body to return to normal. The reproductive system in this case is no exception.
How to improve egg quality as recommended by doctors? Another factor that can significantly affect the state of biological material is excess weight. It is this issue that should be considered by a woman planning an IVF. Excessive body mass, just like its lack, negatively affects the state of the hormonal background. Not only the quality of the eggs is deteriorating, but also the functioning of the ovary. Complications are often noted during stimulation of hCG drugs . After embryo transfer, excessive weight significantly reduces the chance of a complete implantation. Even if such a process goes well, problems with being overweight can lead to serious complications in the process of bearing and at the time of labor.
Scientists have been able to identify that losing weight in just a few months helps improve fertility and egg quality. The reaction of the ovaries to stimulation with hormones in the IVF protocol is favorable, the doctor gets the correct results. The risk of severe ovarian stimulation is minimal.
What vitamins should be taken?
To restore the menstrual cycle and the functioning of germ cells will help biological supplements, for example, Inositol and Ovariamin. Before using them, it is important to consult a doctor without fail. Most often, such drugs are designed for long-term use, so you should not expect a quick effect from their use.
Another important factor for egg quality is vitamins. Vitamin A can restore the thickness and other important characteristics of cell membranes. Folic acid restores the health of the X chromosome and helps to reduce the risk of genetic disorders in the developing embryo. In addition, it is important for a woman to regularly use the following vitamins before IVF: from group B, A, D. Minerals are also important: magnesium, potassium, iron and calcium.
Before using any complex of vitamins for egg quality, it is important to first consult a doctor. According to a clinical blood test, the doctor will be able to accurately determine which vitamins or minerals are missing in the body, and then help to choose a remedy in which the component that is currently in short supply in the woman’s body will prevail.
Replenishing the body with minerals and vitamins helps restore menstruation, resulting in improved quality of oocytes produced by the ovaries.
Particular attention should be paid to traditional medicine. Restore the condition of the biomaterial of a woman will help decoctions of sage and boron uterus. Before using them, it is important to consult a doctor, since such herbs also have some contraindications.
Reception Omega 3
Why do women take Omega 3? Fish oil has the following effect:
- protects against breast cancer;
- helps restore the functioning of the genitourinary system;
- prevents the formation of blood clots, fatty acids contained in fish oil, clear blood vessels of plaques and restore the functioning of the circulatory system;
- eliminates the feeling of fatigue, normalizes the nervous system, fights with a depressive state;
- during pregnancy, such a tool is considered especially important, since it ensures the correct formation of the muscle mass of the fetus, its nervous system, and also strengthens the immune system;
- helps improve brain function, focus.
Admission Rules
Why do women take Omega 3? Omega 3 is an important component in maintaining the health and condition of women’s systems. Before using fish oil, it is important to consult a doctor. This is especially true for women who are about to become pregnant through IVF. The dosage of the drug will help to choose the attending specialist, since depending on the manufacturer it can vary greatly.