According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infertility is a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of trying.
Infertility affects an estimated 20.4 % of couples globally.
The figure will drop to 12.4 percent after two years of trying, adding it shows that many infertile couples can have a baby if they keep trying.
The couples aged 35 years and above are not recommended to use the method because any delay in childbearing would aggravate their infertility problems(more…).
Iranian couples no longer need to travel abroad for consultation or treatment for infertility as advanced methods of treatment for couples who have problems to conceive, are available in the country.
There are 3 million infertile couples in the country. Around 3-4% of young Iranian women suffer from recurrent miscarriages. Infertility rate is about 2.5% and secondary infertility is more prevalent than primary infertility. When a woman is not able to conceive at all, (due to infertility in either spouse), it is referred to as primary fertility. Secondary infertility is when a woman is unable to conceive again after the first successful pregnancy and childbirth. While causes of secondary infertility vary, the most important risk factors are advanced reproductive age, weight gain, abdominal surgeries, sperm quality and quantity, and smoking.
Microsurgical reconstruction for male infertility, new methods of male infertility treatment(more..) (medication, surgery, and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)(more…)), the role of complementary therapies and medicines to improve fertility, and new imaging techniques for assessment of infertility problems in both genders, are among the main important topics that will be discussed.
At present, there are 80 infertility centers across the country and 20 more will be launched by the end of the current year.
Additionally, 35 state-run universities of medical sciences have equipped with new laboratory equipment and devices for identification and treatment of infertility problems.
IVF is never the first step in the treatment of infertility. Instead, it’s reserved for cases in which other methods such as fertility drugs, surgery, and artificial insemination haven’t worked.
On average, an IVF cycle costs $2,300-$2,900 in the country, while the majority of women have per-cycle success rates of 20-35%, which means they may need multiple tries to get pregnant.
IVF may be an option if one of the spouses or both has been diagnosed with problems like endometriosis, low sperm count, problems with ovulation, antibody problems that harm sperms or eggs, and unexplained fertility problems.
Typical side effects include:
If you develop moderate or severe pain after the embryo transfer, contact your doctor. He or she will evaluate you for complications such as infection, twisting of an ovary (ovarian torsion) and severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
About 12 days to two weeks after egg retrieval, your doctor will test a sample of your blood to detect whether you’re pregnant.
The chances of giving birth to a healthy baby after using IVF depend on various factors, including:
Talk with our doctors about any factors that apply to you and how they may affect your chances of a successful pregnancy.
If you’re using your own eggs during IVF, at the start of a cycle you’ll begin treatment with synthetic hormones to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs — rather than the single egg that normally develops each month. Multiple eggs are needed because some eggs won’t fertilize or develop normally after fertilization.
You may need several different medications, such as:
Your doctor will work with you to determine which medications to use and when to use them.
Typically, you’ll need one to two weeks of ovarian stimulation before your eggs are ready for retrieval. To determine when the eggs are ready for collection, your doctor will likely perform:
Sometimes IVF cycles need to be canceled before egg retrieval for one of these reasons:
1. How many embryos will be transferred? The number of embryos transferred is typically based on the age and number of eggs retrieved. Since the rate of implantation is lower for older women, more embryos are usually transferred — except for women using donor eggs. Most doctors follow specific guidelines to prevent a higher order multiple pregnancies — triplets or more — and in some countries, legislation limits the number of embryos that can be transferred at once. Make sure you and your doctor agree on the number of embryos that will be transferred before the transfer procedure.
2. What will you do with any extra embryos? Extra embryos can be frozen and stored for future use for several years. Not all embryos will survive the freezing and thawing process, although most will. Cryopreservation can make future cycles of IVF less expensive and less invasive. However, the live birth rate from frozen embryos is slightly lower than the live birth rate from fresh embryos. Or, you might be able to donate unused frozen embryos to another couple or a research facility. You might also choose to discard unused embryos.
3. How will you handle a multiple pregnancy? If more than one embryo is transferred to your uterus, IVF can result in a multiple pregnancy — which poses health risks for you and your babies. In some cases, a fetal reduction can be used to help a woman deliver fewer babies with lower health risks. Pursuing fetal reduction, however, is a major decision with ethical, emotional and psychological consequences.
4. Have you considered the potential complications associated with using donor eggs, sperm or embryos or a gestational carrier? A trained counselor with expertise in donor issues can help you understand the concerns, such as the legal rights of the donor. You also may need an attorney to file court papers to help you become legal parents of an implanted embryo.
When choosing an in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic, keep in mind that a clinic’s success rate depends on many factors, such as patients’ ages and medical issues, as well as the clinic’s treatment population and treatment approaches. Ask for detailed information about the costs associated with each step of the procedure.
Before beginning a cycle of IVF using your own eggs and sperm, you and your partner will likely need various screenings, including: