Some Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

By Dr. Shobha Gupta

There are various issues and questions that came to our mind whenever we go for treatments like IVF, Surrogacy, ICSI etc. or even when you are unable to conceive then there are numerous questions which arises. Here are few:

Q.1 What is the success rate for IVF?

Ans. Success rate vary between 40 - 60% in IVF. Success rate depends on centre to centre from where the patient is taking the treatment and is more individualized depends on cause of infertility. Here at the Mothers Lap we have delivered 60% success rate which is still sustained and maintained.

Q.2 What should one expect from the IVF treatment?

Ans.  IVF is the combination of female’s egg and a male’s sperm and implanting the resulting embryos in woman’s uterus. IVF is more costly and persistent than other treatments but can be successful if other options fail. Try to relax and be positive throughout the process.

Q.3 What's the time taken to conceive and approximate cost?

Ans.  10 to 15 days for injection and after 2 or 3 days we do embryo transfer and then pregnancy test. So it takes roughly around 4 to 6 weeks. Cost for IVF is around 1.2 Lakhs to 1.7 Lakhs; but again it depends on centre to centre.

Q.4 What are the Precautions for late pregnancies?

Ans.  If a lady is pregnant in the late ages then she needs extra care as it is always risky to conceive after certain age.

She should be registered for close monitoring with a Gynecologist as risk of miscarriages is high, chances of growth restricted baby is also there. Ultrasound should be done regularly and she should be regularly monitored with blood pressure and blood sugar checkups too in 28th, 32nd and 36th week.

Q.5 What are the reasons of low fertility in female with age?

Ans.  Fertility starts declining for women at the age of 30, dropping down more abruptly at the age of 35. As women grow older the chances of getting pregnant rapidly falls down resulting in infertility. 

As the age raises the number of eggs in female decreases and at the same time quality also decreases. The ageing process effects the rate of fertility and catching power of fallopian tube also falls down. As a woman ages it is more likely that she may have had longer exposure to a condition that has not been treated. An untreated Chlamydia infection, for example, can develop into pelvic inflammatory disease, blocking your fallopian tubes resulted in inability to conceive and infertility

Q.6 What are some age and lifestyle related diseases which lead to decreased fertility in women. How? 

Ans.  Lifestyle plays a very vital role in fertility. Most common disease due to lifestyle choices that could affect your fertility is PID- Pelvic Inflammatory disease. PID mostly affects sexually active women between the ages of 15 and 24. It is common in females and is gradually growing in India especially in metropolitan cities because of so much exposure to sex.

Apart from it sometimes these things are a result of lifestyle choices that include smoking, drinking, thyroid or auto immune diseases, exposure to radiation like chemotherapy or radiotherapy, poor nutrition etc. 

Hormonal imbalance is also one of the causes of infertility.  If your female hormones fail to transmit their chemical signals at precisely the right time, ovulation may be irregular, infrequent or fail to occur. Periods will likely be erratic and unpredictable. Female hormonal imbalances can often be treated with fertility drugs.

Q. 7 What are the risks of planning late pregnancies. And what are the risks to both mother and child?

Ans. There is trend of becoming moms at the age of 30 or more. Planning late pregnancies are mainly due to work pressure or most girls these days get married post 26 as a result they plan late pregnancies. The later you plan pregnancies, chances of high blood pressure, diabetes and stress are high. It is true that the risks of having a baby after 30 tend to multiply, but it is also true that the vast majority of working women all over the globe today are having their first babies in their mid thirties.

Risks:

Your chance of having a baby with Down’s syndrome is 1 in 1000 at the age of 30. However the same risks increase to 1 in 400 if you are planning to have a baby at age 35. So, its better if you plan baby as soon as possible.

For an average woman below 30 the risk of having a miscarriage in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy is between 12% to 15%. For a woman over 35 years of age the same risk increases to 20%. 

During the second and third trimester, a mother's diabetes can lead to over-nutrition and excess growth of the baby. Having a large baby increases risks during labor and delivery. For example, large babies often require caesarean deliveries and if he or she is delivered vaginally, they are at increased risk for trauma to their shoulder.

Dr. Shobha Gupta