Pros and cons of IVF

IVF has become quite a popular procedure for most people with fertility problems. If the other methods of fertility treatment are not working for you, then your chances of getting pregnant will get definitely be more if you try IVF. But before you decide on IVF, you should be aware of all the pros and cons of it.

Advantages

• The success rate of IVF is much more than most of the other fertility treatments. It is one of the oldest assisted reproductive technology processes as it has been around since 1978. Researchers have made the procedure much better so that the chances of pregnancy are highest. Till date, IVF has not been directly linked to any medical problems.
• Many studies have taken place regarding IVF, but none of them have been able to link IVF to cancer. None of the fertility drugs used in the procedure is found to cause cancer, though the early studies did show that they could cause ovarian cancer.
• As time is passing and technology is advancing, the IVF procedure is also getting more and more refined. The advancement in embryo cryopreservation has resulted in the same success rates as fresh embryos.

Disadvantages

• The whole process of IVF is quite costly and time consuming. Fertilising the eggs in a lab, outside the body requires expensive medications and the work of experts in the field. You need to be monitored on a regular basis too which takes up lot of your time.
• In the IVF process more than one embryo will be transferred in your uterus. Thus the odds of having multiple pregnancies are quite high. Having multiple pregnancies also increase the chance of miscarriage and many other complications.
• It has also been found that IVF has a higher risk of ectopic pregnancy. In it the embryo gets implanted in some other place other than the uterus.