In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process whereby an egg is fertilized by sperm outside of the body. IVF works by stimulating a woman’s ovaries to produce multiple eggs, retrieving those eggs, and then letting sperm fertilize them in a lab environment.
After fertilization, one or more embryos are transferred into the uterus. This procedure can be used for women with blocked or absent fallopian tubes that would normally prevent the embryo from implanting into the uterus. You may visit Advanced Centre for Reproductive Medicine to find out more about other instances when IVF may be recommended.
As for how long the average cycle of IVF takes to get pregnant, it takes about two months on average to get pregnant. However, this time period may vary depending upon the woman’s individual circumstances. Some of the factors that may affect how long it takes for a woman to conceive through IVF include:
- Sperm quality: Healthy sperm can two-fold boost the chances of getting pregnant during an IVF cycle. If there are problems with the sperm, this can be rectified through intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where a single healthy sperm is injected directly into an egg at the time of fertilization.
- Unexplained infertility: If no apparent cause can be found for your inability to become pregnant, you may need additional testing before IVF can be employed.
- Age: For women over the age of 35, the success rates of IVF are lower than for women under 35. Fortunately, fertility in many women declines gradually, so you still have a good chance to get pregnant even when you turn 35 or later.
How much does IVF Cost on Average in Singapore?
Unfortunately, the costs of fertility treatment can add up quickly. The average cost of a single round of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is $12,400; however, this does not include medication or the various forms of therapy that may also be necessary for success.
For a pleasant experience with IVF, it is imperative that you find a good fertility clinic. Here are some things you should look for in a fertility clinic:
You should be able to communicate directly with the doctor
You do not want to go through a “middleman” for all questions. You should be able to directly communicate with your doctor, regardless of the type of treatment you are undergoing.
Your IVF clinic should have excellent success rates
Obviously, it is important that you choose an IVF clinic with high success rates so that there is a greater chance of getting pregnant through IVF.
You want to work with a team, not just one individual
Some fertility centers employ more than one fertility specialist so that couples can benefit from the combined expertise of different caregivers. This means less travel between doctors and coordination between professionals who may have worked together on complicated cases in the past.
Your clinic should be up to date on the latest techniques in infertility treatment
Newer technologies may enable a clinic’s success rates to climb even higher. Not all clinics invest in state-of-the-art equipment and the services associated with it, but you should look for a center that is committed to providing maximum safety and effectiveness for fertility treatment.
Although there are many things to consider when choosing an IVF clinic, the most important factor is your comfort level. You want to feel confident that you can communicate openly with your doctor, and rest assured that they have the expertise necessary to provide you with successful results. This will ensure a more pleasant experience throughout your treatment at a top-rated fertility clinic.
Are There Any Alternatives To IVF?
If for any reason you feel that IVF is not the right treatment for you, then there are other options available. Your physician may recommend intrauterine insemination (IUI), which is the direct insertion of sperm into a woman’s uterus around ovulation.
The sperm can be inserted using a catheter or by means of a small plastic tube and syringe. IUI is often used for women with mild male factor infertility problems such as oligospermia (low sperm count) and severe male factor problems such as Azoospermia (absence of any measurable amount of sperm).
IUI success rates vary between 10 to 20 percent per cycle on average; however, this procedure has been shown to increase success rates among some couples when with superovulation drugs such as Clomid and injectable fertility medications such as Pergonal.
IUI is often performed with superovulation or super-stimulation, which means that FSH medication such as Gonal-F, Metrodin, and Fostimon are injected to stimulate your ovaries to produce more than one egg during a single cycle. The average success rate for IUI is between 10% – 20%; however, it varies from woman to woman depending on age, the quality of eggs, and sperm count, among other things.
The most common side effect of IUI is mild cramping in the lower abdomen in post-treatment periods; however, some women do experience severe abdominal pain during pregnancy due to ectopic pregnancies when pregnancy does not occur inside the uterus. Your doctor may recommend that you try an alternative fertility treatment such as in-vitro zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) if you have been diagnosed with hydrosalpinges – a condition that causes blockages in the Fallopian tubes preventing normal fertilization from occurring.
In this procedure, eggs are harvested from your ovaries through a minor surgical procedure done under conscious sedation and combined with your partner’s sperm for fertilization inside an IVF laboratory. The resulting embryos are then transferred to the Fallopian tubes during laparoscopy under general anesthesia, a much simpler procedure than IVF. The success rates of ZIFT are around the same as natural conception, but a large number of women have to go through the process several times before a pregnancy is achieved.
Final Thoughts
If you and your husband/partner have been diagnosed with infertility, your physician will develop an appropriate treatment plan based on your unique situation. The fertility specialist will provide pre-treatment counseling to answer any questions about the process.
Advanced Centre for Reproductive Medicine – OBGYN | Gynaecologist | Urogynaecology | IVF Singapore
Gleneagles Hospital, 6A Napier Rd, #05-35, Singapore 258500
+65 6474 3900
https://acrm.com.sg
