5 Encouraging Facts About IVF

Many people want to become pregnant but have trouble with conception. In vitro fertilization (IVF) can help you conceive a child and fulfill your parenting dream.

At University Reproductive Associates, with offices in Hasbrouck Heights, Wayne, and Hoboken, New Jersey, our fertility experts offer IVF to assist people struggling with conception.

How IVF works

In vitro fertilization (IVF) starts with the stimulation of the ovaries. That means you’ll have to give yourself or be given injections of hormones to make your ovaries ripen eggs quickly for harvesting.

After your eggs are retrieved from your ovaries, we’ll fertilize them with sperm outside the uterus. The sperm can be from a partner or a donor. Once the eggs are successfully fertilized and become embryos, we’ll implant them in your uterus so they can begin natural fetal development.

The term “in vitro” means “in glass” in Latin. That is because the dishes used to hold the egg while it is being inseminated are glass. We can either add sperm to the dish and let them find the egg on their own or use a process known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to directly fertilize each egg.

If your ovaries have ripened a lot of eggs, we can freeze them and implant only one or a few embryos, saving the others for the future. The more eggs we can harvest, the more rounds we can complete before harvesting again.

Reasons to choose IVF

If your fallopian tubes are blocked, IVF may be the only way for you to get pregnant. IVF can also be helpful if you’ve experienced instances of blighted ovum (when the egg and sperm meet, but then the embryo stops developing and resorbs into the body).

IVF success rates are higher than rates of most other fertility treatments. It also allows for genetic testing of the embryos and observation of their development before transferring them to the uterus.

5 encouraging facts about IVF

IVF is a popular and highly successful form of fertility treatment. Here’s why!

1. High success rate compared to other fertility treatments

IVF accounts for 99% of fertility treatment procedures. It has a 50% success rate (meaning it results in a live birth) in women under the age of 35. The chances of success increase with multiple rounds of IVF: it’s nearer 65% for women who have up to six rounds of implantation. 

2. We can test for genetic anomalies before implantation 

If you have concerns about hereditary genetic anomalies, we can perform genetic testing on the embryos before they are implanted. People who know that they have genetic markers for specific diseases or fatal conditions can benefit from this ability to filter out any embryos with similar markers and choose the healthy ones for implantation and development.

3. We can check your uterus first to make sure it can support life

If you have a “hostile uterus,” you may not be able to carry a child yourself and might need a surrogate. We can perform a hysteroscopy or hydrosonogram (water ultrasound), make sure your uterus is functional, and even do a mock embryo transfer as a trial run.

4. You can have IVF independently or with a partner

IVF is appropriate for single individuals, those with a same-sex partner, or heterosexual couples. In some cases, an egg donor or a surrogate carrier may be needed to deliver a healthy baby. We can assist you with these processes.

5. Insurance might pay for IVF

For years, all fertility treatment was excluded from insurance coverage. However, 17 states now mandate that IVF be covered or that coverage be offered. 

To learn more about the IVF process and determine if it’s right for you, talk to the specialists at University Reproductive Associates. Schedule a consultation by calling 201-288-6330 for an appointment at the location closest to you, or visit the contact page for more options.