Pregnancy is a complex process, whether through natural conception or ART technique, i.e. assisted reproductive technology. There are couples who have to face many problems during their IVF journey, like a failed IVF cycle, which brings them stress. However, there are cases where people struggle with the causes of IVF failure in India, and fertility specialists diagnose the root cause and make changes to your treatment plan. IVF journey involves many steps, including :
- Ovarian stimulation
- Egg retrieval
- Fertilization
- Embryo cultivation
- Preimplantation genetic testing
- Embryo transfer
- Pregnancy test
IVF journey goes through the above-listed complex stages, and every stage has its importance in fulfilling your dream to become a parent. It is vital for you to understand that IVF success rates depend upon several factors, like the cause of infertility and age; however, first-time IVF success rates are in the range of 30 to 35 percent for intended parents, and it increases after undergoing many IVF cycles. After a failed IVF procedure, the first thing a specialist will do is to rule out the causes of the failed procedure. Let us discuss them in detail.
Causes of failed IVF procedure
For a successful IVF cycle, many things are involved, including functional sperm, healthy eggs, and a great uterus that can nurture your baby in a healthy way. However, many factors greatly impact a person’s chances for pregnancy with IVF, like the technique used, the lab environment, and the skill and expertise of fertility specialists performing the egg retrieval procedure and embryo transfer. IVF failure reasons in India are listed below; let’s have a look to understand them well :
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Ovarian reserve depletion
Ovarian reserve is the most vital factor during the IVF process, as it is the quantity and quality of a woman’s egg that affects the results as well. As the woman ages, her ovarian reserve tends to diminish, which leads to a decrease in the number and quality of eggs for fertilization. The expert fertility specialist in Delhi identified and addressed the declined ovarian reserve issue early and tailored the entire treatment accordingly.
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Age matters
Another factor of a failed IVF procedure is age, as the age of not only women but both partners matters for the effectiveness of IVF treatment; women under a high age group can struggle with IVF results because their, e.g., quality declines with age. And which can create complexity for successful IVF treatment. However, there are advances in technologies nowadays, but then also age remains a challenge for couples who wish to undergo IVF.
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Embryo quality
Embryo quality during the IVF procedure holds the key to successful implantation and healthy pregnancy with IVF. The entire procedure of fertilization and cultivation of embryos in the lab needs expertise as well as precision, which affects the result of the IVF cycle. However, embryo quality can be involved with age, egg and sperm health, lab conditions etc.
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Uterine issues
There are also many structural abnormalities because of IVF cycle facials. These abnormalities include uterine polyps or fibroids that can have a great impact on the implantation process. Also there are conditions like thickening of uterine lining or endometrium factors that can make people face difficulties. During the IVF journey, on-time treatment of these abnormalities is very important for a successful IVF cycle.
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Genetic abnormalities and hormonal imbalances
Genetic abnormalities in embryos in couples can be a barrier to successful IVF cycle results, and these can be linked to underlying health conditions in one of the two partners. Hormonal imbalances also play a crucial role in fertility treatments, and disturbance in them largely impacts the success of IVF cycles. Some common conditions like PCOS or irregular periods contribute to hormonal issues and should be administered by the fertility specialist in advance to optimize the chances of positive IVF results.
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Lifestyle factors
Lifestyle factors also have a great impact on IVF results, as people who smoke regularly and consume alcohol on a regular basis or are obese can ruin the IVF results. These are common factors that negatively affect the IVF results and sperm quality and create an inappropriate environment for embryo implantation, which leads to IVF failure. Specifically, smoking is associated with a decline in fertility in both genders, and excessive alcohol intake contributes to hormonal disbalances.
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Endometriosis
Endometriosis adds more difficulties to the IVF treatment procedure as it is a condition in which a tissue, same as the uterus lining grows out of the uterus and interferes with reproductive structures. It obstructs fallopian tubes, compromises egg quality, and also creates an inappropriate environment for embryo implantation. Patients with this issue have poor egg quality and diminished ovarian reserve, which leads to implantation failure.
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Stress and anxiety
It is also the main cause of failed IVF cycles, and thus, fertility specialists advise couples to control their stress during fertility treatments. They recommend them to join meditation or yoga classes to follow mind-body techniques that help to reduce stress and anxiety.
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Ovarian issues
During the IVF procedure, ovarian stimulation is the most vital step, which involves taking medications to promote the development of many eggs and also to increase a person’s chances of a successful IVF cycle. Stimulating the ovaries process is an art and should be done correctly as it can lead to IVF failure and striking the right balance in the procedure that requires expertise. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is also caused in many cases that lowers the chances of embryo implantation.
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Sperm quality
Sperm quality also affects the IVF results during fertility treatments. Low sperm and poor mortality count can obstruct fertilization and growth of embryos, and for that, fertility experts use options like DNA fragmentation analysis and intracytoplasmic sperm injection to rectify the issue of severe infertility in males.
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Implantation failure
Many times, the embryo cannot connect with the uterus lining properly. The main cause of this is the problems in the embryo or the uterus environment. The uterus lining, in these cases, is insufficient to accept the embryo, and this failure in implantation is due to hormonal disbalance, inappropriate thickness of the endometrium, etc.
After a failed cycle, a woman’s body will go through a process termed withdrawal, in which hormones during the IVF cycle will be cleared from the body and which can cause symptoms like bloating, headaches, cramping, fatigue, etc. Women will also feel sadness and disappointment, and you need to take care of yourself emotionally and physically. It is best to talk to your fertility specialist about concerns that you are experiencing.
What will fertility specialists do after a failed IVF procedure?
After a failed IVF in India, fertility specialists recommend couples to go for further IVF cycles as, in some cases, for a successful IVF cycle, many cycles are needed. Generally, a couple can go through three IVF cycles to conceive using their own eggs, and the success of IVF and the number of cycles required depends upon many factors like ovarian reserve, age, fallopian tube, and lifestyle. If your first IVF cycle fails, fertility specialists will recommend it for the next cycle because every IVF cycle increases your chances of conceiving. After the failure of two failed cycles, the couple can also go for another IVF cycle after determining the cause of the first failed cycle and rectifying it. If the third IVF cycle also fails, that will mean that there is an underlying cause that is disturbing the implantation and leading to repeated IVF failures. In these cases, many advanced treatments will be needed
Advanced options after many IVF failures
After three consecutive IVF cycle failures, the fertility specialist will recommend you undergo some advanced testing like genetic screening of the embryo for implantation. There are chromosomal abnormalities that can cause multiple IVF failures.
PGT, also known as Preimplantation genetic testing, is done to know if there is a missing or extra chromosome that is causing the embryo rejection. After determining the main underlying issue, the fertility specialist will suggest you go for some specific advanced treatments to rectify the problems and to help you get pregnant. There are some advanced treatments after many IVF failures :
- Frozen embryo transfer
It is a procedure that involves freezing extra healthy embryos known as blastocysts from prior IVF cycles and keeping them for later use. This is a technique that has higher success rates than other IVF cycles.
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Also known as ICSI, it is an advanced procedure in which eggs are fertilized with single live sperm by injecting directly into the egg. It is the best option for cases of male factor infertility.
- Intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection
Also known as IMSI, it involves a single live sperm injected directly for fertilization. The sperm is first analyzed, and the sperm with the best morphology is used for injection.
- Donor eggs
It is another option for those who experience repeated IVF failures because of age or egg quality. Many women aged 21 to 34 with healthier eggs donate their eggs, which can be used in these cases.
- Surrogacy
It’s another option for people with recurrent IVF failures who are incapable of carrying their child due to any health condition or genetic abnormality or if facing miscarriages.
Conclusion
IVF is a blessing for those couples who wish to start their family but cannot because of infertility issues. The procedure is a boon and helps to have a genetic child in spite of struggling with issues like PCOS, blocked uterine tubes, poor egg or sperm health, and low ovarian reserve. However, IVF has many complications, and there are cases in which people experience it. The causes of unsuccessful IVF in India are many, which lead to IVF failures.
However, the best fertility specialist in Delhi can help them after many failed IVF cycles as well. If you are seeking the best fertility treatment, visit the Fertility Cure Centre. The clinic is known to offer many fertility treatments, including the latest IVF technology, secure surrogacy, and advanced genetic screenings. It has more than 300 IVF clinics worldwide and has a state-of-the-art lab equipped with cutting-edge technology and world-class facilities.
