Many aspiring mamas look forward to the day they actually become a parent to a child. For some, it’s one of the things they aspire to achieve in their life. Considering that you get to carry and bring a newborn human being into this world, raise them, love them, and watch them grow up, it’s understandable how many people want this to happen.
Unfortunately, for some aspiring mamas, this dream ends up staying a dream. For many, getting pregnant becomes impossible. Whether it’s an infertility problem for the would-be mama or papa (or both), it becomes a barrier to many women ever getting pregnant. Or at least it would be before the advent of modern medicine.
Thanks to advancements in modern medicine, infertility becomes an obstacle that can finally be overcome. This becomes good news for many aspiring mamas who would love to bear their own children. Among the many ways to make it possible for a woman to get pregnant, in-vitro fertilization (or IVF) has become one of the most well-known ways to overcome fertility. However, despite it’s popularity, it’s still something that many have to think about before going about it. From risks to the costs, there’s a lot that a would-be mama has to consider before actually getting it done. In this article, we’ll be tackling some of those risks to help any of you considering this method make an informed decision before deciding on something like this!
What Is IVF?
IVF, also known as in-vitro fertilization, is a method of assisted reproduction. As the name implies, it’s a fertilization method. Here, an egg from the mama and a sperm from the father is taken. Then, the egg and sperm are placed on a laboratory dish or test tube for them to fertilize—hence why people sometimes call IVF babies “test tube babies.” Once the egg is fertilized, it is implanted into the mother’s womb where it is allowed to grow and develop like a regular fetus.
While it sounds like a relatively straightforward process, there are a number of steps that need to be undertaken to ensure that a successful fertilization happens. These steps involve things such as: giving the mama-to-be medication (such as hormones) to help their body produce eggs, harvesting those eggs when mature, combining them with the sperm and monitoring them until they’re ready to be implanted, and implantation.
If you think this method sounds rather sophisticated, it really is. There’s a lot that goes into making all this happen. There’s the medication, doctors visits, and use of a lab to get all this done. What’s more, these things aren’t always available locally. So, you can only imagine how resource-intensive IVF is. As such, it can sometimes be very expensive to get done. What’s more, there are also some risks that can still come with getting pregnant via the IVF route.
IVF Risks
There are many things that do not come without risks. The same thing goes with IVF. Despite it being a well-researched and developed medical treatment and fertilization method, there are still some risks. Of course, these risks don’t always happen and aren’t exactly dangerous. Some of these risks may also be the same as the ones you’d face if you had a natural pregnancy. Whatever the case, it’s still good to know what the risks are if this is something you plan on getting into.
One of the first risks you might encounter may be from the medication you’re taking to help you become fertile and produce eggs. As a lot of these medications are hormone-based, you will end up feeling some effects similar to how you would feel if you were on your period. So, your medication may make you feel things such as headaches, nausea, and hot flashes. Of course, most of the time, these will be mild and only slightly bothersome. However, if these do get out of hand, you could always consult your doctor.
Aside from the medication, there’s also the risks that come with the implanting of the fertilized embryos. For example, if you had more than one fertilized embryo implanted in your womb, you may end up having more than one baby. Of course, this may not seem like such a bad thing. However, these also come with their own risks. You could still end up having a miscarriage. Sometimes, natural pregnancy related side effects also come up. This may include increased blood pressure (aka pre-eclampsia), gestational diabetes, and anemia.
There’s also the risks that come with having this pregnancy when you’re older. Much like with a regular one, age can have a negative impact on how your pregnancy comes along. So, you could still also have a miscarriage. Along with this, there’s also the risk of having a baby with birth defects and other congenital diseases.
One other risk that can come with an IVF pregnancy would be an ectopic pregnancy. While this is still relatively rare, there’s still a chance that the implantation of the fertilized egg could be in the fallopian tube. This can then stay there and become an ectopic pregnancy, which can bring about a whole new set of risks. One of the worst risks would be that you have a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, which could end up being fatal.
Is IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) For You?
With all these things in mind, you could say that you have enough knowledge to make an informed decision about this. Yes, there are risks. However, some of these risks are similar to the ones you’d face if you have a normal pregnancy. What’s more, some risks aren’t that likely to happen. This still makes the procedure relatively safe, more so if you were to go about it the proper way with a trained medical professional.
Risks aside, there’s also the matter of how much it would cost. These procedures don’t come cheap, with some costing tens of thousands of pesos. The medication alone could already be enough to set you back a significant amount if you don’t have the budget for it. What more the rest of the procedures?
Of course, this isn’t to discourage you from having an IVF done if you really want it. However, at the least, it’s good to know what you’re getting yourself into. Because if you feel like you might not want to take this option, you may be better off considering other ways to become a mama.
TAGS:conceiving
