When it comes to conception, the progress constantly made in the field medical technology greatly benefit couples looking to experience parenthood. Among the various Assisted Reproduction Techniques, In-Vitro Fertilization stands out as the most favorable method and its advantages are only shadowed by lack of awareness. Dr Gautam Allahbadia, who is an IVF specialist with 30 years of expertise, highlights the overlooked benefits of IVF procedure:
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1. Better Per-cycle success rate
For couples who look into ARTs, most fertility specialists suggest IVF as the final method of conception. Despite this conventional order, Dr Gautam Allahbadia recommends IVF for its better per-cycle success rate.
2. Wide Applicability of Implementation
Other ARTs are undertaken by women struggling with conditions like severe endometriosis, blocked fallopian tubes, or frozen pelvis. However, male-factor infertility arising out of difficulties such as absence of semen sperm despite presence of testicular sperm, or extremely low sperm count. With IVF, these issues do not become an impediment in conception for couples.
3. Third-party reproduction
Unlike other methods, IVF is the sole ART which can utilize donated eggs, sperms and even somebody else’s uterus. “In cases with problems in production of eggs, donated eggs can be used. With IVF, the egg and the sperm are fertilized outside the body and then placed inside a woman’s uterus”, explains Dr Gautam Allahbadia.
4. Preservation of female fertility
For women who wish to prioritize their career before planning a baby as per the natural biological clock, IVF gives them the most optimum solution. Through cryopreservation, i.e. freezing of their eggs, at an early stage in their lives, they can choose to conceive children through IVF without worrying about their body’s fertility rate.
5. Elimination of genetic diseases
One of the vulnerabilities that come with age is the high risk of chromosomal abnormalities. In older women, this can cause their embryos to have genetic abnormalities, which can cause issues ranging from embryos failing to implant to the uterus, early abortions, and even abnormalities in the infants.
Due to pre-implantation genetic screening in IVF, healthy embryos can be selected for conception, thus eliminating the risk of the child inheriting any abnormality. Thus, IVF can be used to eliminate various mitochondrial or genetic diseases which get passed on from one generation to another.
Dr Allahbadia holds highly qualified opinion in the prominence of IVF treatment as compared to other ARTs. He heads the IVF team at Millennium Medical Centre (MMC) IVF in Dubai.