BUSTED: 4 Myths on IVF Infertility Treatment

4 myths on IVF you should stop believing right now

In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) is one of the popular Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) for treating infertility and helping couples to conceive. The process involves the fertilisation of the egg with the sperm in a laboratory and thereafter, inserting the embryo formed, into the uterus. But lack of understanding about the topic has given rise to a number of myths such as:

Myth 1: IVF increases your fertility levels

Instead of making you more fertile, IVF stops your natural fertility cycle. This is usually done through hormones that are taken at the beginning of the process. The aim of such an action is to essentially put an end to your natural fertility process and create in its place an artificial cycle.

Myth 2: IVF hormone injections make you prone to uncontrollable emotions

In actuality, IVF hormone injections don’t cause you to suffer from out of control emotions but make you happier. This is because they come packed with the female hormone oestrogen, which produce endorphins (brain chemicals) that give you a sense of wellbeing.  The wave of emotions that you end up experiencing is a result of the stress and anxiety surrounding the success of a cycle.  

Myth 3: IVF never fails but is always successful

The success of the procedure depends on a number of factors such as quality and quantity of embryos and age. It is said that chances of conception decreases with age, with women above 40 reporting reduced fertility potential as well as success rate. On the other hand, women below the age of 35 have about 41% chance of getting pregnant.

Myth 4: It causes you to have triplets or twins

No, it’s not necessary for multiple births to take place if you opt for IVF. You can reduce the prospect of having twins or triplets by cutting down on the number of embryos that get inserted into the uterus.