IVF method enables infertile couples to become happy parents. In vitro fertilization is one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine, however, as in any method that involves human intervention in natural processes, IVF has its dangers and risks. We will talk about the consequences of IVF for a woman's health in this article, weigh the pros and cons.
The essence of the procedure
The essence of in vitro fertilization lies in the fact that doctors help the most important thing to take place - the meeting of the egg and sperm. In some forms of infertility, this process is the biggest problem for spouses. With obstruction of the fallopian tubes in a woman, with failures in her menstrual cycle, if ovulation does not occur, independent conception is impossible. If a man has too few motile sperm or the total sperm count is critically reduced, IVF also comes to the rescue.
First, the woman undergoes ovarian stimulation. In a normal cycle, on the day of ovulation, only one egg comes out of the follicle, less often two. Stimulation with hormonal drugs helps doctors get more mature eggs to increase the chances of fertilization and a successful pregnancy.
Stimulation is carried out in the first half of the menstrual cycle. The maturation of follicles is monitored by an ultrasound scan. When the eggs are sufficiently mature, the woman undergoes ovarian puncture under anesthesia or local anesthesia.
The resulting eggs are fertilized in the laboratory, and not in the fallopian tube, as is the case with natural conception. Otherwise, the process is not much different - the sperm are in the same nutrient medium with the eggs, as a result, fertilization occurs - and after a couple of days the doctors can confidently say how many good quality embryos they received.
2, less often 3 embryos are implanted into the woman's uterus. The rest, if any, can be frozen and left in the cryobank until the next attempt, if the pregnancy does not occur this time.
To maintain the appropriate hormonal background in the second half of the cycle, a woman can receive other hormones. If in the process of stimulation follicle-stimulating hormones are used, then in the process of waiting for the implantation of the implanted embryos, the woman is prescribed progesterone preparations, since it is this hormone that helps to preserve the pregnancy, to prepare the endometrium of the uterus for implantation in the best way. Also, progesterone partially suppresses the immunity of the expectant mother so that the embryos are not rejected as foreign.
Sometimes IVF is performed in a natural cycle without prior hormone stimulation. In this case, doctors receive one, maximum two eggs and, after fertilization, transfer the embryos into the uterus. The second half of the cycle also takes place without drug support. Naturally, the effectiveness of this type of IVF is much lower than the effectiveness in a stimulated cycle.
Often this method is used if it was not possible to achieve success in the first stimulated protocol, and frozen eggs or cryopreserved embryos remain in the cryobank, suitable for transfer in a new cycle.
IVF can also be performed using donor eggs and embryos, donor sperm, but these types of artificial insemination techniques proceed without significant additional burden on the female body, in one of the ways described above - either in a stimulated cycle or in a natural cycle.
In addition, the IVF puncture can be long or short. With a long time, doctors cause an artificial menopause - suppressing ovulatory activity for several months. After the hormones are canceled, the ovaries begin to prepare for superovulation and the collection of eggs. In the short protocol, artificial menopause is not created.
The choice of the type and nature of the protocol is the task of the doctor, who is based on the woman's health status, her medical history, the causes of infertility, if any, as well as laboratory data.
Negative consequences
In theory, negative consequences for women's health can occur at any stage of in vitro fertilization. It is not necessary that they will come, but every woman who decides on a possible IVF is necessary to know about their possibility.
The first thing to consider is the effect of hormonal stimulation before ovulation. In a long protocol, a woman can feel everything that the fair sex feels when entering a real menopause - a feeling of ebb and flow, severe headaches, mood swings, irritability, tearfulness. Nausea and even vomiting are often observed.
It should be noted that not all women have symptoms of menopause pronounced clearly, sometimes they are smoothed out, and hormonal preparation for IVF proceeds more "evenly".
Stimulation of the ovaries, which occurs next, according to the sequence of the procedure, can be quite dangerous. It requires a great deal of experience and an individual approach from the attending physician in calculating the dosage of hormones, the scheme for their intake. The entire process of follicular maturation must be closely monitored. Continuous assessment of the ovarian response to hormone exposure is required. According to doctors, it is this stage that often harms the female body.
The most dangerous consequence is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, in which a woman has severe pain in the lower abdomen, bloating, nausea and vomiting. Overstimulation can cause premature ovarian failure. Often a woman recovers greatly in a short time. She has nervous breakdowns.
The more stimulated IVF attempts the patient makes, the more likely the negative influence of hormones is. That is why it is recommended to do no more than 5-6 IVF with stimulation. It is advisable to freeze eggs, embryos, so as not to resort to hormonal stimulation in every protocol.
The next stage, which may be dangerous for a woman, is a puncture. The collection of mature eggs is performed in a clinical setting under local or general anesthesia. A puncture is made in the posterior wall of the vagina, after which the follicular contents with the oocytes present in it are sucked out of the ovary with a thin needle. The process itself, if carried out correctly, under sterile conditions, usually does not cause complications. But after it, pain in the lower abdomen and lower back, mild nausea and malaise may appear for several days after the procedure.
In general, this stage is considered one of the safest. According to medical statistics, puncture complications occur only in 0.1% of IVF cases. And usually they are associated with a violation by the medical staff of the requirements for processing instrumentation and the addition of infection during the introduction of a hollow needle.
The last stage of IVF is embryo transfer. This is the most difficult of all the stages. But the likelihood of complications with it is minimal. Only 0.2% of women experience minor bleeding after the transfer of fertilized eggs. Physiologically determined spotting after transfer is considered normal for two weeks after transfer of embryos into the uterine cavity.
At the stage of subsequent hormone therapy in a stimulated cycle, the purpose of which is to support implantation and the development of pregnancy, complications are possible only in the form of a lack of implantation or detachment of the ovum, even if it even managed to attach to the functional layer of the uterus. This can happen if the doctor chooses the wrong dosage of progesterone and its derivatives. If this hormone in a woman's body is not enough, pregnancy will not be able to develop.
Another consequence of IVF that not all women like is the likelihood of multiple pregnancies. In 45-60% of cases, when two or more embryos are transplanted, at least two of them take root.
Going to IVF, you need to honestly answer the question of whether you are ready for the birth of not one, but two or three babies. If the answer is yes, then you can safely go to the procedure. If the answer is no, you should definitely discuss with your doctor the possibility of replanting only one fertilized egg, but prepare for the fact that there can be quite a few protocols, because the predicted effect will also be halved.
Long-term consequences
There is an opinion that pregnancy in women after successful IVF is more difficult, with complications and pathologies. There is some truth in this. The disadvantages of reproductive technologies are that they "force" an organism to become pregnant, which was not at all going to do this.
It is quite natural that the body will try to get rid of pregnancy at every opportunity. Therefore, in most women, to one degree or another, there is a threat of miscarriage almost throughout the entire pregnancy, and at a later date - the threat of premature birth.
That is why women after IVF visit an obstetrician-gynecologist in an antenatal clinic more often than pregnant women who conceive a baby naturally.
In childbirth, unpleasant "surprises" are also not excluded, which is why most women who become pregnant with IVF are recommended to have delivery by cesarean section.
Another long-term consequence, which cannot be ignored, is psychological upheaval and depression that can threaten a woman after several unsuccessful attempts at in vitro fertilization.
Quite often, a woman may need professional help from a psychologist, psychotherapist, taking sedatives, hypnotherapy. The more unsuccessful attempts behind the back, the higher the stress level, the more dangerous the consequences for a woman's psyche can be. It is becoming more and more difficult to decide on another attempt, and to survive another failure is becoming more and more difficult. You should also prepare for this in advance.
Oncology
The question of the relationship between IVF and the subsequent appearance of cancer in a woman is especially acute. After the death of Zhanna Friske, who went through IVF to give birth to her son Plato, after the death of Konstantin Khabensky's wife, who also resorted to the services of reproductive specialists, many believe that IVF creates a predisposition to the development of malignant processes in a woman's body.
There have been many studies, some of which found such a relationship, others did not find such a relationship. The opinion of modern oncologists is quite unambiguous: IVF, or rather large doses of hormones in stimulated cycles, can affect the growth and progress of existing tumors. Quite often, it is not possible to identify them in the early stages, and many tumors (for example, breast cancer), being hormone-dependent, begin to actively increase after childbirth.
Recent studies have shown that healthy women do not develop primary cancers even after several stimulated cycles. However, you should pay more attention to your health. Between the protocols, if the first and the second were not successful, experts recommend donating blood for tumor markers in order to notice the beginning processes in time, if any.
In this case, the woman will need to take a break, be treated for oncology and then turn to a reproductive specialist again - after cancer with a successful cure, IVF is not contraindicated.
Early aging
This is another burning question that worries many women. There is an opinion that women who have undergone IVF experience menopause earlier. Research on this issue is not enough yet, because IVF began to be done only 40 years ago. In the first women who went through artificial insemination and thanks to him became mothers, the time of the onset of menopause was not tracked by statistics. The second generation of IVF moms, which is more numerous, shows that the time of the onset of age-related menopause is different for everyone.
Indeed, hormone therapy, especially if it is repeated, depletes the ovaries, the ovarian reserve given by nature to a woman for her entire reproductive life ends faster. According to reviews, in a number of women after IVF, menopause occurred before the age of 40. However, there are also many of those whose menopause came only closer to 50 years.
In general, the prospect of early menopause does not scare women who dream of motherhood so much. Usually, the prospect that menstruation will stop earlier is not very embarrassing, because the woman's reproductive task will be completed.
Endocrine Disorders
It is believed that IVF is very harmful to the health of the thyroid gland and its normal functioning. When stimulated, a woman receives such an amount of hormones that her body is forced to "utilize" in an emergency mode, because in normal life outside of the IVF protocol, such an amount of hormonal substances is not produced by the human body.
As a result, various endocrine disorders can occur, and the thyroid gland suffers most often. There may also be problems with the adrenal cortex and other endocrine glands. It is possible to correct such consequences. The main thing is to contact an endocrinologist in time to receive corrective treatment. If an endocrine problem is detected early and correctly treated, then it is possible to cope with it without long-term consequences in 95% of cases.
Circulatory and heart problems
Sometimes the consequences of hormonal stimulation have negative echoes regarding possible circulatory disorders, vascular diseases, blood clotting disorders, as well as the development of cardiomyopathy - weakness of the heart muscle. It should be noted that such consequences occur less frequently than other disorders, and they are easily corrected by a therapist and cardiologist.
Arguments about irreversible processes in a woman's body after IVF (successful or unsuccessful) usually do not hold water. Like everything new, in vitro fertilization has its supporters and opponents. It is for the latter, for some reason (religious, economic, social), that the existence of negative myths about IVF is quite beneficial, which they in every possible way warm up and support.
Life span
The most ridiculous of these myths is life expectancy after IVF. Someone came up with the idea that women after the procedure live no more than 11 years. Hormone therapy with IVF does not affect life expectancy. It can be reduced by diseases, the use of anesthesia, for example, during a cesarean section, but again there is no direct and proven relationship.
Reviews of women in this regard are quite unambiguous - there are women who raise their adolescents, conceived and born through IVF. There are women who became grandmothers - their IVF babies grew up long ago and became parents themselves (by the way, having conceived naturally). Therefore, to say that a woman's life will be limited by some time frame is incorrect and even stupid.
Conclusions
If a husband and wife intend to go to IVF, it is necessary to learn about the risks, but it is best to do it in a civilized way - by discussing everything with a doctor. Unfortunately, some people trust the opinion of unknown sources so much that they may refuse the prospect of becoming parents for fear of the consequences, which are often exaggerated.
For information on the consequences for the body after the IVF procedure, see the next video.
