These days late pregnancies are almost becoming commonplace and we hear a lot of couples going for IVF treatments to conceive a baby post 50 years of age. While there are success stories, what makes us wonder is if such late pregnancies can affect the baby s health. To get an answer to this question we got talking to Dr Hrishikesh D Pai, Medical Director, Bloom IVF Group & Secretary General of the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India.
Till what age can a couple conceive with the help of IVF procedures?
Conception even at 70 is possible through IVF and other assisted reproductive techniques. However, in India, there are laws in the making to limit the permissible age to 55. Many countries do not have such laws for conception through IVF. But authorities are trying to get a law in place in India to curb malpractices through IVF.
Is it possible for a menopausal woman to carry a pregnancy to term through IVF?
Yes, it is. Remember for a menopausal woman her egg reserve is exhausted and the womb has shrunk. But with hormonal injections is possible to revive the uterus and make it functional again. However, she will need to borrow eggs from a donor to continue with the pregnancy, unless she has frozen her eggs in her prime. Once the egg is collected, it is fertilised with the partner s sperm to form an embryo in the lab. This embryo is then inserted into the womb where it grows and develops into a baby over a period of nine months.
Hormonal injections can make the womb regain its normal size and function the way it did during the premenopausal days. But that is not all. To insert the embryo into the womb of a woman who wishes to get pregnant post menopause or 50, various other parameters need to be taken into consideration. A stress test, 2D echo, blood pressure and blood test for diabetes are done to see if she is capable of taking this pregnancy to term. In case the test results are not favourable it will be difficult for her to take the pregnancy to term after implantation of the embryo. In such a case, a surrogacy is considered. Here are 10 common myths about IVF busted.
Are there chances that the baby conceived will have any congenital abnormalities?
Nobody can rule out the possibility of congenital abnormalities. However, if a woman is above 50 and menopausal and is opting for donor eggs the donor is usually in the age bracket of 21 to 30, where the incidence of abnormality is 1 in 2000 which is very low. For a woman, in the 40s who could conceive naturally the possibility of the baby having congenital abnormalities is 1 in 50. There is always a probability of a baby having certain abnormalities whether you conceive naturally or through IVF. Here are nine myths and facts about IVF that everyone should know.
What is the success rate of pregnancy through IVF in elderly couples or couples beyond 50 years of age?
An IVF failure is a concern. But understand conception itself is tricky. The chance of conception in 10 couples is 1 in 10 and that for three couples who come for IVF is 1 in 3. This means through IVF we can increase one s chances of conception by 200 percent. But there are chances that an IVF cycle can fail in the first attempt. If that happens, we try for a 2nd or 3rd cycle. Usually, 75 percent of couples conceive during the second or third cycle. For the remaining 20 percent, we either counsel them or try other techniques.
In general, the embryo created is inserted into the womb after two or three days when it is a four cell embryo. But in case of a failed IVF, the embryo is cultured in the lab for about five days till it becomes a 150 cell blastocyte and then inserted in the womb. This increases the chance of the pregnancy going to its full term. Another way to up one s chances of pregnancy after a failed IVF cycle is to use frozen embryos created during the first cycle during the second cycle as these embryos increase the chance of a successful pregnancy.
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