How many IVF cycles should a couple undergo and when should they give up?

Trying to conceive through IVF is a challenging time for any couple. Understand how many cycles can you undergo and what factors to keep in mind.

By: Debjani Arora | | Updated: March 8, 2016 6:07 pm

When a couple undergoes IVF treatment, they shouldn’t be highly hopeful of being successful with the first attempt itself. The treatment takes into consideration a lot of factors: Also Read - Giving birth in the time of COVID-19: Can moms spread the virus to their newborns?

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Maternal age: Women are born with a specific reserve of eggs and its number declines as one ages, this affects one s fertility and might be one of the reasons to opt for IVF treatment. This is why conceiving beyond 35 years of age becomes challenging. However, women beyond 37 years of age can also undergo IVF to get pregnant. The success, in this case, depends largely on the availability and health of the egg, the condition of the uterus and how well the body is prepared to go through the stress and strains of pregnancy. Here are few causes of repeated IVF failure and how to prevent it. Also Read - Pregnancy and diabetes: Things to keep in mind if you high blood sugar and plan to have a baby

Availability of sperms: The man s sperm count and its quality are equally important towards the success of an IVF cycle. At times, donor sperms are used for the fertilisation process if the partner s sperms aren t fit to be used for treatment. This increases a couple’s chances of conceiving. However, this step is only taken after a complete evaluation of the man s health. Here are seven facts about the sperms and male fertility that you should know.

Lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle, smoking, drinking and unhealthy food habit — all add up to make conception difficult. If you don t change your habits when on an IVF treatment, the success rate dips drastically. Here are 10 traits of a good IVF patient.

The medical status of the mother: Conditions like PCOD, obesity, diabetes, etc., can also pose a problem during conceiving. Complications of the previous pregnancy or blocks in fallopian tubes can also be a reason for IVF failure.

How many cycles of IVF should a couple undergo?

According to Dr Shobha Gupta, from Mother’s Lap IVF Centre, Delhi, Ideally three IVF cycles are safe for a couple. However, if one fails to conceive after three cycles, one can try for two more cycles through artificial insemination. If a couple has to undergo more than three cycles, it is important to take into consideration their health status, stress levels and other important factors like emotional well-being, as it plays an important role in helping one to conceive.

When to give up

This decision can only be taken after careful counselling and discussion with your fertility expert, gynaecologist and general practitioner. It is always better to seek opinions and discuss these things at length before you take a life-changing decision. Even if you have failed three IVF cycles consecutively, there is still hope, explains Dr Gupta, If a couple faces three unsuccessful IVF cycles, chances are the woman s body is not accepting the treatment well or the man s sperms might not be healthy enough. This is when the other aspects of IVF treatment needs to be taken into consideration looking for egg donor, sperm donor or surrogacy. Here is how to pick a good IVF doctor.

However, during an IVF treatment, multiple embryos are inserted into the uterus to increase chances of twin pregnancy by up to 25 percent. So if you are healthy enough to undergo an IVF treatment, the evaluation of which is done by experts right at the start, there is hope that you might conceive within the speculated time and get pregnant.

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Published : January 17, 2016 9:27 am | Updated:March 8, 2016 6:07 pm

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