IVF (TEST TUBE BABY) HAS COME TO STAY

 With the increasing number of couples finding hard to bear children naturally, the demand for alternative methods, especially the IVF have been heightened. This is also buoyed by advancement in medical science and perhaps the renewed awareness of the success of IVF. 

IVF (in-vitro fertilization) is simply the uniting of egg and sperm in vitro (in the lab). Subsequently the embryos are transferred into the uterus. With IVF, a method of assisted reproduction, a man's sperm and the woman's egg are combined in a laboratory dish (in vitro), where fertilization occurs. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the woman's uterus (womb) to implant and develop naturally. 

 

Usually, 2-3 embryos are placed in the woman's uterus at one time through the cervix. Prior to IVF, stimulation drugs are administered to the female partner to stimulate the growth of eggs and some ultrasound scans are done to monitor to the stimulation. On the day of the procedure the male partner will produce a semen sample and then the laboratory takes over from there.

A positive pregnancy test after two weeks of a successful embryo transfer means that pregnancy has occurred.

The first successful IVF procedure took place in 1977 in the United Kingdom which led to the safe delivery of Louise Brown. Louise Brown was born at Oldham General Hospital, Oldham, by planned Caesarean section delivered by registrar John Webster. She weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces (2.608 kg) at birth.

 Her parents, Lesley and John Brown, had been trying to conceive for nine years. They faced complications of blocked fallopian tubes.

On 10 November 1977, Lesley Brown underwent a procedure, later to become known as IVF, developed by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards. Edwards was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine for this work. 

Although the media referred to Brown as a "test tube baby", her conception actually took place in a Petri dish. Her younger sister, Natalie Brown, was also conceived through IVF four years later, and became the world's fortieth IVF baby. In May 1999, Natalie was the first IVF baby to give birth herself—naturally—to daughter Casey. Louise conceived naturally, and her son was born on 20 December 2006. 

More than three decades later, more than five million babies have been delivered through the test tube baby procedure. More than 61,000 babies born in the USA in 2012 were conceived via IVF - hitting a record high, a report shows.

Furthermore, IVF or test tube baby procedure has been available in Nigeria for more than a decade and many families have been completed through the use of this procedure.

Trying to get pregnant for 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse and no results, such a person should seek the help of a gynecologist or IVF specialist. The reason for the delay may be due to some reproductive issues either in the female or male partner or both. Furthermore, sometimes there may be no reasons for the delay and what may be needed would be just a little intervention to achieve pregnancy.

IVF was most likely to be successful in women under 35, with 46.7 percent of cycles resulting in pregnancy and 40.7 percent resulting in live birth. Women aged above 42 had the lowest success rate, with 8.6 percent of cycles resulting in pregnancy and 3.9 percent resulting in live birth. However, donor eggs from younger women can be donated and used for older women to improve their chance of achieving pregnancy.

Many are concerned about congenital abnormalities and long term health of babies conceived through IVF procedure. Although these fears are real, most reports concern a limited number of pregnancies and estimates of malformation risks are often uncertain. 

If you are in this position of trying to achieve pregnancy and no joy, please go see a fertility consultant to put you through all you need to do to carry your own baby. Better information leads to better informed patients and better treatments.

                                                   

Femi Olaifa

08023909342 (laifus@yahoo.com)

Senior Embryologist

The Roding Reproductive Centre (RoRC)