About 75% of in vitro fertilisation treatments do not succeed. If IVF treatment has failed, trying it over again is a very difficult decision to make because of the financial, physical and emotional constraints. During the course of the IVF treatment, enormous amount of time and money are spent and there is no guarantee that it will be successful.
The success of IVF treatment may depend on several factors that contribute to achieve pregnancy such as the age of the woman, levels of certain hormones, the quality of her eggs, and individual characteristics of each embryo. Doctors may look at these factors to help predict the chances of the patient in getting pregnant. However, there are inconsistencies to these factors in determining if a woman will have success in IVF treatment. Other factors such as the capabilities of the physician and fertility clinics to administer IVF are also included.
Method that could predict the success of IVF
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California have identified a method that can forecast with 70% accuracy whether a woman undergoing IVF treatment will conceive. This method known as personalised predictor can predict the success of IVF. The model was developed using clinical data of patients who previously failed IVF treatments.
According to the researchers, the new method involves utilizing 4 factors to determine the probability of a woman getting pregnant through an IVF cycle. These factors may prove a turning point in counselling patients, improving treatment, and ultimately in developing and customizing treatments which are considered in the success of IVF. The 4 factors, namely, number of 8-cell embryos, percentage of embryos that stopped dividing and would die, the total number of embryos produced, and the woman's follicle-stimulating hormone level were found to be the most important in determining a woman's chances of becoming pregnant. These 4 factors combined could yield 70% accuracy in predicting whether the current IVF cycle would result in a pregnancy or not.
The researchers also found that these 4 factors were more prognostic than any of the aspects monitored in the actual transferred embryo. An individual embryo could pass all the requirements for a transfer, but if the IVF cycle yielded only a few embryos, a small number of 8-cell embryos, and a high ratio of embryos that did not progress in cell division, the woman's likelihood of conceiving could actually be small. By viewing these factors, doctors may be able to give better advice to patients who may be considering another IVF cycle.
Use of alternative medicine to increase success of IVF
Another study which shows the success of IVF is by treating patients using acupuncture. A woman undergoing IVF can increase her chances if she is being treated with acupuncture. Studies show a 65 percent increase in the chance of becoming pregnant, and a 91 percent increase in the number of live births if being treated with acupuncture. The results were based from meta-analysis- a technique in which the results of many previous trials are collected.
Overall, the success of IVF is not etched in stone. The success of the treatment really depends on an assortment of factors. Before deciding on IVF, it is best to discuss your chances and options thoroughly with your specialist.