One in six couples struggle with infertility. Prior to 1981, those couples continued to struggle until they could not handle the disappointment anymore and gave up what they wanted most – a baby. Thanks to in vitro fertilization, however, couples now have a better shot at getting the child they dream of. In 1981, the first baby born due to IFV arrived, changing the course of science and history. By 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that assisted reproduction technology, also known as ART, helped more than 650,000 births come to term.
Achieving Better Success
The initial process was far less sophisticated than it is today. There were no studies to base research on and no data to dissect. With statistics and facts now available, the procedure is as accurate as possible. Over time, studies have shown that IFV treatment is most effective in women younger than 35. 40 percent of cycles resulted in a birth in 2013. Women older than 42, however, were not so lucky. In 2013, only 4.5 percent of cycles produced births. This means if you are a woman in her late 30s, IFV treatments need to be started as soon as possible to have the potential to achieve a better outcome.
The process of choosing healthy embryos has also been further developed. In order to find the healthiest ones, the genetic code needs to be analyzed. Volunteer egg donors produced 70 fertilized eggs. In the early stages, each egg had their genetic code tested. Polar bodies, or leftover fragments of cells, were taken from the eggs to receive this testing. It is also possible to separate embryos into their own individual cultures. With various tests, researchers can determine which ones are the most viable.
Predicting the Due Date
Predicting the due date of a baby created from IFV is actually easier than predicting the date of a baby conceived naturally. Rather than trying to determine dates of missed cycles and the time you may have conceived, doctors simply have to take note of the date in which the embryo was transferred to the mother. The retrieval date is also important. If the eggs were retrieved and transferred to the mother within three days, then the due date would be adjusted to three days prior. United Medical Credit explains calculator options that may be helpful, too.
Determining the Cost
The cost of in vitro fertilization varies from region to region. In countries like Belgium, the rates are fairly low. This is due to their smaller testing areas that produce similar results to larger testing spaces found in the U.S. On average, IFV in the United States costs $15,000 per treatment. The high price is due to the extensive procedure and health technology that is utilized. If your true desire is to have a baby, and IFV is the only way to do so, then you should be prepared for the high price it will cost you.
In Vitro Fertilization may seem like a new technology that has only just begun, but in reality it has been around for a few decades. What started out as one birth thanks to science, quickly turned into hundreds of thousands of births only 30 years later. While the cost may be high, IFV can bring you the baby you’ve always desired, just as it has done for countless other couples throughout the world.
Other resources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/044012_test-tube_babies_in_vitro_fertilization_pregnancy.html
http://www.economist.com/news/international/21607881-vitro-fertilisation-once-seen-miraculous-now-mainstream-rich-countries-soon
http://www.naturalnews.com/041554_in_vitro_fertilization_IVF_eugenics.html
http://fertility.treatmentabroad.com/costs
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/04/08/398117919/whats-my-chance-of-having-a-baby-a-better-predictor-of-ivf-success
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-25438535
http://www.medicaldaily.com/vitro-fertilizations-success-rate-could-improve-individually-cultured-embryos-331014
