IN VITRO FERTILISATION (IVF)

IN VITRO FERTILISATION (IVF)

What is IVF?

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a technique in which egg cells are fertilized by sperm outside the woman’s womb. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of achieving conception have failed. The process involves hormonally controlling the ovulatory process, removing ova (eggs) from the woman’s ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a fluid medium. The fertilized egg (zygote) is then transferred to the patient’s uterus with the intent to establish a successful pregnancy.

IVF Method
Ø Ovarian stimulation
Ø Oocyte retrieval
Ø IVF laboratory
Ø Embryo transfer
Ø Post-transfer

Success rates
There are many reasons why pregnancy may not occur following IVF and embryo transfer, including
· The timing of ovulation may be misjudged, or ovulation may not be able to be predicted or may not occur
· Attempts to obtain eggs that develop during the monitored cycle may be unsuccessful
· The eggs obtained may be abnormal or may have been damaged during the retrieval process
· A semen specimen may not be able to be provided
· Fertilization of eggs to form embryos may not occur
· Cleavage or cell division of the fertilized eggs may not take place
· The embryo may not develop normally
· Implantation may not occur
· Equipment failure, infection and/or human error or other unforeseen and uncontrollable factor, which may result in the loss of or damage to the eggs, the semen sample and/or the embryos.

Potential complications
The major complication of IVF is the risk of multiple births. This is directly related to the practice of transferring multiple embryo at embryo transfer. Multiple births are related to increased risk of pregnancy loss, obstetrical complications, prematurity and neonatal morbidity with the potential for long term damage. Strict limits on the number of embryos that may be transferred have been enacted in some countries (e.g., England) to reduce the risk of high-order multiples (triplets or more), but are not universally followed or accepted. Spontaneous splitting of embryos in the womb after transfer does occur, but is rare (<1%) and would lead to indentical twins. Recent evidence suggest that singleton offspring after IVF is at higher risk for lower birth weight for unknown reasons.

Another risk of ovarian stimulation is the development of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.


Allergy is a disorder of the immune system often referred as atopy. Allergic reactions occur to enironmental substances known as allergens. These reactions are acquired, predictable and rapid. Allergy is one of four forms of hypersensitivity. In some people, severe allergies to environmental or dietary allergens or to medication may result in life-threatening reactions and potentially death.

Causes:
Risk factors for allergy can be placed in two general categories, namely host and environmental factors. Host factors include heredity, sex, race, and age, with heredity being by far the most significant. The four main environmental factors are alterations in exposure to infectious diseases during early childhood, environmental pollution, allergen levels and dietary changes.

Signs and Symptoms:
Many allergens, such as dust or pollen, are airborne particles. In these cases, symptoms arise in areas in contact with air, such as eyes, nose and lungs. The common symptoms of allergy and its affected organs are:
Nose- Swelling of the nasal mucosa
Sinuses- allergic sinusitis
Eyes- redness and itching
Airways- sneezing, coughing, bronchoconstriction, wheezing, swelling, sometimes out right attacks of asthma
Ears- feeling of fullness, pain and impaired hearing
Skin- rashes, such as eczema and hives
Gastrointestinal tract- abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea

Diagnosis:
Before a diagnosis of allergic disease can be confirmed, the other possible causes of the presenting symptoms should be carefully considered. There are two types of diagnosis namely:
Skin testing-
Blood testing-