IVF Side Effects and Risks: What You Need to Know

IVF is a fertility treatment that manipulates the natural reproductive cycle of a woman to achieve a pregnancy when a woman is experiencing infertility or wishes to preserve her fertility by freezing her eggs. Naturally, this procedure involves a certain level of risk. Generally, the benefits of this medical procedure outweigh the risks, similar to most medical treatments, which is why IVF is approved by regulatory bodies to help people build their families.

By being aware of the associated risks, you get to make an informed decision and be an active participant in your care journey. This is a comprehensive guide to help you understand the different stages of In-vitro fertilisation and gauge the possible risks and side-effects of IVF.

Understand the IVF Journey and Its Benefits

IVF is a type of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) that involves the stimulation of ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs instead of just one in a menstrual cycle like they usually do. For this, your doctor will recommend a course of medication to manipulate your menstrual cycle and get your ovaries to produce several healthy, mature eggs. At the right time, these eggs are retrieved during a minimally invasive surgical procedure and later fertilised or frozen as per your goal of the treatment.

For women who wish to conceive through IVF, their eggs are fertilised using their partner’s sperm or the donor’s sperm and kept under observation till they are ready to be transferred to the womb or frozen. In other cases, where the woman is doing IVF treatment to preserve her fertility, her oocytes (or eggs) are frozen straightaway after extraction. This provides them the liberty to choose a more suitable time to have children if they wish to become a parent in the future.

IVF can be a miraculously life-changing experience for people who go through the treatment. It can help fulfil your dreams of becoming a parent or help you have more time to decide when you want to have kids.

What Can I Expect From IVF Treatment?

If you choose to partner with Nova IVF Fertility, you can expect to receive the best possible care in the field of ARTs with utmost compassion. Our team of experts strives to provide you with the most suitable treatment options in a transparent and unbiased manner. This way you can make informed decisions and have empathetic doctors to support you along this life-changing journey of becoming a parent.

Stages of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

Once you have gone through your initial consultations with a fertility expert and created a suitable treatment plan for yourself, you will likely start the treatment in the following way:

Stage 1: Suppression of the Natural Menstrual Cycle

Initially, doctors need to suppress the woman’s natural menstrual cycle to control the timing of ovulation. In a natural menstrual cycle, your ovaries are working constantly to produce a mature egg each month, which can take a long time as normally the follicles in your ovaries develop at different rates.

This is not ideal for an IVF treatment as the goal is to retrieve as many healthy eggs as possible in 1 IVF cycle to have the highest chances of success in conception and have a few backup eggs to use later if needed.

Thus, medication is given during the first stage of IVF to control the normal growth of the follicles in your ovaries so that they can start to grow at the same time.

Stage 2: Ovarian Stimulation

The second stage of IVF involves the stimulation of the ovaries to start the growth of follicles into mature eggs. Usually, you will have an 8–14-day plan with scheduled injections every few hours. This is crucial to produce healthy, mature follicles that can be fertilised and implanted into your womb for a healthy pregnancy.

This stage requires you to inject hormonal injections prescribed by your fertility specialist at regular intervals without fail subcutaneously. Many people dread this stage as it can be uncomfortable to inject yourself regularly multiple times a day along with the potential side-effects, but it is the one of the most crucial stages of IVF treatment.

Stage 3: Oocyte Retrieval & Fertilisation

In this stage, the eggs or oocytes are retrieved from the follicles during an outpatient surgical procedure, which is performed under anaesthesia. An embryologist observes the retrieved follicular liquid under a microscope and counts the number of eggs before preparing them to be mixed with your partner’s sperm or donor’s sperm.

The eggs are kept under safe conditions in an embryology lab and observed the next day for quality. You will likely receive a call from your fertility specialist on this day informing you about the number of viable embryos and guiding you about the next steps. It is normal if you don’t have any viable eggs in the first attempt of IVF; you can repeat the procedure based on the guidance from your fertility expert. If you happen to have enough viable eggs, your fertility specialist will move forward to the next step.

Stage 4: Embryo Transfer

Embryo transfer is also a crucial stage in IVF treatment that involves the placement of fresh or thawed embryos in your womb. Some couples opt for a surrogate mother to carry their foetus.

This process does not require you to be administered under anaesthesia and is relatively quick. After the procedure, you will be advised to rest and take it slow for a few days following the embryo transfer, but you can usually go back to your daily routine on the same day.

About 10-14 days after embryo transfer, you will take an at-home pregnancy test, and your future course of treatment will vary depending on the result of this test.

What Are the Side-Effects of IVF?

The IVF treatment side-effects can range from mild to severe in intensity. However, not all women are affected by them. The side-effects of different stages of IVF are explained below:

1. Side-Effects of IVF Medication

The medication used for ovarian stimulation are heavy on hormones, and they can have certain side-effects on women. The following are the side-effects commonly experienced by women after starting the IVF cycle.

Soreness or bruising at the injection site
Hot flushes
Increased irritability
Feeling low
Fatigue
Restlessness
Mood swings
Breast tenderness
Constipation
Headaches
Nausea
Bloating
Allergic reactions with symptoms such as itching or redness at the injection site

In most cases, the symptoms do not interfere with the normal routine of the woman. However, you must contact your fertility expert if your symptoms are worsening or persistent.

2. Side-Effects of Egg Retrieval

Apart from mild to moderate abdominal cramping for a few hours after egg retrieval and slight vaginal discharge or bleeding, there are no major side-effects of this step of IVF treatment. However, some women may have an allergic reaction to the anaesthesia used during the procedure.

3. Side-Effects of Embryo Transfer

This is also a relatively safe and quick procedure that usually does not have any side-effects except for mild cramps and vaginal discharge for a few days after the transfer.

What Are the Risks of IVF?

IVF is generally considered safe. Like any medical procedure, there are a few side-effects and possible adverse reactions associated with it. Here is a list of risk associated with IVF:

1. Multiple Births

If more than 1 embryo is implanted in the woman’s womb as a part of IVF treatment cycle, it can lead to multiple births. Women who are older are usually suggested for implantation with more than 1 embryo in an IVF cycle to increase their chances of success. Although having twins or triplets may not seem like the worst thing, it can be physically taxing on your body in addition to the following problems:

Miscarriage
Gestational diabetes
Anaemia
Premature delivery
Pre-eclampsia
Low birth weight of the baby
Cerebral palsy and other long-term disabilities affecting the baby
Newborn respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS)

Women who are aged 40-42 are only considered for implantation with multiple embryos according to the guidelines issued by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Younger women are usually not recommended double embryo transfer, but this technique may be used to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy if there are no good quality embryos available.

4. Ectopic Pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy is defined as the condition where a fertilised egg implants itself outside the uterus. Usually, ectopic pregnancy occurs in a fallopian tube, but it is possible for the embryo to implant itself in other areas of the lower abdomen as well. Ectopic pregnancies can cause pain and vaginal bleeding or discharge in the initial stages, and they have the potential to become life-threatening as well. Women who go through IVF treatment have a slightly higher chance of having an ectopic pregnancy than women who get pregnant naturally.

Once you receive a positive pregnancy test, your fertility specialist will perform an ultrasound at about 6 weeks to ensure the foetus is developing properly in the right place. If you have gotten pregnant with the help of IVF and experience abdominal pain, vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding, you must contact your fertility specialist immediately and get yourself checked.

5. Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or OHSS is a rare IVF treatment side-effect. This complication can affect women who are extremely sensitive to the fertility medication for ovarian stimulation.

In OHSS, more than required eggs develop in the ovaries and lead to an increase in their size. This can be quite painful and become life-threatening as well if left untreated. Women can get OHSS in the week following egg retrieval, and the symptoms of this condition include the following:

Abdominal cramps
Bloating in the lower abdomen
General sense of being ill
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Weight-gain
Decreased urinary output

Kidney failure and blood clots can also affect women with severe OHSS. Severe cases of OHSS can be extremely dangerous and require urgent medical attention. You may need to cancel your current treatment cycle and start again when your body has recovered with a lower dose of medication.

Apart from the ones mentioned above, here are some rare side-effects of IVF:

Heavy bleeding
Infection
Damage to bowel or bladder during egg retrieval
Depression
Premature labor

You are now aware about the common side-effects and risks associated with IVF for women. The risk factors of IVF increase with a woman’s age. The success rates of IVF drop dramatically low for older women, and they must opt for strategies like double embryo transfer to increase their likelihood of becoming pregnant.

Please note: If you are experiencing symptoms such as faintness, severe cramps, fever, shortness of breath, heavy bleeding, and/or vomiting during the IVF cycle, you are advised to contact your medical care provider without fail.

In Conclusion

Fertility treatments have been improving remarkably in the past few decades, and IVF is one of the best fertility treatments as of today. The possibilities that open with an IVF treatment cycle are truly noteworthy. People who are experiencing infertility can fulfil their dream of building their family with the help of IVF.

Although side-effects of IVF are an inherent part of the process like any other medical procedure, its benefits usually outweigh the potential risks associated with the treatment. To get the best possible care during your IVF journey, consult with some of the best fertility specialists in India. Book your appointment online or call our customer care number to start on your path to become a parent.

FAQs About IVF Treatment Side-Effects

Q. Is IVF safe for me?

A. Yes. IVF is generally considered a safe treatment for women. There are certain risks and side-effects of IVF like any other procedure, but it can do wonders for you and your family.

Q. What are the common IVF treatment side-effects?

A. Some of the common side-effects of IVF treatment include the following: