Eye Opening Facts about IVF

Feeling mystified about IVF? In this short list we covered a mixture of surprising and informative facts about IVF treatment to help give you a sense of how dynamic the process is. From personal health tips to hard scientific facts, we hope this diverse list will lead you further down the line on your IVF journey.

Better Sleep Can Help Your IVF Success Rate

Concerned about whether your IVF treatment will even be successful, or generally worried about your fertility health? There are steps you can take to improve this, and one of the easiest is to get a good night's sleep(1). People who find it hard to sleep or who suffer sleep apnea have been shown by studies to have decreased fertility rates in some cases. Taking care of your sleep hygiene is a fundamental step in the right direction. Number of Eggs taken is not equal to number of eggs fertilised. During the IVF process your doctor will harvest a number of eggs for fertilisation, far more than is necessary. The reason for this is simple; so that there are enough chances to have a successful fertilisation. It is important not to think that this means you will end up with the same number of children!

Younger egg donors have higher success rates

A major part of IVF is the donor of eggs to the process, and this can have a huge effect on the outcome. It should be considered that egg donors under 35 are more likely to have a successful egg fertilisation, whereas older donors have a decreased chance(2). Donors over 40 have a 19% or lower success rate, versus 50% upwards for under 35s.

Alternative treatments can boost IVF Success

We already mentioned good sleep hygiene as a booster for IVF success, but did we mention accupuncture? A number of studies and patient testimonies show that treatments such as accupuncture can have a positive effect on the IVF process, even if it is just a psychological ease given to the whole procedure(3).

IVF prices drastically vary

The price is not something to ignore when it comes to IVF. In the USA it could cost from 10,000 to 15,000 dollars(4) but others report paying as little as 3,000 dollars in other scenarios. Competitive pricing has given rise to the medical tourism market, and clinics in Prague, Czech Republic (for example) have risen to the challenge by providing excellent care with affordable rates.

Male sperm health makes a difference

Did you know that the life cycle of a sperm is just 72 days? If that wasn't short enough, the way you treat your body makes a huge difference to how your sperm performs during fertilisation(5). Men should make sure they do not have serious sperm health issues before getting involved in IVF. It is highly recommended to have an exercise routine, low alcohol intake, vegetable-rich diet and others to maintain male fertility health.

Sources:

1 https://attainfertility.com/article/sleep-infertility-link

2 https://www.shadygrovefertility.com/blog/treatments-and-success/donor-egg-success-rates-faqs/

3 https://www.ivf1.com/acupuncture-ivf/

4 https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-much-does-ivf-cost-1960212

5 https://www.ivf.com.au/about-fertility/male-reproductive-system/male-fertility-check