IVF & Recurrent Miscarriage : Is it the right choice?- Antai Hospital

IVF was invented for infertile women with untreated blocked fallopian tubes to have their baby.

Now its so commercialised to the point where it is recommended to women with no baby (regardless of reasons)

There are 43 conditions that can lead to recurrent miscarriages. However, if your fallopian tubes are blocked, it will lead to infertility and not recurrent miscarriages.

IVF & Recurrent Miscarriages

Are you facing recurrent miscarriages or fertility issues and have been recommended to conceive through In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)? An IVF is a procedure to assist infertile couple have their biological child. It is a common misconception that IVF can help patients experiencing recurrent miscarriages have their baby. 

Undergoing IVF is a very pricey procedure with a surprisingly low success rate. According to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2014), the success rate of each In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycle is only at 20% to 35% for a typical woman.  

If you are wondering if you should undergo an IVF procedure, you have found the right article. Today, we will be discussing how IVF works, who are the ideal candidates and who are unsuitable for an IVF, and why the success rate is so low. 

How does IVF work?

IVF is a very complex procedure if we consider the science behind it. However, we can break down an IVF procedure into two simple steps.

Step 1: Fertilization of Sperm and Egg in Lab

• The woman will first take medicine for ovulation
• Then, doctors will retrieve mature egg(s) from the ovaries
• The fertilization of a mature egg and sperm will take place in the lab

Step 2: Transfer the fertilized egg(s) into the woman’s uterus. 

• It will take about one week after the transfer to determine the success of the procedure. 

Ideal Candidates for IVF

IVF is only advantageous for women who are infertile due to blocked fallopian tubes or damaged/no uterus. However, women with damaged/no uterus will require surrogacy. In both cases, healthy eggs are still essential to have successful IVF. 

It is important to note that IVF is only a method to assist infertile women with the conception of a baby. It does not treat infertility.  

For Women with Permanently Blocked Fallopian Tubes

An IVF is a technology to assist reproduction for women with blocked fallopian tubes that cannot be treated. 

The fallopian tube is like a meeting point for the egg and sperm to meet and fertilize. Hence, if the tubes are blocked, the fertilization will not be able to take place. 

In the situation where the fallopian tubes are blocked, an IVF will assist in reproduction because the egg and sperm can have another meeting point for fertilization, which is in a lab. Afterward, the fertilized egg will be transferred into the uterus for development. 

Note: if the fertilized egg is going to be transferred into the biological mother’s uterus for development, then the uterus must be in an optimal condition. It is also necessary for the biological mother to have healthy eggs. Otherwise, a miscarriage will occur.

For Women with Extremely Damaged Uterus or No Uterus

Some women cannot get pregnant because their uterus is damaged to the point where it cannot support implantation, or they had a hysterectomy where they no longer have a uterus. 

In this case, surrogacy is the only option left to have their biological children. The egg and sperm will still be fertilized in the lab. However, instead of transferring the fertilized egg into the biological mother’s uterus, it will be transferred into another woman with a healthy uterus instead for development.

Note: it is still necessary for the biological mother to have healthy eggs for successful surrogacy. 

Unsuitable Candidates For IVF

IVF is unsuitable for women experiencing recurrent miscarriages. Having recurrent miscarriages represents that the couple does not have trouble getting pregnant, meaning they are not infertile. However, they cannot maintain the pregnancy to full term.

There are two main reasons why miscarriages occur:

1. Low-quality eggs
2. Inhospitable uterus for embryonic development (子宫不适用于胚胎发育)

However, for IVF to be successful, it is essential to have good quality eggs and a healthy uterus. These conditions are precisely what a woman suffering from recurrent miscarriages cannot fulfill! Hence, women suffering from recurrent miscarriages are unsuitable candidates for IVF because they are bound to be unsuccessful. 

At the end of the day, their money is wasted, precious time is lost, and they are still without a biological child. 

Why Does IVF Have Low Success Rates

As mentioned above, for women to conceive with IVF and carry the baby to full term by themselves, they need to fulfill these three conditions:

1. Their only problem is blocked fallopian tubes.
2. They have good quality eggs
3. They have a healthy uterus

Doctors often tell patients who are suffering from recurrent miscarriages to have an IVF when their problem is not even infertility. Their IVF ends up failing because they do not fulfill the three basic criteria. 

The same goes for truly infertile women. Doctors often recommend IVF blindly, without considering if their eggs and uterus are optimal for maintaining a pregnancy.

Actually, IVF is only advantageous for a small group of women. However, IVF has become highly commercialized and a giant money-making machine. Many hospitals recommend IVF even if they know that it would most likely end in a miscarriage due to vested interest (既得利益). Hence, this explains the high failure rate of IVF.

For Those Suffering From Recurrent Miscarriages

If you are suffering from recurrent miscarriages, IVF should not be an option for you at all because your problem is not with fertility. In fact, 67% of unexplained miscarriages is a result of reproductive immunology where the maternal body has anti-embryonic antibodies. This is not a problem that can be treated with IVF. 

IVF is not only a waste of money for women suffering from recurrent miscarriages, but it severely delays the proper treatment required for successful pregnancies. Remember, a woman has a limited number of childbearing years. Do not lose the opportunity for timely treatment. 

Antai hospital performs a comprehensive list of diagnostic testing and treatment for recurrent miscarriages, and we have doctors who are experts in reproductive immunology. If your doctor cannot find the reason behind your miscarriages, please consult with Antai hospital. 

Get in touch with us today!

Trust in Antai Hospital and trust in yourself, your pregnancy is our priority.