IVF Treatment Cost in India

At times both the partners are equally responsible for not being able to conceive but if we categorize the cases among males and females following are some of the causes of infertility which may require IVF:

• Fallopian tubes being blocked in the female partner totally
• Viable sperms are not produced by the male partner
• Erectile dysfunction problem in the male partner
• Female partner failing to ovulate due to imbalance in hormones
• Disease in the uterus of the female partner (this will be a case   of  IVF surrogacy)
• General Low sexual desire in the couple or among any one of the partners

But in many cases, the doctor may not be able to find out the real reason for infertility and can simply recommend the couple to undergo IVF in order to prevent the biological clock from ticking and producing bad quality eggs and sperm incapable of producing healthy children.

Male and female patients are diagnosed differently for infertility problems. Below are the factors to diagnose for male fertility:

• Semen Analysis: semen analysis lets the doctor have an   insight  into the quality of sperms
• Hormone testing:  testosterone levels and other male   hormones  are monitored
• Testicular biopsy: In the medical study a testicular biopsy involves a tissue sample from your testicles.
• Imaging: MRI or bone mineral density can be studied and test of vas deferens can be performed
• DNA abnormalities can be checked in the semen specialties.

Below are the ways to diagnose female infertility problems:

• Ovulation testing: blood tests to be performed to check   whether the female is ovulating or not
• Hysterosalpingography: blockages are checked in the fallopian tube and uterus.
• Ovarian reserve testing: The quality and quantity of eggs available for ovulation is checked.
• Hormone testing: pituitary and other ovulatory hormone levels are checked.
• Image testing: pelvic ultrasound to check for diseases in the uterus and fallopian tubes.
• Hysteroscopy: in rare cases to check diseases in fallopian tubes and uterus
• Genetic testing: genetic defect in causing infertility
• Laparoscopy: looks for scarring and endometriosis (when parts of the tissue that lines the uterus grow on other pelvic organs) problem in the uterus or fallopian tubes.

Step 1: The first day when IVF treatment is started is the first day of the period of the woman. The patient will be given the advice to understand the first day of the period by their healthcare provider.

Step 2:  From that very day the process of stimulation will start. In natural conditions, one ovary produces one egg in the monthly cycle and the second ovary shall produce the egg in the next month. But in this case, the patient will be given medications for a week or two to produce more eggs by stimulating the follicles in the ovaries. Depending on the patient the doctor may prescribe 1-2 injections per cycle or even per day. The fertility nurse teaches the patient to give the injection and in no time patients will grow confident about giving it by themselves.

The medications used for follicle stimulations are

• Luteinizing hormone (LH)
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)

The medical team keeps an eye on the ovaries to see how the eggs are produced via transvaginal ultrasounds and blood tests. The team will closely monitor the trigger injection just before the end of the stimulation phase. This injection prepares the egg for ovulation, which occurs naturally during periods. However, the doctor will allow the egg to be recovered before ovulation.

Step 3: This step takes about half an hour as the patient is kept in general anesthesia and the eggs will be collected from the ovaries. An ultrasound needle is passed through the ovary to remove the fluid containing the eggs from the follicles. The average numbers of eggs collected vary from 8-15.

Step 4:  Sperm collection can be from the male member who wishes to be the biological father on that very morning of egg retrieval, or frozen sperms from any donor can be used which has undergone all the necessary tests in the lab.

The sperm is washed in a special mixture while the scientists spot out the best quality sperm under the microscope. Perfectly healthy sperm is neither too thick nor too thin and the tail is not too long or too short. The best sperm is selected to be introduced to the eggs.

Step 5:  The scientists now find out the eggs collected in the fluid and placed in a petri dish. It is important to allow the fertilization to happen immediately where the sperm will find out the eggs naturally, just like in the environment of the body.

Step 6: As soon as the sperm fertilizes the egg, the product is called an embryo. Now, this embryo is shifted in an incubator where the growth will be facilitated perfectly. This will be containing amino acid just similar to the body environment. This embryo will be monitored for 5 to 6 days to see that a 2 to 3 cell embryo is formed in 2 days and 6 to 8 cell embryo is formed on day 3. But not all eggs may reach the embryo stage due to unhealthy sperm or problematic egg. The medical team waits for the embryo to develop and inform the patient accordingly.

Stage 7:  The patient will be asked to drink water and get her bladder full. With ultrasound technology, the embryo will be transferred to the uterus and be implanted in the perfect lining spot. This embryo is placed in a catheter with the minimum disturbance caused and placed without any anesthetic involved inside the cervix, and into the uterus. The patient can get up within 5 minutes and continue the day normally without any fear of losing the embryo while standing or during urinating.

The size of the embryo is 0.1 mm and the doctor can place it within a range of 1 mm. If it is placed incorrectly then the embryo can get wrongly implanted anywhere other than the uterus.

Step 8:  After two weeks the patient will be tested for their hormonal levels (human chorionic gonadotropin hormone) in the bloodstream which indicates a positive pregnancy test.

Before going for IVF, it is best to have an open discussion with the doctor to find any alternative to IVF. May be some significant changes to lifestyle like altering the diet with lean protein, fresh fruits, whole grains and vegetables and quitting smoking and alcohol can give really positive results. One must also consult the doctor for vitamin supplements that can help the couple to conceive. Other methods used are :

• GIFT (Gamete intrafallopian transfer): In this process, the significant difference is that unlike a dish where fertilization takes place, the sperm and egg is collected and then transferred to the fallopian tube where it is allowed to fertilize in the normal environment. Many couples prefer this as a religious belief too. But this can happen only if the woman has functioning or unblocked fallopian tube
• ZIFT (Zygote intrafallopian transfer) and TET (Tubal embryo transfer): In this case, the difference with IVF is that the embryo is immediately transferred to the fallopian tube and thus given more chance than IVF to naturally go and implant in the uterus correctly.
• IUI (Intrauterine insemination): This is especially helpful for couples where the male suffers from erectile dysfunction problems. Here the sperm is collected and injected directly into the uterus thus bypassing the environment of the cervix which can be inhospitable for the sperm to survive, travel and fertilize the egg.

Depending upon how much time is available for the IVF the couple can do the following

•           Improve sleeping habits
•           Eat healthy
•           Quit alcohol and smoking
•           Take vitamin supplements
•           Reduce stress

There are certain things a patient can do to ensure their IVF is successful

•           Keep visiting your doctor to test your embryo growth at every   stage
•           Eat a good amount of folic acid
•           Avoid coughing or sneezing and tell the doctor before embryo   transfer if you are suffering from one
•           Try and stay happy and avoid strenuous workouts

IVF treatment cost in India can vary between $2800 to $5000 which is quite cheap when compared to other countries like the USA.