By Dr. Rohani Nayak

After many years of animal experiments for treating infertility, IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) was introduced in human beings. The first baby LOUISE Brown conceived through IVF by Robert Edward and Patrick Streptoe in 1978, marking a turning point in the history of reproductive science. 

Shortly after that, Dr Subhash Mukherjee along with embryologist Sunit kumar Mukherjee of India made a significant contribution in giving the world’s second and India’s 1st IVF baby Durga (Kanupriya Agarwal), born just 67 days later.

Dr Mukherjee’s achievement was remarkable but he faced several bureaucratic obstacles and social ostracism, due to which he couldn’t share his findings with the global population. IVF has journeyed through challenges, breakthroughs, and ethical debates reshaping the future of parenthood.

In 1980, the shift was to transvaginal USG guided oocyte retrieval making it less invasive and easy recovery. Also new stimulation medications and improvised protocols came up to increase success rates. In 1992, the game changer ICSI (Intra cytoplasmic sperm injection) came up for male infertility where a single sperm could be fertilize into the egg making fertilization possible. Gradually many newer techniques have come up. They include:

  1. Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) allows screening for genetic and chromosomal abnormalities of embryo prior to implantation.
  2. Cryopreservation-Freezing of egg, sperm or embryo has not only helped to improve success rates of IVF but also opened the door to those who want to delay pregnancy as in cancer patients or for any other cause.
  3. Laser assisted hatching-A technique to dissolve the outer shell of embryo to facilitate implantation.
  4. Others like Time Lapse Imaging, Microfluidics etc.

With the growing IVF indications and due to high success rates, IVF is now globally accepted and opted by many couples. But, there are certain myths and facts which need to be discussed.

IVF always guarantees success: While IVF can significantly increase the chances of pregnancy, it's not a guaranteed solution, and success rates vary. 

IVF always results in multiple pregnancies: Multiple pregnancies were more common in the early days of IVF, but advancements like single embryo transfer (SET) have greatly reduced this risk. 

IVF is a costly thing and we don’t have adequate facility in our state: While the cost of IVF may range in lakhs (2-4) but not exorbitantly high. And our State also has all the advanced facility and equal success rates as most of the metro cities

IVF is only for women of a certain age: While fertility declines with age, IVF can be a viable option for couples of all ages facing fertility issues. 

IVF requires complete bed rest: No you can do your work but with ease. Extra strain needs to be avoided only.

IVF causes birth defects or abnormalities: IVF babies are as healthy as those conceived naturally, and there's no evidence that IVF increases the risk of birth defects. 

IVF is painful: While some discomfort may be experienced during procedures like egg retrieval, the process is designed to be minimally invasive and comfortable for patients. 

IVF is only for female infertility: IVF can treat both male and female infertility, addressing issues like sperm count or motility. 

IVF is a last resort treatment: IVF is not exclusively reserved for those who have exhausted other options and can be considered as part of a broader range of fertility treatments.  

IVF depletes ovarian reserves: IVF help in increasing success with existing reserve but it does not deplete ovarian reserves or cause early menopause. 

IVF is only for couples: It can be used for single women also.

IVF increases the risk of cancer: No it doesn’t.

So, IVF has become a boon for those facing severe fertility issues but it has its own limitations. Sometimes multiple IVF attempts might be needed, sometimes it might not succeed due to recurrent miscarriages. While for some IVF gets success in first attempt but for some it might drain financially and emotionally. So, discuss your options with doctors. 

The author is a Bhubaneswar-based IVF specialist.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of Sambad English.