IVF (Invitro Fertilization) is a fertility treatment that has helped millions of couples worldwide realize their dream of parenthood. It is a complex process involving a series of procedures that need to be done with expert care to achieve the desired result: a baby.
IVF involves the following procedures:
- Ovulation stimulation
- Egg & sperm retrieval
- Fertilization
- Embryo culture
- Embryo transfer
These steps should be done carefully to get pregnant, Hopefully comparing to other fertility treatments IVF Success Rate in India is quite good. Ovulation stimulation is the first step in IVF. Here, the female partner is given a series of fertility medications to stimulate her ovaries and produce more mature eggs. These eggs are then retrieved and fertilized with the sperm retrieved from the male partner.
Doctors have a preferred number of eggs they wish to retrieve during IVF. The more eggs they retrieve, the more the chances of success. In this article, let’s discuss the number of eggs fertility doctors require to achieve pregnancy successfully.
What is a Good Number of Eggs Retrieved for IVF?
Each woman is different. The way their body reacts to fertility medications is also different. So, you can get no definite number of eggs from ovulation stimulation.
However, most doctors suggest that having an average of 10–12 eggs will be better to increase the chance of a successful pregnancy. Doctors prefer to retrieve more eggs for two main reasons:
- Even if one egg fails during fertilization, doctors can try again with the remaining eggs.
- Women don’t need to undergo ovulation stimulation and egg retrieval during every cycle. Doctors can preserve the eggs (cryopreservation) and use them during the next cycles.
Factors Defining the Number of Eggs a Women can Produce
As we all know, each body is different, and the average number of eggs they can produce also differs. There are several factors that determine the average number of eggs a woman can produce during an ovulation stimulation procedure.
Let’s look at them and see how they influence the number of eggs that can be retrieved.
Age
A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have in her lifetime. And during each menstrual cycle, the number of eggs decreases. So this means the woman has less and less eggs as she ages. This means there are very few eggs to retrieve, even with fertility medication.
Ovarian reserve
The ovarian reserve means the number of remaining follicles a woman has. Doctors usually assess the ovarian reserve to determine the quantity of eggs in the ovaries. At the same time assessing the quality of eggs also matters a lot.
You can determine the ovarian reserve by either taking a hormonal test or by undergoing an Antral Follicle Count (AFC), an ultrasound test that can be done to count the number of follicles a woman has that month.
Amount of medication
Doctors should analyze the number of follicles a woman has that month and prescribe the dosage accordingly. Each woman has a different number of egg follicles, so they need the right dosage of fertility medication.
- Women with a low number of follicles need lower doses of medication.
- Women with more follicles need higher doses of medication.
- Some women may react excessively to the medication. This can lead to OHSS (Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome).
Do More Eggs Retrieved Mean a Higher Success Rate?
Yes, to a certain extent, the higher the number of eggs, the higher the success rate. Having many mature eggs allows doctors to try again if one egg fails.
They can also get more good-quality embryos for fertilization. They can choose the best one among them for embryo transfer which is a last stage of IVF process. The remaining embryos can be frozen and used for future cycles.
However, this fact is not always true. The number of eggs retrieved doesn’t determine the quality of the eggs. Women who produce fewer eggs may produce good-quality eggs, while women who produce many eggs may produce poor-quality eggs. It all depends upon the age and reproductive health of the woman.
Do IVF Medications Improve Egg Count?
No, IVF medications do not improve egg count. You should know that the fertility medication does not produce any new eggs. They only stimulate the ovaries to mature the egg follicles that are already ready to mature during the cycle.
To understand this point better, you should understand what happens during ovulation.
Each month, the ovary chooses a batch of egg follicles to ovulate during each cycle. Of all the follicles, only one will reach maturation. The remaining eggs will be reabsorbed into the body.
The fertility medications only stimulate the ovaries to mature the entire batch of follicles. So, they only take what you already have and can’t improve your egg count.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the more the number of good-quality eggs, the higher the chances of a successful pregnancy. Other factors like age and ovarian reserve can also affect the number of eggs you can produce per cycle.
Consult your fertility doctor and take the necessary measures for higher success rates.
Two eggs can be a bit low for a higher chance of pregnancy. But, if the eggs are of good quality, it can significantly increase the chances of success.
Whether you have 2 eggs or 20 eggs, your success depends upon the quality of the eggs and your body condition.
When it comes to achieving a successful pregnancy, it is recommended that an average of 10–12 follicles are required. The likelihood of producing more eggs increases if we can increase the number of follicles.
The optimum size of an egg follicle for IVF is around 15–20 mm. Your doctors will closely monitor the follicles’ growth once you have started your fertility medication. The follicles will be retrieved when they are about this size.
