Did you know? Almost 10–15% of known pregnancies result in a miscarriage every year. The changing lifestyle and unhealthy food habits all contribute to this.
Sometimes, you would not even know why you can’t get pregnant successfully. You will just be having recurrent miscarriages. In such a scenario, consulting a fertility specialist and trying for IVF may seem like a better option.
But why IVF? How can this treatment help you overcome miscarriages and become pregnant? Let’s discuss all this in this article.
Why Consider IVF After Experiencing A Miscarriage
Just so you know, a miscarriage is a loss of pregnancy (or abortion) before 20 weeks of becoming pregnant. It might happen due to various reasons like your age, embryo quality, hormonal imbalances, uterine or chromosomal abnormalities, unhealthy habits, etc.
Any of the above factors can cause your miscarriage. And the best solution to tackle all these factors and get pregnant successfully is undergoing IVF treatment.
During an IVF treatment, you will be thoroughly monitored for infertility issues, and your fertility doctor will take all the measures to rectify it. Here are some examples.
Suppose your cause of miscarriage is poor embryo quality. In an IVF, your fertility doctor will only choose the best-quality embryo for embryo transfer. This ensures the embryo is of high quality, reducing the chances of miscarriages.
This is the same for any other issue, be it uterine receptivity, hormonal imbalance, etc.. Your fertility doctor will ensure you are in the best condition to achieve success in IVF.
So, if you have been having recurrent miscarriages, IVF is the best option for you to increase your chances of pregnancy.
Factors Contributing To Miscarriage After IVF
Sometimes, even after extensive analysis and careful treatment, you might still have a miscarriage after an IVF cycle. This can happen due to various factors, such as the ones given below.
- Chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo
- Hormonal imbalances (lower progesterone levels)
- Uterine abnormalities (fibroids, adhesions)
- Unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, alcohol, drugs, obesity, eating junk or processed foods, etc.)
Understand that IVF does not guarantee success in the first cycle itself. Studies show that only about 40% of couples successfully conceive through IVF on their first cycle.
However, you can try another one or two IVF cycles or opt for more advanced fertility treatments like ICSI, IMSI, donor programs, etc., to achieve a successful pregnancy.
Tips For Lowering Your Chances Of Miscarriage After IVF
Here are some helpful tips you can follow to reduce your chances of having a miscarriage after IVF.
Check Your TSH
Your thyroid hormone levels can have a significant impact on your successful pregnancy. Checking your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels before IVF and correcting them can improve your chances of a successful pregnancy.
Have A Hysteroscopy
A hysteroscopy is a transvaginal procedure that allows your fertility doctor to view and diagnose any issues with the inner side of your reproductive organs. This can help them identify issues like polyps, scarring, fibroids, etc., and assess if they are the cause of your miscarriage.
You can then get treated for this issue and try for pregnancy again. This can potentially increase your chances of pregnancy.
Pick The Right Progesterone
During IVF, your fertility doctor will recommend you take several fertility hormones. Progesterone is one among them. These hormones will be administered in the form of pills, gels, pessaries, or injections.
According to studies, utrogestan (vaginal pills) and injections have been found to be the most effective at ensuring a successful pregnancy. Discuss with your doctor and take the best progesterone source that can increase your chances of pregnancy.
Get In Shape Before Your IVF
Your health and body condition can also be a cause of miscarriage sometimes. IVF is a strenuous process. You need to be in good physical condition to go through the procedure and successfully carry and deliver a baby.
So, at least three months before starting the procedure, become health-conscious and do everything to improve your health. Do regular exercises, maintain a proper diet, avoid unhealthy food habits, etc. Ensure your BMI is normal while you start the procedure.
Size Up Your Cervix
Your cervix needs to be strong and closed during pregnancy to hold the baby and carry it till full-term. A weak or incompetent cervix will be unable to stay closed during pregnancy. This can lead to the early expulsion of the baby and cause a miscarriage.
You need to evaluate your cervix before IVF, rectify the condition, and then try for pregnancy.
Check For Infections
Infections, like STDs or UTIs, can cause a miscarriage. Before starting your IVF treatment, undergo a thorough analysis and check for any infections. If you find any, discuss with your doctor, undergo the necessary treatments, and then start your IVF treatments. This can increase your IVF pregnancy chances and help avoid additional costs, which is one reason why IVF can be costly.
Conclusion
Miscarriages are common and can happen to any woman for any reason. You do not need to worry about it too much and fear whether you will be able to get pregnant.
If you wish to undergo IVF, choose a fertility hospital that has expert fertility doctors who specialize in helping patients overcome miscarriages and ensure a successful pregnancy.
Stay in touch with your fertility doctor and listen to their advice for a healthy and successful pregnancy.
IVF is a good option for couples who have experienced miscarriages before. Though we cannot give a proper estimate as your success rate depends on other factors like age, fertility, health condition, etc., IVF has been proven to have a higher success rate for couples with miscarriages than a natural pregnancy.
Miscarriages can happen for various reasons like poor egg and sperm quality, uterine conditions, etc. All these can cause miscarriages even with IVF. However, your success rate will gradually increase as the number of cycles increases.
According to studies, around 10–20% of IVF babies result in a miscarriage. This number is slightly higher than natural pregnancies.
No, a failed IVF cycle doesn’t necessarily increase your fertility. However, it can help you identify the cause of your IVF failure and help you treat it. This can potentially increase your chances of pregnancy in future cycles.
