IVF- The Ins and Outs

Writing this post feels so surreal. I would never have thought that I would be able to help women who were in the same situation that I was in, plagued with infertility and hopelessness, because I never thought that I was going to escape it. For the longest time, I had in my head that infertility was just something I would have to live with, but that's not the case at all. I want to extend my hand and my love to every woman who is struggling to get pregnant right now. Infertility so hard to deal with. It's a war between your body and your mind, and sometimes, it doesn't seem like it will ever get better. 

WHAT IS IVF?

My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for 14 months without success. The doctor's couldn't seem to find anything wrong, and the cause of my infertility was completely unknown. This made it even harder, I think, and I just remember crying almost every night because I was so frustrated and heartbroken and confused. We didn't want to resort to IVF, but eventually, we decided to give it a go. What did we have to lose?

In-vitro fertilization, or IVF, is an assisted reproduction method that manually fertilizes eggs through egg extraction, the receiving of sperm samples, and manually combining the two in a lab. Then, the embryos are placed in the mother's womb to implant themselves and begin pregnancy. 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

This was something I was unsure about going into the treatment. I didn't know exactly what to expect, so I ended up being a lot more frightened than I needed to be. 

First, hormone medications are given to cause your ovaries to produce more than one egg. The process is not entirely uncomfortable, but knowing that your body is doing things that it shouldn't naturally be doing is a bit scary. Once the eggs are checked and everything seems good to go, a minor surgical procedure is used to extract the eggs from your body. Again, this process is not very comfortable, but as long as you're relaxed and not too focused on the fact that your eggs are being extracted, it should be manageable. Then, in a lab, your partner's sperm is mixed with your eggs and then incubated. They should undergo "natural" fertilization in the petri dishes, but sometimes it isn't effective, and manually injecting a sperm cell into an egg is then performed. Five days following fertilization, if the embryos are healthy, and couple are placed back in the uterus to begin the process of pregnancy.

SIDE EFFECTS

Unfortunately, I did feel some side-effects of the treatment following the procedure. Some normal side-effects may include:

- Mild cramping

- Mild bloating

- Constipation

- Breast tenderness

- The passing of a small amount of clear or blood-tinged fluid

All of these side-effects should be expected, but make sure to call your doctor immediately if any of the following occur:

- Heavy vaginal bleeding

- Pelvic pain

- Blood in urine

- A fever over 100.5 degrees F 

For women under 35 years old, the success rates are fairly high, at around 41-43%. As you get older than 35 years old, pregnancies become increasingly harder to maintain. 

IS IT WORTH IT?

I'm not going to lie, IVF is expensive. Is it worth the cost though? The pain? The possible heartbreak?

For my husband and I, there were times at which it didn't seem like it was worth it. We were struggling with money, and the cost made it extremely difficult for us to get by. That's the thing about the treatment; it's available for everyone, but not everyone. 

We tried to receive government assistance to help pay for the large cost, but it was extremely difficult for us to receive any. There were ridiculous qualifications for IVF grants, and the process to receive government aid was long and arduous. IVF simply isn't a reasonable or viable solution to those struggling financially. 

It isn't fair that only wealthier couples can get easy access to treatments such as IVF and other infertility procedures; however, paying for it can be done. It wasn't easy, but with the help of friends and family, we came up with the money needed to get the procedure done. 

IVF has it's complications, but in the end, it was worth it. 

If you are currently struggling with infertility, don't lose hope. There are always ways to try, and though it may seem easier to give up the fight at times, don't give in. It will be worth it in the end, when you get to hold you little babies in your arms and show them unconditional love. It was for me.  

-  Naomi Medina