In today's rapidly evolving world, we are becoming increasingly concerned with meeting the demands for survival in the present era. In this fast-paced culture, men and women are prone to various health disorders due to demanding schedules, stress, anxiety, poor lifestyle, etc., and such couples struggle a lot when planning to conceive. In an interview, Dr. Shweta Goswami, anIVF specialist in Noida, shared, "Couples living in urban areas are experiencing greater infertility than rural areas. In recent years, low sperm counts in men and decreased egg reserves in women have been quite prevalent, which reduces the chances of conceiving naturally. Such couples can be benefited from fertility treatments i.e., Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI) and In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)".
Following the first successful birth 40 years ago, assisted reproductive technology has come a long way with the two most widely used procedures, IVF and IUI.
1. IVF - In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method in which the egg and sperm are fertilized outside the female body. The procedure entails keeping an eye on the woman's ovulatory cycle, removing an egg or ovum from the ovaries, and then allowing it to fertilize in a lab with the sperms. After fertilization, the egg is placed inside the woman's uterus. IVF is the most successful kind of assisted reproductive technology. Preimplantation genetic testing is also possible with this process (PGT).
2. IUI: Intrauterine insemination, or IUI, is performed by directly placing the sperm cells in the uterus when a woman is ovulating, which speeds up the sperm reaching closer to the eggs. Donor insemination, alternative insemination, and artificial insemination are other terms for IUI.
According to Dr. Shweta Goswami, "IVF and IUI, have both helped couples with excellent fertility assistance. The fundamental distinction between IUI and IVF is that, while IUI involves internal fertilization, IVF involves exterior, or outside of the uterus, fertilization that occurs in a laboratory."
So, now the question is, which is better for you?
Dr. Shweta Goswami said, "In comparison to IVF, IUI is a less intrusive treatment that involves the implantation of motile sperms in the uterus, which increases the likelihood of conception. This method saves couples time and is ideal for cases of low sperm count of the male partner, or in unexplained infertility. Though IUI can't be effective in situations where the patient is having blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, poor ovarian reserves, severe endometriosis, etc."
Regarding the positives of IVF, she pointed out that you should know that this process is quite advantageous for couples concerned about genetic abnormalities and have had numerous unsuccessful IUI cycles or miscarriages. She said, "IVF also give hope to individual/ couples who wish to delay parenthood by preserving eggs or embryos. Additionally, with IVF, couples who wish to have children might choose donor sperm, donor eggs, or donor embryos. Infact, with the help of IVF, same-sex couples, women having medical issues can have a biological child through a surrogate mother."
Dr. Shweta Goswami revealed, "In case of In vitro fertilisation (IVF) failure or severe male infertility factors, such as low sperm count or poor sperm motility, the Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) technique has proven to be an effective treatment for infertile couples. For people who had given up hope, this method aids in producing a successful pregnancy and obtaining fertilised embryos. IVF and ICSI are both parts of assisted reproductive treatment in which eggs are fertilised with sperm outside the body. In IVF, the egg and sperm are left in a laboratory dish to fertilize on their own whereas, in ICSI, the selected sperm is directly injected into the egg."
Assisted Reproductive Technique is a therapy established for treatment in the best IVF center in Noida for most clinical situations. It includes a wide range of the latest techniques, of which intrauterine insemination [IUI], in-vitro fertilization [IVF], and intracytoplasmic sperm injection [ICSI] are the most popular.
However, she added, "Even though IUI is the least invasive & cheaper procedure, it has its fair share of disadvantages starting with its below-par success rate of 7-12%, it is also not recommended in bilateral blocked fallopian tubes, advanced maternal age, chronic long-standing infertility, poor ovarian reserve, moderate to severe grade polycystic ovarian disease / Endometriosis, severe grade oligospermia. On the other hand, ICSI is the latest advanced technique, which involves extraction of oocytes from ovaries after ovarian stimulation with hormonal injections followed by fertilization in a specialized designed modular IVF / ICSI lab having state of art microscopes, incubators, coda air filters, etc. along with fertilization/culture media. Then the good quality cleaving embryos are transferred on day 3 or Blastocyst day5 to the uterus. The rationale is to bypass the Fallopian Tubes where fertilization happens naturally."
Distinguishing between the two fertility treatments, she gushed, "The main advantage of ICSI over IUI/ IVF is that where in conventional fertilization each oocyte is incubated with approximately 50,000 sperms & fertilization happens naturally whereas ICSI requires only one sperm per female egg retrieved out & directly injected in the cytoplasm of the oocyte. It is becoming a boon for fertilization failure patients, in females having thick zona due to Advanced Maternal Age, severe PCOS/ endometriosis, in males suffering from severe low sperm count plus could be coupled with various sperm retrieval techniques like TESA, PESA, MESA etc." Infertility is prevalent, and couples of all ages are advised to get treatment as soon as possible. As every patient has a different scenario and condition, you can refer a fertility professional for a consultation to assess your medical history and choose the best course of action.
