IVF Babies Disadvantages

IVF Babies Disadvantages

IVF treatment till now has helped millions of people achieve their dream of becoming parents. The difficult process of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) involves fertilising eggs and sperm outside the body to create an embryo, which is then transferred into the uterus. While infertility has many benefits, one should be conscious of the risks before undergoing IVF, as with any medical procedure. These risks affect both the mother and the unborn child.

Let’s now discuss the drawbacks of IVF,

IVF Babies Disadvantages include:

• Low-birth weight: Studies have shown that babies conceived through IVF have low-birth weight as compared to babies conceived naturally This can be due to premature birth, which increases the risk of low-birth weight.
• Birth defects: Although there is no evidence of IVF babies having more chances of having congenital disabilities, the age of the mother and lifestyle factors may raise the chance of disability in IVF offspring due to infertility issues.
• Premature delivery: Premature babies, also known as preterm babies, are those who are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. IVF involves multiple embryo transfers, which can cause multiple pregnancies. Hormonal changes can increase the risk of IVF babies being born prematurely.
• Neonatal death: It is the death of a baby during the first 28 days after being born. Babies born with the help of frozen embryos have a chance of dying within the first week twice as compared to naturally conceived babies.

IVF can be disadvantageous for mothers as well which include the following:

• Ectopic pregnancy: Ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilized embryo implants outside the uterus. In the case of IVF risks of ectopic pregnancy are increased up to four times due to the transfer of multiple embryos into the uterus.
• Multiple pregnancy: Multiple pregnancy is when a mother gives birth to twins, triplets, or more. This causes many problems for mothers like gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, lower back pain, anemia, etc.
• Potential health risks: Some other risks associated with IVF include injuries Because bacteria can enter the uterus along with the needle during the egg aspiration process, there is a slight possibility of intra-abdominal bleeding, anxiety, bloating, and infection to organs like the bladder. However, this is rare.
• Miscarriage: Loss of pregnancy before the 20^th There is no particular evidence that miscarriages are due to IVF but due to recurrent miscarriages (which can be caused by autoimmune disorders, thyroid deficiency, etc.), implantation difficulties can arise.
• Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS): An IVF complication could occur with this syndrome. In this, the ovaries swell and leak fluid into the abdomen. This happens in the case of people who receive fertility treatments in which their ovaries are stimulated to produce a large number of eggs.

Some Other Disadvantages of IVF include:

• Ethical concerns: One of the biggest ethical concerns associated with IVF is the destruction of unwanted embryos. To increase the chances of success, multiple eggs are fertilized but not all of them are used, so this raises questions about the ethnicity of the process.
• Expensive: IVF is a really expensive process. With medications involved and, in some cases, genetic testing is also done which raises the cost to a high number.