The debate about whether IVF is harmful to a woman’s health has been going on for years. The main advantage of this procedure is that couples are given the opportunity to conceive in case of infertility. Chances of getting pregnant the first time are at least 50-60%. 

Negative aspects of IVF:

  • High cost of the procedure.
  • Negative impact of hormonal medications on the heart and gastrointestinal tract.
  • Probability of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome. Probability of development or progression of tumor growths.
  • IVF procedure is not approved by most modern religions.
  • Therefore, many experts recommend not ruling out alternatives to in vitro fertilization.

Alternative methods of artificial insemination

Sometimes the IVF procedure in the standard version does not lead to a positive result in the form of pregnancy. This is often seen in women with absent fallopian tubes or if the protocol used did not bring the desired result. Therefore, there are alternatives to in vitro fertilization that increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.

VMI

A method of infertility treatment that is close to natural fertilization. The difference is that purified, specially prepared sperm from the partner is injected into the woman’s uterus. Intrauterine insemination is also available for single women wishing to have a child, only then they are injected with donor sperm. Intrauterine insemination is done only if there is natural ovulation and if the fallopian tubes are confirmed to be permeable.

The probability of pregnancy by intrauterine insemination is 12 to 20%.

Hetching

At the initial stage of its development, the human embryo is surrounded by a protein shell. This special protection, created by nature, is called pellucid and is a kind of analog of an eggshell. When the embryo enters the uterine cavity, it emerges from the pellucid and becomes attached to the walls. The process of release is called hatching, but in some cases doctors make an incision in the pellucid themselves, thereby helping the embryo to become artificially anchored in the uterine cavity. This procedure is called assisted embryo hatching and is prescribed when other attempts at artificial insemination have failed.

It is a micro procedure that is performed under a high magnification microscope in the following order:

  • The doctor makes an incision in the pellucid area.
  • The embryo is inserted into the uterine cavity.

A hole is made to help the embryo establish itself on the uterine wall. 

Reproductive specialists claim that hatching significantly increases the odds of pregnancy, especially for women over the age of 35, and is a viable option for couples who have infertility due to an unexplored etiology.

If you are interested in costs of surrogacy, we advise you USA-based company Delivering Dreams.

Surrogacy as an alternative to ART

A surrogate mother is a woman who carries and gives birth to a child for another woman who, for whatever reason, is unable to do so on her own. 

A surrogate carries someone else’s baby genetically, as the embryo is obtained through a standard IVF procedure using material from the biological parents. Surrogacy is often resorted to in the following cases:

Absence of the uterus (acquired or congenital pathology);

Changes in the shape or cavity of the cervix due to diseases;

Pathological changes in the endometrium; 

Incomplete IVF attempts if good embryos are obtained and the protocol is followed according to the couple’s specific characteristics; 

Failure to conceive a pregnancy by natural conception – 3 or more miscarriages.