Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Is IVF success a matter of Skill or Luck ?


IVF is now a mature medical technique that has helped many infertile women worldwide in having a baby. Even though IVF has the best success rate amongst all the treatment options available to infertile couples,  the outcome of an individual  cycle is always uncertain. No specialist can predict whether the cycle is going to succeed or not. Does this mean that IVF outcome depends upon fate ? Is it just a matter of chance?

There are many educated patients who choose to do the embryo transfer on an auspicious day. They have an astrologer who tells them the perfect date , when they will have the highest chances of conceiving. This method of relying on fate may sound orthodox but it is important for the patient’s peace of mind. Seeking an auspicious day makes them believe that they have a better chance of getting pregnant through IVF, because they are trying to control their fate. This may decrease their stress levels, which is in turn beneficial for the treatment.

An IVF procedure which involves multiple variables and complex body systems has a 50-50 chance of success in the best of hands.  We can produce good quality embryos and transfer them with the utmost care. However, once the embryos are transferred to the uterus, the doctor has no control over implantation.

The most important decision the patient can make is selecting the best IVF clinic. This is a variable which is in the patient’s control – and has a huge impact on affecting the final outcome.

In the end, it is important to understand that we cannot leave the success of IVF purely upto fate or chance. The expertise of the specialist plays an important role – and this is where the patient’s judgment comes in. Choosing the right doctor is the equivalent of creating more luck for the patient. While success is always a mix of skill and luck, a skillful doctor and a lucky patient make a great match !

If you need help in choosing the right doctor for your IVF treatment, please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/malpaniform.htm so that I can guide you better !

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous10:37 PM

    As an IVF doctor you could have used the word 'chance' instead of 'luck'

    ReplyDelete