IVF pregnancy vs natural pregnancy

There are still lots of misconceptions about IVF , and one of the biggest myths is that an IVF pregnancy is different from a natural ( bedroom) pregnancy .

Thus, they believe that thee pregnancies are high risk; need lots more monitoring; and that patients who get pregnant after IVF need “bed rest” to ensure a healthy outcome.

They are worried that because the embryo was “created artificially” in the IVF lab, this is an “artificial” pregnancy, and needs special handling. Thus, there is this strange idea that the fetus can “fall out” of the uterus ( through the same passage through which it was inserted) if the patient does not sleep in bed all day long !

Of course an IVF pregnancy is a “precious” pregnancy because the could has worked so hard in order to get pregnant. This is the justification a lot of doctors use to do many more scans and prenatal blood tests, because they don’t want to take “any chances”. Sadly, all this overtesting leads to overtreatment, and most of these patients end up with unnecessary caesarean sections. This is ridiculous ! All pregnancies are precious for the mother – whether they start in the bedroom, or in the IVF lab ! This kind of mindset only ends up worrying the patient needlessly , and doesn't add any value to her life.

Remember that just because the embryo has spent a few days in the IVF lab does not change the biology or physiology of the pregnancy !  It really makes no different to embryo whether it grew in the fallopian tube, or in the test tube ! Once the embryos reaches the uterus, it’s exactly like any other pregnancy . The embryo has no memory , and once the embryo has implanted , it's exactly like any other pregnancy I

We need to keep on emphasizing this fact that there’s absolutely no need for bedrest or any special diet or any precautions after the embryo transfer. There’s no need to create a list of “ don’s and don’ts – these just add to the patient’s stress levels , without improving success rates!

Conceptually, IVF allows the doctor to bypass the natural hurdles the infertile couples encounters in their bedroom ( such as a low sperm count or blocked tubes). However, once the hurdle has been overcome, the final pathway is common to both IVF pregnancies and natural pregnancies.

Sadly, instead of allowing the IVF patient to enjoy her pregnancy, we fill her mind with fears and anxieties, so that she broods and worries needlessly. This is unkind and unfair.