Is IVF safe ?

A lot of people are very worried whether IVF is safe or not, and many infertile couples are not allowed to do IVF by their family members, because they are concerned about the side effects of IVF - both on the mother , and the baby. After all, they believe that in an IVF cycle we're pumping the mother full of powerful hormonal injections – surely these are going to have some adverse effects on the body.

Thus, many people believe that these hormones increase the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer ; or that an IVF patient will run out of eggs faster and become menopausal sooner, because the IVF cycle “ uses “ up her eggs.

They are also concerned that IVF babies are “ weak  and abnormal”. After all, with IVF , you're fiddling around with the eggs and sperm and embryo in the laboratory , and doing something artificial which is certain to have consequences .

However, the reality is that IVF is extremely safe and effective. Millions of babies have been born after IVF over the last 30 years, and there is no increased risk of birth defects whatsoever . After all,  IVF only allows us to do in the lab what’s not happening naturally in the bedroom. It’s not artificial reproductive technology –it’s assisted reproductive technology, where we are giving nature a helping hand !

Similarly, the hormones used for superovulation are natural hormones , which are excreted properly from the body after the IVF cycle, so you don't need to worry about any long term adverse effects.

Yes, some women will put on weight after IVF – but this is not a result of the IVF treatment ! Weight gain occurs when caloric intake is more than caloric expenditure, and because women often take bed-rest during their IVF treatment, they do tend to put on weight, but this is not a side-effect of the hormones ! Once they start their normal routine, they go back to their normal weight very quickly !

You can learn more about IVF by downloading the IVF comic book free at https://www.drmalpani.com/pdf/IVF_COMIC_BOOK.pdf

Or you can send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/free-second-opinion so that I can guide you !