Michelle, who recounted in her
new book how she suffered a miscarriage before she and Barack opted for IVF to
have their two daughters, emphasised the importance of talking to young mothers
about the fact that miscarriages happen.
Michelle said she quickly
realised that at 34 or 35, a woman’s egg production is limited. She noted that
it is important to talk to young mothers about the fact that miscarriages
happen. More and more Nigerians are turning
to assisted reproductive technologies to conceive. Michelle Obama’s revelation
will go a long way to help normalise the problem of miscarriage and encourage
couples that have undergone IVF to open up about their struggles with
infertility.
ART is any fertility treatment
that involves fertilising an egg outside the body, and the most common type is
IVF. With IVF, a woman’s ovaries are stimulated to produce eggs using
medication, and then they’re removed from her ovaries. In a laboratory, a man’s
sperm is combined with the eggs to produce a fertilised egg, which is then
reinserted into the woman, where, if successful, it’ll result in a pregnancy.
Millions of couples all over the
world now turn to fertility clinics for help to have their own babies, and a
significant proportion of all births now involve some kind of assisted
reproductive technology. But most couples are particularly concerned about IVF
and the risk of miscarriage.
Miscarriage is a common
complication of pregnancy, with as many as one in five pregnancies resulting in
one. However, as a result of the stigma and lack of awareness about these
conditions as well as the physical and emotional nature of the experiences,
people do not like to talk about these experiences.
Clinically, miscarriage is the
spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week. Many miscarriages occur
because the fetus isn’t developing normally.
Problems with the baby’s
chromosomes are responsible for about 50 per cent of early pregnancy loss. Most
of these chromosome problems occur by chance as the embryo divides and grows —
not because of problems inherited from the parents. Sometimes a health
condition, such as poorly controlled diabetes or a uterine problem, might lead
to miscarriage. About 10 to 20 per cent of known pregnancies end in
miscarriage. The total number of actual miscarriages is probably higher because
many women miscarry before they even know that they’re pregnant.
However, it is good to note that
miscarriage is usually a one-time occurrence. Most women who miscarry go on to
have healthy pregnancies after miscarriage. About one per cent of women will
probably have two or more miscarriages.
The predicted risk of miscarriage
in a future pregnancy remains about 14 per cent after one miscarriage. After
two miscarriages, the risk of another miscarriage increases to about 26 per
cent; and after three miscarriages, the risk of another miscarriage is about 28
per cent.
Getting pregnant after the
heartbreak and stress of infertility after IVF can bring mixed emotions of joy,
relief, and excitement. For some women, the anxiety can be overwhelming and
perhaps the most common fear is pregnancy loss, especially if one or more
miscarriages have been experienced in the past.
So, does having undergone IVF put
a woman at an increased risk of having a miscarriage? Research has found that
IVF patients may have a slightly increased risk of miscarriage, but this risk
is no more that the risk of miscarriage when conceiving naturally.
Fertility may actually be
improved following a miscarriage and there is some scientific evidence that you
may even be a little more fertile for a couple of months after a miscarriage. After
that time, it returns to normal.
The point to note is that the
underlying reasons that cause a woman to seek fertility treatment may create
pregnancy issues for some IVF patients. In other words, the cause of your
infertility may also be the reason you have an increased risk for miscarriage.
There are many common causes of an increased risk for miscarriage when
undergoing IVF.
The two most common causes for
early pregnancy loss are an implantation dysfunction (problem with the uterus
being receptive to the embryo) or a genetic abnormality of the embryo itself.
A salient point to note is that
if you have suffered recurrent miscarriages, implantation difficulties may be a
factor. Issues such as an autoimmune disorder, thyroid deficiencies, problems
with the endometrial lining of the uterus, or an anatomical irregularity of the
uterus could be responsible.
This is why it is often best to
start with accurate diagnosis from the beginning of treatment so as to fully
understand the level of risk.
We know that chromosomal
irregularities (aneuploidy) of the embryo may be the cause of most early
miscarriages. Most of these abnormalities originate more with the egg than the
sperm, and they become more common as a woman ages. This is likely a contributing
factor in the higher rates of pregnancy loss seen in women over 40.
Other factors include advanced
maternal age: many women who choose to undergo IVF struggle to get pregnant
naturally because they are over the age of 35. Women under the age of 35 have
as little as a 15 per cent chance of miscarriage when conceiving naturally.
Those between 35 and 45 who undergo IVF have up to a 35 per cent risk of
miscarriage. For women over 45, the risk of miscarriage increases to 50 per
cent.
Underlying health conditions such
as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and other reproductive
conditions carry an increased risk of miscarriage. These conditions are also
some of the more common reasons why women undergo fertility treatments such as
IVF.
Ovarian stimulation is also an
issue. Most fertility treatments, including IVF, involve a certain level of
ovarian stimulation. The greater levels of ovarian stimulation needed, the
higher the risk may be for miscarriage.
Early miscarriage is not
something that is generally within control and this can be difficult to accept,
especially when getting pregnant through IVF can feel like such a controlled
process. But having a healthy IVF pregnancy is very much within reach.
Measures such as Preimplantation
Genetic Screening (PGS) is used to screen embryos for any chromosomal
abnormalities, such as missing, extra, translocated or damaged chromosomes.
Similarly, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is used to screen for
specific genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, but it can also be used
for general genetic screening.
In both cases, only genetically
normal embryos are selected for transfer. Genetic testing of embryos
significantly reduces pregnancy loss for patients undergoing IVF.
Also, because a woman’s eggs are
vulnerable to chromosomal damage as they age, use of donor eggs in IVF may be
advisable. Failed IVF attempts or unexplained miscarriages may be tackled with
the option of an egg donor. (Punch)
Do you have issues or delay in
getting pregnant? Do you find it very difficult to impregnate your wife? You do
not need to worry about it. Just contact the best fertility specialist in
Nigeria, Dr.
Michael Ogunkoya (+2348033069466) for counseling. He was trained in the best medical
schools in USA, London, Canada, Wales and Hungary. Dr. Ogunkoya is the man that
has the divine mandate to stamp-out childlessness among Nigerian couples. He is
the medical director of The Hope Valley Fertility Clinic.
The Hope Valley Fertility Clinic
Plot 31, Block 113,
Oladimeji Alo Street, Opposite Visa Office, By Ikate Roundabout, Lekki Phase 1,
Lagos-Epe Express Way, Lagos.
+2348033069466
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