The 411 on In Vitro Fertilization
Facts on IVF and infertility.
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Melissa Harris-Perry Welcomes Baby via IVF - On Valentine’s Day, MSNBC host Melissa Harris Perry announced that a surrogate had given birth to Harris-Perry and her husband’s baby via in vitro fertilization. Learn more about what this infertility procedure is and its growing popularity in the U.S.— Kellee Terrell (@kelleent)(Photo: Melissa Harris-Perry via Twitter)
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What Is IVF? - Once referred to as “test tube babies,” in vitro fertilization is the process of combining eggs and sperm outside the body in a laboratory to create an embryo. Once an embryo forms, they are placed in a woman’s uterus. This process is very expensive, with only 5 percent of infertile couples attempting it. (Photo: GettyImages)
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More American Women Using IVF Than Before - Despite the cost, more and more women are having this procedure done in the U.S. A recent study found that while 165,172 procedures were performed in 2012, 61,000 babies were conceived — an all-time high, the Los Angeles Times reported.(Photo: Thinkstock Images/Getty Images)
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IVF Success Rates - Forty percent of infertility treatments (99 percent being IVF) among women younger than 35 resulted in a live birth compared to 31.3 percent of women ages 35 to 37; 22.2 percent of women ages 38 to 40; 11.8 percent of the attempts by women who were 41 or 42; and 3.9 percent for women who were 43 or older.(Photo: Medic Image/GettyImages)
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Who Is IVF For? - IVF is an option for women who have endometriosis, issues with their uterus or fallopian tubes, issues with ovulation, hysterectomy (but still have ovaries), fibroids and other unexplained fertility issues. IVF is also an option when men have low sperm counts; antibody problems that hurt eggs and when sperm cannot penetrate or survive in a woman’s cervix. (Photo: ZEPHYR/GettyImages)
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Harvesting Eggs - The process, which is complicated, starts off with a woman getting hormone treatments so that she can produce more than one egg to be taken and combined with the sperm. The timing of taking the eggs is very complicated as well and the window of time to do it is brief. From there, the eggs are taken to a lab to be combined with the sperm. (Photo: Jose Luis Pelaez/GettyImages)
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Placement of Embryos - After the eggs have been harvested and mixed with sperm to create embryos, they are stored in a lab until the mother (biological or surrogate) has them planted in her uterus. Doctors will implant two to four embryos at a time to increase your chance of being pregnant. Note: Multiple babies also increases the complications and health risks for them and the mother, Web MD writes. (Photo: HANK MORGAN/GettyImages)
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Black Women and IVF - Race plays a factor in IVF outcomes, a past study found. While normal weight Black women had a much higher chance of getting pregnant with IVF (67 percent) than 50 percent of white women, being obese greatly lowered that number. Only 19 percent of overweight and obese Black women got pregnant compared to 38 percent of their white counterparts(Photo: Monika Bender/Getty Images)
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How Much Does IVF Cost? - It’s important to note that IVF is not a cheap procedure. On average, one cycle of treatment can cost $12,000, says the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), but if you need additional services, the cost goes up. Not all insurance companies will help pay for the procedure. Learn more about financing IVF here. (Photo: Oleg Prikhodko/Getty Images)
