What patients dislike about IVF doctors

One of the commonest complaints patients have about their IVF treatment is how secretive most IVF clinics are about the treatment. Many doctors deliberately obfuscate and do not provide any clarity regarding the plan of action. Everything seems to be done on an ad-hoc day to day basis, so the patient is often completely clueless about what is going to happen next.

It's often hard to talk to the doctor ( who is very busy) , which means most decisions seem to be taken either by the nurses or the assistants. Even basic information ( how many follicles are growing on the ultrasound scan ? how many eggs were retrieved during the egg collection ?) is not provided - and the commonest answer the sonographer or assistant provides is - the doctor will explain to you ( but the doctor is never available ! )

Even after the treatment is over, patients are not given a printed treatment summary. No photos of embryos are provided, which means most patients are completely in the dark about the fate of their eggs and embryos - and what went right and what went wrong.

It's high time IVF patients started insisting on clear documentation ! It's best to do this before the cycle starts ( before you part with your money !)

Why do patients put on weight after IVF ?

The biggest worry many patients have about doing IVF is that it will cause them to become fat. Lots of women who have done IVF will swear that IVF makes them put on weight - and isn't it well known that the hormonal shots needed for IVF treatment cause weight gain ?

This is a myth which I would like to dispel .

It is true that women will put on weight due to fluid retention during the superovulation phase of the IVF cycle. The high estrogen levels do cause fluid retention, but this is only temporary. Once the superovulation stops, the hormones get excreted promptly into the urine and do not have any long term effects . This means that most women will promptly lose the fluid they accumulated, and will go back to their normal body weight.

What about the ones who do gain weight ? The reason for this is simple, and has nothing to do with the IVF treatment ! In order to gain weight, caloric intake needs to be more than caloric expenditure. None of the IVF meds affect either caloric intake or expenditure , which means the equation remains undisturbed.

However , most patients will rest a lot more after their embryo transfer. This maybe because physical exertion causes discomfort ( superovulated ovaries can be large and bulky); while others will deliberately curtail physical activity because they are worried that their embryos may "fall out" of the uterus if they go jogging !

Some women will also eat more during their IVF cycle . IVF can cause tremendous mood swings and overeating is a very common response to dealing with stress. This is especially true if the beta HCG result is negative - food and chocolate can offer a lot of comfort at this time.

Both these factors - the reduction in physical activity and the increase in caloric intake will cause some women to put on weight after IVF. Most of them will blame the IVF hormones for this , but this is not true !

HFEA squeezes multiple birth limit to 20 per cent

The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has set a 20 per cent maximum multiple birth rate for fertility clinics. Last year's maximum rate - the first since the HFEA's multiple births policy was introduced - was 24 percent. The new rate will become effective from 6 April 2010.

The decision was made during a meeting on the 20 January 2010 when the first year of the policy was evaluated. The authority reviewed feedback from patients and clinics and analysed the likely impact on clinics and overall birth rates, before setting the new rate. The HFEA says 20 per cent will maintain the momentum clinics have built up over the past year, but will give them time to review and improve their strategies for reducing multiple rates further.

The HFEA's policy is designed to promote the health benefits of having a single baby without reducing a woman's chances of IVF (in vitro fertilisation) success. It aims to reduce the number of multiple births to ten per cent over three years. The HFEA says the policy is based on a growing body of evidence showing clinics can maintain their overall live birth rates while reducing the risk of multiple births. This can be done by selecting suitable patients for single embryo transfer and including subsequent frozen embryo transfers in a complete cycle of treatment.

Multiple births are the single biggest health risk to mothers and babies following assisted conception, according to the HFEA. At present about one in four IVF or ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) conceptions results in twins. Therefore, after IVF or ICSI, a woman is 20 times more likely to have twins than if she conceived naturally.

The health risks for twins and triplets are higher than singletons because they are often born prematurely and underweight. IVF twins need more specialist care around birth and risk lifelong poorer health. Mothers carrying twins risk a range of conditions compared with mothers carrying singletons, including miscarriage, gestational diabetes, induced hypertension and preeclampsia.

New Success Prime IVF Program launched

Reproductive Partners Medical Group, Inc. announces the launch of the Success Prime IVF Program, an IVF money back guarantee for best-case patients.

"The Success Prime Program is really very simple," says Dr. Arthur Wisot of Reproductive Partners. "If we determine that you are an eligible candidate, and if you do not get pregnant with embryos from either a fresh or frozen embryo IVF cycle, you will receive a refund of the Global Fee of $11,650 standard IVF or $13,350 for IVF with egg donation."

Among other characteristics, prime candidates using their own eggs must be under the age of 34, have a BMI under 30 and both partners must be non-smokers for at least six months. If the patient is using an egg donor, the egg donor must meet all the requirements of a prime candidate.

The success rate data at RPMG shows couples and donors who are considered prime candidates for IVF often succeed in their first cycle. The doctors at Reproductive Partners want to encourage their patients to do everything possible to enhance the chance of a successful outcome.

"The Success Prime IVF Program demonstrates our confidence in treating patients who take every step to prepare for pregnancy," says Dr. Wisot. "We believe in success and stand by our success rates with this IVF refund program."

SOURCE Reproductive Partners Medical Group