What should I know about assisted reproductive technology pregnancy?

What are the differences from a natural pregnancy?

When you are trying to conceive and pregnancy is delayed, it's important to contact fertility specialists for diagnosis and treatment. If needed, a team specializing in ART can provide care. ART (assisted reproductive technology) encompasses all procedures aimed at achieving pregnancy. The complexity of these techniques varies depending on the underlying issue.

Commonly used ART techniques include:

• Intrauterine insemination (IUI): This is the simplest technique. Ovulation is often induced with medication, but can sometimes occur spontaneously. Ovulation is monitored by ultrasound, and at the optimal time, prepared sperm are inserted directly into the uterus via a catheter. This is an outpatient procedure, painless, requiring no hospitalization, and allows for immediate return to normal activities;
• IVF/ICSI : This is a widely used technique addressing various infertility issues. It involves in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where sperm is directly injected into the egg, may also be used;

A complete ART cycle takes about 2-3 weeks. Treatment aims to induce multiple ovulation, monitored by ultrasound and blood tests. The eggs are then retrieved via a procedure called "egg retrieval" or "pick-up", using a needle guided by ultrasound to puncture the ovary through the vaginal wall. This is usually performed under brief sedation as outpatient surgery, with a short stay.

Fertilization occurs outside the body: eggs are inseminated in a test tube (in vitro), and resulting embryos are transferred to a prepared uterus. If the mother's condition isn't optimal, or many embryos are produced, they can be frozen for later transfer. Physiologically, pregnancies resulting from ART are no different from naturally conceived pregnancies.

Are there more risks of miscarriage or malformations than in a natural pregnancy?

While data isn't entirely consistent, studies suggest a slightly increased risk of miscarriage and malformations in ART pregnancies compared to the general population.

However, this increased risk may be more related to the underlying infertility than the ART techniques themselves. Infertility can lead to abnormalities in eggs and sperm, potentially increasing the risk of malformations.

For both ART and naturally conceived pregnancies, regular medical and ultrasound checkups are crucial.

Invasive tests (like villocentesis and amniocentesis) and non-invasive tests (NIPT or fetal DNA testing) can detect genetic and chromosomal abnormalities. Your specialist will recommend the most appropriate test based on your individual circumstances. Even with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), these tests can provide confirmation (PGD accuracy is approximately 98%, varying by laboratory).

In both ART and naturally conceived pregnancies, the risk of complications increases with:

• multiple pregnancy;
• advanced maternal age;
• overweight or obesity;
• conditions like diabetes or hypertension;

GET A QUOTE

Need more information?

Should I have an amniocentesis?

Amniocentesis involves taking a sample of amniotic fluid for fetal genetic testing. It can detect most chromosomal and genetic disorders. The risk is approximately 1%, but in top facilities, the risk is comparable to pregnancies without amniocentesis.

Two main types of amniocentesis exist:

• Early amniocentesis (16-17 weeks) is primarily for genetic testing, including:
  • fetal karyotyping;
  • enzyme assays for metabolic disorders; alpha-fetoprotein for neural tube defects;

• Late amniocentesis (after 25 weeks) is for non-genetic reasons, such as:
  • assessing fetal maturity;
  • managing maternal-fetal isoimmunization;
  • assessing fetal lung maturity;
  • ART pregnancies require the same standard pregnancy monitoring, including amniocentesis where indicated;

An alternative is a non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) on maternal blood, screening for chromosomal abnormalities around 10 weeks gestation.

[dt_sc_button title="Free Quote" size="medium" style="bordered" icon_type="" link="url:https%3A%2F%2F127.0.0.1/tds%2Fdevis%2F" textcolor="#ffffff" bgcolor="#0c73ba"]