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What side effects, risks and complications are associated with IVF?


The risks from IVF are minimal and there are few side effects associated with IVF. In vitro fertilization is a treatment for infertility used by more than 80,000 women yearly in the States alone.

Multiple pregnancy is a common complication following IVF. The risk of multiple pregnancies is due to the number of embryos implanted. Many clinic try to reduce the risk by transferring no more than 3 embryos during each cycle of IVF. A rare complication associated with IVF is ectopic pregnancy, also known as “tubal pregnancy”, which refers to a complication in which the fertilized ovum is implanted in any other tissue besides the uterine wall. Ectopic pregnancy usually occur in the Fallopian tube, hence the name “tubal pregnancy,” but implantation can also occur in the cervix, ovaries and abdomen.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is a complication that can occur as a side effect to fertility drugs taken to induce ovulation and stimulate egg production. OHSS causes swelling in the adbomen and in rare cases can cause more serious complications.

IVF can increase the age it is possible to conceive. For all women conceiving naturally or through infertility treatment methods, the risk of having a child born with a genetic defect increases in women over the age of 35.




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