Reproduction defines the start of the human life cycle and plays a major role in a couple’s life. Due to a surge in stress levels, changes in lifestyle, rising obesity problems or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), etc. there has been a rise in the number of infertility concerns in society. In vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment has been bringing hope to millions of couples all over the world.
IVF process involves fertilization of egg cells by sperm outside the body and procedure helps infertile couples by achieving a successful pregnancy. Since the first IVF success, there have been many advances in fertility treatment and modern health care
With new groundbreaking innovations in the field, the researchers are always looking for new ways to treat struggling couples. Focus is given for improving implantation rates and reducing miscarriage rates.
Additionally, the new technologies can greatly improve the selection of sperm cells or healthy embryos free of the genetic defect, thus potentially increasing the chances of a healthy baby. Overall the result is improved pregnancy and delivery rates for IVF patients today.
IVF or Infertility treatment in India compared to other countries is cost-effective and the patients get the best of treatment and care. Neelkanth Hospital is the best IVF hospital in terms of the success rate of the IVF Process. It provides the team of best IVF doctors in India to give the best results.
Let’s know more about recent groundbreaking innovations in IVF from the most trusted hospital- Neelkanth.
Table of Contents
- 1. PGS/PGD embryo screening
- 2. Egg freezing
- 3. Extending embryo life in the lab
- 4. Minimal-stimulation IVF
- 5. Three-person IVF – the start of something big?
- 6. Sperm and eggs – from stem cells
- 7. Frozen-embryo transfers
- 8. Womb transplant – then IVF
- 9. Embryo adoption
1. PGS/PGD embryo screening
The success of any IVF treatment is not only about conceiving a child but to have a healthy baby. This can be made possible with some of the highly sophisticated scientific techniques, PGS/PGD, used to analyze genetic or chromosomal abnormalities of the embryo.
Pre Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS)
The technique is used to screen the number and sequence of chromosomes in the DNA of the embryo. This helps with the selection of embryos with a normal chromosome and increases the chances of a healthy pregnancy.
Pre Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
This technique is carried out to ensure that the embryo is free of any genetic defect and is particularly recommended if there is any history of genetic disease(s) in the family. The process involves carefully removing a small number of cells from an embryo and analyzing these cells for the presence of any genetic disorder as per family history.
PGS/PGD is a solution for women with a greater risk of genetic abnormality and for couples with repeated unsuccessful IVF cycles. PGS/PGD when combined with the IVF cycle helps in the desirable selection of embryos and improves the chances of successful IVF pregnancy.
2. Egg freezing
The practice of freezing eggs and cryogenically storing them for use in IVF is becoming increasingly popular. The technique is suitable for women who want to have children in the near future, thus willing to freeze their eggs. The technique is based on extraction and preserving the unfertilized eggs.
The fertility specialist will discuss the treatment plans during initial counseling. The ovaries are stimulated by administering specific hormonal injections and for around 10-12 days. The fertility specialist will then collect the eggs in the next step. The eggs are then vitrified using the latest in freezing technology and safely stored with us until you’re ready to use them.
With this technology, one can delay childbirth for any social reasons as well as medical reasons such as cancer or other diseases.
3. Extending embryo life in the lab
Researchers have recently increased the period of growing human embryos in the lab by keeping these embryos alive and active beyond the previous record time.
The new procedure promises scientists more room to study human embryos and new insights into early human development. This also gives researchers a chance to get more information about genetic diseases and disabilities. With a better understanding of early embryonic development and miscarriages, it is possible to reduce the failure rate of IVF embryos.
This breakthrough technique thus sets a new milestone in human development studies.
4. Minimal-stimulation IVF
During every ovulation cycle, the woman's body releases one active egg. Thus, in the natural IVF process, a maximum of 1 egg is retrieved. Minimal stimulation IVF (Mini IVF) involves a process of boosting ovulation using lower doses of medications and encouraging your body to produce more eggs than normal. Thus, with Mini IVF your doctor may only be able to retrieve between 2 to 4 eggs for fertilization.
Mini IVF may be an appropriate alternative for women who do not want to take many fertility medications. Couples who want to avoid the possible risk of multiples during IVF treatment can choose Mini IVF.
The technique offers another advantage of using these retrieved eggs back to back for IVF cycles and no break is required. Mini IVF thus offers infertile couples an alternative to traditional IVF.
5. Three-person IVF – the start of something big?
Three-person IVF is the latest reproductive technology used alongside in vitro fertilization. The technique uses a healthy donor egg to create an embryo with the nuclear DNA of two people and the mitochondrial DNA of a third. The reconstructed egg or embryo contains genetic material from three people, hence the name.
The technique is used when a mother has a high risk of passing on mutated mitochondrial DNA to her baby.
Mitochondrial diseases are long-term, a genetic disorder that occurs when structures that produce energy for a cell malfunction. To avoid passing on mitochondrial disease, the mitochondrial DNA in the mother’s egg is replaced with DNA from a donor egg. This can save the baby child from potentially life-threatening diseases.
The technique will have a significant impact on the fertility industry and hereditary diseases.
6. Sperm and eggs – from stem cells
Current researchers are enabling the creation of human sperm and eggs from stem cells. With these revolutionizing reproductive technologies, the possibilities are endless.
This process, called in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), raises the possibility that babies could be made using cells from non-reproductive organs. The procedure typically involves collecting a non-reproductive human cell, such as a skin cell, followed by its transformation into stem cells. The next step will be the transformation of chromosomal information to these stem cells and the production of sperms and eggs from their male and female donor stem cells.
The technique will save cost and energy that goes into painful egg-production and extraction procedures involving doses of hormones. Large numbers of embryos thus could be created easily and painlessly.
7. Frozen-embryo transfers
A huge part of many successful IVF stories is associated with improvement in freezing eggs and embryos and its successful transfer. Frozen embryo transfer is a process of implantation of a frozen embryo in the lining of the uterus. This frozen embryo could be of the patient’s own, previously frozen embryo or donor embryo.
Before implanting a frozen embryo, blood tests are done to coordinate the age of your embryos with the development of the lining in the uterus. In other words, the hormonal schedule of the patient is aligned with the egg.
In the early years, doctors used to transfer multiple embryos to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. However, it increased the chance of multiple pregnancies. Nowadays, doctors transfer just one embryo and increase its chances of success using advancement in fertility treatment. The process is quick and does not require anesthesia. There is no downtime and you can get back to your routine work.
Neelkanth Hospital is the best IVF hospital in Gurgaon in terms of the success rate of the IVF Process.
8. Womb transplant – then IVF
Womb transplant is a breakthrough technology revolutionizing the field of reproductive science. The procedure allows women who have lost their womb because of injury, illness, surgery (hysterectomy), or who are born without a womb to receive a donated womb for pregnancy.
The technique is recent and numbers of trials are happening worldwide since 2014. It is a highly complex technique that involves removing the donor uterus (hysterectomy for the donor), in some cases, the cervix and part of the vagina are also removed and attaching the uterus to the recipient. The recipient is given strong ‘immunosuppressants’ to reduce the risk of rejection of a transplanted womb. Their eggs are fertilized through IVF and transferred into this new uterus.
Like any other surgery, a womb transplant may cause few complications such as infection, thrombosis and hematoma.
Successful births following womb transplants bring hopes to many women without a functioning uterus. The eligibility criteria is you must be in good health, free of infection and cancer.
9. Embryo adoption
Embryo adoption is the treatment for couples with a long history of unsuccessful IVF cycles. The procedure allows infertile couples a chance through adopting embryos and experiencing pregnancy.
As a part of the IVF process, couples store their embryos until they decide they are done growing their family. Many couples complete their families or cease to have treatment while they still have embryos in frozen storage. Some of these couples can relate to the suffering of other couples struggling with infertility and donate their embryos to help them. The intended couples thus get a chance of using a readily available resource to achieve parenthood.
Transferring donated embryos is less expensive than an alternative treatment. Also, the process is convenient as it greatly reduces the risk and effort involved.
Unlike any traditional adoption, couples do not have to go through any legal process and when you give birth to your donor embryo-conceived child, you become legal parents to that child.
Neelkanth hospital is a pioneer in IVF treatment as it provided its first IVF baby in 2003 and has been successful in delivering more than 5000 babies to childless couples. It is one of the Leading Multi Super Specialty Hospitals and has centres in different cities of India like Delhi, Gurgaon, Patna, Lucknow and Hapur.
The founder of the hospital, Dr. Bindu Garg is an Infertility and IVF specialist with more than 35 years of experience in the field.
The hospital is well-equipped to provide advanced services like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Testicular Biopsy Sperm Aspiration (TESA), Laboratory Facilities and Donor Egg Program. The team of experienced and dedicated doctors has brought blossom in many families through IVF. With the highest success rate Neelkanth is well known for providing cost-effective treatment through the use of state of the art technology, and with love and care.
