Am I Fertile Enough To Have A Baby?

Fertility in both woman and man can be affected by many factors. We asked experts at Virtus Fertility Centre what are the commonly asked questions on fertility.

Am I Fertile Enough To Have A Baby

1. What causes infertility?

Infertility in women can be caused by an ovulation disorder, blockages in the fallopian tubes or other complications in the uterine environment. Some of the most common conditions that can affect a woman’s fertility include Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and fibroids.

Infertility in men is most commonly due to no or very few sperm produced and/or found in the ejaculate. Sometimes sperm are malformed, and in rare cases, genetic diseases may be at fault.

Other complications can include immunological infertility, retrograde ejaculation, congenital absence of or blockages in the vas deferens (sperm ducts) or subnormal quality of sperm.

Fertility in both the woman and the man can also be affected by lifestyle choices such as smoking, excessive drinking or being severely under or overweight.

2. How does IVF work?

During an IVF procedure, sperm fertilize the eggs in a laboratory. ‘In vitro’ means ‘in glass’, as fertilisation happens in a glass (or plastic) dish, rather than in the fallopian tubes.

The female eggs are taken from the body and are fertilised with sperm in the laboratory. The resulting embryos are then placed back into the woman’s body for conception.

Step-by-step IVF treatment process

Step 1 Medication: Hormonal injections to stimulate the development of eggs (folliculogenesis).

how a human egg looks like - fertility questions answered

Human Egg

Step 2 Monitoring: To monitor the number and growth of follicles.

Step 3 Egg collection day: Eggs are retrieved after 10-12 days of hormonal stimulation.

Step 4 Fertilization: Eggs are inseminated with sperm to effect fertilization.

Step 5 Embryo Development: Fertilized eggs (embryos) are monitored for 5-6 days of development to blastocysts, the final stage of embryo development before implantation.

Step 6 Embryo transfer: A single blastocyst is usually transferred into the woman’s womb.

Step 7 Pregnancy test: A blood sample is taken 14-16 days after embryo transfer for pregnancy test.

IVF Step by step procedure

Early human embryo development

3. How long does IVF take?

The in vitro fertilization process can last anywhere from four to six weeks prior to egg retrieval. The embryo(s) will then be implanted at the blastocyst stage. Not all patients are successful on their first IVF attempt; in fact, it’s not uncommon for patients to go through multiple IVF cycles before finally becoming pregnant.

4. What are the success rates?

When it comes to IVF, there is no agreed standard for reporting “success”.

Sometimes IVF success rates are quoted per completed IVF treatment cycle – a complete IVF collection and treatment cycle can involve multiple transfers of embryos collected from the one egg collection.

Success rates measured this way will therefore naturally be higher than success rates measured per embryo transfer.

Sadly, not every pregnancy will carry to a live birth, so we also measure live births per embryo transfer. We report our success rates per embryo transfer as we want to give you the most realistic understanding of your chance of success following each individual embryo transfer.

However, it is important to understand that not every treatment cycle will result in an embryo transfer. For some women, no eggs will be collected and, sometimes after eggs have been collected, there may be no transfer because embryos have not developed.

It is therefore important to understand what part of the IVF treatment cycle a particular statistic is measuring. Even after you check this, there are factors that need to be understood before you attempt to compare IVF success rates.

5. Am I too old for IVF?

Once you turn 36, your chance of conceiving naturally is half of what it was when you were 20. By the time you are 41, your chance is just 4%.

If you are aged over 35 and have not fallen pregnant within six months of trying, we recommend seeking medical advice. If you are under 35, you can wait up to 12 months before seeking specialist help.

Women Fertility - Average change of natural conception per month

6. How much does IVF cost?

The costs vary based on recommended treatment plan by your fertility doctor. Some estimates of out-of-pocket costs for fertility treatment with Virtus Fertility Centre are as follows:

IVF or IUI Treatment		Cost
Basic Fertility Assessment	Pelvic ultrasound for the woman, a semen analysis for the man and combined couple consultation by Fertility Specialist	$299
Oocyte (Egg) Retrieval	All inclusive of doctor’s fees, anaesthetist fees, operating theatre & recovery room charges, laboratory charges (ICSI/IMSI, Blastocyst culture) and freezing & storage of embryos for 90 days	$8,800* – $9,500**
Embryo Transfer	All inclusive of doctor’s fees, operating theatre, recovery room charges and laboratory charges (embryo thawing if necessary, assisted hatching)	$4,000 – $5,300**
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)	All inclusive of doctor’s fees, facility fees and laboratory charges including catheter	$880

7. All my tests are clear – why aren’t we getting pregnant?

Healthy people can still have issues affecting their fertility. Medical conditions and genetic disorders can affect fertility, whatever your age. The most important factor affecting your ability to conceive is the woman’s age.

Once a woman turns 36, her chance of conceiving naturally is half of what it was when she was 20. By the time a woman is 41, her chance of conceiving naturally each month is around 5%.