In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is a common infertility treatment in which eggs are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory and the resulting embryos are placed in the uterus. This page explains what IVF is, how it is done step by step, its success rate, its cost in India, why it fails, its risks, and the Homeopathic Assisted Reproductive Treatment (HART) protocol that couples consider as a natural alternative.
Considering IVF? Give HART a chance first.
Share your reports and our specialists will plan your personal treatment, in person at our Mumbai clinics or online from anywhere. Your first consultation and assessment is free. Welling’s HART protocol can save up to 90% of the usual IVF cost, and help you conceive naturally.
IVF at a glance
- What it is: eggs are collected from the ovaries, fertilized with sperm in a lab, and one or two embryos are placed in the womb.
- Stages: six: suppress the cycle, boost egg supply, monitor and mature, collect eggs, fertilize, transfer embryos.
- Typical success: roughly 20 to 35 percent per cycle for most women, and lower with age; there is no guarantee that the first cycle will work.
- Main reasons for failure: embryo quality, age of the eggs, poor ovarian response, chromosomal abnormalities, lab quality and lifestyle.
- Our alternative: the HART protocol from Welling Homeopathy, offered before or after IVF.
What is IVF treatment?
In-vitro-fertilization (IVF) is a common infertility treatment. During the procedure, a fertility doctor takes the eggs from the ovaries using a small needle and fertilizes them with sperm in a specialized lab. After fertilization, the eggs develop into embryos. Three to five days later, the specialist re-implants the embryos back into the uterus.
IVF is usually suggested when blocked fallopian tubes, low sperm count or quality, advanced maternal age, endometriosis, low ovarian reserve or unexplained infertility have not responded to simpler treatment.
How is IVF treatment done step by step?
IVF involves six main stages:
- Suppressing your natural cycle: the menstrual cycle is suppressed with medication
- Boosting your egg supply: medication is used to encourage the ovaries to produce more eggs than usual
- Monitoring and maturing your eggs: ultrasound scans check the development of the eggs, and medication helps them mature
- Collecting the eggs: a needle is inserted into the ovaries, through the vagina, to remove the eggs
- Fertilizing the eggs: the eggs are mixed with sperm for a few days to allow fertilization
- Transferring the embryo(s): one or two fertilized eggs (embryos) are placed into the womb
After the embryo transfer you wait about two weeks before taking a pregnancy test to see whether the treatment has worked.
What is the success rate of IVF treatment?
While younger women have higher chances of IVF success, factors that reduce the chances include being an older woman with fewer eggs and the lower quality of an older woman’s eggs. Women with the best chances of IVF success have rates of 40 percent or more per cycle, while the majority of women have per-cycle success rates of 20 to 35 percent, according to RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association. There is no guarantee that your first cycle will work.
National registry data (for example from the UK and the US) show live birth rates per embryo transfer falling from roughly a third in women under 35 to well under 10 percent after 42, and published figures differ by clinic and by year. See our page on the success rate of IVF by age and by cycle for more detail.
What does IVF treatment cost in India?
The cost of a single IVF cycle in India varies widely by city and clinic, and medicines, scans and add-ons are often billed separately. If advanced technology is needed, the cost goes higher: ICSI (injecting a single sperm into an egg) and frozen embryo transfer (FET) are charged on top of the basic cycle.
Most specialists suggest planning for more than one cycle, so ask each clinic for an itemised estimate, what is included, and its success rates for women of your age. See our guide to IVF process, cost and success rates.
Why would IVF treatment fail?
A failed IVF cycle can bring an overwhelming rush of emotions: grief, anger and the question of what went wrong. It is normal to grieve, but try not to blame yourself or your partner. Chances are the failure is not due to anything you could control. Common reasons are:
- Embryo quality: the major reason an IVF cycle is not successful. Many embryos cannot implant because they are flawed in some way, even when they look good in the lab. In nearly all cases it is not that the uterus cannot carry a baby
- Age of the eggs: the age of the eggs is more important than the age of the woman. On average only about 25 percent of transferred embryos result in a live birth, but women under 35 using their own eggs have an implantation rate of about 45 percent, while women of 40 to 42 have only about 15 percent. Older women using donor eggs have success rates nearly the same as younger women
- Ovarian response: sometimes the ovaries do not respond strongly enough to the fertility medicines, especially over 37 or with a high FSH, so too few eggs are collected
- Chromosomal abnormalities: the main reason behind most miscarriages and failed implantation. They increase from the 30s, and by the mid-40s as much as 75 percent of a woman’s eggs may be affected. A failed cycle may lead your doctor to suggest preimplantation genetic screening (PGS)
- The clinic and the IVF lab: the experience of the doctor, the lab’s reputation and the clinic’s success rates with women your age matter
- Lifestyle: smoking (smokers need almost twice as many cycles and miscarry more often) and being overweight or underweight lower the chance. Losing even 10 percent of body weight can help if you are overweight
What are the risks of IVF treatment?
Specific steps of an IVF cycle carry risks:
- Multiple births if more than one embryo is transferred, with a higher risk of early labour and low birth weight
- Premature delivery and low birth weight, which research suggests IVF slightly increases
- Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS): swollen, painful ovaries with abdominal pain, bloating, nausea and diarrhea; rarely severe, with rapid weight gain and breathlessness
- Miscarriage: about 15 to 25 percent, similar to natural conception but rising with the mother’s age
- Egg-retrieval complications: bleeding, infection or damage to the bowel, bladder or a blood vessel, and the risks of anesthesia
- Ectopic pregnancy: about 2 to 5 percent of women using IVF
- Emotional, physical and financial stress: support from counselors, family and friends helps
Contact your fertility clinic urgently, or go to a hospital emergency department, if you have severe abdominal pain, rapid weight gain, difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding or fainting during or after an IVF cycle.
What is an alternative to IVF treatment?
Many couples ask whether there is a natural alternative to IUI and IVF, or something to try after a failed cycle. At Welling Homeopathy this is the Homeopathic Assisted Reproductive Treatment (HART) protocol: a four-step programme of diagnosis, nutritional and lifestyle advice, and a treatment plan designed just for the couple.
You can read how it works on our page on homeopathy infertility treatment (HART). Please continue any treatment your fertility specialist has advised unless they tell you otherwise.
Our clinical experience with IVF and HART
Homeopathic Assisted Reproductive Treatment [HART] protocol from Welling Clinic is a non-invasive & a natural alternative to IUI and IVF, that has proven to be extremely effective for close to a decade at our clinics.
In our past experience, we have experienced hundreds of patients with repeatedly failed IVF cycles from prominent IVF centers in Mumbai, getting positive results of natural conception within 1-2 cycles of HART protocol.
Homeopathic Medicines gently stimulates the natural processes in male and female reproduction system to help your own body correct the imbalances and repair the natural conception process.
HART protocol is very effective in tackling various causes of infertility in both male and female. Compared to conventional treatments, both hormonal and artificial insemination, HART Infertility treatment has a far better success rate.
The treatment has been proven effective in over 10,200 couples, globally & we want you to be the next !!
At Welling Fertility Clinic, we rarely recommend IVF or ICSI as a first option.
Watch: Dr. Welling on this topic
Dr. Sourabh Welling and the Welling Homeopathy team have over 25 years of experience treating patients, in our Mumbai clinics and online.
Consult a Welling specialist about IVF and natural conception
Do not delay: share your reports and your history of treatment so far, and our specialists will plan your personal homeopathic treatment, in person at our Mumbai clinics or online from anywhere.
Thinking about IVF, or recovering from a failed cycle?
Every couple is different, and so is the right plan. Share your reports and treatment history with our specialists, and they will assess whether a natural, non-hormonal approach can be planned for you, before or after IVF.
Call +91 8080 850 950 for a 1:1 personal consultation with our experts today.
Tips to improve your chances, with or without IVF
- Both partners should be assessed: a semen analysis is a basic step before IVF
- Stop smoking at least three months before treatment, and limit alcohol and caffeine
- Reach and keep a healthy weight
- Take folic acid and any supplements your doctor advises
- Ask the clinic for its success rates for your age group and for the cost of the whole plan
- Look after your emotional health: seek counselling or a support group
- Do not delay: age and ovarian reserve are time-sensitive
Frequently asked questions about IVF treatment
1. What is IVF treatment?
IVF (in-vitro fertilization) is a treatment in which eggs are collected from the ovaries, fertilized with sperm in a laboratory, and the resulting embryos are placed in the uterus three to five days later.
2. How many stages are there in IVF?
Six: suppressing your natural cycle, boosting your egg supply, monitoring and maturing the eggs, collecting the eggs, fertilizing them, and transferring the embryo(s).
3. What is the success rate of IVF?
Most women have per-cycle success rates of about 20 to 35 percent, with the best chances at 40 percent or more, and rates fall with age. There is no guarantee that the first cycle will work.
4. Why does IVF fail?
The commonest reasons are embryo quality, the age of the eggs, a poor response to the medicines, chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo, the lab and clinic, and lifestyle factors such as smoking and weight.
5. What is the cost of IVF in India?
It varies widely by clinic and city, and ICSI and frozen embryo transfer add to the basic cycle, so ask for an itemised estimate and plan for more than one cycle.
6. What are the risks of IVF?
Multiple births, premature delivery, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, miscarriage, egg-retrieval complications, ectopic pregnancy and emotional stress.
7. Is there a natural alternative to IVF?
At Welling Homeopathy the HART protocol is offered as a non-invasive, non-hormonal alternative to IUI and IVF, and to couples who have had failed IVF cycles.
8. Can homeopathy help after a failed IVF cycle?
Our specialists see many couples after failed IVF cycles. A detailed assessment of your reports shows what can be planned for you.
9. How long should we try naturally before IVF?
A year of regular unprotected intercourse for most couples, six months if the woman is over 35, and sooner if there is a known problem such as blocked tubes or very low sperm count.
10. Can I consult Welling Homeopathy online about IVF?
Yes. You can share your reports and consult our specialists online from anywhere. We have been consulting patients online for 25 years.
Related Reading
- What Is The Success Rate Of IVF?
- Understanding IVF Treatment: Process, Cost, Success Rates
- Homeopathy Infertility Treatment: HART, a Proven Way to Conceive Naturally
- Getting Pregnant Naturally: A Natural Alternative to IVF Treatment
More on IVF and natural conception
- What Is The Success Rate Of IVF? By Age, By Cycle and How To Improve It
- Understanding IVF Treatment: Process, Cost, Success Rates
- Homeopathy Infertility Treatment: HART, a Proven Way to Conceive Naturally
- What makes Welling Homeopathy a better choice before IVF and other infertility treatments?
- What Causes Very Low AMH? Causes, Tests and Homeopathy Treatment
- Is There a Treatment for Poor Ovarian Reserve?
- Best IVF Doctors in Mumbai: How to Choose, Top Centres, and Why to Try HART First
To consult Welling Homeopathy experts, call +91 80 80 850 950.
Disclaimer: this page is for information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Results vary from person to person.
