IVF is not the only answer to fertility problems
The desire to have a baby is common to most couples but on average almost one in seven clashes with fertility problems and the inability to conceive. The causes are different and fortunately nowadays there are several treatments that allow you to improve and concretize the probability of having a baby.
However, many people mistakenly think that in vitro fertilization (IVF) is the best and fastest way to ensure pregnancy.
This is not quite the case, and Professor Robert Winston, one of the leading fertility experts and one of the founding fathers of IVF, explains it to us in his new book. Not that IVF is not a valid path, there is no doubt about this, but there are other less stressful ways both physically and psychologically (and also less expensive) that allow the achievement of the same goal: becoming parents.
In the book “The Essential Fertility Guide” Prof. Winston takes stock of the situation of the various fertilization techniques but also on the most common causes of infertility and hypothesizes that about half of the couples who are referred to IVF could be managed with alternative methods.
Unfortunately, the assisted reproduction sector is extremely profitable in economic terms and according to Winston many doctors do not take the infertility issue very seriously and send couples straight to the very expensive treatments knowing that they have a success rate of only 25%.
The treatment should instead be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, proposing diversified cures and treatments based on the problem. The massive publicity given to in vitro fertilization has led most people to believe, erroneously, that it is the only possible and/or the most successful treatment. This is an extremely wrong message.
What are the alternatives to IVF?
Depending on the cause, the alternatives according to Prof Winston are:
- Pharmacological treatments to promote ovulation
- Intra uterine insemination (IUI)
- Microsurgery
- Laparoscopic (minimally invasive)
- Treatment for endometriosis
According to the author, every year an increasing number of couples are sent to IVF without investigating the true and actual cause of the fertility problem that could be treated in alternative ways.
In the end it is in the professionalism and ethics of the doctor to want to go deeper to discover the problem by carefully and scrupulously following the couple, but patients must also demand less stressful and expensive alternatives that perhaps lead to the same results.
The difficulty in conceiving is due to female problems in just over a third of cases. The most common cause of female infertility is failure to ovulate (about 30 percent) followed by fallopian tube damage (25 percent), while endometriosis is found in about 20 percent of infertile women.
In another third of infertility cases, the problem is male. In the other remaining third the cause is related to both.
Furthermore, a considerable number of couples receive the diagnosis of ‘unexplained infertility’ which, however, may find a known cause upon further investigation.
Many couples may also suffer from two or more causes of infertility.
One of the mistakes Winston makes is to resort to assisted reproduction treatment when you do not have a clear idea of why you need it.
Couples need to understand what their problem is and must be made aware of all the various possibilities so that they can make an informed choice, also based on the success rates of the proposed alternatives as well as in relation to costs.
Only after having done a series of accurate and latest generation in-depth examinations can we think about evaluating the most suitable method of treatment, which can be in vitro fertilization or not.
According to Prof. Winston, IVF is appropriate when the fallopian tubes are so severely damaged that surgery cannot allow recovery, when the woman does not ovulate and drugs to stimulate ovulation have not given the desired results; or if a man has an abnormal or low sperm count. It can also be useful in some cases of endometriosis and unexplained infertility, when there are problems with the cervix, when couples have more fertility problems, and when there is a high risk of having children with genetic diseases of which you are carriers, in which case a preimplantation genetic screening is necessary.
ln conclusion for Winston assisted reproduction is not the only treatment for infertility, and it is not the best or most successful. There are many treatments to evaluate based on the cause which in turn should be established first.
Unfortunately, when the pregnancy does not arrive, the couples are taken by discouragement and are more vulnerable, often allowing themselves to be deceived by false promises from those who profit from in vitro fertilization.
The reason for the book is therefore to encourage couples to remain lucid, to ask questions, to inform themselves to understand the causes and to evaluate the best way forward to get pregnant.
I would say that I can share this opinion, my only comment is that among the various alternatives proposed by Prof. Winston, one is missing which in my opinion is fundamental: the lifestyle.
Many couples have reduced fertility because they do not lead a healthy lifestyle: obesity, smoking, alcohol and drugs are scientifically proven enemies of fertility.
Nutrition, or rather, a certain type of diet can bring very good results in terms of improving fertility especially in those suffering from Micropolycystic Ovary syndrome , but also in all those cases in which being overweight leads to hormonal imbalances. valid for both men and women.
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.