Dealing with IVF injection side-effects

Many couples who struggle to have children are choosing to use the aid of fertility treatments. Many successful pregnancies have been done because of IVF treatments. But how safe is this type of fertility treatment? Many people are wary of the IVF injections side effects. If you are planning to go through fertility treatments, you may find more information at the Melbourne-IVF.com.au page.

What is IVF?

Let’s start with the basics. IVF, or in-vitro fertilization, is an assisted reproductive process that is used to help couples conceive a child. The procedure as a whole would have many processes like the extraction of the eggs from the mother, getting a sperm sample from the father and transferring the combined egg and sperm into the uterus of the mother. At various times during the treatment, chances are high that fertility drugs will be used. They can be part of the in-vitro fertilization treatment, used in conjunction with the intrauterine insemination or just as a non-surgical fertility enhancer and treatment.

What are the drugs used in IVF?

Depending on the situation, three drugs are the most commonly used in IVF treatments.

Clomiphene Citrate. Thud medication would usually come in the form of pills that women will need to take when they are not ovulating normally. If the women are suffering from PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, ovulation might not even be happening at all. There would be three fertility-related hormones that would be released by the woman’s body in response to the drug. These three hormones are GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone). These hormones stimulate the ovaries to ovulate and produce eggs. The side effects of clomiphene citrate are mild. They would include hot flashes, blurred vision, headaches, bloating, changes in the cervical mucus and nausea. There would also be extremely rare cases of multiple births.

Gonadotropins. GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), LH (luteinizing hormone) and hMG (human menopausal gonadotropin) are the hormones that are included in this injectable medication. Unlike clomiphene citrate, which stimulates your body to produce its own hormones, this medication would deliver the drugs to your body right away.

Most side effects of gonadotropin medications are very mild, like tenderness, swelling and bruising at the injection site. The extreme but rare complications are multiple births, overstimulation of the ovaries and ectopic pregnancy.

hCG Injections. This drug is similar to the gonadotropin medication above; however, it is used differently. The use of hCG medication is to stimulate the maturation of eggs from the ovarian follicles. It is usually injected 36 hours before the egg retrieval procedure.

The minor risks would be tenderness, swelling and bruising at the injection site, irritability and restlessness, hot flashes, blurred vision, and others. The rare risks would also include hyperstimulation of the ovaries.

If you are worried about IVF injection side effects, good communication with your doctor would be the key. Keep in mind that you will be watched closely by the fertility team at the clinic or hospital you will have the procedure in. With proper care and under a trained, watchful eye, you will come out of the process unscathed, hopefully with a baby in tow.