All injections can elicit a slight but temporary stinging sensation. This is often the most pain you will feel during this phase of the IVF process.
The most potentially painful part of undergoing IVF is the procedure to implant the fertilized eggs back into the uterus. Done a few days after egg retrieval, this feels like a smear test; not pleasant by any means, but nothing to be scared of.
The 10-14 day waiting period between transfer and receiving the pregnancy test results is often described as the most difficult part of the cycle. Having had daily contact with your medical support staff during monitoring and retrieval, you suddenly are on your own after transfer and just have to wait.
Yes, IVF injections are usually not painful. You might feel a very slight stinging sensation while getting one. But they don't cause extreme and unbearable pain. The needles for IVF injections are generally very small, so you won't feel much pain (if any).
Mild to moderate cramping and abdominal pain are common side effects of IVF treatment. The medications used during IVF treatment trigger hormonal changes that can lead to cramping. Some of the procedures performed during the IVF process, particularly egg retrieval and embryo transfer, are also known to cause cramping.
Babies conceived through IVF are typically just as healthy and normal as babies conceived the natural way. There is no additional pain that you should expect in an IVF pregnancy.
IVF can be mentally, physically and emotionally painful. In many cases, one of the biggest complaints is bloating and pain some women face during the ovarian stimulation process, where hormones are injected to produce multiple eggs for retrieval.
Because of the type of anesthesia that is used, patients do not feel any pain during the egg retrieval procedure. However, patients may experience abdominal cramping for a day or two after the procedure.
Patients have found it helpful to apply ice for five to seven minutes just before giving the shots, and have experienced little to no discomfort from the shots when doing so.
Conceiving with IVF does carry an increased risk of pregnancy complications. In particular, there is an increased risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, hypertension, maternal gestational diabetes, and placental complications⁷.
Embryo transfer is arguably the most critical step in the IVF process. On the surface, it seems like a relatively simple procedure. The embryos are loaded in a catheter and the physician deposits them through the cervical canal into the uterine cavity.
Studies show that women in their 20s and 30s have the most success when getting pregnant through IVF and other reproductive technologies. According to the CDC, the average percentages of assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles that lead to a live birth are: 31% in women younger than 35 years of age.
IVF can fail due to embryos that have chromosomal abnormalities. This means that the embryo has a missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA. The body then rejects the embryo and this results in IVF failure.
The oocyte or egg retrieval procedure is considered safe and effective, but it can be quite painful for patients. The pain is mainly caused by puncture of the vaginal wall and ovarian capsule as well as by necessary manipulation of the ovaries.
In vitro fertilization
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is an exaggerated response to excess hormones. It usually occurs in women taking injectable hormone medications to stimulate the development of eggs in the ovaries. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) causes the ovaries to swell and become painful.
How Painful Are IVF Injections? According to Tiffanny Jones, MD, board-certified ob-gyn and reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, IVF injections are not as painful as one may think. “The injections are relatively painless due to how small the needles are,” Dr. Jones said.
Like insulin injections, they are typically given in the front of the thigh or into the belly. You won't have to draw the medicine out of a vial and measure it yourself -- you'll receive an injection pen, which makes it easy to dial in your dose and receive the correct amount of medication.
The egg retrieval is a 15-minute surgical procedure. No cuts, no stitches. The word “surgery” might seem scary, but the egg retrieval process is quick and essentially painless.
Who is not a good candidate for IVF? In vitro fertilization may not work for everyone. Conditions that may interfere with IVF success include fibroid tumors, ovarian dysfunction, abnormal hormone levels, and uterine abnormalities. Women with these issues may face lower rates of pregnancy with IVF.
The vast majority of pregnancies conceived using IVF are just as healthy as those from natural conception. Furthermore, the children coming from IVF pregnancies are just as smart and physically fit as their naturally-conceived counterparts.
The possibility of the IVF resembling its mother is thin as a donor egg doesn't share any of its genes with its intended mother. Nonetheless, if the sperm used is that of her partner, the baby may look like its father. This is simply because both share the same genetics.
Overall, first-time IVF success rates often fall between 25-30% for most intended parents. However, this probability tends to increase after multiple IVF cycles.
“For most couples – and certainly those where the woman is younger than 40 and those of any age using donor eggs – two-thirds will achieve a live birth after five or six treatment cycles. This will take, on average, two years and is similar to rates that couples conceiving naturally take in one year.”
One in six Australian couples will struggle with infertility, and one in 20 Australian babies are born from IVF.