Test tube baby is an advanced treatment for infertility. In this treatment woman's eggs are taken out from her ovary with the help of a needle. The eggs are then mixed with husband's sperm through IVF/ICSI technology. The pregnancy begins which is kept in laboratory for 3 to 5 days and then transferred to woman's uterus where it grows as usual pregnancy.
Any or every couple failing to have a pregnancy inspite of the usual treatment can adopt test tube baby for conception but this treatment is most recommended for the following:
1: Couple who fails to conceive with usual treatment within 3 years of their married life.
2: Husbands with poor sperm count or motility.
3: Women with blocked fallopian tubes.
Test tube baby treatment is not as extensive or complicated as people believe. In the initial days only injections are given. On the egg pickup and embryo transfer days short term anesthesia is given to the woman to avoid any kind of pain .At completion of treatment woman can walk away from clinic and can continue her routine life .
Test tube baby is an expensive treatment world wide. This treatment involves consumption of expensive injections and imported items. The medium used in IVF is disposable and is wasted after one time of use.
Test tube baby treatment is completed in approximately 20 days. The woman is given injections on daily basis upto day 14 of the menstrual cycle, when the eggs are picked. The embryo is transferred back into the woman's whomb between the day 17 and 20 of the menstrual cycle. Pregnancy test is done after 15 days of completion of the procedure.
This treatment may be repeated after every 3 months and there is no limit on the number of times this treatment may be performed.
The best time for this treatment is when the woman's age is between 20 and 35 years. The chances of success start declining from 35 years onward. The decline is further accelerated after 4o years of age.
The babies born with test tube baby treatment are no different from the other babies. They are not at increased risk of congenital malformations or growth disorders.
There is an increased incidence of twin pregnancy in this treatment and gender choice for the baby is also an option.
Generally quoted success rate for test tube baby is between 3o-4o%, but in young couples with no identifiable cause of infertility the success rate can go as high as 6o to 70%.
Healthy food, moderate exercise, weight reduction and avoiding smoking/drugs can improve the success rate of the treatment.
IVF is a straight forward treatment and des not have any serious side effects.
Test tube baby treatment is being performed in every Islamic country. in this treatment only husband's sperms and wife's eggs are used which is allowed in Islamic law. The use of donor eggs and sperms is prohibited in Islamic/Pakistani law, hence they are not used in Pakistan.