The Magic Of ART

Having trouble getting pregnant? This common issue known as infertility affects about 11% of women and 9% of men in the United States. The good news is that solutions exist. ART, which includes procedures like in vitro fertilization (IVF), can help with conception. Although ART is often the best way to start or grow a family for people with infertility, the procedure does come with emotional, financial, and health challenges.

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What is ART?

Assisted reproductive technology refers to any fertility treatment in which either eggs or embryos are handled outside the body. To break things down further, this generally means a woman’s eggs are removed from the body, combined with sperm in the lab, and then transferred back into the uterus. A procedure like IVF would fall under the ART header, while intrauterine insemination (IUI) would not. ART can be incredibly successful for women and couples facing fertility challenges and often leads to a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Understanding challenges

The benefits of ART are well known, but the procedure is also associated with some challenges. ART can be difficult both mentally and physically. There is no guarantee that the procedure will work, and many women go through treatment without a good social support network due to privacy concerns. Additionally, some treatments can be very expensive, especially if more than a single cycle is required to achieve a pregnancy. Even if a successful pregnancy is achieved, many women who have experienced infertility or previous miscarriages remain in a heightened state of worry for the first trimester, full of concerns about the health of the baby. Mental health support is especially important during ART treatment and early pregnancy.

Multiple babies, multiple problems?

Certain ART procedures are more likely to result in multiples, such as twins or triplets, which can increase the chance of preterm delivery and other pregnancy complications. Making an educated decision about how many embryos to transfer to the uterus is important and can reduce risks. Even with a singleton, pregnancies achieved with ART still carry a higher risk for prematurity, low birth weight, small for gestational age (SGA), perinatal mortality, cesarean delivery, placenta previa, and abruption, preeclampsia, and birth defects. A fertility specialist can help shed light on the chance of these complications and discuss any prevention tactics.

Your scientific solution

When infertility is at play, chances of natural conception are often quite low. Assisted reproductive technology is a scientific solution that can help women and couples with an infertility diagnosis conceive. However, people undergoing ART should be aware of the potential financial, emotional, and health risks associated with the procedure before proceeding. In most cases, the benefits of a healthy baby and growing family outweigh the possible risks of ART, but each patient must decide what is best.

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