What are the side effects, risks and potential complications
Side effects such as headaches, mood swings, breast tenderness, abdominal bloating and nausea are physiological responses to stimulation of the ovaries. Some patients will not experience any side effects but for those that do, usually the symptoms are mild and will resolve within a few days after egg collection.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)
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OHSS is an exaggerated response to IVF medications, whereby you produce too many eggs and/or have very high oestradiol levels. In this instance, your ovaries are enlarged and you retain fluid. You may feel bloated, have pelvic pain and nausea. For mild cases, the fluid reabsorbs and you will be back to your normal self in 2 weeks.
Significant OHSS occurs in about 1% of cases.
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Egg collection
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As with all procedures, there is a certain level of risks attached to procedures, though the chances of complications such as significant bleeding, infection or injury to bladder or bowel from egg collection is very low.
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Health of IVF babies
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The health of singleton IVF babies are similar to singleton non-IVF babies. Inherent characteristics of the couple, such as their age, reasons for infertility, medical history, body weight and lifestyle choices can risk undesirable outcomes for baby and mother. Dr Fong will work with you to optimise your health before starting treatment.
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Ectopic pregnancy
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Ectopic pregnancies (where the foetus attaches outside the uterus) can occur in both natural conception and IVF. Factors that increase this risk include smoking, tubal problems and past ectopic pregnancies. An ultrasound at six weeks (if there is a history of ectopic pregnancy) can detect the location of the pregnancy and prompt early intervention in these situations.
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Risk of multiple pregnancies
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It is good practice to transfer one healthy looking embryo and to freeze any remaining good quality embryos. The formation of twins or triplets from IVF is usually from the transfer of more than one embryo.
Multiple pregnancies pose unnecessary medical risks to the mother and the foetuses as babies conceived as a multiple pregnancy face higher risk of:
The main risks of multiple pregnancies to the mother include diabetes in pregnancy, pre-eclampsia (accelerated high blood pressure in pregnancy), caesarean section and complicated birth. |
Risk of poor outcome
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Despite our best intentions, treatment can result in:
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