A Personal Choice specializes in tubal ligation reversal and surgery to repair blocked fallopian tubes.
We want our patients to be well informed, and we have started this series for women over the age of 40 who have had a tubal ligation and want to become pregnant again. The information contained in this series may be helpful to all women considering the alternative treatments of tubal reversal or IVF.
The first article of this series is Tubal Ligation Reversal After the Age of 40|Introduction.
IVF Overview
IVF is a sophisticated medical treatment designed to bypass the natural environment for conception (fallopian tubes). The previous article Tubal Reversal After 40 – IVF Overview provides an overview of the process of IVF, egg retrieval, and superovulation with intrauterine insemination (IUI).
IVF for Unexplained Infertility
Some couples do not have a known reason for not being able to become pregnant. This is called unexplained infertility. IVF allows egg and sperm to join together and start growing in a controlled, monitored environment.
IVF for Severe Fallopian Tube Disease
Some women have extensively damaged fallopian tubes from pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or from severe intra-abdominal infections. IVF is designed to bypass the tubes and allow conception to occur outside the body. The fertilized egg is then introduced inside the uterus in the hope of pregnancy.
IVF after Chemotherapy
IVF allows women who are being treated for cancer with chemotherapy to be able to have children. Chemotherapy can destroy or damage the ovarian eggs. Prior to undergoing chemotherapy treatment, some women may elect to have eggs harvested, frozen, and saved for possible subsequent attempts to have a child after the cancer treatment is completed.
IVF to Overcome Low Sperm Count
When sperm are defective or counts are exteremely low, IVF can be used to become pregnant. IVF can work for these conditions because sperm are placed directly next to the egg, and, in some cases, sperm are injected into the egg (ICSI) to allow pregnancy to occur.
IVF to Overcome Absent Ovaries
IVF can be used for a woman without ovaries. In these cases, eggs must be donated from another woman for this unique situation.
IVF to Overcome Absent Uterus
IVF treatment can allow a woman to have a child if she does not have a uterus. In this situation, the eggs are harvested from the patient’s ovaries and are placed inside another woman’s uterus (gestational carrier). This treatment has multiple legal implications that may vary from state to state and may require the birth mother (the gestational carrier) giving up the baby for adoption by the egg donor and her husband.
IVF to Overcome Advanced Maternal Age
IVF can be used to allow an older, peri-menopausal or even post-menopausal woman to become pregnant. To obtain this reproductive advantage, donated eggs (eggs from a younger woman) must be used. We will discuss IVF pregnancy rates as they relate to age later in this series.
IVF in Summary
IVF has a well-established place in the treatment of infertility. IVF can be a very beneficial treatment for couples with any of the above problems causing infertility. The process is complex to go through and expensive.
For women who have had their tubes tied (tubal ligation) then having their tubes untied (tubal ligation reversal) may be the single best step to allow conception to be able to occur. When tubal ligation is the cause of infertility, then tubal ligation reversal is a better choice for most women than IVF to become pregnant and have additional children.
Our next article, Tubal Reversal After 40- IVF Risks, will discuss the risks of IVF treatment.
This article is written for patients or potential patients of A Personal Choice. This series was written for women over the age of 40 who are considering tubal ligation reversal; however, the content of this blog series is informative and relevant for all patients considering tubal ligation reversal who want to be well informed about their options or who are searching for an alternative to IVF.
Submitted by Dr. Charles Monteith
