Miscarriage after IVF

IVF offers hope to millions of people who cannot get pregnant naturally. Those who are about to undergo IVF will want to know how likely they are to get pregnant and realize their dream of becoming parents. Miscarriage statistics may be of special interest to you, and you may also want to know if there is anything you can do to prevent a miscarriage following IVF.

Is there a higher chance of miscarriage if you had IVF?

If you are going to have IVF, you may have heard that you will have a higher chance of having a miscarriage than if you got pregnant naturally. IVF is a complex procedure, and most embryos created through IVF and than implanted into the mother's uterus will not result in a pregnancy. In the vast majority of cases, this is the result of genetic effects in embryos. When a previously created embryo did not implant, it is not completely unlike a miscarriage and it may well have the same emotional impact that a miscarriage has. Some studies have indeed shown that the miscarriage rate is higher in women who underwent IVF than in women who conceived without medical assistance especially in women who suffer from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

The conclusion most professionals made is that the underlying cause of the woman's infertility causes the increased risk of miscarriage, and that higher pregnancy loss rates are not due to the IVF procedure itself. Future studies into this topic will further clarify whether this theory is right. Research has also found that miscarriage rates increase with age, and with poor ovarian stimulation response. It is not yet clear whether age of poor response is the cause here, since the two appear to be intertwined. Women who miscarried after IVF are also more likely to have been infertile for a long period of time, to be smokers, or to have a history of previous miscarriage.

Preventing miscarriage

The most important question that plagues women who are going to have invitro fertilization and who are afraid that will have a miscarriage is whether there is anything they can do to prevent pregnancy loss. Most miscarriages happen during the earlier stages of pregnancy, and before the end of the first trimester. The vast majority of miscarriages happens as a direct result of a genetic defect in the embryo. There is nothing you can do to stop this, and a miscarriage is in no way your fault. At least one in five women who had a positive pregnancy test will miscarry. Healthy eating and living may well have a positive impact on the chances that your pregnancy will be successful. If you are preparing for IVF, I am sure that you are already doing everything in your power to live as healthy a life as possible to prepare your body for pregnancy. Discuss the details with your healthcare team if you have any questions.