Who Needs IVF?

In many situations in which a couple is experiencing infertility, HRC fertility doctors can treat the problem with first-line fertility treatments such as ovulation induction or intrauterine insemination (IUI). In other cases, the condition causing infertility is treatable with surgery for the male or the female.

For women in whom first-line fertility treatments have been unsuccessful or who have other situations or conditions, in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be the treatment of choice. IVF was originally developed for women with tubal factor infertility (non-functioning fallopian tubes); however, because of major advances in in vitro fertilization, IVF is not always the treatment of last resort. In fact, it is often the first-line treatment.

Some common female infertility indications for IVF treatment include:

• fallopian tube damage
• endometriosis
• unexplained infertility
• age-related infertility
• being at risk of genetic disease such as cystic fibrosis (IVF with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis — PGD may be indicated
• infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss related to chromosomal abnormalities — IVF with PGD or pre-implantation genetic screening may be indicated
  

IVF is often the treatment of choice for couples in who are experiencing male factor infertility, particularly with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a procedure in which one sperm is injected directly into the egg.