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The Risk of Miscarriage After IVF Treatment

In vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment represents a significant advancement for couples who struggle with infertility problems. But it won't work for everyone and won't guarantee a 100% success rate. That's meant some couples need to try to attempt this treatment for few times.

The risk of miscarriage after IVF treatment

What is IVF Treatment?

In-vitro fertilization is the most effective form of assisted reproductive technology. It is a complex series of procedures used to help with fertility or prevent genetic problems and assist with the conception of a child. The process of having an IVF cycle consists of getting mature eggs from the ovaries, fertilizing them with sperm in a lab, transferring the embryo to a uterus, and finally waiting for a time period.


All medical treatment has a certain amount of risk associated with it. Every area of our life has some risk associated with it. There are also risks associated with fertility treatments that patients should be aware of before beginning them. Ectopic pregnancy, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), medication side effects, multiple births are the common risk associated with IVF treatment.


Also, after IVF treatment can happen miscarriage, but in fact, miscarriages are common in natural pregnancies.

What is A Misscarriage?

Miscarriages are the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week. About 10 to 20 per cent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But this number can be higher because many miscarriages occur before a woman knows she's pregnant. Miscarriage occurs in about 10 per cent of known pregnancies and is most often caused by genetic or chromosomal problems in the embryo or fetus. It doesn't mean that something was wrong with the way the woman was carrying the pregnancy. Most miscarriages occur before the 12th week of pregnancy.


Having vaginal bleeding is a common sign of miscarriage, but also light vaginal bleeding can be expected during the first trimester of pregnancy, and it does not mean that woman has a miscarriage. Other symptoms of a miscarriage include:


  • a discharge of tissue from vagina;
  • a pain in abdomen;
  • a pain or cramping in lowe back;
  • a discharge of fluid from vagina.

IVF and Misscariage

Advanced age is the most significant factor in a woman's fertility. As a woman get older, their fertility naturally declines, and the odds of miscarriage increase. Also, a woman who will undergo IVF treatment tends to be older than a woman who conceives naturally. For example, a 35- to 45-year older woman has a 20% to 35% chance of miscarriage. A 45+-year-old woman has an even higher chance at 50%.


But since it involves choosing the best embryos to implant, the process of IVF automatically lowers the chance of a miscarriage. Non-viable embryos can cause many natural miscarriages, so naturally, this is mitigated by IVF. The discovery of the advancement of specific techniques like metabolomics, a process by which the best and most viable embryos are selected for IVF, means that the chances for a miscarriage are even lower than initially thought. 

Polina Pylypenko • August 5, 2021
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