One in every seven couples in Alabama will face an infertility diagnosis, which begins a long and often painful journey on the quest to achieve a healthy pregnancy. Some Alabama couples will find success with medications and others will require surgery or other types of medical procedures. For another part of this population, assisted reproductive technology will be the answer.



Assisted reproductive technology incorporates a number of different procedures that include high tech procedures and highly trained staff to implement them. One of the most popular is IVF, because the success rates for this particular procedure have continued to climb over the past decade. Couples considering IVF, or in vitro fertilization, can increase their odds of success by considering two key factors before committing to a clinic that will perform the procedure.

The first factor couples must think about with IVF in Mobile, AL, is their own characteristics in terms of their odds for success. For example, the older a couple is; the lower the odds are of a successful IVF cycle. This decline begins at about the age of 35 and decreases again at 38 and 40. However, these numbers are improving all the time, giving couples in these later tiers renewed hope for a possible success. However, age is a definite factor in positive results with an IVF treatment, and should be weighed carefully before committing to the procedure.

The next factor that couples should weigh carefully before beginning IVF is the clinic where the procedure will be performed. It is a good idea to check out the success rates of the clinic before putting any money down. It is important to find a clinic that touts numbers above the national average. However, statistics that are too high may indicate a clinic that is very aggressive in its treatment policies. Some of these facilities may push for implanting a larger number of embryos into the uterus to increase the odds of success, not taking into consideration the additional risk posed to mother and babies from a multiple birth.

When choosing a clinic, comfort level of the couple should be a top priority. The couple should feel that they will have control and the ability to make the decisions throughout the course of the treatment. If a couple is not comfortable with multiple embryos being and transplanted and will not consider the process of selective reduction as a means for cutting that number down, a doctor should respect and abide by that decision. One possible alternative would be to go with a blastocyst transfer that doesn't implant the embryo until a few days after a traditional IVF procedure. This increases the odds of implantation without the need for multiple blastocysts to be used. Clinics that offer this procedure will offer couples yet another alternative that they may be more comfortable with.

Taking age into consideration and choosing a fertility clinic carefully can greatly increase the odds of success with IVF. The extra work up front can make the end result completely worthwhile if the couple gives birth to a healthy baby.