Having children is one of the most priceless gifts couples could have and couples who are experiencing difficulties receiving these gifts would understandably be all too willing to give every option on the table a chance.  One of the most popular options is IVF or in vitro fertilization – the option I chose to take in my journey to motherhood.  It is one of the safest, most affordable, and widely accepted assisted reproductive procedures all over the world.  IVF, however, is not for everyone. Successful pregnancy and consequently live birth through IVF involves a host of factors that you should take into consideration before you make your decision.

The process of IVF is highly demanding both financially and physically.  IVF cost in Singapore would come up to about SGD18,000 or nearly $13,000 for one cycle alone.  You have to be ready to shoulder the IVF cost of several cycles given that studies suggest an average of three to six cycles of IVF treatment before successful pregnancy is achieved.  Once you have the cost considerations settled, you have to weigh your physical considerations.  To start with, IVF could be a good option for you if you are younger than 35 years old – an average success rate of 50% is observed in clinical studies of IVF procedures in subjects within this age range.  The duration of fertility issues as well as other issues concerning your ovarian function would also influence the success rate of your IVF procedure.

Finally, as the IVF cost is not cheap, you want to make sure that are indeed ready to go through what the procedure requires and that you will be able to complete your IVF cycles until you successfully conceive.  In previous posts, I have broken down the IVF cost for you and somehow let you in on what I had to go through in my journey to motherhood.  Now, to help you determine whether you are ready for an IVF procedure or not, here’s a quick look at how IVF is done:

1. After the necessary medical checks, your doctor will start you on hormonal medication to stimulate your ovaries for egg production.  This was quite a challenge for me since I am afraid of needles.  You will have to inject this medication yourself or with the help of your partner at home at the same time everyday until the follicles are ready as determined by a laboratory scan.

2.It’s back to the hospital again to have your eggs retrieved either through a needle inserted through your vagina or a laparoscopic operation.  Don’t worry, you will be sedated during the procedure and will not feel a thing. Your eggs will then be combined with your partner’s sperm in a laboratory dish to start the process of in vitro fertilization.

3.And Once fertilization is achieved, usually after a few days, the embryo is placed into your uterus through the cervix with the aid of a catheter.  It takes a two week wait, on bed rest combined with hormonal treatment, in order to determine whether the embryo has successfully latched on to the uterine wall and the pregnancy is confirmed.