Here's How You Might Feel After Your IVF Treatment
Lifestyle - News
By LAUREN WATERS
In vitro fertilization, also known as IVF, is a medical procedure in which sperm is used to fertilize an egg outside the body. IVF is a type of assisted reproductive technology that aims to help individuals who struggle with fertility, who want to conceive in a same-sex marriage, or who are single and ready for parenthood, to name a few.
For the conceiving individual, IVF requires many different procedures that may bring added physical and mental side effects; one of these processes is egg retrieval. In order to prepare for this step, one will need to start taking estrogen or birth control pills, followed by multiple injections of hormones to ensure the production of more than one egg.
Once the egg is retrieved, one may experience mild pain, including vaginal soreness and cramps that feel like menstrual cramps. The retrieved eggs are then fertilized in-vitro to form an embryo, which is then transferred inside the conceiving individual. The embryo transfer may cause cramping, spotting, breast tenderness, and bloating.
Additionally, injections used to stimulate ovulation may nausea, stomach aches, headaches, and hot flashes, along with bruising, itching, redness, and pain at the injection site. Some fertility medicines may cause mood swings and fatigue, as well. Though IVF has its fair share of side effects, the process is usually safe, and serious complications are rare.