Egg collection

A look at the risks after Egg Collection

The fertility journey comes with risks and, before you go forward, it is important to have them identified and explained to you by your medical team. We have given an overview here – your Apricity adviser will be on hand to offer more guidance and information.

Eggs - Sometimes eggs fail to fertilize and embryos fail to cleave (divide)

OHSS – Refer to 'What complications could occur in the treatment cycle?' in stimulation section of guidance articles.

Miscarriage – The risk is dependant on your age and is not significantly affected by the use of IVF/ICSI. Approximately 25% of all pregnancies miscarry and this risk rises with age.

Ectopic/Heterotopic - An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy occurring somewhere other than in the uterus, most commonly in the fallopian tubes. The incidence of ectopic pregnancy with fertility treatment is approximately 2.5%. It is a potentially serious condition but can be detected very early in the pregnancy by ultrasound scan. If two embryos have been transferred there is the small chance of a “heterotopic pregnancy” where one implants in the correct place and one implants in the tube.

Congenital Anomalies – Some studies have suggested a small increase although this may well be as a consequence of the cause of infertility rather than the treatment

Genetic Risks – If there is a potential underlying genetic cause of male infertility, this may be passed on to male offspring produced by an ICSI cycle. As a consequence, you are likely to be advised to undergo certain genetic tests if your partner has a low sperm count or no sperm.

Multiple Pregnancy – There is increase in obstetric risk to both mother and baby that makes multiple pregnancies an undesirable outcome of IVF/ICSI. It is important to be aware that although the majority of IVF twins are dizygotic (non-identical) from replacing more than one embryo, monozygotic (identical) twins can occur when one embryo splits into two. So, in theory, there is a small risk, as it seems to be more likely when embryos are created in the lab for a cycle of treatment that monozygotic twins may occur from 1 embryo and triplets or other higher order multiples may arise from one embryo or two embryos. These “monozygotic” multiple pregnancies carry a higher pregnancy complication rate as they often share a similar placental circulation.



If you’re interested in getting started with Apricity, use the link below to book a free call with a fertility advisor at a time that suits you.

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