Second pregnancy easier post IVF treatment

Hyderabad: If the first pregnancy has been aided through in-vitro fertilisation, the second pregnancy turns out to be natural in about one in five cases, according to a study conducted with clinical data.

The study found that 17 per cent of couples who had assisted pregnancy the first time did not have to do this the second time. This has been attributed to reduction of stress suffered by the uterus after the first pregnancy, making an easier and natural or ‘spontaneous’ second pregnancy is possible.

Sometimes patients do not continue their IVF treatment if there has been no conception after the first two cycles. In 24 per cent of such cases, it was found that such patients conceived naturally within two to three years after stopping the treatment.

Dr Nirmala Agarwal, senior IVF specialist, explained, “Spontaneous or natural second pregnancy after IVF treatment is due to release of psychological pressure and the effect of hyper stimulation where the ovaries start ovulating regularly. Pregn-ancies without IVF treatment generally happen amo-ng patients who are young and have had shorter duration of infertility.”

Women suffer from problems of infection, blocked tubes, weak endometrium and severe endometriosis which when corrected before the age of 35 helps in conception. 

Spontaneous pregnancies have also been found in cases which came with unexplained infertility, though this comprises a small percentage of women.

Dr Ram Babu, senior andrologist, said, “The problems of infertility when related to a woman’s womb can be corrected. But we treat couples where men have very low sperm count or are suffering from lifestyle disorders like diabetes and high blood pressure which affects their sperm quality. In these cases, natural conception during the second time is not possible.”