Celebrities Who Got Pregnant Using IVF: Busting the Myths About IVF

A new study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London revealed that there is a safer way of getting eggs for use in IVF with the use of kisspeptin hormone. Researchers look towards kisspeptin as a potential treatment for infertility, preventing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is seen as the best treatment for certain kinds of fertility problems. Though it did work out for several people, it is seen that only in 20 to 25 per cent of the women it results in birth. Several celebrities have gone in for the treatment as well after struggling to conceive naturally. Previously these famous personalities were never open about it, but now, they are more upfront, encouraging other people suffering from similar problems to resoirt to IVF.

Mariah Carey, Emma Thompson, Celine Dion, Courteney Cox and Nicole Kidman are a few of the many other celebrities who have benefited from the procedure. They are all mothers to beautiful children now. The treatment does not work as effectively for those above their 40s, yet Celine Dion, after 5 failed IVF fertilisation attempts, became the mother of beautiful children in the sixth attempt. "With any pregnancy, whether it's through IVF or not, you feel a danger. You have to remain positive and try to relax as much as possible. I always say my children's first country is inside of me, so I try to make it a good one and be healthy," said Celine Dion

There are a lot of risks involved in the treatment. According to the NHS it could cause multiple pregnancies, Ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS), infection and could have various other side effects like restlessness, abdominal bloating, hot flushes among other effects. With these risks come a whole lot of myths as well, people hold on to this and miss out the chance of overcoming their problems.

The five most common myths about IVF are that that it is the last option, Dr Sweta Gupta, consultant at the Moolchand Fertility & IVF, said that in reality it could be the first option in women with bilateral blockage of tubes, severe male infertility and advanced age.

Another myth is that it works best for younger women; though the success rate is low among those above 40, she said that it could be successful using donor eggs from younger females. The third wrong notion people have is that they have no control over the success of an IVF cycle. Glenn Schattman, associate professor at the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City, said, "The results of an IVF cycle are to a large degree based upon a thorough evaluation of the couple, and there are a number of things your doctor can do before you begin to optimize success rates." He recommends that couples ask five main questions to their doctors, "Is my uterus ready? Are my tubes clear? Are any of my health habits going to affect our chances of success? Do I have enough eggs? And is my husband's sperm adequate?"

James Grifo, programme director of the New York University Fertility Center responded to the fourth myth of stress lowering IVF success rates, saying, "Stress is not contraception. If it were, no one in New York would get pregnant." The fifth myth about herbal remedies helping with IVF is not true as well as there is no data to prove that herbs are safe to take when you are about to conceive.