Fertility treatments made the impossible possible for thousands of couple who were suffering from fertility issues or infertility. IVF, IUI and cryopreservation of fertile eggs involve ovarian stimulation. The physician provides the patients with medicines that help the ovaries so stimulate and produce mature eggs. Though it is an obvious part of the IVF treatments but it is not devoid of any potential side effects.
Luckily most of the side effects of infertility treatments are minor any go away without any severe complications and naturally go away once you stop the medication. Some of the common side effects of ovarian stimulation are flashes, mood swings, discomfort in the abdomen due to surge in hormones, etc. There is no such report of long-term effects related to fertility medication.
However, there is one possible side effect that you should be concerned about. This potentially serious condition is known as Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). Report says, around 5 percent of total IVF cycle result in some degree of OHSS condition. The uses of fertility medication increase the risk of developing OHSS.
What is OHSS?
In medical definition, OHSS is the exaggerated outcome of the hormonal medication for infertility treatment. You may feel swelling in the ovaries which causes moderate to severe pain. The symptoms may not start immediately after you start your medications but after a week or a couple of weeks. Most of the time the symptom of OHSS are from mild to moderate and goes away after a few days. In case pregnancy occurs the symptoms may last even longer than that.
Mild to moderate symptoms of OHSS
- Abdominal bloating
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Pain in the abdominal region
- Tenderness in the pelvic region
It is impossible to predict who will develop OHSS and who won’t. Therefore, following some steps in important to reduce the risk and also manage the condition in case you have developed OHSS.
Pre-treatment Assessment
Some patients have multi follicular ovaries or polycyclic ovaries. They supposed to have more follicles than the normal numbers. Medically speaking, this is a part of PCOS. However, it is not obvious that every patient with multi follicular ovaries will have the symptoms of PCOS. A transvaginal scan before beginning the treatment is required. Apart from that, the doctor may run some blood tests to determine the presence of certain hormones and to compare them with levels common in patients with PCOS
Regular scan and monitoring
Regular monitoring and scanning of your follicles are necessary for keeping track of the development and scheduling egg retrieval. Therefore, your doctor will schedule clinic visit for follicles monitoring. If there are more than 20 follicles are present on the egg retrieval day then you are supposedly at the risk of developing OHSS.
Ensure correct dosage of meds
Over-medication elevates the risk of OHSS. Therefore your doctor may assess the condition and recommend proper dosage of fertility medication. Some of the options are, such as Minimal stimulation IVF.
Coasting
Coasting is the delaying in the process in egg retrieval. Your doctor may delay and reschedule the egg retrieval day in case sees development of too many follicles. The doctor may stop your medication and also may delay the trigger shot for a few days. As a result the more robust follicles will get the opportunity to grow even more and the comparatively smaller follicles will stop growing. These smaller follicles are responsible for OHSS.
Discuss your options
Generally the doctors give human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone for triggering the ovulation. OHSS occurs after you trigger with the shot of hCG. In case, you have the risk of developing OHSS, such as PCOS, the doctor many use alternative triggering hormone such as leuprolide trigger.
For more queries you can always consult with the best fertility expert in Siliguri.
