The decision to end IVF treatment is a difficult choice for most couples to make. Financial problems, changes in personal relationships, and psychological and physical burdens are the four major reasons why IVF treatment in the Gold Coast area is discontinued.
Image Credit: DrMich
Financial Obstacles
IVF can become expensive over time, since the price for a single treatment averages a few thousand dollars. Families can become trapped in credit card debt to pay for surgical procedures, lab tests and fertility drugs. After their credit cards have been exhausted, some couples refinance their home or take out a second mortgage. After repeating this cycle with a long string of unsuccessful treatments, sometimes there is no choice except for the family to declare bankruptcy. When the money runs out, they are forced to end IVF.
Hampered Relationships
Undertaking the IVF process repeatedly can also put pressures on the couple’s relationship. The desire to have a child can be so strong for one of them that he or she continues IVF, even if it means driving the partner away. As a result, the other person feels used and unloved. Also, sometimes couples lack proper communication with each other about their grief. It can be disheartening to be childless, especially after trying IVF again and again. Depression can build up in both partners, but sometimes one of them does not feel comfortable discussing it. Sex can become a purely mechanical process centred on having a child instead of sharing love with each other. These events lead to emotional detachment that can end in separation or divorce.
Psychological Agony
The mental burden of IVF is another major reason why many couples stop trying. Hopelessness can set in after three cycles, since statistically pregnancy rates do not improve after the third try. A person can feel torn between having a child and having his or her hopes dashed time and time again. Many people describe this feeling as an emotional rollercoaster, with feelings of desolation about a recent failed treatment followed by feelings of hope and expectation with the next treatment. This constant emotional uncertainty can force a family to put other decisions on hold.
Physical Barriers
Physical hardships are also an important reason why many couples give up. Problems in any stage of the IVF process can break a couple’s will to continue (look 3D animation of IVF process). Some have their eggs harvested only to find there are no eggs or a few poor ones. Some can only produce poor quality embryos, and others have good embryos that fail to implant. Even worse, some produce great embryos that implant well but lead to miscarriages later. The discomfort of injections, ultrasounds, blood tests and day surgeries can become unbearable when there seems to be no end in sight.
Alternatives to Giving Up
Not all fertility clinics in the Gold Coastare equal. Couples who have suffered any of these unfortunate events and want to quit IVF should research other centres in the region. Many people continue to have success with IVF with careful medical guidance.
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