Ho Chi Minh City – 9 years of IVF failed many times, her ovaries were exhausted, Hien and her husband had to ask for eggs hoping to have a baby in the year of the Dragon.
Ms. Hien, 43 years old, suffers from endocrine insufficiency, sparse menstruation and a number of gynecological diseases. After two cycles of IVF, five failed embryo transfers, and two miscarriages, the couple was financially exhausted.
In early February, they went to the Reproductive Support Center of Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City (IVF Tam Anh, Ho Chi Minh City) for treatment. At this time, Ms. Hien was 3 months postmenopausal, the ovarian reserve index test was still 0.01 ng/ml, and the ultrasound at the beginning of the cycle showed no cysts on both ovaries.
“My husband and I hope to have a child this year because the child born in the year of the Dragon is smart and matches the age of his parents. We hope to have less trouble in the future,” Ms. Hien said on March 29.
A complete pregnancy is 40 weeks. It’s the second month of the lunar calendar, there are 10 months left until the end of the year of the Dragon. Thus, Ms. Hien must transfer the embryo to the uterus before May to conceive and give birth this year. Having no other choice, they decided to ask for eggs from their 31-year-old sister for IVF.
The younger sister has good reproductive health, with an AMH ovarian reserve index of 3.0 ng/ml (women under 38 years old have an average AMH index of 2-6 ng/ml). The doctor stimulated the ovaries with a light regimen, obtaining 10 good quality mature eggs.
Embryologists washed and inseminated the husband’s sperm in a laboratory environment, obtaining 6 good quality embryos. In early March, Ms. Hien had a qualified endometrial preparation, embryo transfer and conception.
Doctor Ngo Dinh Trieu Vy and his team perform ovarian aspiration technique for patients. Illustration: Hoai Thuong
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the global rate of infertility is increasing, with an estimated one in six people suffering from infertility. In addition to assisted reproductive methods that help women have children with their own eggs, embryo transfer with donated eggs has helped thousands of couples around the world turn their dream of having children into reality.
According to the American Society for Reproductive Technology, in 2021, the country will have more than 20,000 IVF cycles using donated eggs, an increase of 19% compared to the previous year. Vietnam currently has no research and statistics on the rate of IVF from donated eggs.
At IVF Tam Anh in Ho Chi Minh City, this rate is about 2%, mainly elderly women with depleted ovaries and failed treatment at many previous centers. Some cases involve young women with rare conditions that lead to premature ovarian exhaustion.
According to doctor Ngo Dinh Trieu Vy, IVF Tam Anh Ho Chi Minh City, children born from donated eggs have no genetic relationship with the mother, but what is more important is the work of giving birth and raising them. “They are still the child’s mother and egg donation is a humanitarian gesture that helps infertile women have children,” said Dr. Vy.
To ensure IVF success rates, egg donors should be 18-35 years old; have never donated eggs; Not pregnant or breastfeeding; The youngest child is over 12 months old. They do not suffer from breast or ovarian diseases or sexually transmitted diseases; not have a close blood relationship with the egg recipient’s husband; You and your relatives do not suffer from mental, genetic, or internal medical diseases…
Dr. Vy recommends that to reduce the risk of egg donation, couples who have not had children for a year after marriage (6 months for women over 35 years old) should have a comprehensive reproductive health examination and early treatment. Depending on the patient’s condition, doctors develop many strategies such as egg collection or embryo collection in multiple cycles to help increase the possibility of having a child with one’s own eggs.
Young women, married or not, should see a doctor when showing signs of sparse menstrual cycles, amenorrhea, or unusual symptoms in the reproductive system. . Typically, egg storage preserves fertility before the ovaries are exhausted.
After 9 years of waiting, the joy of Ms. Hien’s family was that she was both pregnant and had a child born in the year of the Dragon. They still have 5 frozen embryos from donated eggs, and they plan to have more children in the next few years.
“I carry a heavy burden of childbirth, give birth and raise my child to adulthood, but the child is still my child,” Ms. Hien said, adding that being a mother is the happiest thing.
*Patient’s name has been changed