Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. What is infertility?
2 In infertility a medical problem related to women only?
3. How common is infertility?
4. What are normal ranges of semen analysis?
5. I was told that my semen quality is poor. Is there any medicine that can help to improve my semen quality?
6. How long should my partner abstain before the IUI/ IVF/ GIFT procedure?
7. How long do sperms live after ejaculation?
8. How do I determine the first day of my menstrual cycle (period)?
9. Control ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) stimulates ovaries to produce a number of eggs. Will this treatment causes early menopause?
10. How big should my follicles be before I take my hCG shot?
11. How much do follicles grow each day?
12. How many Clomid cycle should I try before I move to IUI?
13. How many times should I try IUI before moving on to IVF?
14. Shall I stop working during the IVF cycle?
15. Do I need to be admitted during IVF cycle?
16. How soon can I know the outcome after IUI/ IVF/ GIFT?
17. What are your pregnancy rates?
18. I had miscarriage in my previous IVF pregnancy. Is miscarriage rate higher in IVF pregnancy than in natural pregnancy?
19. Will my baby be normal following IVF treatment?
20. How do I go about if I have some queries?
21. How do I get to Metro IVF?
22. How long does one cycle of IVF take?
23. How many visits are required for one cycle of IVF?
24. Can I get pregnant if my husband has no sperm in his semen?
25. Can I get pregnant if my ovaries stop producing eggs?
   

 

1. What is infertility?
 
Infertile is defined as the inability of a couple to conceive after a year of regular unprotected intercourse. Regular intercourse means an average frequency of two times per week. If the female partner is above 35 years old, they should consult a doctor after trying for 6 months because pregnancy rate declines for women over 35 years of age.
 
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2. Is infertility a medical problem related to woman only?
 
No, it is a problem involving both men and women. Men and women are almost equally affected. That's why the men also have to be actively involved in the treatment of infertility.
 
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3. How common is infertility?
 
About 1 in 10 couples is diagnosed as infertile nowadays. It is more common as age of the women increases and is as high as 1 in 3 couple at age of 35 years.
 
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4. What are normal ranges of semen analysis?
 

The values obtained in the semen analysis can vary according to the recent change in physical health and the duration of abstinence prior to semen collection. So, it is advised to repeat semen analysis if the test is abnormal.

 

Semen Characteristic
Normal Ranges
Volume (ml)
≥ 2.0
pH
≥ 7.2
Concentration (M/ml)
≥ 20
Total Sperm Count (M)
≥ 40
Motility (%)
≥ 50
Normal Morphology (%)
≥ 30
WBC (M/ml)
< 1.0
 
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5. I was told that my semen quality is poor. Is there any medication that can help to improve my semen quality?
 
There is no simple drug treatment that can help in improving your semen quality. A good way that can help is goes through assisted reproductive technique.
 
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6. How long should my partner abstain before the IUI/GIFT/IVF procedure?
 
For most men, a 2-3 day break is ideal. This period gives the "sample" an opportunity to regenerate. Too "old" a sample raises the risk of poor motility, white cells, and other problems of "old" sperm. (An "old" sample would be one that is taken after more than 7 days of abstinence).
 
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7. How long do sperms live after ejaculation?
  Normal and healthy sperm lives approximately 48-72 hours after ejaculated.
 
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8.

How do I determine the first day of my menstrual cycle (period)?
  Day 1 is the first day you see a red flow, not just intermittent spotting.
 
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9.

Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) stimulates ovaries to produce a number of eggs. Will this treatment causes early menopause?
 
Absolutely not. Normally, 30 eggs in a woman's ovary will grow and develop every month, but only one of them will become fully mature and released, while the rest will degrade and reabsorbed by the body. In COH, drugs are given to stimulate several eggs to become fully mature simultaneously.
 
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10. How big should my follicles be before I take the hCG shot?
 
A lead follicle should be at least 18 mm before you can have your hCG shot. The hCG will induce the follicle to ovulate after 36 hours.
 
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11. How much do follicles grow each day?
  Follicles grow approximately 1 to 2 mm a day.
 
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12. How many Clomid cycle should I try before I move to IUI?
 
The vast majority of Clomid pregnancies occur during the first 4-5 ovulatory cycles. You should try at least 2-3 cycles of Clomid before moving on to IUI.
 
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13. How many times should I try IUI before moving on to IVF?
 
Once you have had two IUI cycles, you might consider moving to IVF because the chance of a successful IUI cycle is reduced after two cycles. In addition, if you have blocked tubes, then IUI will not help. Thus, you should proceed directly to IVF treatment.
 
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14. Shall I stop working during the IVF treatment?
 
You can carry on your normal activities (including working) during IVF stimulation programme. But once the embryo is transferred back, you should have more rest. Heavy lifting, climbing and long journey of walking should be avoided. No bed-rest is required unless advised by your doctor.
 
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15. Do I need to be admitted during IVF cycle?
  Admission is not necessary for IVF cycle as both egg-pick-up and embryo transfer are outpatient procedures. 
 
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16.
How soon can I know the outcome after IUI/GIFT/IVF?
 
You can have the result two weeks after the treatment. This can be confirmed by raised serum beta-hCG as early as 10 days after IUI/embryo transfer or gestational sac by ultrasound 3 weeks after the procedure.
 
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17.
What are your pregnancy rates?
 
The overall clinical pregnancy rates (IVF and ICSI) of Metro IVF are 40%-65%, depending on patient's age, causes of infertility, number of egg recovered at oocyte pick-up, number of embryo available for transfer and sperm quality.
 
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18. I had miscarriage in my previous IVF. Is miscarriage rate higher in IVF pregnancy than in natural pregnancy?
 
The miscarriage rate is higher in ART pregnancy compared to natural pregnancy. In ART pregnancy, the miscarriage rate is about 20% while the natural pregnancy's is 10%.
 
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19. Will my baby be normal after IVF treatment?
  The incidence of congenital malformations in IVF pregnancies ranges from 2% nation-wide. It is slightly higher than that of natural conceiving pregnancies. But the increased risk is attributable to maternal factors and not from any aspect of the IVF procedure as IVF mothers are older and produce poorer quality eggs.
 
20. How do I go about if I have some queries?
 
You can email your queries to inquiry@metro.com.my  or call for Miss Lee/ Nurol/ Gladys at 33412277.
 
21. How do I get to Metro IVF?
 
Metro IVF is located at 32, Jalan Pasar 41400 Klang and is along the town ring road. Please use the map as a guide to the center. If you are from KL, you can go to KL branch at 107, Jalan Changkat Thambi Dolla, Kuala Lumpur or Subang at 36, Ground Floor, Jalan SS15/4D, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.
 
   
22.
How long does one cycle of IVF take?
 
The average length of IVF cycle from controlled ovarian stimulation until confirmation of pregnancy is 6 weeks.
 
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23. How many visits are required for one cycle of IVF?
  You will need to pay us 8 to 15 visits for one cycle of IVF.
 
   
24.
Can I get pregnant if my husband has no sperm in his semen?
 
Yes, you can still get pregnant although your husband has no sperm (azoospermia). This can be achieved by surgical sperm retrieval (MESA, PESA, TESE) if the cause of no sperm is caused by vas deferens (sperm tube) or sperm donation if the cause is primary azoospermia.
 
   
25.
Can I get pregnant if my ovaries stop producing eggs?
 
Yes, if you cannot produce egg because of menopause or premature ovarian failure, then you still can get pregnant by using egg donation and IVF. The successful rates of getting pregnant using egg donation are as good or even better normal IVF cycle.