IVF and labour induction?

[Mildez]

Working with Drs for years I have to say women who have concieved through IVF are considered more "precious" then a lady who has had a spontaneous conception. All babies are precious of course and of course the majority of care is the same (except women with IVF pregnancies usually get more options not always better options but more options and more choices and I do agree with that) The care in labour is no different except maybe the lady having the IVF gets more attention at times perhaps. But even that is rare.

To have such difficult ttc, the heart break that goes with that, cycle after cycle, year after year not getting pregnant and the disappointment, stress and grief of not been pregnant when it feels almost everyone else is, the abuse on your body emotionally and physically, the public knowledge of your sex life, your fertility problems, financially etc there is a difference no body that has not been through it themselves can really know how difficult that road is. And I do feel that its a women's right that has had such a difficult journey to get to the end of pregnancy to decide she wants the baby now over waiting even if that increases certain risks to herself and her baby. You will find alot of women who have had IVF and a difficult road to motherhood are very well researched and are aware of the risks of early induction and elective c/s. Its something they have had years to research and decide what they would wish for when they are in that position.

Inductions generally are predictable, we know the risks that it leads to a cascade of intervention including c/s, fetal distress, assisted deliveries, more pain, not as good postnatal experiences, continuous monitoring etc but then it does reduce one risk and thats presenting for an antenatal visit or in labour or to the Dr because the baby hasn't moved to find no heart beat. That is a huge fear to get to the end of the road to not get the prize at the end of it. All women have that fear regardless of how their baby was concieved but that fear is usually worse when you have lost faith in your body and you have been on the journey of parenthood for many years to finally be so close to it happening. Their is a real fear that you wont get a baby at the end of it and that it might just be to good to be true.

For a baby to die inutero close to term of course thats not common but we have all heard stories of it happening or even know someone that its happened to. Induction and elective c/s at 38-40weeks for women who are carrying a baby concieved with IVF occur when we know the baby was healthy or has all signs its healthy before the elective delivery commences. It takes away that very tiny risk of late term stillbirths (at term for no known reason) and the fear of that happening away even if its replaced with higher risks in other areas. Women put their lives and their babies into our trust to make sure they have a baby in their arms at the end of it.

As we all know after someone has lost a baby or pregnancy having another baby in the future will not take that pain away from the previous loss. In saying this and I know so many of you won't agree with me with an IVF pregnancy especially there is no guarantee that their will ever be another baby, another pregnancy. When a loss occurs at any stage your not only grieving for the baby lost but for the future of never having another child or pregnancy so to speak. When you are fertile and have proven good fertiity the grief of not getting pregnant again or not ever having another baby is nothing like the grief of knowing this baby might be the only one ever. A part of the grief of infertility is knowledge that pregnancy doesn't happen or rarely and when it finally does I can see why women do elect for a c/s or induction because its predictable. You know what to expect in comparison to the wait for sponataneous labour to occur and what that will bring.