Hi all, not too sure where to post this question but thought I would start here and if Diane or any of you lovely ladies can help.
I had an appointment with a consultant today at my local hospital today and she said that as my pregnancy is with IVF they dont want me being over due. So if I havent given birth on my due date then they will induce me. This is the first I have heard of this and wanted to know if anyone else has heard? apparently there is more risk of still birth with IVF - again I haven't heard this before!!
Thanks again in advance, and sorry if I have posted this question here and it should be posted somewhere else!
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NDE1987
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I have been told by my consultant that I will need to be induced at term and it is due to the placenta not functioning as well after 40 weeks in women that have had IVF compared to women that have conceived naturally. They are unsure why it happens but as induction can take a few days to kick start labour, it does add some extra time anyway.
Thanks for replying Hun, my consultant said the same thing about the placenta not functioning properly. My due date is in December so hoping its before Christmas haha x
I had heard of bits of this before but I had my consultation a few weeks ago and she never said any of this to me - maybe I should check this with midwife next week x
Hey Hun, yeah maybe check, it might just depend on the hospital. I feel a bit happy being under the consultant care, I have another appointment in October. X
I was told throughout my pregnancy that I would be induced at 40 weeks due to an increased risk of stillbirth in IVF pregnancies. I think some research has demonstrated this, although I don’t think the reason for this is known: is it related to the procedure or is it perhaps because generally the population undergoing IVF may have other risk factors? (for example not sure if increased maternal age is linked with stillbirth rates & I guess this may be higher in IVF than natural pregnancies).
They decided to induce me at 38+4 because of this plus my baby was measuring quite big. I didn’t respond that well to the attempts to prepare my cervix for induction so the whole thing took over a week before waters were broken & I went on the drip. During this time In hospital I spoke with another consultant, who advised that although the incidence of stillbirth was slightly higher, the risk didn’t rise much more than in all other pregnancies so felt it wasn’t something to worry unduly about.
I decided to continue with the induction process and my little man was born on his due date in the end because the induction took so long!
I have heard of other people on here though who had IVF and weren’t induced early so I think it comes down to the consultant treating you. obviously it’s your choice whether to go ahead with induction though and if you opt not to they can give you regular monitoring beyond your due date to make sure things are ok. Hope that helps 😊
Thank you for taking time out to reply! You all have put my mind at ease. It's just heading a new peice of information makes you worry again!! But I am glad it all worked out well for you. I still have a long way to go as my due date is in December. X
Hi I've been looking into the IVF and stillbirth link and it appears that the rate is very low. You might find this article helpful: nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-c...
Try not to worry, I'm sure that you and your baby will be absolutely fine! xx
I am currently 39+1 weeks after a successful round of ICSI. I am booked in to be induced on Thursday this week purely for the reason that I am considered high risk having had ICSI. I am doing all I can to try and get things moving myself but it’s looking likely that I will need to go ahead with the induction. Similar to the ladies above, I was told by my consultant that emerging research showed IVF/ICSI pregnancies carry a slightly higher risk of stillbirth owing to the placenta not functioning as well past 40 weeks. Although I would prefer to avoid induction and let this little one arrive when she is good and ready, I am too scared to go against the advice of the professionals after the long journey it took us to get here. Wishing you a healthy and happy pregnancy and the safe delivery of your little one when the time comes. Xx
Awww Hun, not long to go for you now!! I wish you the very best with your birth. Please keep us posted after!! Such an exciting and dauting time, but I am sure you will be fine. You have got this far xx
Thanks for your reply hun!! I was taken aback a bit as I hadn't heard about it before. But it has to do with the placenta, when are you due to give birth? Or have you already x
No, still got over 26 weeks to go. I hope I don't get induced a week early, it'll be Christmas Eve lol.. I have a consultant appointment at 20 weeks, so I wonder if I will find out more then. Good luck to us all xx
It's strange isn't it, you'd think although the cells start off outside the body they are effectively the same thing once the embryo is back in the body. I went 10 days over my due date with my first child which was naturally conceived so I wonder if this would be a factor with me, I'm currently waiting for my first viability scan.
Awww congratulations hun!! Such an exciting time. I thought once the embryo is back in its a "normal" pregancy lol. But at least the extra care is nice!! It's good they are actually taking an interest x
Hello. Sadly you have heard correct. IVF does have an increased chance of stillbirth. Especially as you keep getting older. I would highly advice keeping your health in constant check. Make sure to be regular with your medicines. Keep at it with a healthy diet. Make sure to have your husband help you with any heavy chores. Do not worry however. That's another thing that can increase your chances. Just stay hopeful and soon everything will turn out okay. Keep us updated on your visits with the doctor so we can try to encourage you further. Take care and good luck!
Thanks hun! I am 31 so hope this isn't considered old lol. But I definitely am trying to stay healthy, it's hard to avoid the snacks (crisp) but other than that meals are healthy. X
Not to worry. 31 is still a great age! The chances start going up at around 35 and upwards. You still have plenty of time left. It's great that you are keeping your health in check. Light snacks never hurt anyone so do not worry about that either. Keep us updated on your progress. I can't wait to listen to your updates. Have a great life ^^.
I'm currently 33 weeks pregnant thanks to IVF but the consultant discharged me at 23 weeks and said I would be treated as a normal pregnancy from then on as me and the baby appeared ok.. I do however have an appointment with the consultant just after my due date if the baby hasn't arrived by then for a check up but no mention of being induced til 12 days past (that's just the normal hospital procedure at my hospital).. Hope that's right, the consultant said it didn't matter that it is an IVF pregnancy if it was progressing normally.. 😕
Sorry hun I didn't mean to worry you, I am sure all will be fine. Especially as they have looked at your records etc. Maybe speak to your midwife if you have any worrys. Good luck with the birth!! Xxx
Sorry hun I didn't mean to worry you, I am sure all will be fine. Especially as they have looked at your records etc. Maybe speak to your midwife if you have any worrys. Good luck with the birth!! Xxx
Hi NDE1987. A first pregnancy is often monitored more closely anyway. I think many IVF babies are born to slightly older “first timers” so there can be a risk with high blood pressure and other medical problems which can come on abruptly, so many midwives/consultants are more aware. You will be carefully watched after 38/40wks however your baby was conceived, and you will be involved in any decision making. Hope all progresses well with your pregnancy and birth. Diane
Thanks so much for your reply Diane, it's actually nice that they are keeping up with the appointments etc, I have extra scans booked for week 28 and 34 and another appointment with the consultant after this. I am 31 so hope this isn't considered old lol. Just need to keep being active and eating healthy! X
I never knew there was a reason not to go over. I would of preferred to have been induced earlier. I spent those 11 days worrying she wouldn’t make it. Weather is brilliant! Can’t believe how lucky we’ve been xx
I was told by the sonographer at my 12 week scan that I would be assigned a consultant and that I wouldn't be allowed past my due date. At my midwife appointment the following week I queried both these things and she said both were incorrect! Nice and clear then 🙄
14th officially, based on 12 week scan measurements, or 17th based on ivf dates. Another thing which seems to vary between areas! Which date are they using for your official due date? ☺️
We are not waiting to get to 40 weeks. My doctor said at 38 weeks I will be having my C-section.
Yes, I was told exactly the same by my hospital. They wouldn’t even let me go to my IVF due date but wanted me to go by the hospital due date that was my official due date (about 4 days earlier). They told me the same reason as you - there is a risk the placenta stops functioning at 40 weeks. I did loads of research at the time and some ladies had the same experience whereas others were treated as a normal pregnancy and let go to 2 weeks over. I did wonder if it might also be age related as I know there is a greater risk of that happening in older ladies. I was 36 at the time so older but not officially “old”.
I was really unhappy about this because I had my heart set on a water birth and with induction you can’t have one. So I wanted to do everything I could to avoid being induced. I agreed to go to the hospital a day after my “official” due date but was going to ask them if they would let me come home and go back a couple of days later (as per suggestion of a nurse I ended up crying on).
I did everything I could to trigger labour naturally - raspberry tea, sex, walks, hot curry, acupuncture and something must have worked as my waters broke on my “official” due date but unfortunately they had meconium in them so I ended up being induced anyway!
There is a link between low PAPP-A and improper placental function (can cause low birth weight). Apparently lower PAPP-A hormone is more common in IVF patients for some reason...
My PAPP-was flagged as being very low in NHS screening tests - although this is a natural pregnancy for me, it was the first time I ovulated after a long and drawn-out IVF cycle. I’m speaking with the consultant this week & would be interested to know if the previous IVF may have caused the low hormone levels.
My midwife has been very reassuring - they will just monitor baby’s growth more closely (scans every 3 weeks from week 25) & may induce me if baby stops thriving. I feel like I’m in safe hands and appreciate the extra monitoring to be honest.
Hey! I am also pregnant after a failed IVF naturally so interested to hear your experiences....I wasn't sure how the previous failed IVF was going to impact my current pregnancy. How far along are you?
I am nearly 16 weeks now (and still waiting for a bump to appear 😂) My clinic messed my dates up over Christmas, so I ended up being on Buserelin for around 3 weeks longer than I should have (I was on long protocol). This may not be linked (I’m certainly no medic!!) and I’m sure your previous IVF is no cause for concern really. My PAPP-A was 0.2 MOM (normal is 1) and b-HCG was 0.32 MOM... unfortunately that meant I was classed as high risk for Edwards and Patau in the NHS screening at 12 weeks. Scared the life out of us! We went for private NIPT testing (checks baby’s DNA) and cane back low risk (phew!!) but it was a really stressful 10 days arranging the testing and waiting for results.
My advice would be to get the NIPT early (from 10 weeks) if you can afford it. Costs £500 and will take the stress out later in the process.
Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy & keep us posted xx
Good luck hun, I am due 12th December. I hope all goes well at your next appointment. Such good news you fell pregnant naturally!! Always nice when that happens x
I am with twins. After 30 weeks I have been going for nst and sonograms every week to monitor. My doctors told me they will not let me pass 38 weeks because of prior fibroid op so they are worried about uterine rapture. No one mentioned risk of stillbirth though. I am also high risk for preeclampsia so they have been monitoring me closely for that and say if anything goes wrong they will do an emergency c section although the scheduled one is on 6 July when I will be about 37.5weeks.
They told my daughter they wouldn’t let her get past her due date. They then changed their mind at 40 weeks and she went 10 days over. We were frantic. There has been no mention of it this time but it’s a worry xx
I was never told this however I had an emergency csection at 37 Weeks due to developing preeclampsia. Throughout my pregnancy there was no mention that because it was an ivf baby there’d be any risks later on x
Hi lovely I’ve heard others being told that too... I am being induced on Monday at 38+5... but not because of the ivf. I saw a consultant at 30 weeks who said based on the fact that my recurrent miscarriages were technically ‘unexplained’ this puts me at a higher risk of stillbirth and she wouldn’t want me to go over my due date. I disagreed and said I might reconsider further down the line.
Since then I’ve had one episode of reduced movements and one bleed resulting in a hospital stay. Little man is also measuring big (8 pounds on a scan last week at 37 weeks) so I’ve agreed to be induced early. It’s not what I wanted but taking everything into consideration I think it’s the best for me and baby. If I hadn’t had the bleed and reduced movements I probably would have declined induction and asked for a scan to check the placenta was still ok.
You don’t have to make any decisions right now, just focus on you and your little babba 😘 xxx
Awww sprinkles not long for you to go!! How exciting I wish you all the very best for next week, and can't believe how quick your time has come! I have started being more relaxed now and hoping nothing negative happens now lol. X
I have a friend in a different Trust to me who was told they would induce on due date because of IVF. I asked my consultant and she said that she is aware of the slightly higher risk but because they will be doing extra scans of me anyway they will make an informed decision near the time. I believe they allow up to 10 days over in natural pregnancy because the dates are not exact but with IVF they know the exact dates and that our babies have been cooking for the right time and the placenta does deteriorate after a certain period of time.xx
Thanks for your reply, it really does depend on the hospital. It's also nice to see on here that so many people have gone through different things with there hospital so puts my mind at ease x
My friend was overdue twice with her IVF children and she wasn’t induced, they just waited for natural birth. It was in France though, I have a feeling that in the UK they are being more cautious.
I just had my appointment with the consultant. He said there is data that suggests IVF pregnancies have a higher rate of complications around the birth so sometimes they do induce early. He said this is based on figures that aren’t particularly accurate as IVF pregnancies usually take place a lot later in life (35+) compared to natural conception pregnancies. He says he takes each pregnancy case by case and due to my age (under 35) he will not put anything in place unless I begin to have any problems.
Really interesting insights into the wide ranging advice we have all received. I am an IVF pregnancy, but am being treated entirely normally in terms of antenatal care. However, I too have been told I will not be allowed to go past my due date as I turned 40 last month - apparently ‘old’ mothers placentas degrade quicker than young mothers beyond their useful life of 40 weeks. So I’m in the same position but for a different reason apparently!
To be honest, the baby is measuring big anyway and I look and feel enormous, so quite happy to be ‘swept’ anytime past 37 weeks given it’s roasting and the baby is due early August.
Hi there, I was also induced on my due date with my IVF baby. My consultant told me that it's not that there's necessarily any more risk with IVF babies, it's just that they are able to be 100% sure of the date of conception and therefore the due date of IVF babies, whereas they can never be completely sure with babies that are naturally conceived. Ideally, they wouldn't let any woman go beyond term, but if they induced all women on their due dates, lots would be being induced a couple of weeks early. I hope that makes sense!
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