{"id":42602,"date":"2023-08-13T18:32:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-13T08:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.studiopilates.com\/education\/?p=42602"},"modified":"2023-11-29T15:58:26","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T05:58:26","slug":"a-pilates-instructors-guide-to-ivf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studiopilates.com\/education\/a-pilates-instructors-guide-to-ivf\/","title":{"rendered":"A Pilates Instructor’s Guide to IVF"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a Pilates instructor, you may commonly encounter clients who are undergoing IVF treatments and it is important to not only understand the process that your clients are going through, but also the potential implications of performing Pilates during this time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article has been designed to provide a guide to instructing IVF clients, however be mindful that different fertility specialists may have differing views on exercise during IVF. As such, it is important that your clients follow all recommendations from their fertility specialist and check with their fertility specialist to see if they recommend performing exercise during this time as this recommendation may be dependent on the client\u2019s specific health history. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WHAT IS IVF?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In vitro fertilisation (IVF) involves multiple procedures in order to create an embryo in a laboratory setting. IVF may have different outcomes depending on the individual’s preferences. For example, the goal of IVF could be to freeze eggs, freeze embryos, or implant an embryo.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main stages of IVF are as follows – <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Complete Initial Tests and Ultrasound Scan<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before beginning IVF, the patient will complete a range of tests including an ultrasound scan to ensure that they are suitable to begin IVF and don\u2019t present any contraindications.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Inject Hormones to Stimulate the Ovaries<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patient begins injecting hormones to stimulate the ovaries. The most common hormones contained in the injections are follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH). This process is all about preparing the follicles and ovaries for the egg retrieval (Mayo Clinic, 2022). When not participating in IVF, a typical cycle only produces one egg per month, but during IVF, multiple eggs are needed to increase success rates. As such, this stage requires patients to inject specific hormones over the course of 1-2 weeks. These hormones help stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs, mature the follicles, prepare the uterus, and prevent ovulation before the retrieval. During this course of hormone injections, the ovaries grow up to 10 cm in size, compared to their usual 1-2 cm.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Egg Retrieval<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the ovaries have been stimulated sufficiently and the fertility specialist feels that there are enough follicles present, the eggs are ready to be collected. This is often called the egg retrieval or egg \u201cpick up.\u201d This process of egg retrieval is most commonly conducted under general anaesthetic as a day procedure in a hospital where the eggs are collected from the ovaries. During this procedure, a needle is guided through the vagina and into the follicles and the eggs are removed from the follicles via a suction device.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Sperm Retrieval and Preparation<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sperm retrieval and preparation usually occurs at the same time as the egg retrieval. If fresh sperm is being used, the person will produce the sample the morning of the egg retrieval. If using frozen or donor sperm, this will be prepared by the IVF lab. It is also possible to freeze the eggs without fertilising them and these cases, the remaining steps would be skipped.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Fertilisation<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following egg retrieval, the eggs are fertilised with the sperm to become embryos.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Embryo Development<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fertilised embryos begin developing and IVF scientists monitor specific developmental markers to ascertain viability of the embryos. Different IVF companies grow or develop the embryos for different periods of time. It is important to note that not all eggs will fertilise and not all embryos will be viable if they don\u2019t reach these developmental milestones). This may be a particularly challenging time for people undergoing IVF as they wait for the embryos to develop and find out how many viable embryos they have.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Embryos are Frozen for Later Use OR Embryos are Transferred<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the embryos are developed, IVF patients have the option to either transfer an embryo into the uterus (an \u201cembryo transfer\u201d) or freeze the embryo(s) for later use. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a client opts to transfer an embryo into the uterus, then this procedure is usually performed awake under ultrasound. It is a relatively simple and pain free procedure (similar to a pap smear). If a patient is having an embryo transfer, then they likely will be taking additional progesterone hormones before and after the transfer to hopefully improve pregnancy outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following an embryo transfer, the IVF patient should act as if they are pregnant in hopes that the transfer is successful. Two weeks after the embryo transfer, the patient is able to perform a pregnancy test and find out if the transfer was successful and if they are clinically pregnant. This two week wait may be another challenging or anxious time for patients while they wait to see if the pregnancy takes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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POSSIBLE SHORT TERM SIDE EFFECTS OF IVF<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leading up to the egg retrieval, clients undergoing IVF may experience a range of side effects from the hormone injections, such as –<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n