Many people have been helped to realize their ambition of becoming parents thanks to the modern medical marvel that is in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, this medical treatment is affected by many factors, one of which is diabetes. Diabetes can impact the fertility of both males and females by hampering reproductive health. Rather, one of the primary factors behind the failure of IVF is the hormonal imbalance caused by diabetes. For those unaware, diabetes is a chronic medical condition where the body is unable to properly regulate blood sugar levels. It negatively impacts IVF by hampering the balance of hormones. With this said, you should have a general answer to the question of whether diabetes affects IVF outcomes. The only question here is - how?
In this blog, we discuss the impact of diabetes on fertility for both males and females. Along with it, we also share in the discussion the effects of diabetes on the success rate of IVF, the risks and complications associated with IVF in diabetic patients, and some tips on how to improve the success rate of IVF.
Diabetes, as mentioned earlier, is a chronic disease due to which the body of an individual becomes unable or less capable of taking control over its blood sugar. This chronic condition has the ability to influence IVF and pregnancy outcomes. But some of you may be curious about how it does this. Some of the key ways in how diabetes affects IVF and fertility include:
All of these factors decrease the overall success rate of IVF. The good news here is that with careful planning and management, you can reduce the overall negative effect of diabetes on IVF success rates.
With a general idea of what diabetes is and its general effect on fertility being presented, discussion of the impact on fertility can now continue. At this point, the individual should consider that the effect of diabetes on fertility differs based on whether one is male or female. With that in mind, the presentation of the specific impacts that diabetes has on both males and females will now be covered.
As highlighted earlier, diabetes is one of the factors affecting a woman's fertility. You need to understand that in conception, natural conception requires having a normal blood sugar level. However, depending on the kind of diabetes, the body might not produce an adequate amount of insulin, or it may resist insulin, sometimes even fluctuating. The type of diabetes is Type 1 diabetes, wherein the human body fails to produce sufficient amounts of insulin that are needed to metabolize blood sugar, which raises its level. In type 2 diabetes, the body produces normal levels of insulin, but it forms an insulin resistance, which prohibits the body from metabolizing insulin. The third type of diabetes is known as gestational diabetes, which develops during pregnancy. Once the pregnancy passes, the blood sugar level resets back to normal. Some key ways in how diabetes affects fertility include:
According to the doctors, pregnancy chances do exist for women with diabetes as well. However, they are more likely to face miscarriage. This is primarily attributed to poor-quality eggs, which are attributed to long-standing diseases. There may also be cases of blood flow in the uterus, which can lead to reduced chances of implantation.
Diabetes doesn't just affect female fertility; it also affects male fertility as well. The likelihood of a male having Type 2 diabetes is relatively higher when compared to females. When a male has any form of diabetes, they are more likely to face erectile dysfunction, which directly affects their fertility. Besides this, some other ways in which diabetes affects male fertility include:
Diabetic males have less sperm when compared to males with no diabetes. Furthermore, diabetic males also have more DNA damage in their sperms.
Know More About: Common Causes of Infertility in Men and Women
From what we have discussed so far, you should have a general idea regarding how diabetes affects fertility. Now, the next question to tackle is the effect of diabetes on IVF success rates. As you may guess, there are many ways on how diabetes affects IVF success rates. Some of the key points include:
These are just some of the key aspects regarding the impact of diabetes on IVF. Besides the ones we mentioned here, there can be several other factors that affect the overall success rates.
Want to Know How IVF Works? : How IVF Works: A Step-by-Step Guide to In Vitro Fertilization
By now, we established that diabetes negatively affects IVF success rates. That said, you can still perform IVF on a diabetic patient. The only catch is that it comes with its own set of risks. Some of the risks and complications of IVF may include:
While these mentioned risks are present, the good news here is that with proper counseling, these issues can be addressed. For this, fertility specialists can recommend additional techniques such as assisted hatching or Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT).
By now, you should have a general idea of what diabetes is and its impact on fertility and IVF. You should also have a general idea regarding some risks and complications of IVF for diabetic patients. Now, let's discuss some ways on how you can increase IVF outcomes. Before we discuss the method, you should note that it is a chronic condition that affects your ability to regulate blood sugar levels. Therefore, one of the most important strategies for each protocol would be to monitor and manage blood sugar before, during, and after IVF. You can do this by adding healthy lifestyle changes like regular exercise and healthy eating.
A balanced, healthy diet should include all foods, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins with healthy fats. This, when combined with maintaining a healthy weight, can aid you greatly in getting through the IVF process despite diabetes, as there are severe impacts of weight on female infertility.
In addition to this, you can take medication and insulin therapy as prescribed by a healthcare professional. You can also seek assistance from multidisciplinary teams in healthcare. These may involve several practitioners, including endocrinologists, reproductive specialists, dietitians, and nurses. The personnel concerned in such a team may share their work and develop plans that are specifically chalked out according to your needs.
The key takeaways regarding the tips to increase IVF outcomes for diabetic patients include:
IVF is undoubtedly one of the best aids for you if you want to fulfill your dream of being a parent. However, there are many factors that can reduce its success rates, including diabetes. Diabetes affects blood sugar levels along with hormones, which causes disruption in both male and female reproductive systems, affecting both fertility and IVF success rates. Besides that, there are also certain risks and complications of IVF in diabetic patients. The good news here is that this condition can be managed by keeping the right balanced diet, managing weight, and using medications.
In this blog, we discussed some of the key ways on how diabetes affects male and female fertility along with IVF success rates. We also shared some of the major risks IVF presents to diabetic patients, along with some tips on increasing IVF outcomes. We hope you found it helpful. In case you are looking for more details on various aspects of IVF, do have a look at some of our other blogs. If you need the best IVF service in Nepal, then Hardik IVF and Fertility Center, the best IVF center in Nepal is second to none. Thank you for reading to the very end.
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The specific way on how diabetes affects IVF depends on your circumstances. However, some of the key ways in how diabetes affects IVF success rates includes:
Yes, a diabetic patient can do IVF. Although there are some risks associated with doing IVF, such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes, and preterm birth, with a bit of management, as a diabetic patient, you can do IVF.
Diabetes affects female fertility in several ways, some of which include:
Similar to how diabetes affects female fertility, diabetes also affects male fertility in multiple ways. Some of the key ways in how it affects male fertility include:
Yes, diabetes does affect the success rates of IVF. Diabetes contributes to infertility both in males and females in a lot of ways, which include effects on egg and sperm quality, increased risks in late pregnancy due to hypertension complications, and erectile dysfunction.
Yes, diabetes does indeed affect egg quality. High blood pressure during diabetes harms the existing eggs inside the ovary, resulting in lower-quality eggs for fertilization.
There is a higher chance of issues such as miscarriage and lower birth weight in children should one get pregnant while they have diabetes. This significantly increases the risk during pregnancy. Because of this reason, diabetes is considered a high-risk pregnancy.
Yes, diabetes can affect conceiving since, in females, it can lead to irregular menstrual cycles and hormonal balances, which affects ovulation.Aside from this, high blood sugar might affect the lining of the uterus, making conception tough. Diabetes can lower sperm quality and quantity among men; hence, it results in low rates of fertilization. However, all of these are controllable with a healthy lifestyle and expert help.
Yes, there are some risks and complications associated with diabetes and IVF. Undergoing an IVF treatment in diabetic women may result in the following: