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Pregnancy

IVF and being induced at due date...

39 replies

Chattycat78 · 08/12/2014 14:34

Hi all,

I'm confused. I'm 34 weeks pregnant and we ve been told by the hospital that they would not recommend going over due date because we did IVF to achieve this pregnancy. Implication seems to be that doing IVF makes you 'High risk' even if there are no other complications. My issue is that I was hoping for a water birth and being induced would not allow this, might make labour longer and more painful and could even end in a c section! I don't want to put my baby at risk of course, but I can't help but be unsure about this policy- especially when I know that other hospitals do not follow it! To be honest the dr we saw today also made me feel like a bit of a freak because this was not a natural conception- which I could have done without to be honest!

Any thoughts from anyone?

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IComeFromALandDownUnder · 08/12/2014 14:40

If you have no other risk factors I would politely decline. Best of luck!

firstposts · 08/12/2014 14:40

How strange. My first child was IVF and yes, like you, I was high risk because of it. But I was allowed to go over my due date. Ended up being induced but for other reasons nothing to do with IVF. I would challenge if you're not happy.

SockDrawer · 08/12/2014 14:42

Why does IVF mean you're high risk?

DuelingFanjo · 08/12/2014 14:43

I had IVF and was ten days late. In fact they refused to induce me when I begged.

You are not 'high risk' after having IVF - after 12 weeks they tell you to treat it as a normal pregnancy, which it is.

Chattycat78 · 08/12/2014 14:46

Good question- something to do with a study that shows that you re more likely to have complications - they ve been a bit vague. The massage overall seems to be that IVF makes "complications" throughout pregnancy and labour more likely and therefore it's not worth the risk of letting you go over due date. The dr also said that they realise that you ve 'been through a lot' to achieve the pregnancy so that's another reason they won't let you go over.

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Blackkat13 · 08/12/2014 14:48

Hi Chattycat,
Ive had IVF, and when I was getting to the end of the pregnancies no-one said to me that I would be induced on my due date.. Some doctors have there own ideas about how things should be done. With my second baby I had a C-section so when I saw my doctor at hospital he said he would book me for a section again, I said no. At that time there was no reason for me to have one, pregnancy was going well. (I had him naturally)
You can refuse, don't make them do something you don't want to do if there is no medical reason.

Chattycat78 · 08/12/2014 14:49

Duelling- your comments are interesting- my hospital have treated me as high risk all the way through. I ve had to have extra scans and Also to see a doctor after each one! I haven't enjoyed it and they have made me feel inferior to those who have achieved natural pregnancies.

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DuelingFanjo · 08/12/2014 14:49

yet inducing is more likely to cause complications...

MewlingQuim · 08/12/2014 14:52

Have you spoken to your mw about your concerns?

I had also heard that I was high risk just for having conceived by ivf, but when I asked my mw she said that no one paid any attention to that anymore it was just left over from when ivf was a new thing. I wasn't considered high risk, never saw a consultant, was mw led throughout my pregnancy and gave birth in a pool at 41+5.

No one at the hospital birth suite was interested in how I had conceived

Chattycat78 · 08/12/2014 14:53

Duelling- yes I know! But of course no mention of this. The dr I saw today suggested that water birth was only for low risk people, (silly me for even suggesting it). Now I just feel disappointed and a bit of a failure for having to do IVF to begin with! I'm Also worried that I'll end up with a section or something when ther is no need for one!

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MewlingQuim · 08/12/2014 14:56

Sorry, x posted.

I tthink it's unusual that your hospital have classed you as high risk, are you in the UK?

Chattycat78 · 08/12/2014 14:56

Mewling- I see the midwife on Thursday so will speak to her then. Good idea. It sounds like my hospital is in the stone ages then, which surprises me because it's a teaching hospital in a major city!

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Chattycat78 · 08/12/2014 14:57

And yes I am in the uk x

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christinarossetti · 08/12/2014 15:01

Can you speak with another doctor?

There are risks associated with being induced, as there are with going overdue, but a better doctor would be able to guide you and be guided by your wishes and experiences, not make you feel like a freak or bandy terms like 'high risk' about without proper explanation.

christinarossetti · 08/12/2014 15:02

Oh, good you're seeing a midwife on Thursday.

Hope that it goes well.

ChatEnOeuf · 08/12/2014 15:05

Our local hospital have the same policy. I'd guess it's the higher risk of stillbirth in IVF pregnancies that have them scared? RCOG feeling is that IVF isn't a reason in itself for due-date induction, but that more research is needed to evaluate the reasons for that increase.

DuelingFanjo · 08/12/2014 15:05

I had IVF on the NHS and was going to have a water birth - I was 40 and was on a midwife led unit. I'd also had a previous miscarriage.

DuelingFanjo · 08/12/2014 15:06

I was at the teaching hospital in Cardiff by the way.

MewlingQuim · 08/12/2014 15:10

I'm not surprised you're unhappy chattycat

If you are in a major city, do you have a choice of hospitals? If you aren't satisfied with your treatment could you go elsewhere?

Don't feel bad about conceiving by ivf, there are loads of us about! It's really not unusual now. Your consultant is very old fashioned and a bit of a prat

Chattycat78 · 08/12/2014 15:14

Chat- yes the stillbirth thing has been mentioned so obviously that has scared me to death! Are we saying that this is much more likely do you know? In Which case obviously I'll do whatever is needed to bring the risk down! I still don't see how IVF would make still birth more likely though.

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tiggy2610 · 08/12/2014 16:08

Currently 31 weeks with our IVF baby and started the pregnancy in South Yorkshire where they didn't treat me any differently to any other pregnancy. We moved to West Yorkshire at 16 weeks and were immediately classed as high risk and told we would not be allowed to go 40+, I was just told different trusts have different guidelines.... I don't mind the 'high risk' part as they've told me to take it with a pinch of salt and enjoy the extra appointments. Sadly I was unexpectedly diagnosed with GD 5 weeks ago so due to that pretty much puts an end to my hopes of being left well alone.

tiggy2610 · 08/12/2014 16:09

Forgot to mention I was also told incidence of still birth is ever so slightly higher with IVF babies. The consultant did say they can't explain why but there has been shown to be a link...may be more correlation than causation but it's always terrifying when you have that thrown your way!

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ChatEnOeuf · 08/12/2014 16:14

This is the Royal College's science report - I don't think they know why they are, maybe something to do with the process the babies go through before implantation, who knows? Good luck whenever the baby comes though!

christinarossetti · 08/12/2014 16:27

One of the problems is that protocol isn't consistent across the country, leading to confusion and mistrust.

Another is that they don't know why the risk of stillbirth is higher with ivf, or what variables within the ivf population increase risk.

One of the factors that has led to a foregrounding of the ivf/stillbirth discussion is women who have had ivf them experienced stillbirtj not realising until its too, too late that, statistically, they were at higher risk.

The risks are single digit numbers out of 1000 live births BTW.

Chattycat78 · 08/12/2014 16:30

Tiggy- sounds familiar. I'm also in West Yorkshire. And yes the mention of stillbirth has me absolutely terrified!

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