Around 40% of patients about to undergo IVF had mental illness

Some 40 per cent of patients who were about to undergo assisted reproductive technology (ART) were found to have a psychiatric disorder, according to Dr Michael Alper, Harvard Professor and Medical Director of Boston IVF.

According to Dr Alper “we haven’t done a great job of recognising that”. In addition to this, around 40 per cent of patients drop out of IVF after each cycle.

He said there is a case for counselling for these women.

Speaking of the common difficulties experienced by women undergoing IVF, Dr Alper said stress and emotional problems are a leading cause of patients deciding to discontinue treatment.

IVF needs to be made easier for patients, he said. Optimising your IVF practice as well as investing in nurses is needed to address these issues, Dr Alper said, adding that some IVF “hassles” for patients include learning about IVF injections, time away from work, and costs.

Dr Alper said operating an IVF clinic is like operating a “little hospital” and a lot of attention needs to be paid to the patient.

Almost 90 per cent of unhappy customers will never lodge a complaint, he said, and ultimately a better managed IVF centre will result in better retention and better results.

GPs and obstetricians are an important source of information for patients and in the last two years this is beginning to be recognised.

Speaking in an interview with IMN, Dr Alper said there has been a “lull in IVF” and it is now lacking major technology.

At present fertility technology is on “autopilot”, however, he feels pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) will be a major advance.

Dr Alper is confident the costs of IVF will come down but there will not be a dramatic reduction in overall costs of treatment