Top 12 Reasons for Women to Use IVF
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one of the most widely used and successful forms of assisted reproductive technology (ART).
While many people associate IVF with infertility, the truth is that women choose IVF for a variety of reasons. Some are related to fertility challenges, while others have to do with medical conditions, genetic considerations, or personal family-building goals.
At CNY Fertility, we work with women from diverse backgrounds and with a range of unique circumstances. Understanding the most common reasons for women to use IVF can help you decide if it’s the right path for you.
1. Blocked or Damaged Fallopian Tubes
One of the earliest uses of IVF was to help women whose fallopian tubes were blocked or damaged.
In natural conception, the egg must travel through the fallopian tube to meet the sperm. If the tube is blocked or scarred, due to infection, surgery, or conditions like pelvic inflammatory disease, fertilization cannot occur.
With IVF, the egg is retrieved directly from the ovary and fertilized in the lab, bypassing the fallopian tubes entirely. This makes IVF a leading treatment choice for women with tubal factor infertility.
2. Ovulatory Disorders
Conditions like PCOS and hypothalamic amenorrhea can disrupt the hormonal pathways that regulate follicle development, egg maturation, and even implantation.
Because these imbalances affect multiple aspects of fertility — not just ovulation — natural conception can be difficult or unpredictable.
IVF helps overcome these challenges by stimulating the ovaries, using medications to regulate the hormonal environment, and retrieving eggs before ovulation occurs. With this level of control over egg development and fertilization, IVF increases the likelihood of creating healthy embryos and achieving pregnancy.
3. Age-Related Infertility
As women age, both egg quantity and quality naturally decline, making conception more difficult and increasing the risk of miscarriage.
IVF is often recommended for women over 35 because it allows your care team to control so much of the reproductive process. Medications are used to stimulate the ovaries to develop more follicles than would typically mature on their own, which can improve the number — and often the quality — of eggs available in a single cycle. When time and egg supply are already limited, being able to mature and potentially use as many eggs as possible each month is a major advantage.
IVF also allows embryos to be assessed or tested with preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) to help identify those with the highest chance of resulting in a healthy pregnancy.
For women of advanced maternal age who no longer have viable eggs, IVF with donor eggs offers another highly successful path to achieving pregnancy and giving birth.
4. Endometriosis
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, often causing pain and infertility. It can damage the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or pelvic environment, making natural conception more difficult.
IVF helps bypass many of these barriers by retrieving eggs directly from the ovaries, fertilizing them in the lab, and transferring embryos into the uterus, avoiding the hostile pelvic environment that endometriosis can create.
IVF also allows for careful planning and the incorporation of complementary therapies beforehand. Treatments such as laparoscopic surgery, Lupron, or letrozole can be used alongside IVF to suppress endometriosis, improve egg development, and support implantation.
5. Unexplained Infertility
In some cases, standard testing does not reveal a clear cause for difficulty conceiving. This is known as unexplained infertility and can be frustrating for couples.
IVF can help overcome unexplained infertility by controlling every stage of conception, increasing the likelihood that sperm and egg will meet and develop into a healthy embryo.
6. Male Factor Infertility
Infertility is not solely a woman’s issue. Male factors such as low sperm count, poor motility, or abnormal sperm shape can make natural conception challenging.
About 30% of infertility cases are caused primarily by a male factor, and another 20% involve both male and female factors. Altogether, sperm-related issues contribute to roughly half of all infertility cases.
IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) can significantly improve fertilization by allowing a single healthy sperm to be injected directly into the egg.
For men who produce sperm but have none visible in the ejaculate — due to blockage or other causes — IVF can be combined with sperm retrieval procedures to obtain viable sperm directly from the testes or epididymis. And when needed, donor sperm can also be used, offering additional pathways to achieving a successful pregnancy.6
7. Genetic Concerns
Some women carry genetic conditions they do not wish to pass on to their children. IVF with preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) allows embryos to be screened for specific genetic disorders before transfer.
Some of the most common disorders to screen for include:
- Cystic fibrosis
- Tay–Sachs disease
- Sickle cell anemia
- Fragile X syndrome
- Huntington’s disease
- Thalassemia
Only embryos free of the condition are selected, reducing the risk of passing on hereditary illnesses.
8. Fertility Preservation
IVF technology is also used as a form of fertility preservation, particularly when a woman has a long-term partner, but is not ready to grow their family.
When they are ready to conceive, the embryos can be thawed and transferred.
9. Same-sex Female Couples
For same-sex female couples, IVF offers several family-building options, including reciprocal IVF, where one partner provides the eggs and the other carries the pregnancy.
This allows both partners to be physically involved in the conception process.
10. Single Women by Choice
Single women who wish to become mothers may choose IVF with donor sperm. For those with reduced fertility or other medical considerations, IVF can provide a higher chance of pregnancy compared to intrauterine insemination (IUI).
11. Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Women who have experienced multiple miscarriages may turn to IVF because it offers additional tools to help identify and address potential underlying causes. Options such as preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) can help select chromosomally healthy embryos, while immune or inflammatory factors may be supported with specialized immune-modulating medications. Together, these approaches can reduce the risk of miscarriage and improve the chances of a successful pregnancy.
12. Previous Fertility Treatment Failures
When less invasive treatments such as fertility medications or IUI have not resulted in pregnancy, IVF may be recommended as the next step. IVF offers more control, more information about embryo quality, and higher success rates in many cases.
What to Expect with IVF
While the specific protocol varies by patient, most IVF treatments follow these essential steps:
- Ovarian stimulation with injectable medications to produce multiple eggs.
- Egg retrieval performed under light sedation.
- Fertilization in the lab, often using ICSI if needed.
- Embryo development over several days.
- Embryo transfer into the uterus.
- Luteal phase support, often with progesterone supplementation, until pregnancy is confirmed and stable.
Is IVF Right for You?
Every woman’s fertility journey is unique. If you are experiencing difficulty conceiving, have a known medical condition affecting fertility, or are considering family-building options outside of natural conception, IVF may be worth exploring.
At CNY Fertility, we offer comprehensive fertility evaluations, personalized treatment planning, and affordable IVF pricing to make your path to parenthood as smooth and accessible as possible. Schedule a consultation today.
Top Reasons for Women to Use IVF: Bottom Line
There are many reasons for women to use IVF, from overcoming medical challenges to choosing the timing and circumstances for starting a family. Whatever your reason, IVF offers advanced, proven tools to help you achieve your dream of becoming a parent.
