American IVF science: What are the causes and treatments of cervical insufficiency?

Cervical incompetence refers to the situation where the cervix is not completely closed anatomically, resulting in the opening of the cervical opening, allowing the interior of the uterus to communicate with the abdominal or pelvic cavity, leading to abnormal uterine morphology. Usually, this situation occurs in mid pregnancy and increases the risk of multiple miscarriages during mid pregnancy. Symptoms and signs vary from individual to individual, some women may not have obvious symptoms, while others may experience problems such as abdominal pain, lower back pain, irregular menstruation, infertility, etc. For women who wish to have children, in vitro fertilization technology is a common assisted reproductive method that can help those who have the desire to conceive achieve this dream.

The main causes of cervical insufficiency are as follows:

The causes of cervical incompetence can be divided into congenital and acquired factors in clinical practice. Congenital factors account for about 30% to 50% of patients, including situations where the mother may have taken medication or been exposed to harmful substances during pregnancy, as well as genetic mutations and hereditary factors. These factors may lead to incomplete closure of the cervical opening, resulting in cervical incompetence. In addition, if women have uterine malformations or underdeveloped uterus, it may also lead to abnormal morphology of the cervical opening, causing cervical incompetence, and ultimately leading to problems such as miscarriage or premature birth.

Postnatal factors may also cause cervical incompetence. For example, multiple deliveries may lead to cervical lacerations, especially in severe cases where postoperative healing may be slower, resulting in incomplete closure of the cervical opening. In addition, some surgical procedures or chronic diseases may also damage the cervical opening or cause inflammation, leading to the occurrence of cervical incompetence.

American IVF Science Popularization: Exploring the Causes and Treatment Methods of Cervical Insufficiency

The traditional treatment usually involves McDonald’s cervical suture surgery during the 14-16 weeks of pregnancy. This surgery needs to be performed under general anesthesia, by suturing the cervix to ensure continued pregnancy and waiting for full-term delivery. Then, remove the sutures before delivery so that the baby can be born naturally. However, this surgery may come with some side effects, including the possibility of water breakthrough, bleeding, or infection, and may also lead to miscarriage. Therefore, a more reliable option is to consider in vitro fertilization technology, which can increase the chances of successful pregnancy.

Before the start of the IVF cycle, Little Monster IVF experts in the United States will develop personalized IVF plans based on the results of women’s physical examinations. During ovulation induction, they use ovulation drugs certified by the US FDA, which have a fast metabolic rate in the body and can be completely eliminated within one menstrual cycle. Through the whole process of B-ultrasound testing, experts determined the optimal timing for egg collection and performed egg collection under general anesthesia, then combined the eggs with sperm.

Next, IVF experts use third-generation IVF technology to test the health of the embryos. PGS is used to screen embryos for chromosomal structural or quantitative abnormalities in order to eliminate embryos with chromosomal abnormalities and avoid miscarriage caused by chromosomal problems. PGD  ​​is used to detect and diagnose genetic abnormalities to prevent the fetus from suffering from genetic diseases.

During the blastocyst stage, the cells of the embryo are divided into two parts, namely the inner cell mass (developing towards the fetus) and the outer trophoblast cells (developing towards the placenta). At this point, in vitro fertilization experts can extract 4-8 cell samples from the outer trophoblast cells for testing without affecting the overall health and integrity of the embryo.