IVF treatment in Delhi carries a lot of second-hand information along with it, and not all of it holds up. Patients often walk into their first consultation at Crystal Fertility and IVF Center repeating something a relative told them, or something they read in a forum years ago, and much of it turns out to be outdated or simply wrong. This piece works through five of the misconceptions our team hears most often: that IVF works on the first try, that IVF babies are somehow less healthy, that IVF is only for older women, that it always ends in twins, and that the process itself is unbearable to go through. None of these hold up against how IVF treatment actually works in a modern lab and clinic. If you’re researching options for yourself or someone close to you, it helps to start from what’s actually true.
IVF works on the first attempt every time
A single IVF cycle doesn’t guarantee a pregnancy, and most fertility specialists say so upfront, because too many variables sit between a stimulated cycle and a positive test. Embryo quality matters. So does how receptive the uterine lining is that month, and how the egg and sperm behaved at fertilization in the lab. None of that is fully predictable in advance, which is why clinics talk in terms of success rates per cycle rather than guarantees.
Age is the biggest single factor. Women under 35 typically see a 45-50% success rate per cycle, women between 35 and 40 see something closer to 35-40%, and women over 40 tend to see 15-25%. Those numbers reflect general averages across fertility medicine, not a promise for any individual patient, and they explain why a first cycle not working isn’t unusual or a sign that something has gone wrong.
Many patients need two or three cycles before they get a positive result, and frozen embryo transfer plays a real role here. Extra embryos from one stimulation cycle can often be frozen and used in a later, lower-intervention transfer if the first attempt doesn’t work, which is one reason a first cycle that doesn’t succeed isn’t the end of the process. Dr. Nidhi Sharma typically reviews what happened in the first cycle with a patient in detail before deciding what to adjust for the next one.
Babies born through IVF are less healthy than naturally conceived babies
Parents often bring this question up before they’ve even filled out consent forms, worried that a pregnancy that started in a lab carries some hidden risk for the baby. It’s an understandable worry, and it isn’t backed by how the process actually works.
IVF and ICSI change where fertilization happens, not what happens to the embryo’s genetics afterward. Sperm and egg meet in a lab dish, or a single sperm gets injected directly into the egg under a microscope, but the resulting embryo develops according to the same biology as one conceived naturally. The lab doesn’t add anything to or take anything from the genetic material. It creates the conditions for fertilization to happen outside the body, nothing more.
Where outcomes do vary is with the same factors that affect any pregnancy: maternal age, underlying health conditions, and whether the pregnancy is a singleton or involves multiples. Older parents, IVF or not, carry somewhat higher risks tied to age itself, and that sometimes gets mistaken for an IVF-specific issue. For couples with a known genetic concern, preimplantation genetic testing can screen embryos before transfer, an option IVF makes possible rather than a risk IVF introduces.
IVF is only for older women who have run out of options
Age is one reason people consider IVF. It isn’t the only one, and treating it as the default reason misses most of who actually walks through the clinic doors.
Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes are one of the more common reasons, and they have nothing to do with age. Male factor infertility, including low sperm count or poor motility, is another, and it’s often addressed through ICSI rather than IVF alone. Endometriosis, unexplained infertility after a year or more of trying, and hormonal conditions like PCOS all bring patients into fertility consultations well before 35.
There’s also a preventive use of the same technology. Women who know they’ll need chemotherapy, or who simply want to preserve their fertility before it naturally declines, can freeze eggs through oocyte cryopreservation years before they’re ready to try to conceive. None of that fits the image of IVF as a last resort for women in their forties. At Crystal Fertility and IVF Center, the patients Dr. Nidhi Sharma sees span a wide range of ages and reasons, and a fertility evaluation, not a birthday, is what actually determines the right treatment path.
IVF always means having twins or triplets
This myth has some real history behind it. Years ago, transferring two or three embryos at once was common practice, because it improved the odds of at least one implanting, and multiple pregnancies followed more often as a result.
That approach has shifted. Better lab techniques mean embryos can be graded more accurately before transfer, so a single, well-selected embryo often has a solid chance on its own, especially in a frozen embryo transfer cycle where the uterine lining can be prepared separately from the stimulation cycle. Single embryo transfer has become a realistic option for many patients instead of a compromise.
Transferring more than one embryo is still sometimes the right call, depending on age, embryo quality, and how many prior cycles haven’t worked, and that decision carries a higher chance of a twin pregnancy along with it. It’s a conversation between patient and doctor with real tradeoffs on both sides, not an automatic outcome of doing IVF at all. Twin pregnancies also carry their own risks worth weighing beforehand, which is exactly why the decision isn’t made lightly.
The IVF process is extremely painful
Most of what patients feel during IVF is discomfort spread across a few distinct steps, not one continuous ordeal, and the steps themselves are shorter than people expect.
The stimulation phase involves daily hormone injections, usually for about 8 to 14 days, given just under the skin with a thin needle. Many patients or their partners learn to give these themselves at home, and the sensation is closer to other subcutaneous injections than anything dramatic. Some bloating and mild soreness are common as the ovaries respond to the medication.
Egg retrieval is the step people worry about most, and it’s done under sedation or light anesthesia, so the patient doesn’t feel the needle passing through the vaginal wall to collect eggs from the ovaries. Mild cramping afterward, similar to a heavy period, is normal for a day or two. Embryo transfer, later in the process, needs no anesthesia at all. It’s a quick procedure similar to a pap smear or an IUI, over in a few minutes with no recovery time required.
Most of what makes IVF confusing isn’t the medicine. It’s the gap between what the process actually involves and what gets repeated secondhand. If any of this connects to a decision you’re currently sitting with, the most useful next step is usually a straightforward conversation with a specialist rather than another article. Crystal Fertility and IVF Center in Dwarka takes new patients through a full evaluation before recommending anything, and Dr. Nidhi Sharma has been doing this work since 2006. Choosing among clinics that all claim to be the best fertility clinic in Delhi can feel overwhelming from the outside. What usually matters more is whether a clinic takes the time to explain your specific situation clearly. You can book an appointment online or call +91-8796728800 during clinic hours, Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm.
Frequently asked questions
Is IVF guaranteed to work in the first cycle?
No single cycle is guaranteed to result in a pregnancy. Success depends on factors like age, egg and embryo quality, and uterine receptivity, and many patients need more than one cycle. Frozen embryo transfer often gives a second or third attempt without repeating the full stimulation process.
Does IVF increase health risks for the baby?
IVF and ICSI change where fertilization happens, not the embryo’s underlying genetics. Outcomes track the same factors that affect any pregnancy, particularly maternal age and general health, rather than the fact that conception happened in a lab. Preimplantation genetic testing is available for couples with a known genetic concern.
Is IVF only for older women?
No. Blocked fallopian tubes, male factor infertility, endometriosis, PCOS, and unexplained infertility bring patients of many ages into fertility treatment. Some younger patients also use egg freezing to preserve fertility for the future rather than to treat infertility immediately.
Does IVF usually result in twins or triplets?
Not with current practice. Single embryo transfer, especially in a frozen embryo transfer cycle, has become common and lowers the chance of a multiple pregnancy compared with older protocols that transferred several embryos at once. Transferring more than one embryo is still an option in specific cases, decided together with a doctor.
Is the IVF procedure painful?
Most patients describe discomfort rather than pain. Hormone injections feel similar to other subcutaneous injections. Egg retrieval happens under sedation, and embryo transfer is a brief, anesthesia-free procedure similar to a Pap smear.
Reviewed by Dr. Nidhi Sharma, MBBS, DGO, DNB — IVF & Infertility Specialist, Crystal Fertility and IVF Center.
This article is for general information and isn’t a substitute for a personal consultation with a fertility specialist.
