Billie Eilish and her support for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

Singer and songwriter Billie Eilish surprised her followers during an interview on the Howard Stern show by speaking openly about in vitro fertilization. She described how she learned about the option through people close to her and why she thinks it matters that the subject gets discussed without euphemisms.

When someone with that reach mentions IVF on a mass-audience show, the effect is concrete: it turns down the volume on the stigma. Many couples arrive at their first appointment after years of silence, convinced their case is unusual or that asking for help means admitting failure. It does not, and conversations like that one make it easier to see.

We are using the topic as a starting point to explain what is genuinely worth knowing if IVF is on your horizon.

What in vitro fertilization is

IVF is a high-complexity technique in which eggs are retrieved from the ovaries and fertilized in the laboratory, outside the body. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the uterus.

The process has four stages:

• Ovarian stimulation. Medication for roughly 10 to 14 days so that several eggs mature instead of just one.
• Follicular aspiration. An outpatient procedure of 20 to 30 minutes, under sedation, to retrieve the mature eggs.
• Fertilization and culture. The eggs are placed in contact with sperm, or a single sperm cell is microinjected with ICSI. Embryos are cultured for 3 to 5 days.
• Embryo transfer. A fine catheter places the embryo in the uterus. It takes under 10 minutes and requires no anesthesia.

When it is indicated

IVF is the path when there is:

• Blocked or absent fallopian tubes
• Low ovarian reserve
• Moderate to severe sperm alterations
• Advanced endometriosis
• Repeated failures with low-complexity treatments
• Unexplained infertility after a complete workup

It is also the route for anyone using donor eggs or donor sperm, and for female couples who want to share the process.

What genuinely affects the odds

This is where honesty matters most, because it is where the most misinformation circulates.

The age of whoever provides the eggs is the single heaviest factor. Odds per cycle decline gradually and the decline steepens after 35. It is not the only factor, but it carries the most weight and it is the one that cannot be changed.

The rest do allow for work: ovarian reserve, sperm quality, the state of the endometrium, metabolic health, and the number of embryos available to transfer.

And a point we repeat constantly: no fertility treatment can guarantee a pregnancy. Any figure you come across should arrive with its context (which ages, which diagnoses, whether it is per cycle started or per transfer). Without that context, a percentage does not say much. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine publishes a patient guide on exactly how to read those numbers.

What IVF is not

Several ideas circulate that are worth dismantling:

“It’s the last resort.” For several diagnoses it is the indicated treatment from the start, and delaying it costs probability.

“One cycle is enough.” Many pregnancies arrive on a second or third attempt. That is why it pays to think in terms of strategy rather than isolated attempts.

“IVF babies are different.” The first IVF baby was born in 1978 and is now past 45. Long-term follow-up shows no differences attributable to the technique.

“It’s only for people who can afford it.” The cost is real and deserves a straight conversation, but payment plans and multicycle programs change the equation considerably.

What we offer at Ingenes

With more than 20 years of experience and over 75,000 babies born, our high-complexity work includes:

• ICSI and PICSI, for cases involving male factor
• Cryopreservation of eggs and embryos
• Preimplantation Genetic Testing, to analyze embryos before transfer
• Multicycle Programs, which account for more than one attempt from the moment the plan is designed

Every plan is built around your diagnosis, your age, and your history. If you want to understand which options apply to your case, a First Consultation is where that conversation starts.

Frequently asked questions

Does IVF hurt?

Follicular aspiration is done under sedation, so you do not feel it. Afterward you may have cramp-like discomfort and abdominal bloating for 24 to 48 hours. Embryo transfer is virtually painless: most patients describe only slight pressure.

How long does a full cycle take?

Between four and six weeks from the start of stimulation to the transfer. If embryos are frozen for transfer in a later cycle, the timeline changes and your physician will walk you through it based on the plan.

Can I self-medicate the hormones?

No, and this point is serious. A miscalculated dose can trigger ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which can require hospitalization. Medication is always prescribed and monitored by a specialist.

What can I do to improve my odds?

What is within your reach: balanced nutrition, moderate physical activity, good sleep, avoiding tobacco and moderating alcohol, and managing any metabolic condition. We wrote about how those habits reach the cellular level in Epigenetics and Fertility.

Talking about it is already a gain

If you are on this path, a public figure mentioning it does not change your diagnosis. What it does change is the climate: it makes it easier to bring up at home, to ask for time off at work, to look for information without feeling there is something to hide.

You can read more stories in Celebrities and In Vitro Fertilization: Stories of Success and Hope.