IVF is a technology that has been around since decades. You probably already know its basic concept: combining egg and sperm in a culture outside of the body. There’s a lot more to IVF than just that. Take a look at IVF in five simple steps.
IVF can be used to treat:
- Women over 50 with fertility problems
- Women with blocked or damaged fallopian tubes
- Women with endometriosis
- Low sperm counts or sperm blockages can cause male infertility.
- The IVF process in five steps
- Superovulation can boost your egg production.
- The drugs, which contain Follicle-Stimulating
- Hormone, will instruct your body to produce a larger number of eggs than the usual one per month.
The more eggs that you produce, then the greater the chances of successful fertilization in later stages of the treatment.
During this stage of the IVF procedure, you’ll be receiving regular transvaginal scans and blood tests to monitor your hormone levels and check your ovaries.
Remove the eggs
You will receive a hormone shot a little over a day prior to the scheduled time for your eggs to be removed from your body. This injection will speed up their maturation.
You’ll then have a minor surgery called follicular extraction to remove the ovaries. It is usually done in the doctor’s office as an outpatient procedure.
During the procedure your doctor will guide a thin, flexible needle through your vagina to each of your ovaries. A device is attached to the needle that pulls out each egg one by one.
You won’t be in pain if this part is painful. You’ll likely receive medication before the procedure to ensure that you don’t experience any discomfort. After the procedure, you may feel some discomfort. This usually goes away within a few days.
Collect sperms from your partner, or a donor Your partner will collect a sample of sperm while your eggs are removed. You can also choose to use donor-sperm. The sperm is then washed and spun at high speeds to select the most healthy ones.
Combine sperm with eggs This is the part of the IVF process that everyone knows best — the combining of your best sperm and eggs. Insemination is the name of this stage.
It takes about a few minutes for a single sperm or sperms to fertilize an ovum. You can also have your doctor inject the sperm into the egg directly, a procedure known as intracytoplasmic sperm infusion (ICSI).
Transfer the embryos into your uterus After your eggs are collected, you will receive another medication. This medication is to prepare your uterus lining to accept the embryos you will receive.
Your doctor will use a catheter to place the embryos into your uterus about three to five weeks after fertilization. This step is also performed in the doctor’s office, while you are awake.
The hope is that one of the multiple embryos will develop and implant in your uterus. Multiples are often seen in women who have used IVF because sometimes more than one egg implants.
IVF is a process that mimics the natural reproduction process. The pregnancy test is the next step to determine if the IVF procedure was successful.