What Is IVF And How Does It Work? Procedure And Treatment
What Is IVF – IVF can increase your chances of pregnant when trying to conceive, but the procedure can seem daunting if you don’t know what to expect. Before you go to your first doctor, should remember the following.
Making the decision to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) is both exciting and stressful. On the one hand, this process increases your chances of getting pregnant. Uncertainty and worry about whether something will work or not causes stress. Here’s everything you need to know to get ready.
What Is IVF Process And How Is It Done?
A comprehensive range of treatments known as in vitro fertilization (IVF) is used to improve fertility, prevent genetic problems and help conceive a child.
In vitro fertilization, mature eggs are taken from the ovaries and fertilized in the laboratory using sperm. The fertilized egg is transported to the uterus.
The IVF cycle is completed in about three weeks. When this process is broken down into separate steps, the process can sometimes take longer.
IVF success rates are higher and the most successful type of assisted reproductive technology is IVF. This process can be done using the partner’s sperm and egg.
Eggs, sperm or embryos from known or unknown donors can also be used during IVF. Sometimes a gestational carrier, a woman with an embryo implanted in her uterus, can be used.
How Is IVF Treatment Carried Out?
Here are some things to look forward to for IVF:
Step 1: Ovarian Stimulation
To stimulate the production of mature eggs by your ovaries, you will be given fertility drugs. Progesterone, estrogen and DHEA may also be given in addition to other hormones.
Step 2: Patient Monitoring
Your ovaries will be examined with a transvaginal ultrasound and a blood sample will be taken to measure your hormone levels.
Step 3: Eggs Growing
Two days before egg collection, you are injected with the hormone hCG to help your eggs reach maturity.
Step 4: Eggs Recovery
Retrieving your eggs requires a simple surgical technique. This procedure uses an ultrasound image and a special needle to remove the egg from the follicle and takes about 30 minutes.
Step 5: Semen Collection
Sperm is prepared and collected from a previously selected male partner or sperm donor.
Step 6 – Fertilize the Eggs
The retrieved eggs and sperm are mixed together in a procedure known as insemination to promote conception. In some cases, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be used. This is a procedure to insert sperm directly into the egg to facilitate fertilization.
To ensure that fertilization and cell division occur until the egg becomes an embryo, the egg is carefully monitored.
Step 7: Embryo Transfer
One or two embryos are being prepared for transfer into your uterus (or the uterus of a pre-selected surrogate mother) three to five days after fertilization.
Step 8: Pregnancy Test
About two weeks after the embryo transfer, you will have a blood test to determine if you are pregnant. If the pregnancy test is successful, you will have an ultrasound two weeks after the pregnancy test.
If your test is negative, you can discuss your options with your medical team and decide whether to try IVF again, as this increases the chances of success.
Why is it done?
Infertility or genetic problems are treated with in vitro fertilization (IVF). In vitro fertilization is sometimes recommended as the first line of treatment for infertility in women over 40 years of age.
The disadvantages of IVF babies are also included in this treatment. If you have certain medical concerns, IVF may still be an option. IVF, for example, may be an option if you or your partner have the following:
- Blockage or damage to the fallopian tubes
- Ovulation problems
- Endometriosis
- Uterine tumors.
- Before removal or sterilization of the tube.
- Decreases sperm count or function
- Not considered infertile
- Genetic condition
- Preservation of fertility in case of cancer or other diseases
The Bottom Line
Other options to consider if your chances of conceiving through IVF are slim (or you’ve tried a cycle or two without success) include using donor eggs, donor embryos, or donor sperm.
Frequently Asked Questions
How effective is IVF?
Age, previous reproductive experience, lifestyle, and the underlying cause of infertility are just a few of the variables that influence IVF success rates.
The use of scientific methods and the experience of medical staff affect success rates in different ways.
We advise working with a group qualified as ELITE IVF, a global fertility service with more than 7,500 patients and a 72% successful pregnancies.
Are there risks or side effects?
Complications during pregnancy or childbirth are unlikely. Multiple embryos implanted during IVF increase the chances of pregnancy, which increases the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight.
Furthermore, compared to the general population, children born after five IVF cycles have a 1-2% increased risk of genetic defects.
However, there is growing evidence that this is due more to the nature of the infertility than to the actual fertility treatment.