IVF
About IVF - INVITRO FERTILIZATION
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
ART refers to treatments and procedures that aim to achieve pregnancy.
These complex procedures may be an option for people who have already gone through various infertility treatment options but who still have not achieved pregnancy. Discuss the options with your health care provider and consult a fertility specialist.
During IVF, eggs and sperm from the couple are incubated together in a laboratory to produce an embryo. A health care provider then places the embryo into the woman's uterus, where it may implant and result in a successful pregnancy. The steps of IVF are:
IUI is most effective for treating infertility in:
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Superovulation
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Egg Retrieval
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Fertilization
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Embryo Transfer
Superovulation
IUI can be used in combination with medications that stimulate ovulation. This combination can increase the chance of pregnancy in some cases.
In this process, also known as ovarian stimulation, ovulation induction, or stimulation of egg maturation, a woman takes medication to stimulate the ovaries to make many mature eggs at one time.
These medications are given by injection for 8 to 14 days. A health care provider closely monitors the development of the eggs using transvaginal ultrasound and blood tests to assess follicle growth and estrogen production by the ovaries. When the eggs are mature—as determined by the size of the ovarian follicles and the level of estrogen—an injection of the hormone hCG initiates the ovulation process. A health care provider takes out (egg retrieval) the eggs 34 to 36 hours after the hCG injection.
This is the process used to remove the eggs from the ovaries so they can be fertilized. The procedure is performed in a physician's office as an outpatient procedure. A mild sedative and painkiller are often used during the procedure, and it normally takes about 30 minutes. The steps for egg retrieval are as follows:
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An ultrasound probe is inserted into the vagina to visualize the ovaries and the follicles, which contain the eggs.
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A needle is inserted through the wall of the vagina to the ovaries. Generally, ultrasound is used to guide the placement of the needle.
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Suction is used to pull the eggs from the ovaries into the needle.
Fertilization
A man provides a semen sample. If the sperm are healthy, they are centrifuged to concentrate them and reduce the volume, placed in a dish with the egg, and left overnight in an incubator. Fertilization usually occurs on its own. However, sometimes sperm are not able to fertilize the egg on their own. When this is the case, a single sperm is injected into an egg using a needle. This process is called intracytoplasmic (pronounced IN-truh-sahy-tuh-PLAZ-mick) sperm injection (ICSI). The pregnancy rate is about the same for IVF using natural fertilization or ICSI.
If sperm cannot fertilize the egg without assistance, couples should consider genetic testing. This testing can determine whether the sperm have chromosome problems that might cause development problems in the resulting embryos. Embryos that develop from IVF are placed into the uterus 1 to 6 days after retrieval.
Fertilization
This procedure is performed in a physician's office. The procedure is normally painless, but some women may experience cramping.
A health care provider inserts a long, thin tube through the vagina and into the uterus and injects the embryo into the uterus. The embryo should implant into the lining of the uterus 6 to 10 days after retrieval.
Sometimes the embryos are frozen and thawed at a later date for embryo transfer. This is often done when fresh embryos fail to implant or when a woman wants to preserve her eggs in order to become pregnant years later. Women either time implantation with their ovulation cycle or receive estrogen and progesterone medications to prepare their uterine linings for implantation.