Details
IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilization. In Vitro is a
Latin word that means "in glass" –in the field of medicine, this term
refers to fertilization of eggs and sperm in a laboratory environment outside
the body. IVF provides the ideal conditions for successful fertilization and
growth of healthy embryos when natural pregnancy cannot be carried out for some
reason. IVF is not a single procedure; it is a period with several different
steps that take place over a cycle. IVF, which has become one of the greatest
medical options of our age by mediating thousands of successful results for
couples who want to have a baby, is a procedure that aims to manage one of the
most personal and emotional processes in the world in a sensitive and
professional way.
Who Is This For?
- Couples who are in overall good
health and haven’t been able to get pregnant on their own after 6 months
- Women who have been unsuccessful
with other fertility treatments
- People suffering from most types
of infertility
- People who want control over the
genetics of the baby
- LGBT couples and single women who
want to have a baby
Treatment Duration
6 to 8 weeks from consultation to transfer
Potential Risks
& Side Effects
- Nausea and vomiting
- Severe stomach aches
- Decreased urinary frequency
- Shortness of breath
- Allergic reactions
- Vaginal bleeding
- Bloating
- Breast tenderness
- Constipation
- Mood swings
- Fatigue
- Multiple births
- Premature delivery and low birth
weight
- Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
- Miscarriage
Recovery Time
Recovery after egg retrieval process in which 8-15 eggs
collected on average takes about 30 minutes and women may walk out on your own
immediately after the procedure.
Success: While the live birth IVF success rate for women under 35
is 40 %, women over age 42 have 4% success rate
Alternative
Treatments
- Ovulation Induction
- Artificial Insemination
- Surgery
How Does it Work?
IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is a procedure that involves
fertilizing a woman’s egg in the laboratory. If you are facing challenges
conceiving a baby with your partner, you might need to consider going for an
IVF. Basically, IVF works by using a combination of meds and surgical
procedures to help a sperm fertilize an egg, and also to help the fertilized
egg implants in your uterus.
What Does an IVF
Procedure Involve?
Once you have decided to undergo the procedure, we will
make sure that you have a pleasant trip and your procedure will customized so
as to your preferences, goals, as well as the clinics’ best practices. Below
are the main stages involved during the IVF Procedure:
1. Preparation
Before starting the IVF cycle, you and your partner
should avoid stress and anxiety. In addition to this, the preparation process
includes:
- You should stop smoking
- You should take the vitamins
recommended by your doctor
- You should make a
fertility-enhancing healthy diet
- You should avoid red meat, sugar,
refined grains and other highly processed foods
- You should sleep regularly and
efficiently
- You can do breathing exercises
2. Procedure
Steps
There are 5 main steps in an IVF procedure. These are
ovulation induction, egg retrieval, sperm retrieval, fertilization and embryo
transfer.
- Ovulation induction: At the first stage, if you will use your own eggs for the
IVF procedure, your doctor will prescribe fertility medications to help the
ovaries make more eggs and you start to use them.
- Egg retrieval: Once your eggs are ready for retrieval after one to two
weeks of ovarian stimulation, your doctor will perform blood tests and a
vaginal ultrasound to determine if the eggs are mature to collect. The most
common method for retrieval is transvaginal ultrasound aspiration, which uses a
device inserted into the vagina to identify the follicles and collect the eggs.
To provide the comfort your doctor can give you sedation and pain medication at
this stage.
- Sperm retrieval: If you will be using sperm from your partner, he will
give a semen sample. After it is received, your doctor will remove the sperm
from the seminal fluid to use them in fertilization.
- Fertilization: After the eggs and sperms are collected, then the
fertilization process will start. The doctor will mix the healthy and mature
eggs with the healthy sperm in the laboratory. Your doctor can perform the
fertilization by using two different methods which are insemination or
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
- Embryo transfer: The last stage of the IVF procedure is embryo transfer.
This process is conducted within six days after the eggs have been retrieval.
During the embryo transfer, your doctor will insert a flexible catheter into
your vagina, through the cervix and into the uterus. Then, the doctor will
implant one or more of the embryos through the catheter. If the procedure is
successful, the embryo will implant in the lining of the uterus within ten days
after the eggs have been collected. And congratulations, you are pregnant now!
What Should I
Expect from IVF Procedure?
- If the first IVF cycle
isn’t successful, then you can always try again.
- You may consider egg freezing for
future use.
- You may feel minor cramping and
discomfort during the implantation stage.
- The side effects are usually mild,
but can include constipation, breast tenderness, hot flashes, weight gain,
nausea, and headaches.
- You can experience psychological
side effects during IVF process. The hormones used to stimulate egg production
can cause mood swings and depression.
- Make sure that you have brought
someone who can drive you home when discharged from the hospital.
FAQ
Are IVF Injections
Painful?
For most patients, injections do not hurt, but they are
not welcome, they are fast and do not cause problems because their discomfort
ends within a few seconds.
Are Women Awake
During Embryo Transfer?
Women are awake during embryo transfer which takes
approximately 15 minutes and they are able to watch the procedure on the
ultrasound monitor.
How Many IVF
Cycles Are Safe?
According to research, women who have become pregnant
with IVF treatment spend an average of 2.7 cycles. You should try at least
three IVF cycles to increase your chances.