How Does IVF Work

Basically IVF is quite easy to understand, but due to medical terminology, a lot of people are still finding it difficult to understand it. As a result people are still asking, “How Does IVF Work?” So I have below the basic procedures involved

1. May be you have been married for sometime without conceiving, and hence visited your doctor for consultation about the problem. After the initial consultation, you were referred to IVF clinic for treatments. Then you have to start thinking about how to pay for the treatments.

2. Once you arrive at the IVF treatment center, you will undergo the initial test such as a sperm count, hormone tests and an evaluation of the uterine cavity to determine the cause of the infertility and also to know the type of IVF treatment to recommend for best result.

3. The next step would to do ovaries stimulation. Usually, ovaries produce one egg per month. To get the best result during IVF treatment, it needs several eggs to work on and as a result would need to choose two most promising fertilised eggs out of maybe 12 or 14 to maximise the chances of success.

4. Subsequently, the ovaries will be stimulated through injections of a hormone called FSH, which is identical to hormone produces by woman’s brain every month in order to stimulate the ovaries to produce and release one egg.

5. The next stage will be examining of the ovaries. The IVF clinics on regular basis do check the maturity and the numbers of eggs produced. They are kept in contained fluid-filled structures called follicles, and they will be detected by ultrasound. Typically, they could have about four ultrasound examinations before the eggs are considered ready. At this junction the woman will be given an injection of HCG (human chronic gonadotrophin) late in the evening or early in the morning. The aim is to give the eggs the final boost towards maturity before the next stage.

6. Collection of the eggs. Just about 36 – 40 hours after HCG injection, ovulation will occur, and clinic supposes to remove the eggs before that happens. This will be done with ultrasound. The Endocrinologist will use a very fine, hollow needle that will be passed through the ultrasound probe directly into the ovarian follicles so that the eggs could be gently sucked out. On occasion, the patient might be sedated to prevent any discomfort. The entire process normally takes between 15 to 20 minutes, plus an hour of recovery time.

7. Semen collection. At around the same time the male partner is required to provide a sample of his semen. Usually facilities are provided for this at the clinic.

8. Now is getting to the critical stage which is the fertilisation of the eggs. The eggs will be taken to the laboratory, and they will be placed in a petri dish with a culture medium. And the dish will be in an incubator, which imitate the human body surroundings, temperature and conditions. Afterwards, the sperm is introduced into the medium and hoping that fertilisation takes place. Once the eggs have been placed in the medium, they will be regularly checked for 24 hours and if they are fertile they will be left for another 24 to 48 hours before the next stage.

9. Transfer of the eggs. Typically two embryos are placed into the uterus. In event of women over 40 years of age using her natural eggs this could three. No sedation is required; the Endocrinologist places a speculum into the vagina and then places the embryos in a catheter with a small amount of fluid. The transfer will then take place. Once the have been completed, the patient will normally rest for about an hour before continuing her normal activities.

10. After the transfer has taken, the IVF clinic may decide to place the woman on 21 days course of drugs to suppress her hormone if needed. The procedure would place the woman’s body into a low-hormone state, like a short-term menopause, and may produce some side effects, like mood swings and hot flushes. Once that is done, the clinic will invite the woman over for a pregnancy test to see if conception has taken place. If it hasn’t then same cycle of IVF treatment will be administer until it is successful. If it has then, the patient is released to her obstetrician, and hoping that she will have a normal pregnancy.