Is In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Something You’re Familiar With?
It is possible to conceive a child via in vitro fertilization (IVF). It’s a popular sort of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Through medication and surgical techniques, IVF treatment increases the likelihood of fertilization between sperm and an egg and the probability that the resulting embryo will implant successfully in the woman’s uterus.
Regarding reproductive technology, IVF has proven to be the most successful method thus far. Both the female and male gametes are suitable for the procedure. Donor eggs, sperm, or embryos may also be used in IVF.
Many factors, including age and the root reason for your infertility, affect your IVF success rate and the likelihood of producing a healthy baby. IVF treatment is also a lengthy, costly, and sometimes painful process. Multiple pregnancies are possible after IVF if more than one embryo is implanted in the uterus.
Why Do People Go Through With IVF Treatment?
IVF treatment, or in vitro fertilization, treats infertility and some genetic disorders. Before going through IVF to treat infertility, you and your partner may be able to try less invasive treatments like fertility drugs to make more eggs or intrauterine insemination. It’s when you put sperm into your uterus during ovulation. Sometimes, in vitro fertilization can help with infertility in women over 40.
For some cases of infertility in women over the age of 40, IVF is the first line of treatment offered. If you meet specific health requirements, IVF may also be an option.
What Is IVF’s Step-by-Step Process?
IVF is a multi-step process that replaces the natural fertilization in a woman’s fallopian tubes with an artificial one. The goal is to get sperm and eggs to join together in a culture medium so that artificial fertilization can happen. The following steps must be taken and accomplished before the couple can proceed.
Step 1: Superovulate to Increase Egg Production
You’ll be given fertility drugs to initiate stimulation, also known as superovulation. The follicle-stimulating hormone in these drugs will tell your body to produce extra eggs at regular intervals.
The greater the number of eggs laid, the higher the probability of successful fertilization. Regular transvaginal ultrasounds and blood tests are performed at this point in the IVF treatment process to examine the ovaries and track the levels of various hormones.
Step 2: Remove Eggs
You will be given a hormone injection a little over a day before the egg retrieval procedure. As a result, your eggs will mature more rapidly. Follicular aspiration, a minimally invasive surgical method, will extract the eggs. Your fertility specialist will conduct an ultrasound to find your ovaries and then put a thin needle into each one through the vaginal canal. A mechanism built into the needle draws the eggs out one at a time using suction.
You will be given pain medication before the treatment begins, so there is no need to worry. After that, cramping is possible but typically subsides within a day.
Step 3: Collect Sperm From the Partner or Donor
While having your eggs harvested, your partner will bring a sperm sample. However, donor sperm is another option in IVF treatment. The finest sperm samples are isolated by washing and spinning them at high speeds.
Step 4: Combine Eggs and Sperm
IVF’s most famous step is matching your best sperm and eggs. This step of IVF treatment is insemination. Sperm fertilizes eggs in a few hours. However, instead of injecting sperm directly into the egg, your fertility specialist may use intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Step 5: Place Embryo Inside Uterus
Your second drug will be given to you when the egg retrieval procedure is complete. Prepare your uterus for the reintroduction of embryos by using this one. Your fertility specialist will transfer the embryos into your uterus three to five days following conception via a catheter.
The idea is to return many embryos to you and hope some will successfully implant in your uterine lining and grow. Multiples are common in IVF patients because numerous embryos might implant at once.
IVF Treatment Results
After 12 to 2 weeks after your egg retrieval, your fertility specialist will test a sample of your blood to determine whether or not you are pregnant. If you are expecting a child, your primary care doctor will send you to an obstetrician or another specialist who works with pregnant women.
If you aren’t pregnant, you can stop taking progesterone after a week, and your menstruation will start. However, if you don’t get your period or experience bleeding that seems out of the ordinary, you should contact your fertility specialist immediately. These are some measures your doctor may recommend if you and your partner are interested in attempting another round of in vitro fertilization (IVF) to have a child.
