The IVF Process – Step by Step
When you think of common fertility treatments in vitro fertilization (IVF) probably appears near the top of your list. There’s a reason for that. IVF has been around for decades and most likely you already know that the basic idea behind IVF: uniting egg and sperm outside the body in a culture. But there’s so lot more happens in IVF.There are five basic steps to IVF:
Step 1: Stimulation, also called super ovulation
- Fertility medicines are given to woman to boost egg production.
- Generally, a woman produces one egg a month. Fertility medicine stimulates the ovaries to produce several eggs.
- During this stage, the woman will have orderly transvaginal ultrasounds to check the ovaries and blood tests to check hormone levels.
Step 2: Egg retrieval
- A minor operation, called follicular aspiration, is performed to remove the eggs from the woman’s body.
- Surgery is normally done in the doctor’s office most of the time. The woman will be given medication to avoid pain during the procedure. Using ultrasound images as a guide, the health care provider inserts a thin needle through the uterus into the ovary and sacs (follicles) containing the eggs. The needle is attached to a suction device it pulls the eggs and fluid out of each follicle at a time.
- The procedure is repeated for another ovary. There may be cramping after the procedure, but it will disappear within a day.
- In rare cases, a pelvic laparoscopy may be needed to remove the eggs. If a woman does not produce or cannot produce any eggs donated eggs may be used.
Step 3: Insemination and Fertilization
- The man sperm are placed together with the high-quality eggs.
- Eggs and sperm are then stored in an environmentally controlled chamber.
- If the doctor thinks the chance of fertilization is low the sperm may be directly injected into the egg.
Step 4: Embryo culture
- When the fertilized egg separates it becomes an embryo. The laboratory staff will regularly check the embryo for its groper growth. In about 5 days a normal embryo has several actively distinct cells.
- Couples who are at high risk of transmitting a genetic (hereditary) disorder to a child may consider pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). The procedure is usually done 3 to 5 days after fertilization.
Step 5: Embryo transfer
- Embryos are placed into the woman’s womb 3 to 5 days after fertilization.
- The procedure is performed in the doctor’s office while the woman is awake. The doctor inserts a thin tube (catheter) that contains embryos into the woman’s vagina through the cervix and up into the womb. If an embryo sticks to (implants) in the lining of the womb and grows it results pregnancy.
- More than one embryo may be implanted into the womb at the same time, resulting in twins, triplets, or more. The exact number of embryos transferred is a complex problem that depends on many factors, especially the woman’s age.