In Vitro Fertilization
In Vitro Fertilization
What is IVF In Vitro Fertilization?
IVF was the first ART procedure and remains one of the most widely used today. In an IVF cycle, doctors collect eggs and sperm, then combine them in a laboratory dish for fertilisation. Once the sperm fertilises the eggs, specialists transfer the resulting embryos into the woman’s uterus. Ideally, one of these embryos implants and develops like in a natural pregnancy. The uterus has a bulging upper section called the body and a narrow lower section known as the neck, or cervix.
IVF
Ovarian stimulation, monitoring, and ovulation triggering
Having a greater number of mature eggs available for fertilisation increases the chances of pregnancy. Since a woman’s body normally releases only one mature egg every month, certain medications are used to prevent an early release of eggs while other medications are used to stimulate the ovaries to develop more ovarian follicles, usually between 5 and 10
Egg retrieval
Once ovarian stimulation is complete and the follicles have matured, your doctor aims to retrieve as many eggs as possible, though not all may be used in the current IVF cycle. The procedure may involve mild sedation, local anaesthesia, or, in some cases, general anaesthesia. Using ultrasound, the doctor identifies the mature follicles and inserts a needle through the vagina to gently suction the fluid from each follicle. Specialists immediately examine the fluid under a microscope to check for eggs. They repeat this process for each mature follicle in both ovaries, then remove the eggs from the fluid and place them in an incubator.
Fertilisation
Fertilisation about two hours before the eggs are retrieved, a semen sample is collected from the male partner and processed to select the strongest, most active sperm. The sperm are then placed with the eggs in an incubator set to the same temperature as a woman’s body. The next day, the eggs are examined under a microscope to determine whether fertilisation has occurred. If it has, the resulting embryos will be ready to transfer to the uterus a few days later.
Embryo development and transfer
Your doctor will explain how long they will observe embryo development in the laboratory before performing the embryo transfer. In most cases, transfer takes place between day two (2–4 cell stage) and day five (blastocyst stage – around 100 cells) of development. This period allows the team to assess embryo cleavage (the way the embryo divides) and confirm that it is still growing. As a result, only embryos capable of leading to a pregnancy are chosen for transfer.
The Embryo Transfer Process
Embryo transfer is a simple procedure that usually does not require anaesthesia. The doctor places the embryos into a thin tube and gently transfers them to the uterus. The number of embryos transferred depends on several factors, including the woman’s age, cause of infertility, pregnancy history, and other medical considerations. However, doctors often recommend a single embryo transfer to reduce the risk of twin pregnancy.
Cryopreservation of Extra Embryos
If there are additional high-quality embryos, the clinic may freeze them through cryopreservation for potential future use. This gives patients another chance at pregnancy without undergoing a full IVF cycle again.