Before and during the in vitro fertilization process, your fertility
specialist will monitor your ovaries and the timing of the egg release. The
doctor will make sure that your ovaries are producing eggs, and that your
hormone levels are normal, among other procedures.Most women take fertility
medicines or hormones at this time to stimulate the ovaries to produce one or
more eggs. Having several eggs available for IVF will increase the chances that
you will get pregnant.If you cannot produce any eggs, talk to your doctor about
donor eggs for the IVF process.
During this step in the IVF process, pain medication is given to reduce any discomfort. Then a very thin needle is passed through the upper vaginal wall. With the use of vaginal ultrasound, fluid is removed from the follicles under gentle suction.Immediately after aspiration of the follicle, the oocyte (egg) is isolated from the follicular fluid. The egg is placed in a culture dish containing nutrient media and then transferred to the incubator.
The next step of the IVF process is the fertilization of the egg. A sperm
sample is secured, either from your partner or a donor, and the most active
sperm is mixed with the egg in a special chamber. Sometimes the sperm is
directly injected into the egg. Then, the sperm and egg are placed in an
incubator and monitored to make sure that a healthy embryo develops.
The final step of the IVF process is the embryo transfer. First, the embryos
are examined to select the healthiest ones for transfer. To transfer the embryo(s),
a speculum is placed into your vagina and the embryo(s) are transferred via a
small plastic tube placed through the cervix into the uterine cavity. After the
IVF process is complete, bed rest is often advised for around 24 hours.
Success rates vary by age. Women under the age of 34 have a 40% success rate,
followed by 31% for those aged 35-37, 21% from 38-40, 11% for women aged 41-42,
and 5% for women older than 43 years of age.
While patients are recommended to rest and take things easy following embryo
transfer, they can generally return home immediately following the procedure.
IVF takes place in "cycles" which last from 4-6 weeks.