IVF Guide: Everything You need to know

Most people have heard of IVF, or In Vitro Fertilization, which is an assisted reproduction procedure. However, few people are aware of what the IVF procedure entails or when it can be used. The mere thought of IVF often makes us realise how little we know about it and prompts a slew of new questions, such as who is IVF for, who does it benefit, and am I eligible for IVF? What is the price, how long does it take, and where should I look for the best IVF clinic?

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a term that refers to the process of fertilising a (IVF)

IVF is a method of human fertilisation that takes place outside of the body, in a laboratory, and results in an embryo that will be transferred to the mother’s uterus later.

“In vitro” refers to research conducted outside of a living organism, whereas “in vivo” refers to research conducted within a living organism. The process involves mixing sperm and egg together in a dish and waiting for fertilisation to occur.

IVF Guide:However, before the egg and sperm can meet, IVF requires several crucial steps. What exactly is the IVF procedure? Here’s a quick rundown.

The first visit to the fertility clinic is the start of treatment. Our doctors will review any previous treatment or test records, family history, and health history, as well as perform a blood test to determine baseline fertility and a vaginal ultrasound to examine the ovaries for the woman.

We may conduct a sperm analysis on the male partner or ask him to return at a later date to provide a sperm sample.

Doctors will then schedule diagnostic testing for the female partner to ensure she is in the best possible position to benefit from IVF. A saline sonogram, which checks for uterine abnormalities, and a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), which checks for open fallopian tubes, are examples of these tests.

What then?

If problems are discovered during these tests, such as polyps, fibroids, or blocked tubes, doctors may decide that the female patient needs reproductive surgery, which can happen before or after the IVF cycle.

Certain issues in the male can also cause IVF to be delayed. If the male partner, for example, has very little or no sperm, he may need a Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE) before moving forward with IVF. This is a procedure that involves extracting sperm directly from the testicle.

The process can begin once both partners have been cleared to proceed with IVF. The woman will undergo ovarian stimulation, which will cause her ovaries to produce more than one egg per month. This is accomplished through a 10-day course of daily hormone injections that can be self-administered at home. Every night, most women inject two or three medications.

What’s recommended after that?

During this time, she will go to her IVF clinic every few days for ultrasound scans and blood tests to ensure that the ovarian stimulation is going well.

She will receive a final “trigger shot” injection when the follicle(s) are nearly ready for harvesting, which will cause her eggs to be released in about 24-36 hours. She will have her egg retrieval procedure at her IVF clinic at that time. Timeline of female fertility based on age

About the egg retrieval procedure

The egg retrieval procedure is a simple 15–20 minute procedure. There is no discomfort because it is performed in an operating room under light sedation. A fine needle is used to puncture each ovarian follicle and aspirate the fluid containing the eggs. They are ready to be fertilised in the laboratory once an embryologist counts how many retrieved eggs are mature several hours after retrieval.

Each egg is usually fertilised using Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), which involves injecting a single sperm into each egg. This occurs with all of the woman’s eggs that are harvested in order to create multiple embryos.

Embryologists wait about 5-7 days for the eggs to develop into blastocysts, a stage of embryo development, after each egg has been injected with sperm. The embryos may be biopsied or sampled at this point for preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A). This test determines which blastocysts have a normal genetic makeup. You can get treated for ivf at your nearest center. For example, if you live in mumbai, you can google the best ivf center in mumbai . Many of these establishment use a sales crm software to manage their clients. 

What Then?

Women receive an additional month of hormonal treatment after a retrieval cycle to prepare for a frozen-thawed embryo transfer. One of the embryos is returned to the woman’s uterus. The rest of the normal embryos are frozen for later use.

The catheter-assisted transfer is quick and painless, and no anaesthetic is required. The embryo will implant if everything goes well. A pregnancy test will be done in 7-10 days to confirm it. 

IVF Guide:Who is IVF for?

Who can benefit from IVF? There are no hard and fast rules. The circumstances of each patient must be carefully assessed. However, your doctor is likely to recommend IVF as your best option for getting pregnant if:

Intrauterine Insemination hasn’t worked out for you (IUI)

Due to scar tissue inside your fallopian tubes, you have severe endometriosis. It can affect the quality of your eggs and prevent you from becoming pregnant.

You’ve reached a certain age bracket.

You’ve lost your Ovarian Reserve (DOR)

Your fallopian tubes are damaged or missing entirely.

You and your partner have a known genetic disorder, and you want to make sure your baby doesn’t inherit it.

Because you lack a uterus, you must create embryos for transfer to a gestational carrier.

In order to conceive, the male partner suffers from severe male factor infertility, necessitating the use of ICSI and IVF. Read more such posts on enrollblog. 

IVF Guide: Do I require IVF?

If you’re a woman or part of a couple who fits into one of the above categories, IVF may be the best option for you, and it could help you achieve your goal of becoming a parent or completing your family.

Even if you aren’t aware that you belong to any of these categories and are experiencing unexplained infertility, it’s worthwhile to learn more about fertility treatment. Give us a feedback by sharing your tips. 

New techniques are constantly being developed, and success rates continue to improve, since the birth of the world’s first IVF baby just over forty years ago. Your age is the most important factor in the success of your treatment.