IVF - In Vitro Fertilization

IVF involves taking eggs from the woman’s ovaries and fertilizing them in the laboratory with the partner’s sperm. The resulting viable embryo is transferred back to the uterus 2 – 5 days later.

What is In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)?

In vitro fertilization, often referred to as IVF, is a highly successful assisted reproductive technology. The term in vitro literally means “in glass.” It refers to the process by which a woman’s eggs are fertilized outside her body.
The first step of IVF is that the woman starts by taking fertility hormones to encourage the development of eggs within the ovaries. We control the body’s own hormonal cycle by giving her a nose spray, which usually is administered for 14 consecutive days. Then the woman will start regular injections of a hormone called FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone), which will start the maturation of eggs in the ovary. If the ultrasound control (usually performed

after 9-10 days) shows that the so-called follicles (where the eggs are situated) of the ovaries have grown sufficiently, a single dose of another hormone called hCG, is given. Once this process is complete, the woman is ready to undergo what is commonly referred to as “egg retrieval” (typically performed 36 hours after hCG administration).

Egg retrieval is a minor surgical procedure. It takes approximately one hours to perform, and requires local anesthesia. After the vaginal ultrasound is placed in the vagina and the ovarian follicles are localized, a needle is directed through the back wall of the vagina and into the ovarian follicles. From here, the eggs are easily retrieved. Once the eggs have been retrieved, they are placed in a petri dish with a special solution in our laboratory. A semen sample is collected from the male partner and delivered to the lab where it undergoes a clarifying process referred to as “washing”, which isolates the healthiest sperm.

Once the sperm are washed, they are incubated and placed in the petridish with the eggs. Alternatively, when the husband is suffering from factor infertility, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is used to assist the sperm in the fertilization process. After approximately 18 hours, the eggs are examined. If normal fertilization occurs and the eggs start developing, one (or two) of the resulting embryos will be selected and placed directly into
the woman’s uterus.

Embryo transfer is a simple procedure that does not require anesthesia. The selected embryo is inserted into a thin tube and guided towards the woman’s uterus. Any additional embryos that have not been transferred into the uterus can be frozen (cryopreserved) at this point and used in a later IVF cycle if pregnancy does not occur or a subsequent pregnancy is pursued.

Side effects of the hormones that are injected during the treatment are very rare, but so-called hyperstimulation may occur.

This is not dangerous and will most probably disappear within a few days after you have reported it to us and we have taken the necessary precautions. We will instruct you on what symptoms you should be looking for during the stimulation period, and we will stay in close contact with you throughout the whole process.