IVF is a multi-step fertility treatment that includes ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, lab fertilization, and embryo transfer to support pregnancy success.
What is IVF?
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment where eggs are retrieved from the ovaries and fertilized with sperm in a lab. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the uterus to help individuals or couples achieve pregnancy.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a widely used assisted reproductive technology designed to help individuals or couples struggling with infertility. The process begins with stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, which are then retrieved using a minimally invasive procedure. These eggs are combined with sperm in a laboratory setting to facilitate fertilization. Once fertilized, the resulting embryos are monitored for development, and the healthiest embryo(s) is selected and transferred into the uterus. If successful, the embryo implants in the uterine lining, leading to pregnancy. IVF offers hope to those facing challenges in conceiving naturally, including medical, genetic, or age-related
What are the basic steps of IVF?
Your fertility specialist will manage your therapy with an experienced team of nurses, therapists, and scientists. We understand how important having a family is to you, and we promise to offer you the best reproductive care possible.
The following is an explanation of the steps you can expect to follow during your IVF journey.
- Step 1: Specialist appointment.
- Step 2: Consultation before Treatment.
- Step 3: The start of treatment.
- Step 4: stimulation of hormones.
- Step 5: Monitoring the process of treatment.
- Step 6: trigger injection.
- Step 7: Collect eggs.
- Step 8: Fertilization of Egg.
- Step 9: Development of the embryo.
- Step 10: Transfer of the embryo.
- Step 11: Pregnancy test
Step 1: Specialist appointment
During your first visit, your fertility doctor will look over your medical history and do some tests to give you early advice on your treatment choices.
Blood Test:
Blood tests include checking for pregnancy, anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels, hormone levels from the pituitary gland, ovaries, and thyroid, and a karyotype test to ensure the correct amount and order of chromosomes.
Pelvic ultrasound:
This test helps us see the shape of the pelvis, the uterus, and the ovaries to check for any issues that might need more study.
Semen Analysis:
Semen analysis: To ensure there are enough high-quality swimmers, your male partner will have his semen analyzed if he is present. They pay particular attention to movement, count, size, and shape.
Step 2: Consultation before Treatment:
You will usually see your fertility specialist again for a follow-up visit after your initial appointment, at which you will be given your results. Your physician will develop a treatment plan that is most suitable for your circumstances based on these findings.
Typically, the clinic also schedules a nurse orientation visit so that you can go over the entire procedure and what to anticipate. Your fertility nurse provides you with the necessary medication, outlines the course of therapy, and demonstrates how to administer the Follicle follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) injections on your own. You and your significant other are advised to attend this appointment.
Step 3: The start of treatment
For the purposes of IVF, there are several methods for stimulating your ovaries. The most popular protocol is the antagonist protocol, whose time is described below.
The first day of your menstrual cycle is regarded as the first day of your IVF treatment. You must notify the nurses by phone when you get your period. Typically, you will start hormonal stimulation on Day 2.
Step 4: Stimulation of hormones
Using a diabetic-style pen, you will give yourself these injections to encourage your ovaries to create more eggs than normal. After five days, you will return to your clinic to determine how your body has reacted to the injections (to avoid under or over-stimulating the ovaries). When we can gather more eggs, our chances of fertilization and pregnancy increase.
Step 5: Monitoring the process of treatment
To make sure your body is moving in the proper direction (stimulation) for your IVF cycle, you will have a follow-up ultrasound scan and blood test if your FSH injections are going as planned. This aids us in figuring out when to harvest eggs as well. The cost of your treatment includes all blood and ultrasound tests, which are performed by our nurses at the IVFAustralia clinic of your choice.
Step 6: Trigger injection
We schedule your egg collection after you have the ideal quantity and size of follicles. The procedure for egg harvest will take place 36 to 38 hours after you receive a trigger injection of hCG (human chorionic gonatrophin) in the evening. The hCG injection ‘triggers’ ovulation and substitutes the body’s natural luteinizing hormone, allowing the eggs to develop and become ready for harvest.
Step 7: collecting Eggs
The only day you will need to miss work during your IVF cycle is the day you go to the surgery to have your eggs removed, which is two days later. You will be fully asleep during the 20–30 minute treatment while your fertility specialist, assisted by an internal scan, inserts a small needle into the vaginal wall to extract the follicles. You will be informed of the quantity of eggs obtained once you have fully recovered from the operation.
You will probably need someone to drive you home after spending four hours in the hospital. On the morning of your egg collection, if your boyfriend is providing the semen sample, he will do so so that we can
Step 8: Fertilisation of Egg
After being collected, your eggs are taken right away to the lab, where they are combined with your partner’s or donor’s sperm in a dish to undergo fertilization. When sperm quality is a concern, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is used to carry out the fertilization process. Here, one sperm is placed into every egg.
The laboratory will usually call you with an update after the eggs and sperm have been evaluated.
Step 9: Development of the embryo
The next day, scientists will examine the eggs to determine if fertilization has occurred. We usually grow embryos in the laboratory until Day 5, known as the Blastocyst stage, because there is strong evidence that these embryos are more likely to implant in the uterus. A blastocyst is the optimal stage of development for an embryo; ‘blast’, meaning’making’, and cyst, meaning ‘a pool’, which essentially mimics a visual of this stage of development.
Step 10: Transfer of the embryo
Embryo transfer is a straightforward day surgery operation that typically occurs five days following the harvest of eggs. Similar to a cervical screening, a very thin catheter is inserted through the cervix to transfer the best embryo into the uterus. We might advise transplanting an embryo sooner in specific circumstances.
Step 11: Pregnancy test
Two weeks following the embryo transfer, your nurse will schedule a time for you to take a blood test. This blood test will take place even if your period has started because sometimes pregnant women can still have their period. Because the hormone medicine used during treatment may result in an inaccurate reading, we do not advise utilizing urine pregnancy test kits.
By mid-afternoon, you should get your pregnancy blood test results. About three weeks later, if the pregnancy test is positive, we will schedule an ultrasound.
IVF Treatment and Process FAQs
What can you expect after IVF treatment?
During the embryo transfer procedure, a range of emotions may be triggered, ranging from hope and desire to helplessness and worry. There is nothing you can do but wait, so have patience.
How painful is the IVF process?
In most cases, the IVF process is painless. However, you may experience slight cramping as a result of all the medication and the tube being inserted to implant the embryos.
How much time to wait to confirm pregnancy after IVF treatment?
It may take seven to nine days after IVF for your pregnancy to be confirmed. To make sure you are successfully pregnant, pregnancy tests are performed. The hormone beta-human chorionic gonadotropin, which is produced by the embryo’s trophectoderm cells, is measured by medical professionals during a pregnancy test. The hormone’s production rises and becomes apparent when the plantation is finished.
The clinic is where the initial test is conducted. The next test will be scheduled by the doctor if the results are positive. One week following the first test, the second test is administered. The ultrasound test will be scheduled by the doctor after two to three weeks if the results are positive.
The most successful type of assisted reproductive technology for treating infertility is IVF. The eggs and sperm of the couple are typically used for this, though they may also come from an unidentified donor. A gestational carrier—someone who has an embryo implanted in their uterus—may occasionally be employed.