In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

What is In Vitro Fertilisation?

What is IVF? (In Vitro Fertilization) everyone has heard the term, but do you actually know what it really means? Do you experience infertility problems that prevent you from getting pregnant? You may wonder whether IVF is the best method for you.

The Majority of women have already reported to achieve successful pregnancy after trying IVF. If you want to learn more about the process, just check out the four steps you can expect during the IVF process. In this article, we undoubtedly answer all the frequent questions regarding IVF.

What is IVF?

IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is a procedure in which a doctor will remove eggs from the ovaries. The eggs are fertilized by sperms inside an embryology lab. This procedure is one of the most successful ways to achieve pregnancy when using your own sperms and eggs. It has become mainstream and broadly accepted, and it continues to grow rapidly due to incredible technological advancement.

Step 1: Ovulation Induction

Your fertility doctor will first monitor your ovaries before IVF process. The specialist will ensure that your ovaries are able to produce eggs and that your hormone levels are normal. Most women take hormones and fertility medicines at this time in order to stimulate the ovaries. After stimulation, the ovaries produce one or more eggs. Having many eggs available for IVF is crucial as it increase the chances that you’ll get pregnant.

Step 2: Egg Retrieval

This procedure is done in a surgical suite. Pain medication can be taken to reduce any discomfort or under intravenous sedation. A very thin needle is then passed through the upper vaginal wall. Follicular fluids are afterward scanned by the fertility expert to locate all the available eggs. These eggs are placed in a special media and later transferred to an incubator until insemination.

Step 3: Fertilization And Embryo Culture

During this step, your eggs will be mixed with the sperms from your partner or donor. The sperm is then cultured in the lab for about 16 hours and then checked for signs of fertilization. The eggs that have been fertilized (embryos) will be grown in the lab for up to six days. Your fertility expert will monitor embryos development, and the best will be chosen for transfer. The remaining high-quality embryos may be frozen for future use.

Step 4: Embryo Transfer

If you have not attained the age of 40, two embryos or even one may be transferred. If you are of 40 years old or above, a maximum of three embryos may be transferred. The number of fertilized eggs transferred is restricted because of the potential risks associated with multiple births. Your clinic may, therefore, recommend single embryo transfer a.k.a. SET if the embryologist feels it is the most suitable option for you.

During the procedure, the fertility expert will have a speculum inserted into your vagina to hold the vagina open to make the cervix visible. A catheter (fine tube) is passed through the cervix with ultrasound guidance. Fertilized eggs travel down the catheter into the womb. The procedure is usually pain-free, and no sedation is required. After the procedure bed rest is often recommended for about 24 hours.

From In Vitro Fertilization To Pregnancy

After IVF process is complete, you can take a pregnancy test in just a few weeks time. Most women become pregnant after the procedure, but a few others realize that the method didn’t work. If the process didn’t work for the first attempt, don’t lose hope; an average couple may need to undergo two or three attempts with the IVF procedure before a successful pregnancy occurs.

The beauty of IVF process is that once you get pregnant, you become indistinguishable from a woman who became pregnant naturally.

This form of pregnancy is also very safe. I hope this has answered your question of What is IVF if you have further queries please contact us via the contact us or seek a medical professional.

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IVF Facts; Success Rate, Safety and Cost

IVF Facts – IVF (in vitro fertilization) is practically a household word.  But not a long time ago, it was a mysterious method of infertility treatment. It brought to existence what were then referred to as “test-tube babies”.  Whether you are looking to know about its success rate, cost or safety, we’ve got you covered! You may still be wondering What is IVF?

Louise Brown, who was born in England in 1978, was the first child to be conceived outside her mother’s womb. IVF involves combining sperm and eggs outside the mother’s body in the lab. Once embryos or an embryo form, they are placed in the womb. IVF is an expensive and complex procedure; only around five percent of couples with fertility problems try it out. But the procedure has proved to be very effective.

IVF is never the first step in fertility problems treatment. This technique is reserved for specific cases in which other techniques have failed. Such as artificial insemination, surgery, and fertility drugs haven’t proved effective.

IVF Success Record

Since its commencement in the United States in around 1981, IVF has resulted in the delivery of babies exceeding a total of 200,000. More than four million babies have been delivered globally as a result of using IVF technique. IVF offers couples suffering from infertility problems a chance to bear a baby who is biologically related to them. At present, more than one percent of children born in the United States are as a result of conception via assisted reproductive technologies.

IVF Safety

Research results indicate that IVF is safe. A recent study covered almost a thousand babies born through this technique in 5 European countries discovered that kids monitored from birth to five years of age were as healthy as kids born naturally.

However, a few studies have recorded a slightly increased risk of genetic abnormalities in babies born via assisted reproductive technologies. Adverse effects during perinatal period and pregnancy are also higher in pregnancies achieved through IVF. Some or majority of these increased risk is because a greater percentage of IVF pregnancies involve multiple gestations.

What is the cost of IVF Procedure?

On average, the cost of a basic IVF cycle ranges from about $12,000-$15,000 in the United States. Although some insurance companies cover IVF, most companies do not. When looking at the cost of IVF, you’ll find that costs vary depending on the individual’s circumstance. Besides, you’ll notice that costs vary from one health care center to another. It is critical to determine exactly what is included when you’re provided with a quote for the charges of an IVF cycle.

The following are examples of some items that may not, or may, be included in the quote:
• Blood work
• Ultrasound and monitoring
• Initial tests
• Fertility medications

Ensure that you inquire about any other item that may be required but isn’t included in the quote. In some cases, additional ART treatments may be required. If so, ensure that you factor in those costs as well.

Here is the bottom line; if you have been trying other fertility problems treatment methods unsuccessfully, IVF may be the only way out. Given its high success rate and safety, the technique is worth trying.

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Pregnancy Test After IVF

Pregnancy Test After IVF is a two weeks wait period. This is definitely one of the most frustrating stages of IVF for most women. There is not much to accomplish for those 2 weeks but to keep waiting. The only way to pass time for many women is definitely performing as many HPT as they can. If IVF procedure is your plan, this page will tell you much more about home pregnancy tests. Just read on.

What your pregnancy test results indicate

A pregnancy test can be performed at a doctor’s office or at home. The Doctor can test the blood or urine. The test shows whether there’re visible amounts of human chorionic gonadotropin.  The home pregnancy test checks the urine.

What is HCG?

HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin, also referred to as “the pregnancy hormone”. Your body starts producing pregnancy hormone when the embryo starts to implant in the uterus. This occurs around five to seven days after conception.

What is the beta test?

Beta test also referred to as beta human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This is a mere blood test used to check for pregnancy. A qualitative test just tells whether or not there’s human chorionic gonadotropin present. Either in the urine or blood while a qualitative test determines the level of the hormone present. A HPT is, therefore, a qualitative test since it shows whether or not there’s any visible Hcg in the urine.

When Should I Do A Pregnancy Test After IVF?

When answering this, it is critical to keep in mind that the ovulation stimulation shot you took. This shot before theegg retrieval contains pregnancy hormone. If you take the test too early, you will definitely pick up the hormone traces of and not the hormone produced by pregnancy. The hormone trigger shot dosage usually ranges around 5,000-20,000 I.U. of your drug and it comes in various brand names such as Profasi, Pregnyl, Ovidrel, and Novarel. The hormone generally stays in your body for eight to ten days after taking the stimulation shot; this may differ depending on the dosage given by your health care provider and your body weight.

As a result, you absolutely don’t need to to take the HPT until at least nine days after your hormone trigger shot and typically, it is almost impossible to achieve a real positive test until eleven days after you take your trigger. You, therefore, don’t have to make yourself sick or crazy with worry by taking the test too soon. Just save your hard-earned bucks on those excess HPTs and get to wait at least eleven days after taking your stimulation shot to take a HPT.

The bottom line

What may actually happen during your IVF cycle is more likely to differ from a normal cycle identified in other women. Keep in mind that In Vitro Fertilization is a relatively new treatment procedure since the first baby to be conceived through IVF was born only about 40 years ago and there are a lot of variations within our reproductive system that health care providers don’t understand.

It is equally important to note that our bodies are very unpredictable, and that’s why we go through whatever we go through while trying to fall pregnant. So even if HPT or a fertility clinic test turns out negative sometime before your official quantitative Pregnancy hormone blood test, that doesn’t mean it’s over.

The IVF world has thousands of patients who actually had a negative home pregnancy test a day before their HCG beta test and later conceived twins!

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