What is IVF?
IVF or Test Tube Baby treatment involves the fertilization of an egg outside the body. The treatment can be performed using your own eggs and sperm, or using either donated eggs or donated sperm or both.
Yash IVF clinic may recommend IVF treatment if
- Diagnosed with unexplained infertility
- Damaged or blocked Fallopian tubes due to patients previous ectopic pregnancy/ hydrosalpinx/ post family planning operation
- Suffering from poor ovarian reserve
- Diagnosed with endometriosis
- Other techniques such as fertility drugs or intrauterine insemination (IUI) have not been successful
- Male partner has fertility problems but not severe enough to undergo intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
- Donated eggs or your own frozen eggs are being used in the treatment
- Embryo testing is being used to avoid passing on a genetic condition to your child
IVF Process for Male
Around the time your partner’s eggs are collected, you will be asked to produce a sample of semen. The sperm will be washed and prepared so the active, normal sperm are separated from the poorer-quality sperm. If you have stored sperm, it will be removed from frozen storage, thawed and prepared in the same way.
IVF Process for Female
Suppressing your natural monthly hormone cycle
As a first step, you will be given a drug to suppress your natural cycle, which you can administer yourself in the form of a daily injection or a nasal spray. The drug treatment continues for about two weeks.
Boosting the egg supply
After your natural cycle has been suppressed, you will be given a type of fertility hormone known as a gonadotropin. You will usually take this as a daily injection for around 12 days. The hormone will increase the number of eggs you produce.
Checking on progress
The clinic will monitor your progress throughout the drug treatment through vaginal ultrasound scans and blood tests. Between 34 and 38 hours before your eggs are due to be collected you will be given a hormone injection to help your eggs mature. This is human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG).
Collecting the eggs
Your eggs will usually be collected under ultrasound guidance after giving general anaesthesia sedated. A hollow needle is attached to the ultrasound probe and is used to collect the eggs from the follicles in each ovary. You may experience some cramps, feel a little sore and/or experience a small amount of bleeding from the vagina. After your eggs have been collected, you will be given medication, injection or gel to help prepare the lining of your womb for embryo transfer.
Fertilizing the eggs
Your eggs will be mixed with your partner’s or the donor’s sperm and cultured in the laboratory for 16–20 hours after which they are checked for signs of fertilisation. Those that have been fertilised (now called embryos) will be grown in the laboratory incubator for up to five days. The embryologist will monitor the development of the embryos and the best will then be chosen for transfer. Any remaining embryos of suitable quality can be frozen for future use.
Embryo transfer
If you are under the age of 40, one or two embryos may be transferred. If you are 40 or over, a maximum of three may be used. The number of embryos transferred is restricted because of the risks associated with multiple births. Due to this, we recommend single embryo transfer (SET) if they feel it is the best option for you. During the procedure, a doctor or nurse will insert a speculum into your vagina. This is similar to having a cervical smear taken, when a speculum is used to hold the vagina open so the cervix is visible. A fine tube (catheter) is then passed through the cervix, normally using ultrasound guidance. The embryos are passed down the tube into the womb. This is normally a pain-free procedure and usually no sedation is necessary, but you may experience a little discomfort because you need a full bladder if ultrasound is used.
