IVF Treatment is an assisted reproductive technique in which eggs are collected from your ovaries and fertilized with the sperm in a specialized laboratory. The fertilized egg (embryo) is allowed to grow in a protected environment for some days before being transferred into the woman’s uterus increasing the chance that a pregnancy will occur.

What are the Steps Involved In IVF treatment?

Intrauterine insemination i.e., IUI Procedure is a fertility treatment that involves placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilization. The goal of IUI technique is to increase the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization.

When is IUI Technique used?

During the stimulation phase of an IVF cycle, patients self-administer hormones. The length of the stimulation phase depends on the response to the medication regimen. Monitoring with blood tests and ultrasound of the ovaries tracks this response.

Egg retrieval

You will be put under mild sedation and the eggs are collected with a hollow needle that is attached to the ultrasound probe. After egg retrieval, you are asked to use the medication that prepares the lining of the womb for embryo transfer. Eggs can sometimes be stored if you want to delay the process of becoming pregnant.

Sperm retrieval

Your partner is asked to produce a semen sample. The specimen is washed thoroughly, and the sperms that show maximum motility are selected. Such sperms can be used fresh for fertilizing the egg or frozen and used later on.

Fertilizing the Eggs

Retrieved eggs are fertilized either by conventional insemination, the placement of eggs and sperm in a culture-containing dish or by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The eggs are regularly monitored to confirm the fertilization.

Embryo transfer into the uterus

Embryologists monitor the embryos’ growth and viability to determine whether a day 3 or day 5 transfer should be done. Embryo transfers three days after retrieval when the embryo contains four-to-eight cells) may be done or embryos are often transferred five days after retrieval and fertilization (Day 5 transfer or blastocyst transfer). A small catheter is inserted through which the embryo is placed in your uterus. If the procedure is successful, it takes about six to ten days for the implantation to occur.

Embryo Cryopreservation

The embryologist evaluates any remaining embryos for cryopreservation (freezing). Embryo cryopreservation gives patients who wish to have another child the option to have an embryo transferred at a later date without having to complete another IVF cycle.