Artificial Insemination

In vitro fertilization, or IVF as it is commonly called, is a laboratory-based process that involves retrieving an egg from a female donor, and pairing it with sperm from a male donor during a highly regulated procedure that helps ensure fertilization. Once the egg is fertilized, the resulting embryo is implanted into the female partner’s uterus where it will be carried to term. IVF is one of the most commonly used types of assiste4d reproductive therapy, and has excellent results for healthy donors.

IVF actually begins several weeks before the embryo is implanted, when the female donor is given medication designed to aid in ovulation. Called “superovulation” or ovulation induction, these medications ensure that more than one egg will be released during ovulation, increasing the chances of a successful IVF procedure. In some cases, a clinic may offer so-called “natural-cycle” IVF, which relies on the woman’s own ovulation cycle rather than drug-induced ovulation; however, because only one egg is produced in most women during each ovulation cycle, the chances of achieving fertility are lower in natural-cycle IVF.

During the ovulation cycle, subtle changes in body temperature and other factors will be carefully monitored to determine when the egg or eggs are being released. Uterine thickness and estrogen blood levels may also be monitored. Once the eggs are determined to be mature, they will be carefully harvested during an in-office procedure that takes about an hour to perform. In most cases, your specialist will use sedation with or without local anesthesia to minimize discomfort. During the procedure, a very thin, hollow tube will be inserted through the vagina and guided via ultrasound until it reaches the ovaries. Once there, gentle suction is used to aspirate the eggs into the tube. Following the procedure, there may be some slight cramping and a feeling of fullness in the uterine area.

Once the eggs are retrieved, they are examined for abnormalities and genetic testing may be performed as an additional option. Healthy, viable eggs are then combined carefully with healthy sperm in a special laboratory dish, during the actual insemination process. Once the egg and sperm are combined, the dish is placed in an incubator and carefully monitored for signs of embryo development.

In most cases, fertilization occurs within one day to one week following insemination. Once the embryo has begun to develop, transplantation into the uterus is usually completed within two to three days. Pregnancy tests will be administered on a regular basis following implantation to ensure that pregnancy has occurred. If the procedure has not been successful, it may be repeated in another four to six weeks in most cases.

IVF is associated with good success rates; however, those rates sharply decline as a woman ages. therefore, most guidelines recommend the procedure be performed in women who are 40 years of age and younger. Couples should also be aware that IVF can result in multiple births since more than one embryo is usually implanted to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.

Tags: Artificial Insemination, In Vitro Fertilization, Ovulation Cycle, Success Rates

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 5:39 pm and is filed under Artificial Insemination. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.