July 23, 2008
IVF Process
IVF Products
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) which means ?fertilization in a glass? is often more commonly referred to as a test tube baby. Eggs are fertilized in a laboratory dish with sperm and then place inside the woman?s womb. In Vitro Fertilization may be recommended for a number of reasons including; age, other techniques have failed, the woman?s tubes are blocked or the infertility cannot be explained.
Methods of IVF will invariably differ a little from clinic to clinic but should proceed along these lines. At first your physician will halt the release of hormones that are produced during your monthly cycle by giving you some drugs. The reason for this is so the physician has improved control over when your eggs are produced. Further drugs are given to ensure your ovaries create more than a single egg.
IVF Process...
Vaginal ultrasound scans are carried out to monitor your developing eggs along with blood tests to chart the rising levels of estrogen produced by the eggs. Another hormone injection will be given when the tests show the time is right to help the eggs mature. The timing for this injection is crucial and must be carried out no earlier that 34 or later than 38 hours before your eggs are collected. To collect the eggs, ultrasound guidance is used and as it takes about half an hour, either drugs or a general anesthetic is given which may make you feel drowsy.
It is not until this time that the man gets involved and needs to produce a sample of fresh sperm. The health of the sperm is important so after a short storage period they are spun at high speed after being washed so only the healthiest and most active are used. For a woman using donated sperm, the same process is used once the sperm has been taken from the freezer. Once that has been completed the sperm is mixed with the eggs in a dish and left for between 16 to 20 hours and then checked to see if they have been fertilized. Any that haven?t, or any that have fertilized abnormally, are discarded and the remaining embryos are then left for another 24-48 hours before being checked again.
To ensure the womb is ready for the fertilized egg, two days after they have been collected, the womb lining is prepared by giving you pessaries, gel or an injection.
IVF Process
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.