IVF Treatment

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a procedure made famous with the 1978 birth of Louise Brown, the world’s first “test tube baby.” This type of assisted reproductive technique is often used when a woman’s fallopian tubes are blocked or when a man has low sperm counts.

IVF is a complex clinical procedure that helps to achieve conception by treating the existing infertility or genetic problems.

IVF is a time-consuming, costly and an invasive procedure, which takes around 2 weeks for the completion of a single fertilisation cycle.

Indications for IVF

The most common indications for IVF include:

• Damaged or blocked fallopian tubes
• Ovulation problems
• Premature ovarian failure (loss of normal function of your ovaries before the age of 40)
• Severe Endometriosis (presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus)
• Before removal of uterine fibroids (benign tumours in the wall of the uterus)
• Male factor infertility, including low sperm count and low sperm motility
• Presence of a genetic disorder
• To preserve fertility for patients with cancer or other health conditions
• Unexplained infertility

IVF Procedure Stages

The stages involved in IVF treatment are:

Ovulation Monitoring

You will be monitored for signs of ovulation (release of an egg).

Ovulation Induction:

• Dr Turner may also ask you to take medication to stimulate the ovaries and improve egg production and chances of pregnancy.
• The doctor may administer fertility drugs to boost the production of your eggs. 
• This is monitored with USS every 4-5 days and occasionally blood tests.

Egg retrieval:

• Your doctor will perform a follicular aspiration, a minor surgical procedure to remove the eggs from your ovaries. That can be done under local or general anaesthesia.
• A probe is inserted through the vagina and a fine aspiration needle is inserted into the follicles under ultrasound guidance. The follicular fluid is aspirated out and checked by the scientist to identify and collect the egg.
• Each follicle in the ovary is pierced in order to retrieve the maximum number of eggs.

Semen is collected

• Semen is collected from your partner at the clinic.
• The sperm sample is washed to select only the best sperm that look normal and highly active, from the low-quality sperm.
• There are higher chances of conceiving if a highly concentrated sample of healthy sperm is used.

Egg Fertilisation:

• The mature eggs are placed in a culture dish with the sperms
• The eggs are mixed with the sperms in an environmentally controlled chamber to facilitate the insemination process.
• The egg is fertilised a few hours after insemination.
• After about 40 hours, the eggs are examined to see if they have become fertilised by the sperm and are divided into cells.

If the chance of fertilisation is low, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be used where the sperm is directly injected into the egg.

Embryo Culture:

• Division of the fertilised egg forms an embryo.
• The embryo's development is monitored, and within five days, a normal embryo has several actively dividing cells.

Embryo Transfer:

• Embryo transfer is performed 3 to 5 days after egg retrieval and fertilisation.
• A thin tube containing one or rarely two embryos is inserted into the vagina through the cervix and the uterus. 

After transfer, if an embryo attaches or sticks to the womb lining, pregnancy is the result.