In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

What is  In Vitro Fertilization?

In Vitro Fertilization or IVF is an assisted reproductive technique that involves retrieving healthy gametes from both intended parents and facilitating fertilization in a controlled environment.

The resulting zygote is then placed into the female partner's womb, where it grows naturally.

IVF procedure involves a series of steps, each of which is very crucial for the procedure as a whole. The procedure requires commitment and patience at every stage.

Who needs In Vitro Fertilization:

Initially, the IVF procedure was recommended for women who could not conceive due to problems related to the fallopian tube such as a blocked fallopian tube or missing fallopian tube. Nowadays the procedure can be used to plan pregnancy in various other situations. These include:

• Ovulation disorder in females, which impacts the production of mature eggs
• Endometriosis, which is characterized by the outgrowth of the endometrial tissue to other organs in the pelvic region.
• Uterine fibroids also known as leiomyomas, which can prevent fertilized eggs from implanting on the uterus wall.
• If the female partner has undergone a surgical procedure like tubal ligation for birth control but now wishes to conceive
• If the male partner is not able to produce enough sperm of good quality
• In the case of unexplained infertility, where no particular cause can be pinpointed.
• If any one of the two partners, or both of them are likely to pass on a genetic disorder to the baby
• If the couple wishes to postpone pregnancy due to a medical condition such as cancer, which can make it harder to conceive naturally later.

What are the steps involved in  In Vitro Fertilization?

Prior to starting the procedure, our experts need to perform a thorough assessment of your reproductive organs to ensure the health of your uterus and fallopian tubes, providing adequate support for pregnancy after implantation.

This assessment also involves a hormonal evaluation to ensure there is no imbalance and to measure the ovarian reserves.

The IVF procedure comprises several crucial steps. These are:

• Step I - Ovarian Stimulation: This is the first and very important step that involves the retrieval of as many mature eggs as possible. Given the intricacy of the female reproductive cycle, the ovarian stimulation process is a little complex and calls for the need for proper fertility testing. During this stage, the focus is on increasing the quantity and enhancing the quality of the eggs with the help of medications that are to be taken orally or injected into the body. You will need to go for regular screenings and tests as these help our team to track the progress and ensure there is no complication.
• Step II - Egg Retrieval: The second step involves the retrieval of the egg from the ovaries. This is done around 34 to 36 hours after you take your final injection. The procedure is done under IV sedation to ensure that you do not feel any discomfort and the technique used is known as Trans vaginal ultrasound aspiration. Using a tiny needle doctors carefully remove the mature eggs from the ovaries. The procedure may take anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes. These eggs are carefully preserved in a special incubator.
• Step III - Fertilization: The third and equally crucial step is fertilization, in which the eggs collected from the female partner are assessed and the healthy ones are separated to be used for the procedure. Once the selection is made on the basis of thorough evaluation and assessment, doctors carefully transfer motile sperm collected from the male partner into the dish containing the healthy eggs and allow them to fertilize. This is commonly referred to as standard insemination. In some cases, doctors may resort to the intracytoplasmic injection technique, in which a healthy sperm is directly injected into the egg. The assessment is done after 16 to 18 hours following the procedure to ensure fertilization has taken place.
• Step IV - Embryo Transfer: Once fertilization takes place the embryo is thoroughly assessed. This is done to choose the healthiest embryo that enhances the success rates and outcome of the procedure. This includes genetic testing as well. Most of the ambrosia transferred during the cleavage stage on the blastocyst stage, which refers to day 3 and day 5 following the oocyte retrieval. The number of embryos that are transferred depends upon various factors like the age of the intended mother and the preference of the couple. Implantation of multiple embryos does enhance the chances of conception however can also result in multiple pregnancies.
• Step V - Assisted Hatching: This step is required in only certain cases, especially where the intended mother is above 37 years of age. In order to get implanted on the wall of the uterus, the embryo needs to hatch out of its outer membrane however, in case this the outer membrane is thick, the embryo may not attach by itself and needs a little assistance during the transfer procedure. Assistant hatching is a micromanipulation technique in which doctors make a tiny hole in the outer membrane of the embryo allowing it to hatch and get implanted on the uterine wall more conveniently.
• Step VI - Pregnancy Test: The final and much-awaited step is the pregnancy test. Once the pregnancy is confirmed, you need to go for an ultrasound to ensure there are no complications.

What are the benefits of In Vitro Fertilization?

In vitro fertilization procedure has gained a lot of momentum in recent years due to its high success rates and various benefits, which include, but are not limited to the following:

• It gives the couple the freedom to conceive without any age barriers
• In the case where any of the intended parents, or both, do not produce healthy gametes, the same can be taken from a donor.
• It gives you the free choice of planning your pregnancy whenever you are ready for it. 
• It lowers the risks of complications like miscarriage and genetic problems as doctors can choose the healthiest embryo for transfer.
• It enhances the chances of conception by offering advanced techniques like assisted hatching.
• It offers a viable solution for people who need to undergo treatment for serious medical conditions like cancer