Friday, April 25, 2014

Essential Facts About IVF And The Procedures Involved

By Lindsay Ranson


The complex series of procedures that are used to treat infertility and generic problems and thus assist in achieving conception is known as In Vitro Fertilization, IVF. The procedure involves collecting mature eggs from ovaries then fertilizing them with sperms. This happens in a laboratory. The embryo that results is then implanted into the uterus. Each In Vitro Fertilization cycle takes just about two weeks. When it comes to assisted forms of reproductive technology, this is the most effective.

The eggs and sperms used can be from one of two sources; the individuals themselves, or in some cases, from donors. The donors may be anonymous or known. If the woman in question does not want to carry the pregnancy, there is the option of using other women, in which case there will be legal agreements. The health of the baby will depend on various factors, for example age and cause of infertility. The entire procedure may be time consuming and costly, plus it is known to be invasive. Multiple pregnancies occur when more than one embryo is implanted.

The choice of clinic is an important consideration. This will have to be done in such a way that the best option is chosen. The treatment approaches used and the treatment population are some of the factors that will need to be considered. It is very important that those involved find out the exact costs to be incurred.

In the event that individuals look to use their own eggs and sperms, several screenings will be required. Ovarian reserve testing is done for determination of quality and quantity of eggs. In this, there is the testing of how concentrated the follicle stimulating hormone and estrogen are. This is done in the first days of the menstrual cycle. These, together with ultrasound testing will assist to predict the response of ovaries to fertility medications.

Semen gets analyzed in line with carrying out initial evaluation of fertility. Normally, this is done before the treatment cycle begins. Screening for diseases that are infectious is also done. An example is HIV. There will be need to determine the uterine cavity depth, which is done by carrying out a mock embryo transfer. The mock embryo transfer also helps to determine the best technique to place embryos into the uterus.

Egg retrieval can be done done from the office of the physician and will involve the individual being given sedatives and pain killers. The usual method used in retrieval is trans-vaginal ultrasound aspiration. There is insertion of an ultrasound probe into the vagina for identification of follicles. There is then insertion of a thin needle into ultrasound guide that goes into the vagina and into the follicles to retrieve eggs.

Fertilization is achieved through two main techniques. One of these is insemination in which healthy sperms and mature eggs are mixed then incubated overnight. Then there is ICSI, which is intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection in which a single healthy sperm gets injected directly into a mature egg. The second technique is used when there is a problem with semen quality or their number.

A number of factors determine health of babies born through In Vitro Fertilization. Reproductive history of the individual, cause of the infertility, maternal age and status of the embryo are some of the factors. Other factors include whether or not the individual smokes and their level of caffeine intake.




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