REPRODUCTION IVF
IVF (In vitro fertilization) is a type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) used to treat infertility. The IVF procedure involves the fertilization of an egg with sperm outside of the body, in a laboratory dish.
The following are the general steps involved in IVF:
1. Ovarian stimulation: The woman receives medication to stimulate the growth and maturation of multiple eggs in her ovaries.
2. Egg retrieval: The eggs are collected from the ovaries using a needle guided by ultrasound.
3. Sperm collection: The male partner provides a semen sample, which is prepared in the laboratory to isolate the healthiest and most active sperm.
4. Fertilization: The eggs are combined with sperm in a laboratory dish for fertilization.
5. Embryo development: The fertilized eggs are allowed to grow and develop into embryos over the course of a few days.
6. Embryo transfer: The healthiest embryos are selected and transferred to the woman’s uterus using a thin catheter.
7. Pregnancy test: The woman undergoes a blood test to determine if she is pregnant.
There are different types of IVF procedures, including:
1. Traditional IVF: This is the most common type of IVF, which involves fertilizing the eggs and sperm together in a laboratory dish.
2. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): This is a type of IVF that involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg using a tiny needle. ICSI is used when there are male infertility issues, such as low sperm count or poor sperm motility.
3. Natural cycle IVF: This is a type of IVF that does not involve ovarian stimulation. Instead, a single egg is collected from the woman during her natural menstrual cycle.
4. Mini IVF: This is a type of IVF that uses lower doses of medication to stimulate the growth of a smaller number of eggs.
5. Frozen embryo transfer (FET): This is a type of IVF that involves freezing the embryos that were not transferred during the initial IVF cycle and transferring them later during a FET cycle.