During in vitro fertilization, eggs are removed from mature follicles within an ovary A. An egg is fertilized by injecting a single sperm into the egg or mixing the egg with sperm in a petri dish B. The fertilized egg embryo is transferred into the uterus C. In vitro fertilization IVF is a complex series of procedures used to help with fertility or prevent genetic problems and assist with the conception of a child.
During IVF , mature eggs are collected retrieved from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. Then the fertilized egg embryo or eggs embryos are transferred to a uterus.
One full cycle of IVF takes about three weeks. Sometimes these steps are split into different parts and the process can take longer. IVF is the most effective form of assisted reproductive technology. The procedure can be done using a couple's own eggs and sperm. Or IVF may involve eggs, sperm or embryos from a known or anonymous donor. In some cases, a gestational carrier — someone who has an embryo implanted in the uterus — might be used.
Your chances of having a healthy baby using IVF depend on many factors, such as your age and the cause of infertility. In addition, IVF can be time-consuming, expensive and invasive. If more than one embryo is transferred to the uterus, IVF can result in a pregnancy with more than one fetus multiple pregnancy.
Your doctor can help you understand how IVF works, the potential risks and whether this method of treating infertility is right for you. In vitro fertilization IVF is a treatment for infertility or genetic problems.
If IVF is performed to treat infertility, you and your partner might be able to try less-invasive treatment options before attempting IVF , including fertility drugs to increase production of eggs or intrauterine insemination — a procedure in which sperm are placed directly in the uterus near the time of ovulation. Sometimes, IVF is offered as a primary treatment for infertility in women over age IVF can also be done if you have certain health conditions.
For example, IVF may be an option if you or your partner has:. Fertility preservation for cancer or other health conditions. If you're about to start cancer treatment — such as radiation or chemotherapy — that could harm your fertility, IVF for fertility preservation may be an option. Women can have eggs harvested from their ovaries and frozen in an unfertilized state for later use.
Or the eggs can be fertilized and frozen as embryos for future use. Women who don't have a functional uterus or for whom pregnancy poses a serious health risk might choose IVF using another person to carry the pregnancy gestational carrier. In this case, the woman's eggs are fertilized with sperm, but the resulting embryos are placed in the gestational carrier's uterus.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Use of injectable fertility drugs, such as human chorionic gonadotropin HCG , to induce ovulation can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, in which your ovaries become swollen and painful.
Symptoms typically last a week and include mild abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If you become pregnant, however, your symptoms might last several weeks.
Rarely, it's possible to develop a more severe form of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome that can also cause rapid weight gain and shortness of breath.
A clinic's success rate depends on many factors. These include patients' ages and medical issues, as well as the clinic's treatment population and treatment approaches. Ask for detailed information about the costs associated with each step of the procedure.
Before beginning a cycle of IVF using your own eggs and sperm, you and your partner will likely need various screenings, including:. Before beginning a cycle of IVF , consider important questions, including:. How many embryos will be transferred? The number of embryos transferred is typically based on age and number of eggs retrieved.
Since the rate of implantation is lower for older women, more embryos are usually transferred — except for women using donor eggs or genetically tested embryos. Most doctors follow specific guidelines to prevent a higher order multiple pregnancy, such as triplets or more.
In some countries, legislation limits the number of embryos that can be transferred. Make sure you and your doctor agree on the number of embryos that will be transferred before the transfer procedure. What will you do with any extra embryos?
Extra embryos can be frozen and stored for future use for several years. Not all embryos will survive the freezing and thawing process, although most will. Back to Health A to Z. In vitro fertilisation IVF is one of several techniques available to help people with fertility problems have a baby. During IVF, an egg is removed from the woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory. The fertilised egg, called an embryo, is then returned to the woman's womb to grow and develop.
It can be carried out using your eggs and your partner's sperm, or eggs and sperm from donors. These guidelines recommend that IVF should be offered to women under the age of 43 who have been trying to get pregnant through regular unprotected sex for 2 years. Or who have had 12 cycles of artificial insemination, with at least 6 of these cycles using a method called intrauterine insemination IUI.
Read more about the availability of IVF. If you're having trouble getting pregnant, you should start by speaking to your GP. If you are lucky enough to have embryos to spare, these can be used to help other people and even save lives. With the permission of the biological parents, unused embryos can be donated for research purposes, or to another couple to enable them to have a child.
Embryos can be used to screen for inherited diseases. Both of these techniques are available at our clinics. An IVF cycle may be unsuccessful. The success of IVF is not guaranteed , and patients often have to undergo more than one cycle of treatment before they are successful.
This naturally varies woman to woman, and a fertility specialist will be able to give a more accurate and personalised likelihood of success. It is important to be realistic but positive about the chances of success. There may be associated side effects and risks. As a medical treatment, IVF comes with a small chance of developing side effects, the most severe of these being severe ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome OHSS.
Fortunately, the use of fewer or no drugs in natural and mild IVF cycles means that the already small likelihood of developing unwanted risk of OHSS is dramatically decreased or eliminated. Multiple pregnancy. Multiple pregnancies do carry associated health risks to mother and baby: there is an increased chance of premature labour, miscarriage, need for caesarean, stillbirth and infant health problems with multiple pregnancies.
It is important for all fertility clinics to have robust single embryo transfer policies, to avoid the risks of multiple pregnancy. There is a slightly higher chance of ectopic pregnancy. There is evidence that high oestrogen levels associated with high stimulation IVF can increase the risk of prematurity and low birth weight in babies. There is growing evidence that giving high stimulation during IVF increases the chance that a baby is born prematurely and with lower birth weight.
This has been linked to long-term health problems for the child. It is theorised that high oestrogen levels can affect the intra-uterine environment. With drug-free and low drug approaches, it has been observed that babies born are more likely to be born at full term and with a higher birth weight than those born through high stimulation IVF associated with high oestrogen levels.
This is one of the reasons why we are committed to Natural and Mild IVF, as we believe that the success of treatment is not just a live birth, but is a healthy full term live birth.
Going through IVF treatment can be a highly emotive and stressful experience. For patients undergoing treatment, it can be physically and emotionally demanding.
0コメント