IVF PROCESS- A STEP BY STEP GUIDE

At Procare Hospital, we fulfill the parenthood dreams of infertile couples with various infertility treatment processes including IVF, with the help of advanced technology, personalized care and closed working chamber technique, which has significantly improved the outcome of IVF cycles and hence, helping us in bringing little miracles to the aspiring couples. IVF treatment is a series of procedures. The steps for IVF treatment process include-

1. Initial Consultation

Your first step towards a happier life should be meeting up with an IVF specialist. During this appointment, our specialist will review all the medical information you have provided including the previous tests or treatments undergone. Once all the information has been discussed, the specialist will recommend the best way to proceed. This consultation initiates the IVF Process.

2. Testing and Ovary Stimulation

After all the required tests done in the initial phase of IVF process, the stimulation process will start on the first day of your monthly cycle. Unlike normal, you will be given medications for 8-14 days to encourage the follicles in your ovaries to produce more eggs. Most common hormones used for stimulation are Follicle-stimulating hormone and Luteinizing hormone. To time the ‘trigger injection’ perfectly, you will be tracked towards the end of the stimulation phase. This shot gets the eggs ready for ovulation hence, completing the 2nd step of IVF Procedure.

3. Egg retrieval

In this step of IVF treatment process, the eggs are collected from your ovaries. This procedure takes about 20-30 minutes while you are asleep. Your specialist will use the latest ultrasound technology to guide a needle into each ovary. In egg retrieval process, the average number of eggs collected is 8-15.

4. Sperm Retrieval

Sperm retrieval is done on the same day as that of egg retrieval if you are a couple planning to use fresh sperm in an IVF treatment procedure. In case of frozen or donor eggs, the specialists will keep them ready in the lab. The sperm is selected on the basis of 4 different levels of quality. A perfectly healthy sperm is neither too fat nor too thin. Hence, the best sperms among all are selected for further fertilization.

5. Fertilization

In this step of IVF Procedure, the scientists will now use powerful microscopes to find the eggs from the fluid so they can be taken out of it. Then both eggs and sperm are fertilized in a dish in vitro.

6. Embryo Development

Fertilization of the egg and the sperm results into a zygote which further develops into an embryo. Then the embryo is placed in a special incubator where the conditions for growth and development are the same as a mother’s womb. Our scientists keep an eye on the embryos over 5-6 days. In this infertility treatment process, implanting embryos at the blastocyst stage inside the uterus boosts the chances of a successful pregnancy.

7. Embryo Transfer

It is a very simple step of IVF treatment procedure. The patients need not to be given anesthesia and they can be in their senses completely. Here, the scientist prepares the embryo by placing it in a catheter (small tube). This process is carried out by an expert only because it requires precision and zero disturbances. Hence, he will place the catheter through the cervix into your uterus.

8. Final Pregnancy Test

Two weeks post your embryo transfer; your specialist will conduct a blood test to measure your hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone level. When hCG is detected in your bloodstream, it is a positive sign of pregnancy. Also, it is the final step of the IVF Procedure and the 1st step towards parenthood.