In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a convenient procedure that enables a woman to become pregnant despite certain reproductive issues. Rather than fertilization occurring in the fallopian tube, it occurs in a laboratory dish. It is thus suitable for instances of impaired sperm production, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and fallopian tube blockage. If you require this procedure, it will help if you visit a Bedford effortless IVF specialist near you.

Before considering the procedure, you are probably wondering what it entails. Without further ado, here are its stages below.

Preparation

Before the procedure, doctors will determine the quality of a woman’s eggs through reserve testing. They will check the concentrations of estrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Next, they will analyze the man’s sperm. Lastly, the doctor will do a uterine exam by checking the woman’s uterus lining through a sonohysterography or hysteroscopy.

While your doctor does these tests, they will ask you some questions. They may want to know what you will do with the extra embryos. Also, they will want to know your level of preparedness in case of complications from a donor’s egg.

Ovulation Induction

At this stage, the doctor uses synthetic hormones to trigger the ovaries to release multiple eggs. They do this by injecting the woman with medication that contains a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) or luteinizing hormone (LH).

You may be wondering why it is necessary to have many eggs. Remember, some of them may fail to fertilize or develop properly. Therefore, the doctor must increase your chance of getting pregnant.

Egg Retrieval

Next, the doctor retrieves the eggs by sedating the woman. They will access your ovaries through transvaginal ultrasound. It involves inserting a probe into the vagina to identify the follicles. At the tip of the probe is a needle that will collect the eggs. They can collect multiple of them within 20 minutes.

After the doctor has retrieved them, you may experience fullness or cramping. These sensations can last for a few days, which means your doctor will prescribe pain relievers.

Sperm Retrieval

A woman may either use sperm from their partner or someone else. The man must give it to the doctor on the same day as the egg retrieval. A common way of collecting sperm is through masturbation. Another technique of harvesting them is through testicular aspiration. In this procedure, the doctor extracts sperms from the testes with a needle.

Fertilization

Doctors may use two fertilization techniques: conventional insemination and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In the former, mature eggs and sperm are incubated together. As for the latter, the sperm is injected into each mature egg.

After this process, your doctor will have to insert the embryo into the woman’s body. Once again, they will sedate the woman for this step. They do this by using a catheter and a syringe with the embryo.

Now that you have understood what IVF entails, you may wonder if it is worth it. It is something you should consider since its success rate is 55% on the first try. However, you may be unlucky, and it fails, so what next? If you are still determined, you can try the procedure for a second time. Usually, when the procedure fails, it is because of the arrest of the embryos. If you have been trying to conceive for a while, try IVF today.