IVF FAQ- In vitro fertilization treatment for infertility


What is IVF?

IVF a method of assisted reproductive technology (ART) used to help couples who suffer from infertility. In vitro fertilization is the most used treatment for fertility problems and has helped more than 3.5 million women successfully conceive.

How does IVF treatment work? 

IVF treatment is defined by cycles. Each cycle replicates the time of a womans menstrual cycle. During IVF, eggs are collected from the woman's ovaries and are fertilized with sperm. Resulting embryos are then implanted into the woman's uterus.

IVF procedure

There are three stages to IVF treatment. Prior to treatment women may be required to take fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs. 

Stage 1: Egg collection and sperm collection

Eggs are collected from the ovaries using a needle which uses suction to remove the follicles. Sperm is retrieved from the male donor and washed to allow fertility specialists to select the strongest sperm for use in fertilization.

Stage 2: Fertilization

The fertilization process of IVF occurs outside the womb and is monitored by the fertility clinic.

Stage 3: Embryo implantation

Once the fertilization process is complete and the embryo is mature enough to implant, a catheter is used to transplant the embryo(s) into the uterus.    

IVF methods

There are many types of IVF treatment fertility specialists use to help couples become pregnant. Conventional in vitro fertilization involves the eggs and sperm being collected from the couple seeking treatment, combined and left to fertilize in a laboratory. Embryos resulting from the fertilization process are then implanted by embryo transfer.

If there is a fertility problem that may cause difficulties with the fertilization process, your fertility clinic may recommend you combine IVF with another fertility treatment method.

Problems related to male infertility, such as low sperm count or low motility of sperm can be helped with ICSI. ICSI is a fertilization method that injects the sperm directly into the center of the egg, raising the success rate of fertilization. If the quality of eggs or problems with the uterine lining are factors affecting a woman's fertility, Assisted Hatching(AH) which creates a defect in the shell of the egg may be recommended to help with the embryo implantation process. 

If treatment methods for infertility have failed using eggs and sperm from the couple seeking IVF, egg and sperm donation could help a subsequent IVF cycle result in pregnancy.

IVF treatment allows couples to screen embryos for genetic disorders prior to becoming pregnant. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis allows fertility clinics to screen embryos for abnormalities and implant only healthy embryos into the uterus.

Success rate of IVF

The success rates of IVF depend on many factors including the age of women, the quality of sperm, the number of embryos transferred and the fertility clinic.  

Cost of IVF

The cost of IVF treatment varies between locations and clinics. The overall cost will include fertility drugs, the procedure and any additional treatment combined with conventional IVF (ICSI, AH, egg donation). In the States, UK and Canada treatment can start from $20,000 USD. In vitro fertilization in Mexico, on average, costs half the price of treatment in other countries.  

 




IVF with ICSI
  • FAQ- IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)


IVF with ICSI
  • FAQ- IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)