To have a baby in her arms is the dream of every woman in the world. Sometimes there are issues with the reproductive systems of women or men, making them unable to conceive a child naturally. Due to advancements in medical science, in-vitro fertilization methods have come to rescue thousands of infertile couples. Many men and women don’t look infertile. They don’t feel infertile, but after many years of trying to start a family, followed by many months of monitoring your cycle in a fertility clinic, it’s time to discuss IVF.

IVF enables couples to have a baby with the assistance of Assisted Reproductive technologies.

Steps included in the IVF procedure:

• Starting of Oral Contraceptive Pills
• Transvaginal Ultrasound
• Ovarian Stimulation
• Monitoring
• Final Maturation Injection

Starting of Oral Contraceptive Pills:

In some cases, oral contraceptive pills are recommended by fertility experts to suppress ovaries before initiating stimulation medications. This process helps in optimizing the chances of follicle growth.

Here are some possible benefits of Oral Contraceptive Pills:

• Decreased chance of developing ovarian cysts
• Enhanced ovarian response during ovarian stimulation

Trans-Vaginal Ultrasound

Transvaginal ultrasound is done to ensure the ovaries of a woman are not producing the eggs as oral contraceptive pills have suppressed them in the first step of the IVF procedure. If everything is fine with your baseline transvaginal ultrasound, the fertility experts start stimulatory medication.

Ovarian Stimulation

Ovarian stimulation comes after the transvaginal ultrasound as the second stage of the IVF fertility procedure. The ultimate goal of the ovarian stimulation to harvest the number of mature eggs as possible from the woman’s ovaries.

After taking ovarian stimulants, you can feel a fullness in your ovaries due to some skin reactions. But these skin reactions are to be ignored as of no worry. Ovarian stimulation is a complicated process in the IVF treatment, which has to be carried with extra care.

The medicines given in the ovarian stimulation have to be injected just underneath your skin.

Monitoring

Monitoring in the IVF is a crucial step that must be taken with caution and care by fertility experts in the fertility clinic. After giving ovarian stimulation medication, fertility experts will monitor your estradiol level and follicle growth. Patients are supposed to visit the fertility clinic frequently.

Trans-Vaginal Oocyte Retrieval

Oocyte Retrieval is a procedure in which eggs are retrieved from the woman’s ovaries to fertilize it further in the laboratory. The patient will be sedated to avoid the pain during the egg retrieval procedure. After taking the HCG injection, it is advised to visit the fertility clinic after about thirty-six hours. Patients are not advised to take any medication or eat anything before the night of egg retrieval. It will take around twenty to thirty minutes.

An embryologist will start examining the retrieved eggs as soon as they arrive in the laboratory. After the retrieval procedure is done, women who have undergone the oocyte retrieval can feel their enlargement in their ovaries for the next few days.

Fertilization

Embryologists are responsible for fertilization of the retrieved eggs. Eggs are fertilized with the semen after examining the semen quality in the laboratory. In some cases, frozen samples are used, which are preserved for future use.

Embryo Transfer

An embryo transfer is a final stage in the In Vitro Fertilization procedure in which fertilized eggs are transported to the woman’s uterus. When eggs and semen are fertilized in the laboratory, they become an embryo. Embryo transfer has to take place after two to five days of the egg retrieval.

Every couple who is thinking of having a baby and is unable to conceive a baby is advised to think about IVF or Fast Track IVF if there is a limitation of time. Always remember that it is always good to begin early.