IVF - The Basics

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a medical procedure and one of the most innovative fertility treatments in practice today. If you are facing fertility challenges on your journey to create a family, IVF may be your key to overcoming them. Infertility struggles are probably more common than you think. If you are in need of help, you are most definitely not alone. Golden State Surrogacy partners with innovative, highly successful doctors and clinics who guide parents to be throughout the entire process. We enjoy educating our patients and the public about the realities of IVF. We explain the basics of in vitro fertilization below with a step-by-step walkthrough of the IVF process to all of our clients and surrogate carriers.

The IVF Process

IVF is a complex medical procedure that should only be performed by the most experienced fertility health professionals. The IVF cycle does not seem so overwhelming to fertility patients when it is broken down into its distinct parts. Your fertility treatment will begin with visits to our doctor and clinic partners. You’ll receive lots of information and begin the required medical and psychological exams.

Once you have taken care of these initial meetings and you have made your final decision to go forward, IVF pretreatment preparation can begin. During this time, you will undergo comprehensive lab work in order to provide your IVF specialists with a complete understanding of your health. This typically involves a blood panel, several ultrasounds, a uterine health evaluation, and tests for infectious disease. Male fertility tests will also be conducted to ascertain the health of the donor sperm.

After all medical screening has been completed, you are ready to begin your IVF cycle. There five primary steps in the modern in vitro fertilization process, the bulk of which occur in about 3 weeks.

Ovary Stimulation

After pretreatment has taken place, the IVF patient will take multiple injections to stimulate the ovary in order to mature multiple eggs at the same time. Typically, the patient will take injectable hormone for 8-11 days, injecting herself daily until her eggs mature.

Egg Retrieval and Sperm Retrieval

Egg retrieval is a minor surgical procedurethat occurs under anesthesia once the eggs have reached maturity. There is very little risk associated with the egg retrieval process, but the patient should clear their schedule for the day and make arrangements with a partner or friend for the drive home. The entire process takes about 20 minutes. Eggs are retrieved using an ultra-thin needle to extract the follicular fluid through the vaginal wall, which is then examined by an embryologist to find the mature eggs. If you are undergoing IVF with a partner, their semen sample will typically be collected on this day as well.

Fertilization

The eggs and semensample are combined in a laboratory for natural fertilization. This usually takes place in a small medical dish with the aid of a nutrient fluid, which is then incubated overnight. IIntracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be used if the health of the sperm is suboptimal. In this process, one single healthy donor sperm is injected directly into the egg with a sharp glass needle.

Embryo Transfer

Once fertilization has been confirmed, the embryos are transferred directly into the patient’s uterus. This is done through an opening in the cervix into the uterus with the aid of a catheter. This typically occurs about 3 days after fertilization, and the number of embryos transferred is based on how many were successfully fertilized. Surgery is not needed, but there may be some discomfort following the procedure.

Confirming IVF Implantation and Pregnancy

After the transfer, two follow-up tests are scheduled in order to confirm implantation. The first test usually takes place within a few weeks after embryo transfer, and the second will occur one week after that. Once implantation is confirmed with two positive tests, the in vitro fertilization process is complete.

If you are interested in exploring your options for starting a family via IVF treatment with a surrogate carrier, please contact the experts at Golden State Surrogacy today.