Seven Significant Steps Of In-vitro Fertilization Treatment

Gynecological examination, patient evaluation, providing medications to stimulate the woman’s ovulation, acquiring the eggs, fertilization and incubation, administering the embryo’s implantation, and implantation monitoring are the steps to follow when undergoing in-vitro fertilization treatment at fertility clinics.

People who have difficulty in having a child may go to a jacksonville fertility clinic for care and treatment related to infertility issues. Every medical treatment performed by fertility clinics have a step-by-step procedure that must be followed. The most popular procedure done in fertility clinics is in-vitro fertilization (IVF). This method also has its own set of steps.

Gynecological examination

Gynecological testing is the initial procedure undertaken by the female patient to confirm her infertility. This procedure will determine whether IVF treatment is best for the patient to take.

Evaluation of the patient

The evaluation step immediately follows confirmation of the patient’s infertility. This step could be divided into different partsand could last for a few months. This first part of this procedure includes the couple’s orientation and education of IVF treatment. Diagnostic testing follows where the patient is examined to see if it is possible for her to get pregnant through IVF.

Providing medications to stimulate the woman’s ovulation

The fertility doctor administers two hormone medications to the patient during the onset of her menstrual cycle. There are two medications given respectively; one is to regulate the woman’s ovulation period and the other is to stimulate egg production. Each medication is given via injections on a daily basis. Trans-vaginal ultrasounds will be done to the patient while on the course of the medication. The development of the follicles containing the woman’s eggs can be assessed with the help of this. After the doctor determines that the woman’s eggs are fully matured and ready for ovulation a third medication is administered. The last medication releases the eggs by stimulating the ovaries. This procedure is often carried on the 12th day of the course of the treatment.

Eggs retrieval

The woman’s eggs are retrieved as soon as they mature. The physician administers anesthesia to the woman as the first step in retrieving her eggs. The eggs are transferred from the follicles to a test tube through a needle. They will conduct a trans-vaginal ultrasound to help guide the procedure.

Eggs fertilization and incubation

After the eggs are retrieved, they are then combined with sperm that has been collected from the husband. Approximately 60% of the total number of eggs retrieved is fertilized. The fertilized eggs will then be incubated and closely monitored for a period of 3 to 5 days.

Implanting the embryo

The resulting embryos from the previous step are evaluated for quality. In order to transfer the embryos into the uterus, an astraumatic catheter is used for this procedure. They will usually implant 2 to 4 embryos. The embryos which are not used can be preserved using cryopreservation for future use in case the first pregnancy fails.

Monitoring the implantation of the embryo

To help in the implantation of the embryos, the patient is given progesterone in this step. The patient is then tested for pregnancy 10 days later. Once positive for pregnancy, the patient can then have prenatal care to her own physician. A new cycle of the treatment can be done if the embryos are not successfully implanted.

The success of each step in the process affects the overall success of the fertility treatment so it is important that each step is properly carried out and completed.