Tell me about IVF
History:
In-vitro fertilization (IVF) was first developed in the 1970’s to help women with severely damaged fallopian tubes to conceive. The first child born as result of IVF is Louise Brown, born 7/25/1978. Her birthday has since then been celebrated as World IVF day and a symbol of hope for many families. In less than 50 years, IVF has gone from experimental to a widely available treatment option for couples with endometriosis, poor sperm parameters, unexplained infertility, and other indications. The success of IVF has increased as the technology in the process has dramatically changed through the years. More recently IVF has been used as a means of fertility preservation – freezing eggs or embryos to be used at a later time when parents are ready to conceive.
Learn more about the chronological history of IVF in depth here.
Learn more about the progression of IVF in depth here.
What is IVF:
In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is one treatment option under the realm of assisted reproductive technology (ART). With IVF, an egg is removed from a woman’s ovaries, fertilized with sperm outside of the body in a laboratory, and the resulting embryo transferred to the uterus for implantation with the goal of developing into a healthy baby.
There are several different options for this process to be achieved. They include:
Your egg and male partner’s sperm
Donor egg and male partner’s sperm
Your egg and a donor’s sperm
Both donor egg and sperm
Eggs are removed from a woman’s body in a procedure called an egg retrieval. An ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval cycle includes the following:
Cycle management- you may be placed on oral contraceptives during the month or months prior to the retrieval, with monitoring for the timing of ovulation in preparation for treatment.
Ovarian Stimulation- About 10-14 days prior to the egg retrieval, you will be given drugs, typically via self-injection, to stimulate your ovaries into producing multiple eggs.
Monitoring- During this stimulation period you will have regular scans and blood tests to ensure an optimal follicle production in response to medications. This will help determine the optimal timing for the trigger shot and collection.
Trigger shot- About 2 days before your egg retrieval you will have one more injection—a trigger shot—for final maturation of the eggs.
Egg retrieval day- Under light anesthesia, your Physician will use ultrasound guidance to collect and retrieve the developing eggs. These eggs will be taken straight to the lab and you will know this day how many eggs were retrieved.
The eggs may be cryopreserved (frozen) at this time or fertilized with sperm in the laboratory. A fertilized egg (embryo) may be either cryopreserved at this time or transferred to the uterus if patients are ready to conceive. **Note, if you are undergoing any chromosomal or genetic testing, your eggs or embryos will need to be cryopreserved.
When you are ready to conceive, your embryo—fresh or frozen—will be transferred in a process called an embryo transfer. This will include:
Either a programmed cycle (including additional medications), a modified natural cycle (with letrozole or clomid) or a natural cycle (mimicking your typical menstrual cycle).
Transfer day determination based upon several factors including: your responses to medications and the egg retrieval process, your timeline and family planning considerations, and the timeline and responses to further testing (genetic testing, etc).
On the day of transfer, you may be given medications that may cause drowsiness. Embryo transfers are done with a full bladder; this may cause some discomfort. Your doctor will insert a long, thin, flexible tube called a catheter into your vagina, through your cervix and into your uterus. A syringe containing one or more embryos suspended in a small amount of fluid is attached to the end of the catheter. Using the syringe, the doctor will place your embryo (fresh or thawed-previously-frozen) into your uterus.
Then you will enter a period known as the two week wait (2WW) prior to return to the clinic for a blood test to determine pregnancy.
Learn more about IVF and the process in depth here:
Last updated- 2/14/24
