The IVF Process Explained Simply

There might be a lot of you that have only just encountered my post or my profile for the first time, so I would just like to inform you that my husband and I had mutually decided to undergo IVF Treatment last year, mid-2019. And for those who are not aware of what an IVF treatment is, let me give you some background information as to what exactly it is and what are the processes involved in this type of fertility treatment. And I'm writing this based on my personal and first-hand experience and not just from the books that I have read about this particular procedure.

What is IVF?

IVF is an acronym for In-Vitro Fertilization. As I explained in my post, My IVF Pregnancy Journey Part 6, IVF involves the process of stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs by the use of certain medications. In spite of high or average ovarian reserve, a woman's ovaries only release one mature egg cell in each cycle, and so, it is important that for this treatment to be viable, the ovaries need to be able to produce multiple eggs. These egg cells will then be harvested at a specific day of the cycle, preferably between the 12th and the 17th day. It is during this period that a woman is fertile or ovulating and that was because the ovulation is triggered by the medications used throughout the preparation process.

Prior to making a decision to go through IVF, the fertility doctor suspected that I had not been ovulating every cycle. I fell in the category of unexplained infertility because of the fact that all test results, even my husband's test result, all came out to be within normal limits, that there was nothing wrong in both of us. As a matter of fact, I still had a good ovarian reserve despite my age. The only thing that the doctor could say was that I was not ovulating regularly. And that could be the cause of the problem.

What are the processes involved?

1. Booking

It will start with a series of consultations with fertility specialists or doctors. During these visits, the doctor will discuss the different treatments available for those who are struggling with infertility (or inability to conceive naturally). Once the decision is made to undergo IVF assisted pregnancy, the couple (or in some cases, a woman, if opting for single motherhood), will have to sign different consent forms.

2. Preparation

The doctor will then prescribe the medications needed for IVF. These medications will be injected subcutaneously into the woman's abdomen near the navel area. It is important to follow a strict schedule of the injections for 9-10 consecutive nights each night. During this time, a fertility nurse will be contacting the woman every day or every other day to check up on her, making sure she's adhering to the flow chart of medications, also to monitor her cycle. Furthermore, the woman cannot just rely on these medications. She also needs to prepare her body by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This should have been done even way before this procedure if she is really determined to have a baby, such as avoiding food or drinks that may affect fertility. For example, some doctors may suggest limiting coffee intake as it may affect either the woman's or man's fertility (I used to drink 2-4 cups of coffee a day but I quit altogether).

3. Monitoring Cycle

Blood tests and ultrasound will be scheduled. The fertility nurse will inform the woman when these should be made. Also, whilst taking all the medications and monitoring the cycle, the woman and her husband need to resist having sexual intercourse at this stage to avoid the risk of resulting in multiple pregnancies.

4. Planning for Egg Collection

Once blood tests and ultrasound results show that the woman's ovaries are responding well to the medications, which means, mature follicles are being formed in the ovaries and will be ready for release (ovulation), the nurse will then schedule her for egg retrieval procedure.

5. Egg Collection

During this procedure, the woman will be sedated and this is done in an operating room. The doctor will insert an ultrasound-guided needle into the vagina all the way to the ovaries to aspirate the follicles and then retrieve the mature egg cells.

6. Semen Collection

This is also required from the male partner at the same time of egg collection procedure.

7. Monitor Side Effects

After the egg retrieval procedure, the doctor will determine if the woman will be physically ready for the embryo transfer. What happens is that for some women, they may experience ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome which can be very dangerous if not treated or embryo transfer is done in the same cycle. It is best for the woman to wait for the next 1-2 cycles before they can transfer the embryo into her uterus.

8. Cryopreservaton

Once eggs and semen are collected, the fertility laboratory technicians will then culture and fertilise the cells and monitor them until they are ready for cryopreservation (or freezing). If the sperm fertilises the egg successfully, then those two combined will become an embryo and then will be stored in a cryogenic freezer. These will be in storage until they will be ready for implantation.

9. Embryo Transfer

When the woman's uterus is ready, the transfer will then be scheduled at a specified date. Before the transfer, the frozen embryo will have to be thawed first. There are instances that the thawing process may be unsuccessful, and so, that is one embryo lost or discarded. This thawing process will be done just immediately before the transfer. The transfer is a simple procedure as if the woman is just having a Pap Smear done. The woman will be awake during this procedure, and it only takes about 15 minutes and it is done.