Dr. Aruna Ashok MBBS, MS OG, DNB OG
- Clinical Director
IVF is one of the most advanced procedures in the industry. In-vitro fertilization involves fertilizing the collected sperm and egg in a controlled environment. The fertilized egg is kept in a controlled chemical environment and the embryo is planted in the uterus of the female partner. This has been the most important breakthrough in the field of reproductive medicine. Now we are going to take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions before undertaking an IVF procedure.
There are fundamental steps to be considered before undergoing an IVF
The medical officer collects all the relevant personal and medical details of the patients (Both male and female partners) and records the relevant data in the database. The information collected is elaborate and meticulous. The consultant for medical and gynecological examination examines the male and his partners. The next process is the baseline ultrasonogram of the pelvis, uterus, and ovaries. The relevant blood tests play a vital role in determining the vital parameters beforehand. The female partner will have a fasting blood test for thyroid and prolactin hormones which are done near the patient’s residence in any standard labs. There are specific instructions for undergoing thyroid and prolactin tests. Eight hours of fasting is essential. Intercourse is not allowed on the previous day. It is better to avoid rubbing or scrubbing the breast before the test as it might increase the prolactin.
Pre-treatment Requisites
Pretreatment becomes a necessity for patients with special circumstances. It is given from the previous menstrual cycle in the form of hormonal pills or injections. The main objectives of the pre-treatment are to synchronize the follicles for better egg retrieval during the consequent cycle, to improve the quantity and the quality of the eggs, to have synchronized follicles, and to lessen the LH levels.
Various tests play a vital role before IVF Treatment. A semen test is essential and the patients should take it at sexual abstinence of 3-5 days and not before. Semen DFI is prescribed for people with diabetes, smoking habit, more than 40 years old, and people with previous IVF failures.
There are three main steps involved in IVF, There are
Stimulation Cycle Counselling
Ovarian stimulation is the first process. This process is carried out from the second day of the menstrual cycle of the female partner. Gonadotropins and other additional injections are added for ovarian stimulation. The injection course happens every day. It is advisable to take an injection every day over the same time with a time difference of 1 or 2 hours. The first five days are a relaxation period. After the sixth day, it becomes a necessity to take the injection at the same time. The storage of the injections and the potency of the medicines are very important.
Egg Collection
Egg collection is carried out on day 12 or 13 from the start of menstruation. This procedure involves the collection of eggs from the ovaries in the morning through the transvaginal ultrasound-guided needle under a short period of general anesthesia. The patients should be fasting for 6 hours before undergoing the procedure. Diabetic patients should avoid diabetic medicine on the day of the procedure. The patients can consume thyroid and hypertension medicine with sips of water on the day of the procedure. The duration of the procedure is around 30 minutes. The patient can be discharged on the same evening after observation of 4-6 hours after their procedure.
Embryo Transfer
Unlike the process of egg collection, embryo transfer does not require anesthesia as the process is painless. The embryo is loaded in a soft flexible catheter and inserted inside. The process is done under the USG guidance with a full bladder and the embryo is placed at the right position inside the uterus. We will show the embryos to the patients accordingly through live monitoring before undergoing the process.
The chance of becoming positive from ICSI treatment varies among different patients. For females, the success rate of IVF depends on factors like age, ovarian reserve, infertility duration, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and myoma. For males, the success rate of IVF depends on various parameters of the male patient’s low sperm count or motility or morphology, and sperm DNA damage level. Other parameters like genetic abnormalities in one or both males and females, blood clots, autoimmune disorders, alcohol, smoking and much more might determine the success rate of IVF. CDC has a methodology to estimate IVF success rate based on various patient factors.
According to the current evidence, there are no long-term side effects after IVF. The IVF process takes at least one month. The patient is exposed to strong stimulators only during two weeks of the procedure. This is a very short period. IVF doesn’t increase the risk of female cancers, such as Ovarian, uterine, cervical, or breast cancers. The doctors suggest the patients take up not more than three cycles of stimulation. The doctors suggest more cycles in rare cases.
Various other questions are answered in the subsequent blogs. Please follow the other content to get answers to various questions regarding IVF. A4 Fertility provides the best fertility treatment procedures with state-of-art technology. We are here to create happy families. We offer the best possible ways to solve the problem of infertility.