In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is used to treat a wide range of fertility problems including unexplained fertility. During the IVF process, the ovaries are stimulated to develop several eggs, these are removed from the ovaries and fertilised with sperm prepared in the laboratory. The fertilised egg then develops into an embryo which is replaced back into the womb.
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is used to treat a wide range of fertility problems including unexplained fertility. During the IVF process, the ovaries are stimulated to develop several eggs, these are removed from the ovaries and fertilised with sperm prepared in the laboratory. The fertilised egg then develops into an embryo which is replaced back into the womb.
IVF was first developed over 40 years ago and still remains at the forefront of fertility treatment. It was initially designed to assist women who had damaged fallopian tubes to conceive and this is still an important reason. It’s also suitable for:
The whole process of IVF, up to the embryo transfer stage, usually takes three to four weeks, and involves a number of steps.
Stimulation.
Naturally, the ovaries only produce one egg each month. However, if you are undergoing IVF treatment and only one egg is available, the chances of pregnancy are significantly reduced. With the use of some hormone medications we can control the ovaries, encouraging them to develop several eggs at the same time. This process is known as ovarian stimulation.
The eggs develop within tiny fluid filled sacs on the ovary, known as follicles. The follicles respond to the medication you are taking every day and subsequently grow in size, as the eggs develop and mature to a point when they are ready to be ovulated into the body. We track the development of the follicles by ultrasound and when they reach the correct size, you will need to take a final injection to start the ovulation process. However, before the follicles ovulate, we will collect eggs from them through a simple egg collection procedure.
Egg Collection.
The eggs are recovered from the ovaries using a fine needle, which is guided with an ultrasound probe directly into the follicles on the surface of the ovaries. The eggs are collected quickly and painlessly as the procedure is performed under sedation provided by an anaesthetist. Typically, the egg collection lasts fifteen to twenty minutes. The eggs are collected by the embryologists in the laboratory, after which they are quickly transferred to an incubator which almost identically matches the natural environment for the eggs.
If you are undergoing treatment with a male partner they will accompany you to the clinic where the sperm must be produced or if using frozen or donor sperm the samples will be thawed on the morning of egg collection. The eggs and sperm are then mixed together in the laboratory in carefully controlled conditions. If the sperm quality is low, procedure known as ICSI is necessary, the sperm will be microinjected into each mature egg at this time.
It takes twenty-four hours to find out if the eggs have been fertilised. If fertilised normally the eggs then develop to become embryos. It is only at the embryo stage (typically 3 to 5 days after egg collection) that they are transferred back into the body.
Embryo Transfer.
The embryos are transferred back into the uterus three to five days after the day of egg collection. The embryo transfer is usually a completely painless procedure similar to having a cervical smear test. Typically, in younger women with good quality embryos only one embryo, which has reach development to day 5 will be recommended for transfer back to the womb.
However, in women over 40 years old being treated with their own eggs, a maximum of 3 embryos may be transferred. The Aria team will make recommendations to each patient, individually based on the quality of the embryos and your own medical history.
When the embryos are transferred back into the body they are placed in the middle of the cavity of the uterus. This procedure usually only takes just a few minutes. The embryos do not implant (embed) in the uterus straight away. This only occurs when the embryos are 6 or 7 days old.
To make the lining of the uterus as receptive as possible to the embryos you will be given progesterone pessaries. We will ask you to commence these the day following the egg collection and taken every day until a pregnancy test is performed 10-12 days after the embryo transfer. If you are pregnant, these pessaries will be continued until 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
When you are ready and the time is right for you, the next step is to contact us and we will help you arrange a face-to-face, telephone or video-call introduction with one of our consultants.
You can do this by filling in the contact form below or by giving one of our friendly team a call on +44 (0) 203 263 6025.
We really look forward to getting to know you and helping guide those next steps toward your dream family.
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