Stages of IVF

A single cycle of IVF involves a lot of steps. Thankfully, if you are undergoing the treatment from BirthRight Fertility by Rainbow, the best IVF center in India, you will have an entire team of nurses and doctors to assist you with the process. A single cycle of IVF usually takes about 2 weeks to complete. You may need more than one cycle to get pregnant, and the entire thing usually lasts about 4-6 weeks. Given below are the different stages of IVF treatment and what you can expect from it.

1.Ovulation suppression:
Every female doesn’t need to start with this step for their IVF treatment. It is your fertility specialist who will help you determine if you need to start with ovarian suppression. If you do have to undergo this stage, you will be required to take birth control pills for suppressing your natural hormones. It helps the doctors time your IVF cycle optimally.

2.Hormone shots:

Most of the IVF cycles are done with hormone injections. Females are commonly given FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) or LH (luteinizing hormone), or both for stimulating their ovaries. Exactly how much of these hormones you are injected with is specific to your particular case. In vitro fertilization can also be performed without ovarian stimulation. Such IVF cycles are known as unstimulated IVF or natural IVF cycle, although they are not commonly used in the best fertility centre in Hyderabad.

During the ovarian stimulation stage, blood tests are done for monitoring hormone levels. Ultrasounds are also done for checking the number of growing egg follicles and how well they develop. It also helps in monitoring the thickening of the uterine lining.

3.Trigger shot:

In around 8-14 days, when the follicles are almost ready for egg retrieval, HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) or Lupron is injected to assist with maturing of eggs and triggering ovulation.

4.Egg retrieval:

After about 36 hours of the trigger shot, the eggs are ready to be retrieved. For each cycle, the doctors try retrieving around 10-15 eggs, although the numbers could be higher or lower. The process of egg retrieval is done under IV sedation so there won’t be any feeling of discomfort. It is completed in around 20-30 minutes.

5.Sperm collection:

When your egg is being retrieved, it is your partner’s turn to produce a sperm sample. Typically, this is done on the same day as the retrieval of eggs. If your partner’s sperm was previously frozen or if donor sperm is being used, the clinic will get it ready by thawing it if required.

6.Fertilization:

The fertilization of eggs can be done through standard insemination, which involves placing the retrieved eggs in a petri dish with the collected sperm and hoping that the sperm cells end up fertilizing the egg. Alternatively, ICSI or intracytoplasmic sperm injection can also be used for fertilizing the eggs. This involves a single sperm being injected into an egg. IVF treatment with ICSI is usually the preferred method nowadays. The eggs are checked after 12-24 hours of insemination to see if they have fertilized.

7.Embryo monitoring:

Over the next 3-5 days, the developing embryos are monitored by an embryologist and they are checked for health development and growth. The additional embryos that won’t be transferred might be frozen for use in the future

8.Embryo testing:

If there is a plan for PGT (preimplantation genetic diagnosis), a biopsy of the embryos is done for performing the test.

9.Progesterone boost:

After 1-2 days of fertilization, progesterone supplementation might be started through injection, vaginal gel, or vaginal suppository for optimizing the uterine lining for transfer and implantation of an embryo. Usually, you need to continue the medication until you get pregnant and maybe even through 8-10 weeks of pregnancy.

10.Embryo transfer:

Generally, after 3-5 days of retrieving and fertilizing eggs, the embryos or an embryo is transferred into the uterus. The number of eggs to be transferred varies based on the age of the woman.

11.Pregnancy test:

Around 2 weeks after the transfer of the embryo, a blood test is performed to confirm if the infertility treatment was successful. While you might be eager, it is advisable not to use a home pregnancy test before getting the blood test results.

Experts BirthRight Fertility by Rainbow will clear all your fertility related doubt and suggest the best for you in case you are looking for a treatment.