IVF (in vitro fertilization) is the fertility treatment that is most well-known. It means “fertilization in glass”, hence the expression “test tube baby”. There are various stages involved in IVF treatment:

Stages of IVF:
You will be prescribed drugs that will help control when your eggs are produced. You will also take drugs to increase the number of eggs you produce. This means that more eggs can be fertilized and the clinic will have a greater choice of fertilized eggs to use in treatment.

Checking on progress
The clinic will carry out vaginal ultrasound scans to monitor your developing eggs. They will also do blood tests to check the rising levels of oestrogen produced by your eggs. This helps to track how your eggs are maturing. 34-38 hours before your eggs are due to be collected, you will have a hormone injection to help your eggs mature. This injection is usually given at night.

Collecting woman’s eggs
Eggs are usually collected by ultrasound guidance, which takes around15 minutes. Your doctor will insert a thin needle through your vagina into each ovary. The eggs will be sucked into the needle.

Collecting man’s sperm
Around the same time that the eggs are collected, the male partner will produce a sperm sample which will be stored for a short time and the sperm washed and spun so that the healthiest sperm can be used to fertilize the eggs.

Uterine Embryo Transfer
Three to five days after egg collection(if the embryos are not frozen), the best embryos are selected, loaded in a catheter and transferred to the Uterus in a simple procedure. Once done, the patient is prescribed progesterone supplement for two weeks before doing a pregnancy test. Book an appointment or e-mail our doctors