THE CONCEPT OF IVF
The first successful baby born from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) was in 1978, revolutionizing the field of reproductive medicine.
IVF is one of the fastest developing field and in the past 40 years the techniques used have improved drastically.
These techniques range from the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) for embryo selection, culture media quality, and surgical sperm removal (SSR), in addition to oocyte, sperm and embryo storage (Cryopreservation) for fertility preservation.
How is the procedure done?
When undergoing IVF, the first step is to stimulate the woman’s ovaries to produce more eggs which are retrieved by needle aspiration and then processed in the laboratory.
Depending on the case, the eggs will either be mixed with the male’s sperm or injected by embryologists.
The following day the embryos are checked to see if fertilization occurred and are transferred back into the uterine cavity on day 3 or day 5.
The overall chance of getting pregnant varies depending on the women’s age, ovarian reserve, previous obstetrical history and the cause of infertility. Generally speaking, the pregnancy rate in young women is around 55%-60%. In some cases, more than one embryo are transferred back which may result in twin pregnancies in 10%-15% of the cases.
FACT
Over the past few decades, plenty of improvements have occurred with the medication administered, the stimulation protocols, laboratory culture media and equipment resulting in safer and more successful outcomes.