An Explanation Of The IVF Procedure

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process of assisted reproduction that provides couples who are infertile an opportunity to have a child who is biologically related to them. More than 250,000 babies have been born using the IVF procedure and it is now a fully established way of treating infertility.

With IVF, a man’s sperm and the woman’s egg are combined in a laboratory dish, where fertilization occurs. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the woman’s uterus (womb) and left to naturally develop. Typically, 2-4 embryos are put in the uterus each time. Each attempt at this is called a cycle, with the cost of each cycle being approximately $10,000.

Here are some more details of what exactly is involved in each cycle…

The woman may be given hormones in order to induce her ovaries to produce a number (5+) eggs. A surgeon will then insert a needle into the woman’s ovary to remove the eggs. At the same time, a semen sample is taken from the man. He is asked not to have sexual intercourse for half a week prior to the eggs being retrieved from the woman. The next step is for the sperm to be separated from the semen, which is done through a laboratory procedure.

Following this, the sperm will be mixed in a laboratory dish with the eggs taken from the woman. About 18 hours after this has been done, it is possible to find out if any of the eggs have been fertilized and if embryos have grown as a result. If they have, they will be incubated for the next 2-5 days. After that time, the embryos will be transferred into the woman’s uterus using a catheter (a long slender tube). The woman is then given certain hormones for the next 10-14 days.

The success rate of this procedure is 37% among women younger than 35 years, 27% for those between 36-39 years and 14% in those older than 40 years. Therefore, the total cost of IVF is generally more than $20,000, as the odds are against a couple suceeding at their first attempt.

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