What is IVF?

The term 'in vitro' means that the process occurs outside the body in a lab dish. IVF is a procedure that involves the fusion of a woman's egg and a man's sperm in a laboratory dish. During fertilisation, the sperm attaches to and penetrates the egg, leading to the formation of an embryo. The resultant embryos are then replaced back into the uterus.

Why Is IVF Treatment Performed?

In vitro fertilisation is elected for a wide range of infertility conditions. For instance, women who have damaged, blocked, or missing fallopian tubes, or men who have sperm abnormalities can consider this treatment. This can also include unexplained infertility and those who have been unable to conceive with other treatments.

IVF can be considered if you have any of the following issues:

Ovulation Disorders

If ovulation is irregular or absent, then there will be fewer eggs available for fertilisation. The condition can also be defined as disturbances in the production of an egg (also known as an oocyte or ovum) during a woman's menstrual cycle.

Fallopian Tube Blockage

When a fallopian tube is blocked, it obstructs both the passage for sperm to reach the eggs and the path for the fertilised egg to return to the uterus. Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes can be caused by various factors, such as an infection, scar tissue, or pelvic adhesions.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus called the endometrium, develops outside your uterus over other tissues. Endometriosis can affect your fallopian tubes, ovaries, and the tissue lining your pelvis.

Uterine Fibroids

Fibroids are atypical growths that form either inside or on the uterus. They can hamper with implantation of the fertilised egg. Occasionally, these tumours can grow to a significant size, leading to intense abdominal pain and heavy menstrual periods. However, in many instances, they remain asymptomatic, showing no signs or symptoms. Generally, fibroids are noncancerous (benign). Despite their prevalence, the exact cause of fibroids remains unknown. They are common in women in their 30s and 40s.

Impaired Sperm Production

In cases where the men have poor sperm concentration, other irregularities in sperm shape and size, or weak sperm movement-these factors can make it difficult for sperm to fertilise an egg. If semen abnormalities are found, a visit to an infertility specialist might be needed to see if there are any other factors at play.

Unexplained Infertility

Also called idiopathic infertility, this is when fertility testing hasn't found a cause to explain a person or couple's infertility.

Genetic Disorder

Genetic disorders occur when a mutation affects your genes or when you have an irregular amount of genetic material. Genes comprise DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which contain characteristics that make you unique, and instructions for cell functioning. Some genetic disorders include Down syndrome Trisomy 21, Turner syndrome, among others. If you or your partner is at risk of passing on a genetic disorder to your child, you may be considering preimplantation genetic testing. In this procedure, which is a part of in vitro fertilisation, the embryos are screened for certain genetic problems, although not all genetic problems can be found. Finally, the good embryos can be transferred to the uterus.

Fertility Preservation

Fertility preservation is a method that safeguards your reproductive tissues, so that you can have a child later in life. This treatment is chosen when one partner may be suffering from cancer, other health conditions or advancing age. You can have eggs harvested and frozen in an unfertilised state for later use. Or the embryos can be frozen for future use for in vitro fertilisation.

IVF Process Step By Step

Before the beginning of the IVF treatment, blood work and other tests are done. Then, medical practitioners put the woman on appropriate medication to manipulate the natural menstrual cycle. The IVF treatment cycle starts at the beginning of the woman's period. A transvaginal scan is done to determine the size of the ovaries and the presence of ovarian cysts if any. Afterwards, the following are the basic stages in the IVF treatment and embryo transfer process:

Ovulation

In the first stage, you are prescribed fertility drugs to stimulate your production of eggs. The process requires multiple eggs as some eggs may not be developed or fertilised after retrieval from your ovaries. Blood test samples are taken to monitor your hormone levels and a transvaginal ultrasound is used to check the ovaries.

Collecting The Eggs

The procedure is also called 'follicular aspiration'. This is a small surgery, where your doctor uses a thin needle guided by ultrasound through the vagina to extract your eggs from the follicles. Before the procedure, you may be given medication so that you are comfortable. After the procedure, you may experience some cramping, but this usually goes away within a day

Retrieving The Sperm

The male partner produces a sample of sperm, which is prepared for fusing with the eggs.

Benefits of IVF Treatmen

1. Overcoming Fertility Issues:

Patients struggling with infertility or failed previous IUI cycles or blocked fallopian tubes can elect IVF to improve their chances. Another leading cause of difficulty in conception is a low sperm count in men. Such sperm may also have low motility, making it challenging to fertilise the egg. Fertility specialists focus on treatments like IVF, which can address this issue effectively. With an IVF treatment, the egg is fertilised in a laboratory outside the body, bypassing the traditional conception process. This treatment offers a promising solution for couples facing these obstacles in starting a family.

2. Ability to choose embryos

IVF helps you as future parents select viable embryo used to get you pregnant. IVF treatment also gives the provision to scan the embryos for any abnormalities or conditions. This way, you do not need to worry about passing along any genetic conditions to your baby. Fertility specialists are able to grade and rate embryos so that you can choose the most viable for embryo transfer. This is possible through a process called preimplantation genetic screening, or PGS/PGT-A.

3. Flexibility & Contro

Couples facing infertility, or those with genetic disorders, older couples, single women, surrogates, and same-sex couples, can all consider IVF treatment to diagnose and overcome infertility. The procedure provides better regulation and control over the timing for the patient. Both the sperm and your egg can be cryopreserved for future use. This way, depending on when you want to get pregnant, the ideal time for IVF can be chosen, giving you the flexibility to plan for the best chance of success.

Should IVF Be the First Choice for Fertility Treatment?

Normally, IVF is the first choice for fertility treatment only if the couple has one or more of the issues outlined earlier. Fertility drugs, surgery, intra-uterine insemination, etc. are the options for treatment of infertility, if applicable, before attempting In-vitro Fertility treatment at present.

IVF may involve more than one cycle if the first round of fertilisation and/or implantation is not successful. The cost involved in the whole process is another factor that has to be considered before deciding on in-vitro fertilisation.