What is IVF Treatment? What is IVF treatment? In Vitro Fertilization (or IVF for short) is a way of fertilizing an egg artificially. This is done by removing eggs from the woman’s ovaries then mixing them with the man’s sperm. Any successful, healthy embryos are then inserted into the woman’s uterus. First done in 1978, this procedure is commonly referred to as “test tube baby”; even though the embryo is grown in a culture dish not a test tube.
So, what is the procedure for IVF treatment? Well, first the woman is given fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once the eggs have matured, hormones are given to stimulate ovulation.
Once ovulation occurs, the woman is sedated, and then the eggs are removed and mixed with a fresh sample of sperm from the man. If a sperm donor is being used, the sperm is retrieved from a freezer. The sperm is then washed and the best quality sperm is used for mixing with the egg. This is done in a nutrient solution in a culture dish and put in an incubator.
Over the days that follow, the culture dish is checked, and any fertilized eggs are saved for another couple of days. After that, the most health looking embryos are inserted into the woman’s uterus.
Overall, IVF has a success rate of 20%, but this varies considerably due to various factors. For example, women under the age of 30 have a 25% chance of success with IVF, whereas women over 40 only have a 10% chance. Overweight women also have a lower success rate.
IVF treatment is especially useful for women who have blocked or damaged fallopian tubes. However, it is worth noting that there are some risks associated with IVF. Since IVF has been used for several years now, many studies have been done on the health of children born through IVF. It has been observed that these children tend to have more health problems than non-IVF children.
The increase in health problems for IVF children may be as a result of the complications associated with IVF births. For example, IVF treatment increases the chance of twins or triplets, due to the fact that multiple embryos are inserted into the uterus of the woman.
There is also the potential for health issues regarding the fertility drugs given to the woman. Some women react badly to the drugs and develop a condition known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which can be dangerous. Studies have also shown that there may be an increased risk of ovarian cancer for women who have taken these fertility drugs. However, these drugs are an optional part of the IVF treatment, although they do dramatically increase the success rate.
Another possible complication with IVF treatment is an ectopic pregnancy. With an ectopic pregnancy, the embryo becomes stuck in a fallopian tube. This is a particular risk for women who already have problems with their fallopian tubes.
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