Blessing of having a child is the dream of every couple but for some, this dream is a distant one. Many medical factors which are not within our control play a hindrance. But all thanks to advancements in medical science, millions of infertile couples have today realized their dream of becoming parents.
Various advanced assisted reproductive procedures are available out of which In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the most successful one. It is a revolutionary in treating infertility and helping millions of people in conceiving a child.
This article is based on the guidance received from Punit Hospital, the best IVF treatment center in Mumbai. The aim is to provide an insight into the procedure.
What exactly is IVF?
As per leading IVF specialist at Punit Hospital, IVF is an advanced medical procedure which helps in conceiving a child. It is done by combining matured eggs and sperms in a lab-setting. It leads to formation of a fertilized embryo. This embryo is placed in the uterus for implantation.
IVF is an invasive, expensive and time-consuming process. It takes up to three weeks to complete one cycle of IVF.
Side-effects of IVF:
The process can have the below side effects:
- Cramping
- Bloating
- Mood swings
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Headaches
- Breast tenderness
- Allergic reaction to medicines
IVF procedure Cost:
In India, one cycle of IVF can range from Rs. 1,00,000 to Rs. 3,50,000. It includes the procedure, medicines, ultrasounds, blood tests, embryo storage.
IVF Process:
Punit Hospital is an exceptional IVF center in Mumbai and their IVF process includes the following steps:
1.Ovarian Stimulation:
The foremost step is administering hormones to stimulate ovaries to produce multiple eggs instead of one single egg which is produced every month. It takes 1 or 2 weeks. Multiple eggs mean multiple chances of having a fertilized egg.
Doctor prescribed medications are listed below:
- Medicine for Ovarian stimulation:
Medicinal Injections containing follicle- stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) are prescribed to stimulate the production of multiple eggs.
- Medicine for Oocyte maturation:
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is prescribed to help eggs mature and after 8 to 14 days, mature eggs can be retrieved.
- Medicine to prevent Premature ovulation:
Medicines are prescribed to prevent the premature release of developing eggs.
- Medicine to prepare lining of uterus for Implantation:
Progesterone supplements are prescribed to make the uterus lining more receptive to implantation.
2.Egg Retrieval:
After 34 to 36 hours from the final injection and before ovulation, the mature eggs are retrieved. Patient is sedated and given pain killer. The follicles are identified through Transvaginal ultrasound and then a needle is inserted inside vagina for eggs retrieval. If the ovaries are not fully visible through transvaginal ultrasound, then abdominal ultrasound is used. Multiple eggs are retrieved using a suction device.
3.Egg incubation:
The eggs are placed in a nutritive fluid and are incubated.
4.Sperm Retrieval:
On the morning of egg retrieval, semen sample of the partner is collected through methods of masturbation or testicular aspiration. Sperm is taken out of semen in laboratory.
5.Fertilization:
The egg is then fertilized with the sperm. It can be done through conventional method of mixing egg and sperm and incubating them overnight. It can also be done through Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in which sperm is injected directly into mature egg. This is done in cases where sperm quality is low.
6.Embryo transfer:
The final step involves the placement of embryos into uterus for implantation. The patient is sedated. The embryos filled in a fluid are placed into a syringe and the syringe is attached to the catheter. The syringe dispenses the embryos into the uterus.
This sums up entire one cycle of IVF and if everything goes well, the embryo get implanted into the uterus within six to ten days.
