For some fertility problems, your doctor may recommend in vitro fertilization. During IVF, sperm and egg are combined outside the body in a lab. The fertilized eggs (embryos) are then placed in the uterus to grow. In most cases, IVF is done using hormone medications to increase the chances of success. Be sure to talk with your doctor about the details, success rates, and costs of this procedure.
During IVF, a catheter is carefully guided into the uterus to transfer the embryos.
How IVF Works
There are 4 main steps during IVF:
- Hormone medication is used to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs.
- The mature eggs are retrieved from the ovaries. This is done by guiding a thin needle through the vagina. Sedation is used to prevent pain.
- Sperm are combined with the eggs in a lab. If there are problems with fertilization, one sperm can be injected directly into an egg. This process is called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
- A few days after fertilization, one or more eggs are placed into the uterus. Using multiple embryos improves the odds that at least one embryo will implant. However, it also means there is a chance of a multiple pregnancy.
Using Frozen Embryos
Although many embryos are created during an IVF cycle, only a certain number are placed in the uterus. The rest may be frozen for later use. This prevents the woman from having to go through another cycle of egg stimulation and retrieval.
