What are the 5 stages of IVF?

IVF is among the most popular forms of assisted reproductive technology. IVF is a secure treatment that uses medication and a brief surgical procedure to help the egg and sperm combine and place themselves in the uterus.

IVF in Iran is often a possibility to address the root reasons for infertility, such as:

• Endometriosis
• Infertility in men, including previous vasectomies
• ovulatory issues
• Aging ovary
• Blockage of the fallopian tubes, including previous tubal ligations

successful IVF Stages might take up to two months to finish. The age of the woman and the cause of her infertility are two factors that influence the success rate of this operation. In women under the age of 35, a live delivery occurred roughly 55% of the time per egg retrieval.

The IVF procedure consists of five major phases

1. Stimulation of the ovaries
2. Egg extraction
3. Sperm retrieval/collection
4. Embryo development and fertilization
5. Transfer of embryos

1.     Stimulation of the ovaries

Your doctor will provide injectable hormones or other therapies to assist the ovaries to produce several eggs rather than the one egg that naturally develops each month, whether you utilize your eggs or those of a donor. This raises the possibility of getting at least one viable embryo to use for the duration of the IVF Stages.

You will need a range of fertility treatments, such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a drug that aids egg maturation and gets the lining of your uterus ready to accommodate the fertilized egg, to boost ovarian follicles (cysts holding microscopic eggs).

Typically, it takes more than ten days between ovarian stimulation and the time when your eggs are ready to be collected. During this period, you can expect a vaginal ultrasound to track your ovarian follicles as well as blood tests to track your estrogen levels. We may begin the egg retrieval operation after determining that your follicles are the correct size using ultrasonography.

2.    Egg extraction

Around 36 hours after the final “trigger shot” to mature the eggs, egg retrieval is often done in your doctor’s clinic. Egg retrieval risks ovulation and the loss of some or all of the eggs if it is delayed for longer than 36 hours.

Following intravenous sedation, each follicle’s eggs are painstakingly removed using transvaginal ultrasound-guided needle aspiration. It usually takes 20 minutes to remove many eggs. The eggs are next put in a culture medium, and sperm are added later that day to fertilize them. You could have some cramping after the procedure, for which you will be given medication to ease the discomfort.

3.    Sperm retrieval/collection

If you are using your partner’s sperm, you will be requested to provide a sperm sample on the morning of the procedure for IVF in Iran. Donor sperm can be used as well. In certain cases, sperm can be acquired ahead of time and frozen. Depending on their fertility and overall health, men can be harvested in a variety of methods. In some cases, surgical extraction of sperm may be necessary.

4.    Embryo development and fertilization

During IVF Stages, there are two basic techniques of fertilization:

1. In a laboratory petri dish, healthy sperm and eggs are combined for natural pregnancy during conventional insemination.
2. ICSI, or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, is used to treat male factor infertility or when testicular sperm is used. It includes injecting sperm into each egg.

After combining the sperm and egg, your medical team like CarefulTrip will wait up to 20 hours to see if fertilization has occurred. Before proceeding to step five, the fertilized eggs may be left to develop in the lab for up to six days.

Other procedures that your doctor may propose before step five include:

• Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) makes it possible to genetically test embryos before transfer to determine whether they are chromosomally normal and/or to screen for certain genetic diseases based on your genetic screening. On day five or day six of embryonic development, following PGT, the embryos are frozen in anticipation of the results of the study.
• To promote implantation, assisted “hatching” is done in some conditions to make a tiny incision into the shell of the embryo shortly before embryo transfer.

5.    Transfer of embryos

You’ll go back to your doctor’s office for the embryo transfer two to five days later, depending on your particular situation. To enhance your uterine lining, also known as the endometrium, hormones will be administered to you before the appointment and throughout the first trimester.

Under the guidance of an ultrasound, your doctor will insert a soft, flexible tube (catheter) through your cervix into your uterus to perform the embryo transfer process. The embryos are then delicately placed within your uterus. If any viable embryos are still present, they can be preserved for potential future conception attempts.

Following the embryo transfer procedure, you can usually resume all everyday activities, including exercise, but it’s preferable to postpone sexual activity until after the pregnancy test.  During  IVF Stages, you may have mild bloating or breast pain. A small amount of bloody fluid flowing or cramping could indicate embryo implantation.

End of IVF therapy (conclusion)

Your doctor will perform a blood test less than two weeks after the embryo transfer to determine whether you are pregnant, and if you are, the test will be repeated in two days. About three weeks after your blood hormone level (hCG) begins to rise properly, a vaginal ultrasound is scheduled to check on the pregnancy’s health.

CarefulTrip reminds you that; Keep in mind that you could get pregnant on the first try or you might not. Consider your IVF experience as a series of embryo transfers per egg retrieval rather than as a single medical therapy.