In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or Test Tube Baby

In natural pregnancy, a male sperm penetrates a female egg. A matured egg is released from the ovaries after ovulation and the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of her womb (uterus). This is the natural way of conceiving a baby. However, women who are unable to become pregnant in the natural way have to seek fertility treatment to get pregnant. Sometimes, these fertility treatments fail and the next option is to go for an I.V. Literally, In Vitro Fertilization means ‘fertilization in glasses, i.e., in plain terms a test tube baby.

InVitro Fertilization (IVF) is a very common and effective type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) to enable women to become pregnant. In this process, eggs taken from the ovary are fertilized with sperm in the laboratory. The entire process happens completely outside the woman’s body. The egg, after fertilization is later placed in the uterus.

Why IVF?

A doctor may recommend In Vitro Fertilization in cases like:

• Diagnosed for unexplained infertility
• Blocks in the fallopian tubes
• Lack of success with fertility medication and other treatments
• Presence of male sub-fertility

How does it work?

 Depending on the circumstances, clinics use different methods for In Vitro Fertilization. A typical In Vitro Fertilization treatment is as follows:

The first step is to suppress the natural cycle using a drug, usually in the form of an injection or nasal spray. This may continue for about two weeks. After suppressing the cycle, a fertility hormone called FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) is injected. FSH is usually given as a daily injection for about 12 days. FSH can enhance the amount of egg production so that more eggs can be fertilized. With more fertilized eggs, clinics have a wide choice of embryos to be used in treatment.

During treatment, the clinic monitors the progress using techniques such as vaginal ultra sound scan and blood tests. Eggs are collected 34 to 38 hours before hormone injection is given, to help the eggs mature. These eggs are usually collected by means of ultrasound guidance under sedation. In this process, a needle is inserted into the scanning probe to collect eggs from the ovaries. This might cause a small amount of vaginal bleeding and cramping.

The eggs are then mixed with her partner’s or donor’s sperm and cultured in the laboratory. This may take 16 – 20 hours. Later they are checked to see the progress of fertilization. The fertilized eggs, now called embryos are then grown in the laboratory incubator for a few more days and inspected closely. One or two perfectly grown embryos are chosen for transfer. After collecting the eggs, a medication in the form of pessaries/gel/injection, is given to prepare the lining of the womb to receive the embryo.

Depending on the age, one or two embryos can be transferred but the maximum number of embryos can be used is three. To avoid the risk of multiple births, the number of embryos is restricted. The remaining embryos can be kept frozen for future In Vitro Fertilization attempts. 

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