Infertility is one of the main problems affecting couples. Failure to have a child can negatively impact the future of a relationship, especially among married couples. Fortunately, doctors may recommend various procedures, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), to help parents conceive a baby outside a mother’s womb. Collaborating with the right San Diego IVF doctor can enhance your chances of success by helping manage any potential complications.
What is in vitro fertilization?
There are multiple ways to conceive a baby. Doctors may implement simple practices, including artificial insemination, which involves placing sperm into the uterus to allow fertilization and conception of a fetus. However, some couples may require complex procedures involving assisted Reproductive technologies like IVF.
IVF can treat infertility due to various factors like:
- Endometriosis
- Low sperm count
- An overactive immune system attacks sperm upon entry into the uterus.
- Weak sperm that cannot survive in cervical mucus
- Complications in the uterus or fallopian tubes
Your doctor will recommend IVF if other fertility treatments fail to ensure fetal conception. However, this treatment may be the first-line approach if you have a complete tubal blockage. Although you might be considering IVF to fix your infertility problems, you should carefully assess the treatment to understand critical information around its application and weigh the risks versus the benefits to determine its suitability in your case.
What can you expect during IVF?
After completing an initial consultation and confirming your candidacy to proceed with the treatment, your doctor will inject the female couple with specific hormones to stimulate multiple ova production. Your doctor will also prescribe injections to speed up ova maturation and ovulation. You may need to attend several follow-up visits to monitor your follicles and thus identify the right timing for egg retrieval.
Egg retrieval takes less than half an hour and involves using ultrasound technology to locate follicles and collect mature eggs using a hollow needle. The male couple will donate sperm before egg retrieval. Upon ova collection, your doctor will immediately mix donated sperm and ova in the laboratory.
Your doctor may combine IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection if your male partner has a low sperm count or complications that cause poor sperm motility in the cervical mucus. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection involves directly inserting collected sperm into the ova before transferring a viable embryo into the uterus.
Fertilized eggs will remain in the IVF facility for growth monitoring. It may take up to a week for fertilized eggs to achieve an advanced blastocyst stage, after which you can return to the clinic for your doctor to transfer several embryos into your uterus.
Transferring developed embryos leverages a catheter to expose the uterus through the vagina and cervix. The transfer of multiple embryos increases pregnancy chances, which may result in multiple pregnancies.
You will remain in your IVF facility for about six hours after embryo transfer for monitoring to detect and manage any adverse reactions. Your doctor will allow discharge if you are stable after the embryo transfer procedure. Going back to your IVF facility after two weeks is important to undergo a pregnancy test.
Contact Gen 5 Fertility to determine your candidacy for IVF and begin the process for successful fetal conception.
