Phoenix’s Preferred IVF Clinic Specialists
IVF-ET is probably the most well known of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Otherwise known as “test tube baby,” (fertilization actually takes place in a dish and not a test tube) IVF-ET has helped many infertile couples conceive and bear children for more than a decade. Originally IVF-ET was developed to help couples overcome infertility due to a problem with a woman’s fallopian tubes. Now it has become a useful treatment option with other factors such as immunological problems or unexplained infertility.
IVF Can Be Used To Treat Infertility
- For blocked or damaged fallopian tubes
- If the male is the factor for infertility due to a decrease in sperm count or sperm mobility
- Women with ovulation disorders such as premature ovarian failure and uterine fibroids
- After fallopian tubes have been removed
- Genetic disorders
- Unexplained infertility
IVF Phoenix In Vitro Fertilization Process
Superovulation
Superovulation is where you take injected medications to cause your ovaries to make multiple follicles/eggs. Monitoring of this process is down with serial blood draws, and ultrasounds to check on the growth of the follicles and development of the uterine lining. When it is determined that the follicles and the uterine lining are appropriately mature, a trigger shot of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is administered.
Retrieval of Eggs
The second step begins approximately thirty-six hours after the trigger shot with the retrieval of eggs/oocytes. The night prior to the egg capture, the woman will do a vinegar douche to reduce the vaginal bacteria. She will arrive at the office the next morning, fasting, (NPO), and get prepared for conscious sedation with an IV placement and medications. Guided by ultrasound, the doctor aspirates the eggs from the follicles during a procedure performed in the office.
Shortly after the egg capture procedure, a sperm specimen ( 3 days abstinence) is collected from the partner or thawed from a donor and prepared for mixing with the eggs. The two are then placed together in a dish and incubated for 18 hours and fertilization is allowed to occur naturally. After 18-20 hours, the embryos are examined for normal fertilization. Normal fertilization is characterized by a pronucleus of the egg and sperm that can be visualized under a microscope.
Embryo Culturing
This third stage is called the embryo culturing stage and can go out for five days. The day of egg capture is called day Zero, and day one we expect to see pronuclei or 2PNs, and by day three, 6-8 cell embryos, and by day five, blastocysts. The proembryos can then be transferred to the uterus or incubated for further development into multi-cell embryos and transferred two to five days later.
Embryo Transfer & Implantation
Step 4: The final step of the IVF process is the embryo transfer. First, the embryos are examined to select the healthiest ones for transfer. To transfer the embryo(s), a speculum is placed into your vagina and the embryo(s) are transferred via a small plastic tube placed through the cervix into the uterine cavity. The embryo transfer is done in our practice, typically, without the need for anesthesia. With a relatively full bladder, we can use ultrasound to guide the embryo catheter into the top of the uterus where the embryos are gently placed. Any remaining viable embryos on day five or day six of embryo growth that are not transferred can be cryopreserved (frozen) for future use. Then, the waiting begins! For a pregnancy to begin, the embryo must then attach itself to the wall of her womb or uterus. We all keep our fingers (and toes) crossed while we await the pregnancy test 10 days after embryo transfer.