With the advancement of modern science in the last few decades, assisted reproduction has become a successful and common course of treatment for infertile individuals and couples. In-Vitro Fertilization, IVF, is one such assisted reproductive technique that has been employed successfully as a solution to a range of infertility issues. The IVF process is both safe and effective, and it has been used in the early 1980's in helping infertile individuals and couples achieve their goal of becoming parents.
In vitro is Latin, meaning "in glass," referring to the dish that is used to introduce the sperm to an egg. The term "IVF" includes a whole spectrum of assisted reproductive treatment possibilities that can be used separately or together to increase the chances of success. Whenever possible, IVF is used to fertilize an egg with a sperm, thereby forming an embryo
Fertility treatment often includes use of hormone therapy to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. Then, IVF begins with retrieval of a woman's (or her donor's) eggs. Prior to the retrieval of the eggs, the male partner (or a donor) produces a semen sample, which is processed and washed, and the most motile (active) sperm are selected. Anywhere from three or four, or even up to twenty eggs are retrieved from the woman under general sedation. This procedure requires no surgical incision and is done purely on an outpatient basis in our office. The retrieved eggs are placed in a separate dish under a protective layer of oil and left alone for three to four hours to complete their maturation.
There are two options are available in the lab. The first is routine IVF, where the washed sperm is added in a measured quantity to each dish containing an egg. This method requires numerous amounts of motile sperm from the male. The second is ICSI, which is recommended when either the quality or the quantity of sperm is low. ICSI is also useful when the zona pellucida – the membrane surrounding the egg – is so thick that the sperm cannot penetrate on its own and requires forced injection. Done under a high-powered microscope, ICSI involves selecting one sperm and injecting it into an egg. Both IVF and ICSI procedures are carried out by the well experienced in house embryologist, who is a back bone of an ART center.
One of the great advantages of IVF is that it can treat many causes of infertility. These conditions include, tubal blockage, problems with ovulation, problems with the way the sperm and egg interact, poor sperm quality or quantity, older patients, problems with the cervix and many more.
Another great advantage of IVF is that it can be used to make specific diagnosis. Since the embryo is created in the lab it gives specialist the ability to test the embryos for any genetic or chromosomal problems. IVF therefore can be used to diagnose inheritable diseases. Some of the most common diseases tested are cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and chromosomal problems such as Downs's syndrome and Turner's syndrome.
At Santhathi Fertility Centers it is our mission and goal to treat our patients based on their diagnosis and the most efficient and cost effective way to achieve the goal of pregnancy. Not everyone needs IVF. IVF is perhaps the best way to treat infertility. Depending on the cause of infertility IVF may be the first-line of treatment. IVF in other cases is recommended when more conservative treatment options fail.