IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is the process in which an egg is fertilized in a laboratory under conditions that best mimic a woman’s womb, and then inserted into the uterus. In order to have a better and greater number of eggs a woman is stimulated with hormone injections. Once retrieved, the matured ovocytes are then fertilized with the healthiest and strongest sperm collected from the male partner’s semen sample. ICSI (Intracytoplasmatic Sperm Injection), a technique through which the sperm is injected directly into the cytoplasm of ovocyte is then performed. This is done to ensure maximum chances of fertilization. When successful fertilization has occurred, the embryo is then transferred into the uterus after 3-5days. At this point embryo will take 1-4 days to attach to the uterine lining and begin a successful pregnancy.
When the embryo is introduced into the uterus, it is done through the vagina. This process is made successful as the transfer b thanks to ultrasound guidance where the best position to place the embryos can be evidently seen. During the IVF process the female partner will be prescribed estrogen tablets in order for the uterus to be in its most receptive state and for the embryo to have a greater chance of success for engraftment. A successful pregnancy can be detected through a blood test 12 days after embryo transfer.