IVF is a procedure where the sperm meet the egg outside the body, on a petridish.
1 out of 3 couples in developed countries will have some form of infertility but not talked about it.
1 out of 3 infertile couples would go through miscarriages due to undetected polyps, fibroids and other lining preventable issues because no one talks about it. Keeping quiet is one of the major issues that leads to depression after miscarriage or unable to carry.
Eggs must matue before they can be collected.
One full cycle of IVF is about 3 weeks and many factors are involved.
During IVF, mature eggs are collected (retrieved) from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. Then the fertilized egg (embryo) or eggs (embryos) are transferred to a uterus. One full cycle of IVF takes about three weeks. Sometimes these steps are split into different parts and the process can take longer.
Currently there are several different types of IVF
Natural Cycle IVF
You time your cycle without any medication and then egg retrieval. Only works if your cycle is regular and you have no issues ovulating.
Mini IVF
IVF minus the heavy medication and relying only on medication like clomid for IVF. Menopur may be recommended 1 -3 injections. (MENOPUR is a gonadotropin for injection designed to be administered subcutaneously (under the skin), as part of an assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycle. Each vial of MENOPUR contains equal amounts (75 IU) of FSH- and hCG-driven LH activity.) Sometimes, Synarel is added.
IVF
Cycle is monitored with help of medication, and mature eggs are collected (retrieved) from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. Then the fertilized egg (embryo) or eggs (embryos) are transferred to a uterus. One full cycle of IVF takes about three weeks.
ICSI IVF
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) IVF is where sperm is aided and injected into the egg instead of naturally entering it.
A healthy sperm attach its head to the egg and then pushes through to the inside of the egg cytoplasm.
Sometimes the sperm may need a bit of help. It could be the egg has a thicker layer or sperm cannot penetrate the egg for a variety of reason.
Common reasons for ICSI
- Too few sperms
- Sperms cannot penetrate egg
- Blockage in male reproductive system
- Egg was frozen
- Egg is mature egg