Getting Pregnant With IVF 101

For couples who need help getting pregnant, IVF is one of the most popular ways of overcoming infertility.  Every year, thousands of women have become delighted mothers through the help of this procedure.   While IVF can dramatically increase the odds of conceiving, it does not always work for everyone nor will pregnancy necessarily happen during your first try. IVF is also expensive and falls beyond the scope of most insurance plans.  This is why you need to educate yourself and learn as much as you can about IVF before making the final decision.  This article will help you gain a better understanding of the IVF procedure, including the costs involved and how IVF itself is performed.

What is IVF

IVF is the acronym for in vitro fertilization. In vitro is the Latin phrase for “within the glass”, which gives us a good picture of what the procedure involves.  During IVF, the union of the sperm and egg takes place in a glass (or plastic) dish in a laboratory.  The resulting embryo is cultured for a few days and transferred into the woman’s uterus, where it will hopefully implant and grow into a healthy baby.  To increase the chances of pregnancy, you can choose to take fertility drugs designed to stimulate the maturation and release of more than one egg.  This allows the endocrinologist to create several embryos.   The more eggs produced, the higher the chances of conceiving – not all eggs become embryos, and not all embryos become babies.

While your embryos are being cultured in a controlled laboratory environment, you can opt for a number of techniques to improve the health of your embryos. One of these techniques is called assisted hatching. Assisted hatching breaks the outer layer of the egg to make it easier for the embryo to implant itself onto the uterus.  You may also avail of an optional procedure called preimplantation genetic diagnosis, a genetic test that allows the endocrinologist to transfer the healthiest embryos. Not only does this greatly help to increase the chances you will have a healthy child, but it also increases the chances of conceiving; most early miscarriages after IVF are due to chromosomal abnormalities within the embryo.

Why people get IVF

There are many types of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), but IVF is the most widely-used because it surpasses a wide range of infertility problems.   IVF can help:

  • Women with blocked or damaged fallopian tubes. Any damage to the fallopian tubes can prevent pregnancy because the egg cannot be fertilized or the embryo cannot travel to the uterus.  Unlike other forms of ART, which require at least one normal fallopian tube, IVF can help women get pregnant despite tubal blockage or damage.
  • Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a condition where the ovarian follicles containing an egg become fluid-filled sacs (cysts) instead of releasing the egg.
  • Women with severe endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that lines the uterus grows in the ovaries or fallopian tubes.
  • Men who have problems with sperm count, motility, or function, which keeps the sperm from fertilizing the egg on its own.
  • Couples with unexplained infertility, especially when other forms of assisted reproductive technologies did not succeed.

Although IVF can get past these roadblocks to pregnancy, try not to think of the procedure as a magic bullet that will get you pregnant.  The success rates of IVF vary according to age, infertility problems experienced, the number of embryos transferred, and the number of cycles.  Your doctor should be able to tell you if you are a good candidate for IVF.

IVF step-by-step

The IVF journey begins with looking for the right IVF center. There are numerous IVF clinics across the country and around the world – contact several clinics and see if they have an orientation meeting you can attend.  The orientation meeting will allow you to view the clinic’s facilities, rates, and the IVF process.  You will probably be informed about the clinic’s success rates, but try to look beyond this when you make your decision.  As mentioned earlier, success rates depend on a number of factors; it is not necessarily a reflection of how your IVF cycle will turn out.

Once you have made the commitment to do IVF, your cycle will begin shortly.  Here is what you can expect out of a typical IVF cycle.

Ovarian stimulation

In order to increase the chances of pregnancy, most women take fertility drugs to trigger the production of several follicles and eggs.   Without these fertility drugs, the ovaries will only release one mature egg for retrieval, which may not be enough to get you pregnant.

The first fertility drug you will take is called Lupron, which shuts down the pituitary gland and prevents it from releasing mature eggs too early.  After about a week of Lupron, you will start taking fertility drugs with the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and the luteinizing hormone (LH).  This triggers the maturation of several follicles.

Most first-time IVF patients are unaware that fertility drugs are self-administered injections. Don’t worry, the nurse at your IVF center will demonstrate how to do the shots. If the thought of poking yourself with a needle frightens you, you can always ask your partner to deliver the shots.

Ultrasound

All in all, the ovarian stimulation phase lasts about two weeks.   Once you start taking the FSH injections, you will come to the center every 1-3 days for ultrasounds and some blood work. This is done to monitor the growth of the follicles in your ovaries. You need to get at least three mature follicles in order to move on to the egg retrieval phase. If the doctor detects fewer follicles than this, the cycle may be cancelled.

As soon as the follicles have reached a certain size, you will administer the trigger shot containing the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The hCG shot is designed to mimic the LH surge that triggers ovulation.  Your doctor will let you know when to take the hCG shot.   In 36 hours, you will return to the clinic for egg retrieval.

Egg retrieval

The egg retrieval is an outpatient surgical procedure done under anesthesia.  Using a transvaginal ultrasound and a special needle, the doctor will locate the mature eggs and extract them. The procedure will take less than thirty minutes, but you will have no memory of it – the anesthesia will put you to sleep. In about an hour, you will wake up at a recovery room, still groggy from the drugs.  You should not feel any pain after the retrieval, but it’s normal to experience minor cramps similar to menstrual cramps. After giving you a quick examination, your doctor will give you some medications to prevent infections and to stimulate the growth of the uterine lining.

Sperm collection

While the egg retrieval is taking place, your partner will be in another room, providing a sperm sample.  The sample is then taken to the lab and “washed” to isolate healthy sperm cells from dead cells, white blood cells, and other impurities. This provides your doctor with the highest concentration of quality sperm for healthy embryos.

Fertilization

The fertilization of the eggs will take place by the time you and your partner are resting at home.   Like the sperm, the retrieved eggs are washed to get rid of the follicular fluid; this allows the technician to examine their maturity and determine the time of fertilization.  Generally, eggs are incubated for two to six hours after the retrieval. Once they are ready, the eggs are combined with the sperm in a dish with a special culture medium.  The dish is returned to the incubator so the eggs may be left undisturbed.  Over the span of 2-6 days, the embryologist will confirm fertilization and monitor the growth of the embryos.   

Implantation

Generally, embryos are transferred three or five days after fertilization. The implantation procedure is quick and painless – a catheter containing the embryos will be inserted through the vagina and cervix until the mouth is positioned at the center of the uterus. The catheter is squeezed, and the embryos fall into the uterus.  You may take it easy for the next couple of days, but you don’t have to stay bedridden – the embryos aren’t going to fall off!

Two week wait

Many couples say that the hardest part of IVF is the two week wait. It takes about a week before an embryo implants itself and for the body to release the hCG hormone, which is what pregnancy tests measure. The uncertainty might be frustrating but try not to take an early pregnancy test; you may receive an inaccurate result.  Just take it easy and engage in activities that will distract you from the wait. Make sure you continue to take the drugs that will thicken your uterine lining.

Pregnancy test

At last, the moment of truth. On the 12th or 14th day after the transfer, you will come to the clinic to take a pregnancy test.

IVF cost

While a baby is a priceless blessing, there’s no denying the fact that IVF is a costly procedure.  The cost of IVF varies from clinic to clinic, but you can expect to pay around $12,000 per cycle.  Don’t be discouraged by the high price tag – there are plenty of ways to get IVF cheaper.

Find out how to greatly improve your chances with The Full Embrace IVF Success Program now.