In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the most effective procedure of the assisted reproductive technologies applied for the treatment of infertility.

The procedure is consisted of multistep:

1) Mature eggs are collected from the ovaries,

2) they are fertilized by the partner’s sperm under laboratory conditions,

3) Fertilized egg or embryo is implanted in the uterine cavity.

The success of IVF depends on partners’ age and the cause of infertility.

Sometimes, IVF can be invasive, expansive, and time-consuming, and cause multiple pregnancies (pregnancy with more than one fetus).

The physician will inform you about these handicaps after analyzing the potential risks, and then decide whether this method of treating infertility is suitable for you.

What is IVF?

Infertility is one of the most common problems that couples who want to have a baby face. Various treatments can be applied to infertility problems that can develop in women and men due to different reasons.

In couples who have regular and unprotected sexual intercourse for a year or more but do not get pregnant or cannot sustain a pregnancy, the problem of infertility may come to the fore. In cases where the woman is 35 years old or older, this period is accepted as 6 months. Considering that fertility in women may decrease due to aging, the 1-year period is not waited for and the evaluation process is started.

Infertility can occur in women and men due to different reasons. In order to determine the most appropriate treatment method for the patient, the underlying cause of infertility is first determined. Then, the planning and implementation phase is started. In this direction, it can be clearly stated that the same procedures will not be applied to every patient with infertility. IVF treatment is the most frequently used method for infertility treatment.

IVF treatment, which is one of the most commonly applied assisted reproductive techniques, is a method that has been applied for many years and provides successful results. Couples who cannot have children due to reasons such as advanced age, metabolic disorders such as obesity, infertility of unknown cause, infection and blockage in the tubes in women, and low sperm count and low quality in men can have children with IVF treatment.

How Does IVF Happen?

Within the scope of IVF treatment, the sperm of the prospective father and the eggs of the prospective mother are brought together in a laboratory environment. When fertilization occurs, the fertilized egg is placed in the uterus of the prospective mother, in other words, the artificial insemination technique is applied.

In order to apply IVF treatment, female and male reproductive cells, namely eggs and sperm, must be collected and brought together under certain conditions. After fertilization is completed healthily, the division process of the egg begins. Then, it is expected to turn into a structure called an embryo and the IVF treatment is completed by placing the embryo in the uterus of the prospective mother. After this stage, the process proceeds in the same way as pregnancies that occur naturally.

Within the scope of in vitro fertilization treatment, eggs can be fertilized in a laboratory environment and then placed in the uterus of the expectant mother using the classical in vitro fertilization method or microinjection method. When classical in vitro fertilization treatment is preferred, eggs and sperm are left side by side in a certain environment and expected to fertilize on their own.

In the microinjection method, sperm cells are injected directly into the egg cells with the help of special pipettes. The method to be applied is determined after the patient-specific evaluations.

How is IVF Treatment Performed?

In IVF treatment, which is a widely used assisted reproduction method, the embryo formed after the woman’s reproductive cell, the egg, and the man’s reproductive cell, the sperm, are fertilized in a laboratory environment is placed in the uterus of the prospective mother.

The duration of treatment may vary depending on the procedures to be applied within the scope of IVF treatment. In the first stage of the treatment, the prospective mother’s eggs are collected. Although women develop one egg every month under normal conditions, more eggs are needed in IVF treatment.

For this, hormone injections are started on the 2nd – 4th day of the prospective mother’s menstrual period. Thus, it is aimed to collect more eggs. This period lasts an average of 8 to 10 days. The eggs are checked with ultrasound every 3 to 4 days and, if deemed necessary, a blood test is performed to evaluate hormone levels.

When it is determined that the prospective mother’s eggs have reached a certain size and maturity, a cracking injection is applied. The timing of the cracking injection is critical to the success of the procedure, and the eggs are collected 34 to 36 hours after the injection.

Since the egg collection procedure is performed under anesthesia, the patient does not feel any pain or ache. Egg collection is performed using a needle via vaginal route and ultrasound within 15 to 20 minutes. The number of eggs may vary for each patient. In addition, although rare, it may be possible for eggs not to be obtained.

On the same day, sperm samples are taken from the prospective father and the eggs and sperm cells are fertilized in a laboratory environment using the microinjection method. Fertilization is detected under a microscope approximately 16 to 18 hours after the procedure and the developmental processes of the embryos are closely monitored.

The day of embryo transfer is determined depending on the patient’s embryo count, whether a previous trial has been performed and the developmental level of the embryos. If deemed necessary, it may be preferred to postpone the embryo transfer to the next month and store the embryos by freezing them using the vitrification method.

The highest quality embryos are selected and placed in the uterus with the help of a catheter. The prospective mother’s bladder must be full during the procedure. The patient may be administered progesterone hormone until the time the pregnancy test is performed.

IVF Treatment Methods

IVF treatment methods are divided into two as classical IVF treatment and microinjection application. In classical IVF treatment, the egg of the prospective mother and the sperm of the prospective father are placed in the same environment and waited for natural fertilization to occur. In the second method, the microinjection method, the sperm is injected directly into the egg cell.

Although it is possible to obtain successful results from both treatment methods, the method to be applied is determined depending on factors such as the health status and reproductive abilities of the partners.