Sunday, June 30, 2013

What is IVF?




The basic run down went like this: 

*Consultation

*Baseline ultrasound and bloodwork prior to medications
*Starting of birth control pills to control the menstrual cycle
*Hydro Saline Sonogram - Saline infusion into the uterus to view the walls of the uterus (which was positive for polyps)
*Hysteroscopy - A scope of the uterus with removal and biopsy of polyps, multiple per doctor. This was done under general anesthesia 
*Stop birth control. Start cycle. Day 3 bloodwork and ultrasound, another baseline
*Start follicle stimulation drug injection (Gonal F) to produce multiple follicles to produce multiple eggs. A normal menstrual cycle produces one mature egg per month
*Start Ganirelex (Delays ovulation), Injection 
*Stop other drugs and Give trigger shot of HcG, human chorionic gonadotropin which is a pregnancy hormone to initiate ovulation
*Egg retrieval, light anesthesia to remove the extra follicles that have been produced is a long syringe that goes through the uterus wall
*ICSI, intracytoplasmic sperm injection where one sperm is literally injected into the egg with a needle to help fertilization 
*3-5 day embryo transfer depending on progress of fertilization in a Petri dish at lab
*Supplement with Progesterone into pregnancy
*Two week wait for pregnancy test 


Here is a good website from a fertility clinic in Chicago that explains IVF and also ICSI very well. There are some good pictures also. 


http://www.advancedfertility.com/ivfprocedures.htm


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