
We offer IVF to couples with tubal factor infertility, male factor infertility, severe endometriosis or when other treatments have failed (uexplained infertility). We also undertake IVF with donor oocytes, donor sperm and IVF with surrogacy.
For pregnancy to occur, an egg must be fertilized with sperm. Normally, a single egg is released from the ovary and fertilized in the Fallopian tube. However, during IVF, the union occurs in the laboratory after the egg and sperm have been collected.
In general:
Prior to starting a treatment you will need to visit us for an initial consultation. We ask that you have all relevant medical documents with you and that the visit be scheduled for the first half of your cycle. For the initial consultation you should try to come with your partner, but you may come alone as well. During this consultation we take a history, perform an ultrasound, discuss the tests that need to be done, review treatment options and provide you with the necessary documentation (treatment plan, prescriptions, consent forms, etc.).
This requires a number of steps outlined below:
During the initial visit you will receive detailed information about these important steps and the cost involved
FOLLICULAR STIMULATION AND MONITORING
To control the time of egg release and to increase the chance of collecting more than one egg, the woman will be prescribed fertility drugs, selected for her individual situation. These drugs can be learnt by the IVF nurse and then administered at home easily. Normally IVF cycles are started from day2/3 of the menstrual cycle where in patients are called for baseline ultrasound and few hormonal blood tests. In certain situations especially in patients awaiting cancer therapy now we can start IVF cycle irrespective of menstrual cycle and the resulting embryos will be electively frozen
FOLLICULAR MONITORING
To check that egg development is progressing at a satisfactory rate, the woman will need to undergo vaginal ultrasound scans of the ovaries. At the appropriate time when the follicles have grown sufficiently she will take additional medication (HCG/agonist) to complete the egg maturation process just prior to undergoing oocyte (egg) retrieval (about 35-36 hours prior to egg collection). Sufficient development and adequate number of eggs must be present in order to proceed to retrieval. The cycle may have to be cancelled at this point if the developing follicles are too few.
OOCYTE (EGG) RETRIEVAL
Egg retrieval is a minor ambulatory procedure performed with intravenous short anesthesia. Under transvaginal ultrasound control a needle is inserted through the vagina into the ovaries. The follicles containing the eggs are punctured and fluid is aspirated.
SEMEN COLLECTION
The male partner will now be asked to collect semen in the lab by method of masturbation.
Special situations:
In certain situations frozen semen is used
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If male partner is not available on day of egg collection
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In case of anticipatory difficulty in semen collection
(In both above situations please inform IVF lab/concerned consultant at start of IVF and get your semen frozen)
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If case donor semen is used, semen sample is procured from registered semen banks and sperm donors are anonymous
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IF epididymal/testicular sperms are used and are frozen prior to start of IVF, they will be checked for survival on day of egg collection and utilized if found to be suitable. Other wise a fresh procedure would have to be performed on the same day.
FERTILIZATION
These eggs are inseminated by the processed sperm (obtained by masturbation after the eggs were recovered) in the IVF laboratory where fertilization will take place or the eggs can be fertilized by a procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The fertilized eggs (embryos) are kept in the incubator until the embryo transfer