I.V.F. In Vitro Fertilization May 2025 comparison cost

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment in which eggs (oocytes) are retrieved from a woman's ovaries and fertilized with sperm in a laboratory setting. The resulting embryos are cultured for a few days before one or more are transferred back into the woman's uterus to establish a pregnancy. 

You can have a remote consultation with a fertility specialist or reproductive endocrinologist to start the process and select your future fertility clinic. During this consultation, the healthcare provider will review the medical history of both partners, perform a physical examination, and discuss potential treatment options.

The woman undergoes ovarian stimulation to encourage the growth of multiple ovarian follicles, each containing an egg. This typically involves daily injections of fertility medications, such as gonadotropins, over a period of 8 to 14 days. Monitoring with ultrasound and blood tests is performed to track follicle development and hormone levels.Once the follicles have matured, the eggs are retrieved from the woman's ovaries using a minimally invasive surgical procedure called transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration. The procedure is performed under sedation or anesthesia, and a thin needle is inserted into the ovaries through the vaginal wall to collect the eggs from the follicles. On the day of egg retrieval, the man provides a semen sample, which is processed and prepared in the laboratory. In some cases of male infertility or when using donor sperm, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be performed, where a single sperm is injected directly into each mature egg to facilitate fertilization.

The retrieved eggs are then fertilized with sperm in the laboratory. This can be done through traditional insemination, where the eggs and sperm are placed together in a culture dish, or through ICSI, as described above. After fertilization, the embryos are monitored for signs of normal development.

The fertilized eggs, now embryos, are cultured in the laboratory for 3 to 5 days. During this time, the embryos undergo cell division and development, and the embryologist assesses their quality based on factors such as cell number, size, and fragmentation. After culture, one or more high-quality embryos are selected for transfer into the woman's uterus. The embryo transfer procedure is typically performed in a fertility clinic's procedure room and involves inserting a thin catheter through the cervix into the uterus to deposit the embryos.

Overall, IVF is a complex and highly individualized fertility treatment that requires careful coordination and monitoring by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals. The protocol may vary depending on the specific circumstances and needs of each patient, some options can be selected such as ICSI option.