In-vitro fertilisation is commonly referred to as IVF or “test tube baby”. It is a process of fertilisation occurred outside the body which involves manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish. An embryo will be formed if the fertilisation is successful. Then, followed by an embryo transfer into the mother’s womb, a procedure which involves physically placing the embryo in the uterus. The remaining excess of good quality embryos may be frozen and cryogenically stored for future use in a procedure called – frozen embryo transfer.
There are 5 basic steps in IVF process:
Stimulate the development of healthy egg(s) in the ovaries
Eggs are retrieved through a minor surgical prcedure under an ultrasound imaging guidance with the use of a hollow needle. Sedation and local anaesthesia are provided to reduce and eliminate discomfort
Usually obtained by ejaculation followed by a series of sperm preparations
Insemination of sperm and eggs in culture dish. The eggs are monitored to confirm that fertilisation and cell division are taking place. Once successful, the fertilised eggs are considered embryos.
The embryo(s) is(are) transferred into the woman's womb 3-5 days later following egg retrieval, but in most cases, the transfer occurs after 5 days (blastocyst culture & transfer). The procedure is usually painless or mild cramping where a speculum is inserted into the vagina and a predetermined number of embryos are suspended in fluid and gently placed through a catheter into the womb guided by ultrasound. Often, embryos/blastocysts are frozen and are transferred later (a month to years later).
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