In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process of assisted reproduction that provides infertile couples a chance to have a child who is biologically related to them. More than 200,000 babies have been born using the IVF procedure and it is now recognized worldwide as an established treatment for infertility.

With IVF, a woman’s egg and a man’s sperm are brought together by an IVF specialist in a laboratory dish. The resulting embryo is then put into the uterus (womb) of the woman and left to naturally develop. Usually, 3 or 4 embryos are placed in the uterus each time. Each attempt at this is called a cycle, with the cost of each cycle being approximately ten thousands dollars.

The full procedure is as follows:

The woman will be given certain drugs (hormones) to induce her ovaries to create a number (5+) eggs. A surgeon then inserts a needle through the vagina into the woman’s ovary to remove the eggs. General anesthesia is not required when the surgeon does this, though the woman is sometimes given a mild sedative. Whilst that is taking place, the man provides a semen sample. He is asked not to have sex for a few days before the eggs are taken from his partner. The sperm are separated from the semen in a laboratory procedure.

Next, the sperm are combined in the laboratory dish with the eggs taken from the woman. Around 18 hours after this has been done, it is possible to find out if the egg or eggs have been fertilized and if embryos have grown as a result. If they have, they are incubated and observed over the next 2-7 days. After that time, the embryos will be transferred back to the woman using a catheter (a long slender tube). She is then given certain hormones for the following 10-14 days. All being well (which is the case if any of the eggs attach to the wall of the uterine and grow), a pregnancy test will give a positive result.

Now Try : The Cost Of IVF